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Author Topic: How do I overcome my fear of the 7 pin?  (Read 2791 times)

The Hose

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How do I overcome my fear of the 7 pin?
« on: May 18, 2003, 09:21:06 PM »
Do I need a Sports Psychologist to travel with me to tournaments?  Sometimes I feel like Shaq at the free throw line when I shoot a seven pin.  I'll go tournaments where I never miss one and then I'll miss two or three in a row from time to time.

I bowled a tournament yesterday and missed a few.  When the field was cut down to just four of us, I missed one in the 10 frame to eliminate myself from the tournament.  I had a strike in the 9th and could have punched out for 220 which I though would be good enough to stay alive.  We couldn't see the others scores because of being spread out.  When I left the 7, I keep telling myself that it was a piece of cake and that I had make 7 in a row before that.  I thought I made a good shot but missed it.  The shot had tons oil on the outside and dry in the middle.  If you missed outside on your first ball, you took three out.

As it turned out, if I would have covered that 7, I would have been in the top three with a much better payday.

Do you have a spare which is a thorn in your side?  I should be about 98 % on my seven pin but seem to miss too many.

Also, why is that Lefties seem to miss more seven pins then righties miss the 10?
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dicnic

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Re: How do I overcome my fear of the 7 pin?
« Reply #1 on: May 19, 2003, 12:29:07 PM »
According to your Papa, you are so wonderful that you never miss anything so we are surprised to see such a post!  

However, if you do not use a plastic spare ball and/or throw straight at single pin spares, the lane condition you mentioned would make it almost impossible to hook the ball at a 7 pin. Having struggled on the 10 pin, I have discovered that it is mostly a mental thing. Being as good a bowler as you are, you probably know that. LOL.
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Jeffrevs

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Re: How do I overcome my fear of the 7 pin?
« Reply #2 on: May 19, 2003, 12:31:55 PM »
Hose,
When I leave the 10 (righty), I don't even look at the pin, EVER. I know it's there. I grab the spare ball and set up, and go. I never look.

Does it help, for me it does.....

I also will do a practice session that is nothing but 10 pins.......just so it's so commonplace to see it/leave it, when the time comes to make it, I've done it SOOO many times, it becomes much easier.

However, you can spend the $ on a Sports Psychologists....call me, I'm only $325 per hour!
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JEFF
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The Hose

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Re: How do I overcome my fear of the 7 pin?
« Reply #3 on: May 19, 2003, 12:41:05 PM »
Jeff, I thought every time you left a 10, you just said.....WHATEVER and made it.  LOL

I do use plastic (hammer everclear, lol)  The oil was so heavy that I had a couple slide off in the ditch.  When I moved a little left, I missed this one right.
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MI 2 AZ

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Re: How do I overcome my fear of the 7 pin?
« Reply #4 on: May 19, 2003, 01:09:45 PM »
Hose, do you stand all the way right and shoot across the lane for the 7 pin?  I have watched a few LH here that only move about just right of the center of the lane to shoot their 7 pins and their conversion rate is not that great.  Most RH will stand almost at the left gutter and shoot across the lane at the 10 pin.
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MI 2 AZ

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Re: How do I overcome my fear of the 7 pin?
« Reply #5 on: May 19, 2003, 01:32:11 PM »
quote:
Take lessons from Pchee2
 


Is he good on the 7 pin?
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mumzie

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Re: How do I overcome my fear of the 7 pin?
« Reply #6 on: May 19, 2003, 01:35:22 PM »
Well, the most important (and one of the hardest) things you can do is to stop worrying about "what if" (I miss, I pick it up, etc) and just clear your mind and make the shot. I know - easier said then done, but the more you think about it, the harder the spare conversion.

How many times have I been in the tenth frame saying "Geez - WHY does it have to be a 10 pin for the (match, tournament, win, etc.)?"
But then I try real hard to forget about it, and just go back to basics and make the shot.
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10 In The Pit

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Re: How do I overcome my fear of the 7 pin?
« Reply #7 on: May 19, 2003, 03:53:26 PM »
Hose, I've got the perfect answer for you to overcome your fear of the 7-pin....learn how to bowl RIGHT HANDED!!!  Then, the 10-pin will become your nemesis, but the occasional 7-pin is nothing more than a slight variation on a 4-pin spare.

I couldn't resist the chance to get into the left hand/right hand deal here.....it was just too tempting to miss.
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Kevin

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Re: How do I overcome my fear of the 7 pin?
« Reply #8 on: May 19, 2003, 11:10:58 PM »
You are lsoing focus. You should try drinking spark.
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kev3inp

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Re: How do I overcome my fear of the 7 pin?
« Reply #9 on: May 20, 2003, 03:38:13 AM »
I don't have that much problem with the 7.  If I miss it I pretty much always know why, rushed approach, or poor execution in hitting the spot, poor release, whatever.  I know as soon as the ball leaves my hand if I've got it or not.  It seems to me that the emphasis on that part of the game has changed.  Strikes are cool and feel great, but the one little nugget that my dad drummed into my head when I was learning to bowl is "If you learn to make the spares, the strikes will come by themselves." I see lots of people out there now with great first balls, but can't make a spare if their next meal depended on it, and take it as a personal affront if they leave pins with their "strike ball."
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Zman

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Re: How do I overcome my fear of the 7 pin?
« Reply #10 on: May 20, 2003, 03:39:34 AM »
Hose  - You already are a head case. If you do use a Sports Psychologist for the 7 pin you can get twice the value just working on well you.

I agree with your famous Dad. You take much more care and time setting up to throw the 1st ball. Don't change your routine for setting up by speeding up even
if it's a really easy spare.


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Zman
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SrKegler

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Re: How do I overcome my fear of the 7 pin?
« Reply #11 on: May 20, 2003, 03:41:44 AM »
Wish I had kept track of the lefty's on the league and their 7 pins.  As Hose mentioned, most good righty's don't seem to miss as many 10 pins vs lefty 7 pins.  Maybe its because we shoot at so many of them its 2d nature.  Our having to move all the time and make major adjustments compared to the lefty might also have something to do with it.  Lefty's normally don't have to move as deep, shooting between the 4-5th arrow just feel too strange to them.
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Jeffrevs

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Re: How do I overcome my fear of the 7 pin?
« Reply #12 on: May 20, 2003, 05:08:46 AM »
quote:
Jeff, I thought every time you left a 10, you just said.....WHATEVER and made it.  LOL


that's great!! LOL !
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JEFF
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Magic Carpet

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Re: How do I overcome my fear of the 7 pin?
« Reply #13 on: May 20, 2003, 06:30:56 AM »
There are tons of reasons people miss spares. Assuming a person throws at them the right way....one of the biggest reasons is in the push away and just after.
When bowlers have pressure on them they tend to want to make the next shot very precisely. Because of that they get lazy in their push away and on top of that they don't let the ball fall freely in the drop swing. Both of these cause you to have a shorter swing cycle. Your brain will react to this in different ways at different times. Sometimes it will cause you to force the ball more between the top of the backswing and the delivery causing the ball to go off line. Other times you will just have early timing cause you to miss inside your target. The solution is to make sure on spares or any pressure shot you have an adequate pushaway and then just let the ball fall freely. The freer your armswing the more accurate you will be. I am assuming that most of the knowledgeable people on this board are not hooking at spares.
Ron Clifton
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Newbs

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Re: How do I overcome my fear of the 7 pin?
« Reply #14 on: May 20, 2003, 06:35:22 AM »
I'm a lefty, and I've had pretty good success at this with a reactive ball. First of all, I try to go through as much oil as possible, so I will stand all the way to the right, align the center arrow with the left edge of the pin. Then I use almost a backspin-type release ( Back of hand at 9 o'clock) with average pace, it skids most of the way, and about 10 feet from the deck it will grab the lane and straighten out going into the pin.
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