Bowling and golf are the only two sports where you have to think a lot and then stop thinking! You have to think about the lane conditions -- is it too wet or dry, is it hard or soft, is the oil long or short. You have to think about the heat -- is it too hot or too cold. You have to think about your hand position, your footwork, your timing, your release, your balance, what arrow are you focusing, and a million other things. Then you need to stop thinking.
That's right. Stop thinking and let your body do what it knows to do. Your body, because of all the bowling you've done and practice, knows exactly what to do. If you continue to think about everything that needs to be done while you are in the middle of your approach, you will end up forcing the ball and cause even more mistakes.
After each release, you should be thinking about how it went. Did you start out right, was your timing good, did you finish in a strong stance, did the ball hit the target arrow, overall did you feel good about it? All these and many more are questions you need to ask yourself to make adjustments to your game. Additionally, you need to think about what you are going to do to pick up the spare, if necessary.
You should be thinking and socializing up until your get set in your stance for your next approach. When you settle in for your approach, you should visualize what should happen.
Then as soon as you make your first move in your approach STOP THINKING and let your body take over.
You'll find amazing results if you focus on you mental game.
You've heard that practice makes perfect. NOT.
PERFECT PRACTICE makes PERFECT.
Don't mess around when you practice. Concentrate on what you are trying to do. Focus on one area so you can get it down. Remember that you are programming your body so that it will automatically do what you wnat in the real game. Focusing on one area allows this programming to happen because you're doing it over and over again.
Analyze your delivery and think about what you are doing when you practice. Feel your good shots when you make them and imprint it into your mind so that you can repeat them again. Use visualization to practice off the lanes at home
Also, don't keep score when you're practicing. It will cause more damage than good. You end up focusing on getting a better score than a better game.
Figure out a routine that you will use every time you compete. Some would say to plan out your complete day. This may be a little extreme from most of us.
For this bowling tip, I suggest have routine set for when you get to your lane.
My routine for instance:
Now, when I it's my turn up:
Everyone will have their own routine. Just have one. It will help!
I'm going to take this from the end versus the beginning.
When you finishing releasing the ball and completed your follow-thru, your hand should be in a "handshake" positions. Not over the top.
Imagine shaking someone's hand. That's how your hand position should be at the end of your release and folow-thru.
Now, how you begin in another story. I typically, have my hand directly under the ball. Sometimes, I tilt the ball more to one side or the other depending on what I am trying to achieve.
Once again, every one stands differently. I think that you want to stay relaxed in your stance. This will help your entire approach be more relaxed and fluid. I like to bend the knees a little and make sure I am well balanced. If my stance isn't balanced from sided to side and front to back, then I won't be balanced at the line and that is deadly.
At some point, you are going to need to learn to bowl the arrows. Those are the pointy things that form a big arrow. They are spaced five boards apart.
The reason for bowling them is that you can be much more consistent focusing on them than the pins since they are so much closer. You can tell if you hit your arrow or not and make adjustments accordingly.
Practice this and your score will skyrocket!
The general rule of thumb is to bowl straight at the pin you are trying to pick up. Nothing fancy. If you have a hard ball that doesn't hook this make it easy to pick it up with your normal swing.
If you only have one ball then adjust where you aim and where you start accordingly.
Picking up spares should be easy.
Now, if you are a lefty and wanting to pick up the 4 or 7 pin (or if you are a righty trying to pick up the 6 or 10 pin) then move all the way to the other side so that you can bowl across the lane. This allows you some flexibility so you are not having to hang on the end of the gutter.
Here's a great new product that will help you pick up spares.
"STOP THINKING SO MUCH!" Did I yell loud enough? Most of us are used to people telling us we aren't thinking enough.
When you are ready to start your approach and you have gone through all the prep. Then you need to just let your body do what it know to do.
In my opinion, if you keep trying to think about it at this point you are more likely to mess things up than get a good shot off.
Just relax and go for it.
Don't believe me? Palmer Fallgren, author of "Let It Go", PBA champ, former USA Bowling Head Coach and current Director of Coaching for Team USA thinks the same thing.
This is the one time that watching TV is GOOD! OK. Maybe not the one time. But a really good time. This bowling tip is telling you to watch the pros. Don't just watch -- study. See what they are doing. Record them and play it back in slow motion. See what the basic technique they are using.