Keep on playing those mind games: when it comes to the mental side of bowling, approach and preparation make all the difference - A Pro's Approach

Bowling Digest, Feb, 2002 by Parker Bohn, III

Advanced bowlers have most, if not all, of the tools of the trade, including the latest and greatest equipment. At the top of your game, you know how to throw strikes and fill frames, and make adjustments on the approach with your feet, hands, and ball speed. Most importantly, advanced bowlers try to adapt their game to the conditions they're bowling on. While advanced players are almost always stronger than the two previous types of bowlers, no matter how strong they are mentally, there are definitely times when they struggle. It's in those times of struggle when you need to be tougher mentally than ever before, because otherwise you'll let something rattle you. Being cool, calm, and collected when you're struggling makes you shine like a bigger star once the pins start to fall in your favor.

When you're at the advanced level of your game, you know the ups and downs of bowling. You understand there are some conditions in which filling frames is crucial, and other conditions in which nailing strikes is vital. You understand the importance of bowling a long-format tournament, a five-, 10-, or 20-game tournament, or a one-game match, as well as understanding the pressure of needing a strike in the 10th frame, better known as crunch time.

Regardless of whether you're a beginning, mid-level, or advanced bowler, I can promise you that practice will not only make you sharper on the lanes, but also will make you mentally fit off the lanes. You might not think much of it right now, but concentrating while you are sitting in the settee area and preparing for that task at hand--your next shot, whether you're trying to knock down 10 pins or pick up a 5-pin spare--will help your game a lot more than throwing a shot, grabbing a beer, and not thinking about your game at all. Try to put your concentration into each and every shot you're going to throw. Once you do that, you'll definitely begin advancing to the next level.

RELATED ARTICLE: A Slippery Step vs. Sneaky Pete.

IN 1995, I BOWLED PETE WEBER in the title match of the Columbia 300 Open in Austin, Texas. On one of my spare shots, my foot broke the foul line. The foul lights weren't on, and I didn't physically see myself foul, so I moved on to the next frame as if nothing had happened. One frame later during a commercial, the tournament director informed me that the TV replay had revealed a foul. That left me with a zero for the spare. Mentally, that zero could have destroyed me. It would have been easy to throw the second half of the game away. I didn't let that happen. I put the mistake behind me and went on to win the tournament.

For you, maybe a pin slides but doesn't fall. Or what feels like a perfect strike shot leaves a 7-10. You can't change what's happened--only what will happen. Do what you can with what you have to deal with.

When I'm bowling qualifying, I'm constantly adapting to the lanes, because with each roll the lanes are changing in certain little ways that the average bowler can't see. During qualifying, we're bowling a marathon. At match play, we're bowling at more of a quarter-mile pace, one fast lap around the track. You have to figure out your adjustments and keep your cool because you know there are certain matches where if you stay clean with a 210, you'll be doing good, and other times when you know you'll need lots of strikes and a 240 to advance. TV shows are a sprint: It's every man for himself. You want to make every stride and step count, in every frame.