Had a area championships today, and ive been bowling really well latly (i dont bowl league, but in practice ive been averaging 220 for the last 3 weeks, i bowl about 20 games a week, and the last 2 national tournies ive bowled i came in 8th). I bowled mixxed doubles yesterday with my girlfriend and bowled crappy. shot like a 520, terrible. But i had a few carry troubles, so i thought oh well no biggy, it will sort itself out tomorrow.

So i rocked up today, had to bowl singles, doubles, teams, and then doubles, and then masters. Long day.

For my singles i shot a 619, pretty consistant throughout. I was moderatly happy with that, but i new i could have done better, threw a few errored shots.

Doubles time, changed lanes, bowling with my best mate. I bowled about 520 again. Shocking, i was SO lost, not one strike in the second game. That poor effort was completly on me, all my fault, just never felt comfortable. So im about 160 under for 9 games, i was gettin pretty down about it.

Teams. I bowled a 444 series. Yes you read right, 444. I had NOTHING. It was like an out of body experience, just didnt even feel like it was me bowling. My shot felt like i was a 12 year old learning to bowl, my last step was like a giant stretch to make the line, and no matter how much i moved up on the approach, it was still like that. I was devistated. I hadnt shot under 600 in about a month, then BLAM 2 sub 600's and a sub 500.

Doubles time again, with another mate of mine. In my efforts to rectify the last step i forgot about the rest of my technique, and if it wasnt for a chick filming me bowling for no reason, and me watching it i wouldnt have noticed that i started to drift a good 15 boards left on my 2nd step, and then back 15 boards on the 4th step. After all my attempts to fix this, i had no results. ANOTHER 400 series, i think it was like 460 something.

To my credit i stayed calm most of the day, stayed smiling, but inside i was enraged. My girlfriend could see me shaking i was so angry. Masters was next, its a double elim 2 game block kinda arrangement. Highlight of the day. People had me as a certainty to come in the top 3 somewhere. I needed to clear my head so me n my bes tmate went for a walk, he hadnt been bowling great either, so we just walked along the road and vented. Felt good to get the rage out.

Time to bowl. The pain continued. i shot 289 for 2 games. Lost to someone who i shouldnt even have to be concerned with. Ok so thats my chance down the drain, its sudden death now. Next block, and im playin a 15 year old lefty, not much tournament experience, again someone that i shouldnt be too troubled by. He was up by 12 after the first game, it was like 162-150 or something like that. Anyway, i thought, no big deal with him being infront, let him get confident, when i get back infront he will panic. Which he did, opened 4 frames in a row, i shot a 204 (finally back to some form) and won handilly.

Next up a mate of mine, good bowler, fair bit of experience, still should win handilly, but a tougher match. I was down by 14 after the first game and we trade strikes and splits and its down to the 10th frame, and ive caught 7 pins on him. I let him finish the 10th before i bowled, he spared and struck. So the game was there for the taking, just needed a double.

Cluth time. I took my time and settled myself. By this time people saw our close, all be it a low scoring game, in progress and started to group around. I stepped up, ripped the rack on the first shot, X. Ok good, im still there, place went quiet. Stepped up and i felt strangely confident despite my terrible form. Took my time, and settled myself. I bowled the first confortable ball i bowled all day. I thought great, this looks good, BLAM! 10 pin, i loose by a handful of pins. I was SO dissapointed. So im out of the tournament which people expected me to be contesting for the win in, in the 3rd round.

Im really down about how i bowled, is there anything that i can take from this weekend, or should i erase it from my memory?? I came up big in the clutch, even tho i didnt win, i bowled good shots when i really needed them, but im usually got when the heat is on. Any thoughts ppl? I need to learn something from this.... dont i??

good luck and high scoring
matt

Edited on 11/9/2003 6:37 AM

Wow, I feel your pain. I’ve been through similar warps like this one and just absolutely concluded that I must have been abducted by aliens that transplanted the I can’t bowl gene into my mind.
For me what helped me afterwards is this. After pulling all my resources, confiding in all the instructional guides,  I was still left with a rather huge void in my quest for answers so I took it to the basics and realized some very important things I seemingly had forgotten or over looked.

I reminded myself when I practice it’s usually not on the condition I will be competing on so therefore the shot is much simpler, easy to get and stay relaxed and loose.  

Of all the words and phrases of advise from years of recording them I fell back on a couple that helped me out of this hole. The first one was from Nelson Burden JR, he stated these words, “ strike for show, spare for doe “.  The second and most important quote came from the great Earl Anthony who said, “ in pressure situations on tough conditions you must keep things as simple as possible and when the lanes open up for you then shift into high gear, make your spares then the strikes will soon follow “.

I praise you for practicing, not to many people actually do that any more.  The next time you practice use a ball that makes it hard to find the pocket, one that doesn’t hook much, this will better prepare you for tougher conditions. On the other hand if you’re in tight with someone from the house you practice at see if you could get them to put down a shot for you then you could use your aggressive equipment and experiment.  

Don’t beat yourself up for performing bad, learn from it and grow. Also it wouldn’t be a bad idea to join a league of some kind, this way you will be placed in a competitive forum on a weekly basis, then set goals for your self, I try to achieve the highest average of the season, this always gives me a sense of pressure I must compete under.


Hope this helps you some Matt.

Mike Anoles

--------------------
It's not my saying but I live by it's meaning.

To get somewhere you've never been able to go, you must do something you've never done.

A measure of success, to peruse your dream and watch it unfold.

Plane Facts,

thanks man, that helped me heaps, spoken like a true genius. I'm going out to put in some games today, i might just take my plastic and use that. And about me bowling a league.. I quit the sport about 10 months ago, had a 6 month hiatus, and have only been back for a matter of 3 months. League was the problem, i just couldnt stand the week in week out routine, i like to do things when i want to do them, ive stopped bowling league, and im enjoying the sport much more, and bowling better aswell.

JOE,

im glad you liked my story. And i will be putting it yo use very soon just for ballreviews.com . As i posted a month or so ago i will be writing a novel, a bowling novel. And every fortnight i will be posting up a new chapter. There hasnt been any headway so far cause uni has been CRAZY, but in 2 weeks holidays start, and it will begin. Hope you enjoy my novel as much as you enjoyed this.

good luck and high scoring
matt