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Author Topic: What Happens When They Turn the Lights On?  (Read 1476 times)

dicnic

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What Happens When They Turn the Lights On?
« on: September 28, 2003, 04:49:26 AM »
Well, Saturday afternoon, in our old mans tournament, I did it again. We start to practice and have enough time to throw perhaps 12 balls. I get 10 strikes out of the 12 practice shots, all pocket hits. Leave 2 10 pins, make 'em both!

Then we start to bowl for score. Naturally, I start with 2 opens, not coming close to the head pin, and missing easy spares. Stumble along and shoot maybe 150 sumptin' then a 149 and follow up with a rousing 185!

Where the hell does my brain or muscle memory or whatever go in the 2 minutes between practice and "Lights On"? Same lanes, same ball, same competitors, only different results! I guess I am a practice hero!  
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What's with the Braille on a drive-up-ATM?
Never under any circumstances take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.
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<font color=red><h4>Never take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night. </h4></font id=red>

 

JOE FALCO

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Re: What Happens When They Turn the Lights On?
« Reply #1 on: September 28, 2003, 08:00:33 PM »
KNOW THE FEELING well! May sound silly but what I do now is .. we start bowling at 1 PM I arrive at 12:55 .. have enough time to shoe up and throw the first frame.
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Hit them light and watch them fight
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omegabowler

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Re: What Happens When They Turn the Lights On?
« Reply #2 on: September 28, 2003, 08:08:31 PM »
if you get that many practice shot you should think about a different strategy.

note: this works best with fresh oil and tournament shots.
use a ball that will suck up some oil, real dull particle for example.

don't throw over your strike line. play a little right and wear a track out for the the three pin. then when the lights come on adjust to the oil line with a normal ball. this will give you some recover to the right.
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Edited on 9/28/2003 8:18 PM
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"deserves got nothing to do with it."
-- William Munny

Brickguy221

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Re: What Happens When They Turn the Lights On?
« Reply #3 on: September 28, 2003, 11:55:41 PM »
Dicnic, I've been there many times and know exactly how you feel.





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In the old days, they used axes to chop up wood...Nowadays, they use "BUZZSAWS".
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LuckyLefty

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Re: What Happens When They Turn the Lights On?
« Reply #4 on: September 29, 2003, 07:34:23 AM »
I saw this smooth stroker in this set.

Looked good, scored bad!  I thought you were throwin about 655!

Been there done that.  

I find my results are best when I'm not there!  If you get what I mean, the less Luckylefty, ego etc. and the more I only know about the ball and the lane, the better I do!

Jack Nicklaus was the greatest at this of all time.  I have occassionally tasted this formula for success and can not distinguish between when I am eerily calm and those other times all ego and hyper.  I guess it is good I occassionally do it!

REgards,

Luckylefty
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CoachJim

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Re: What Happens When They Turn the Lights On?
« Reply #5 on: September 29, 2003, 07:49:36 AM »
When people practice they are relaxed because the scores don't count and you can make a bad shot, or just fool around if you want. Then the lights come on and all of a sudden everything matters, every shot counts you tense up and throw the ball a little harder scooting it past the breakpoint and gripping the ball tighter restricting the amount of revs you would normally get.

Fixing this problem will be different for each person. Some might benefit from just not trying so hard, others while under pressure perspire in their hands making them squeeze the ball and throw it harder, a rosin bag might do the trick for them. Mostly if you practice as if every shot counts like it does in league/tournament and stay focused even while goofing around, then when the lights come on you will be ready because mentally you are already there.
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charlest

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Re: What Happens When They Turn the Lights On?
« Reply #6 on: September 29, 2003, 09:06:13 AM »
quote:
When people practice they are relaxed because the scores don't count and you can make a bad shot, or just fool around if you want. Then the lights come on and all of a sudden everything matters, every shot counts you tense up and throw the ball a little harder scooting it past the breakpoint and gripping the ball tighter restricting the amount of revs you would normally get.

Fixing this problem will be different for each person. Some might benefit from just not trying so hard, others while under pressure perspire in their hands making them squeeze the ball and throw it harder, a rosin bag might do the trick for them. Mostly if you practice as if every shot counts like it does in league/tournament and stay focused even while goofing around, then when the lights come on you will be ready because mentally you are already there.


I think Coach Jim has hit at least one nail, BINGO!, right on the head.
Ever notice when a game is out of the wood OR when you are throwing the fill ball, where the count doesn't matter, that you or they carry a strike almost every time???
It's all about the brain. Relaxed and under no pressure, we're as natural as can be. When we think about what's at stake or we think too much about any one facet of our delivery, it's like someone else is at the controls of our bodies.
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"Those who do not remember history are doomed to repeat it."
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SwiftravenWork

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Re: What Happens When They Turn the Lights On?
« Reply #7 on: September 29, 2003, 09:14:56 AM »
Go to:
http://www.bowl4fun.com/ron/tip1.htm
Ron goes over this and I have made sure to follow it when practicing.

Here is the part that applies (but read then entire article, very good stuff!)

"Now in our remaining practice time, we find a line to the pocket and I suggest that you throw the ball a little aggressive. I have seen countless times when guys in practice will throw strike after strike and when they turn the lights on, the ball heads for the nose or washes out. Then they come back to say, 'boy the lanes really changed from practice". What really changed was "them". What happened is, when we started keeping score and the shots mattered, they threw the ball a little harder or added more revs because it counts now. They wanted to make sure they threw the ball well. That's the worse thing we can do. When the score counts try to stay relaxed like you were in practice. If you look back at the shots you were making in practice, they were often better than the shots you are making now. It's all because it didn't matter then and you were relaxed. Your body will go through changes as it warms up. We have to be as sensitive to that as we are to lane changes."

Jason
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