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Author Topic: Staying focused  (Read 1443 times)

tdub36tjt

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Staying focused
« on: July 09, 2009, 05:19:21 AM »
I don't know why but I have found that when bowling in league I can not stay focused on my game. I just find that with the amount of time between each shot I cannot keep focused.

I realized recently this must be my problem because I will go practice on my own and throw the ball great. I have been practicing on PBA patterns and I will be in the 200's the whole time and in the pocket the whole time and making solid shots most the time. Then I get to my league and will throw the ball really well in practice and get in a groove it seems, but then I will lose it very quickly once the league starts.

I just think this has to be my problem I will try to stay focused when practicing and it seems easy to do but then league comes around and I feel like my mind is all over. Anyone have/had this problem and fixed it? Anyone have any ideas on what I can do to help fix this? Just frustrating when I put up the scores I do in practice then get to league and can't ever seem to score.
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leftyinsnellville

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Re: Staying focused
« Reply #1 on: July 09, 2009, 01:26:39 PM »
Do what I do...take a tranquilizer or drink some beer.  It may not help you focus, but you won't care as much about bowling lousy.  
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the pooh

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Re: Staying focused
« Reply #2 on: July 09, 2009, 02:00:24 PM »
Having a pre-shot routine that you go through every time you are up can help. If something interrupts your routine, stop,set your ball down,even walk back to the settee if needed. Then start over. This must be consistent and every time you are up. Part of mine is to wipe my ball off before every shot. Another part is to check my set up position and ball set down positionthen draw a line(mentally) to my breakpoint through the arrows. Next,I have a breathing system I have worked on that helps me to make good shots and stay in time. All of this does not take a great deal of time, perhaps 15-20 seconds,and I get the shot off.
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the pooh
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the pooh

voidkid89

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Re: Staying focused
« Reply #3 on: July 09, 2009, 05:32:33 PM »
Depending on the skill level of the bowlers in your league, they may be hurting you.  In practice, when its just you, you can carve out a hole in the pattern and really open things up, espicially if you know how to play the patterns the correct way.  Yet if you have a lot of sprayers, and people who don't understand the patterns, all of the sudden already hard patterns can get really tough and un predictable.  At the same time you are happy that these people want to learn.  It's a catch 22.
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Wes Dye

Suburban Lanes Youth League Director/Head Coach

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Bloomington, Indiana

voidkid89@yahoo.com (also msn messenger name, give me a shout)

Indiana University Bowling
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tdub36tjt

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Re: Staying focused
« Reply #4 on: July 09, 2009, 06:54:18 PM »
I don't really feel like it is the lanes get harder on me. It seems like when I am in league that I just can't make the shots like I do in practice. Which to me seems like it must be lack of focus or something. Even when I bowl in sweepers I feel like I throw the ball much better and make the shots that I do in practice. Which I am would assume is because of the faster pace of the bowling in sweepers/practice.


quote:
Depending on the skill level of the bowlers in your league, they may be hurting you.  In practice, when its just you, you can carve out a hole in the pattern and really open things up, espicially if you know how to play the patterns the correct way.  Yet if you have a lot of sprayers, and people who don't understand the patterns, all of the sudden already hard patterns can get really tough and un predictable.  At the same time you are happy that these people want to learn.  It's a catch 22.
--------------------
Wes Dye

Suburban Lanes Youth League Director/Head Coach

Suburban Lanes Pro Shop/Manager
Bloomington, Indiana

voidkid89@yahoo.com (also msn messenger name, give me a shout)

Indiana University Bowling
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dizzyfugu

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Re: Staying focused
« Reply #5 on: July 10, 2009, 03:01:23 AM »
quote:
Depending on the skill level of the bowlers in your league, they may be hurting you.


That's a good point. I played in a mixed team last saeson with many (talented) youth players. While it was fun, I also noticed that your own morale and concentration declines when the team in itself does not "fight". Encouraging each other and maintaing that certain "killer instinct" until the last pin has been knocked over is IMHO a very vital asset, for both of the team and the personal performance.
Never lose a positive outlook on what you do, stay aggressive - it really helps!
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DizzyFugu - Reporting from Germany

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DizzyFugu ~ Reporting from Germany

J_w73

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Re: Staying focused
« Reply #6 on: July 10, 2009, 01:54:39 PM »
quote:
Having a pre-shot routine that you go through every time you are up can help. If something interrupts your routine, stop,set your ball down,even walk back to the settee if needed. Then start over. This must be consistent and every time you are up. Part of mine is to wipe my ball off before every shot. Another part is to check my set up position and ball set down positionthen draw a line(mentally) to my breakpoint through the arrows. Next,I have a breathing system I have worked on that helps me to make good shots and stay in time. All of this does not take a great deal of time, perhaps 15-20 seconds,and I get the shot off.
--------------------
the pooh


I would agree.. some years ago after stepping in some water, sticking and falling I developed a preshot routine that included sliding my slide foot three times on the approach to make sure I could slide.. last year I went to a slide sock and noticed that it will slide no matter what so I dropped the testing slide in my preshot routine and bowled really bad last year.. I just started doing it again just for the sake of it and am now bowling way better and have confindence in my shot.. don't know what it is but it just flips a switch for me to get in the mind to throw a good shot.. I also always use the air dryer on my hands.. last night the air dryer wasn't working on our pair but I still kept putting my hand over it in the same sequence I always do..
the fact that it wasn't on did mess with me though.
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16-17 mph,350 rpm,PAP 5 1/2 x 3/8up, HighGame 300 x 3, High Series 782
Book Average 215 / 205,PBA Xperience ave180

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350 RPM, 17 MPH
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