Bowl Your Best by Being Present
I’ve had the experience when I found myself finishing second instead of winning in back-to-back tournaments. There were multiple reasons why I did not win either tournament, and I congratulate the gentlemen that did win those tournaments – they out bowled me and deserved the victory in both circumstances. However, I
can say that I was distracted by other events, not totally- focused, and it cost me a couple of key shots that could have made a difference. Even though I may not have won either tournament even if I was totally focused, let’s use this as the beginnings of a discussion about being focused and present as it applies to bowling.
I harp on this issue a lot, but it becomes more important as the tournaments get bigger and the shots get tougher. Being present, only focusing on the shot in front of you, is a learned skill.
The Effect of Not Being Present
You can’t throw any shots away – focus on every shot. In a longer tournament, it’s easy to fall into a lapse of concentration for a frame here, a frame there. In 18 games this can add up to 100 pins or more lost. This leads to a similar theme – your mental game is important. You won’t know how good your mental game is until you face this type of test. The lane conditions and the environment combine to challenge your ability to maintain focus and believe in yourself. If you can overcome the mental challenges over the course of the tournament, you can be successful. However, no amount of talent can overcome a weak mental game.
Am I Here?
The question you should ask yourself is – Am I Here? This means simply that you must be present and accountable to yourself for every shot. If you want to perform at your best you must give yourself a chance to focus completely on each and every shot. So how do you do that?
First, you must practice focus and concentration. If your current practices include throwing a lot of shots, or just working on your physical game, you are missing an opportunity to practice the mental dimensions of your game. You should be practicing your pre-shot routine, repeating those habits that allow you to focus in
mentally. Each shot should be focused and purposeful. If you are working on a particular physical change your total focus should be on making effective swings with the change implemented to the best of your ability. In this way you are practicing making focused shots, and your mental focus will improve greatly just by making this simple change to your practice habits.
Taking These Lessons to Competition
In competition, you must execute what you have practiced. Every shot counts, so make sure you go through your pre-shot routine and make a purposeful shot. Take the time to make the shot (but not too much, as this gives you too much time to be distracted). Earl Anthony won 43 times, and rarely did he take much time at
all on the approach. He knew what he was going to do, believed in it, and thus did not need any extra time on the approach – he just executed his game plan. So, too should you plan the next shot, then simply go up on the approach and execute that plan. This typically takes about 3-4 seconds once you have finished your
pre-shot to set up, then you go. However, taking a few extra seconds to make sure that you’re ready, to not make an “anyway” shot (I threw it anyway) is important.
Bowl With Joy
Finally, what good is it to put yourself in a competitive situation if you can’t enjoy it? If you had the opportunity to watch Jason Giambi play baseball, you saw someone who seems to have played with the enthusiasm of a Little Leaguer. Isn’t he nervous? I bet he his, but he is so excited to be in that moment of competition that he completely relished the moment – pressure and all. Try to keep this in mind when you face your next key situation in competition. Enjoy the moment and play the game – you have earned this moment and you should feel good about putting yourself in that situation, win or lose. Really, if you got there in the first place, you have never really lost.