How Can I Improve My Attitude On The Bowling Lanes?

Written By: Rich Carruba | Written On: Thursday, May 26, 2022 | Updated On: Saturday, March 29, 2025

Improving Your Attitude on the Bowling Lanes

If you’re wondering how to improve your attitude on the bowling lanes, it’s likely because you’ve experienced moments where you’ve lost your composure during past competitive performances and now regret it. We’ve all encountered a bowler who has let their emotions get the better of them—perhaps we’ve even been that person ourselves at some point, maybe even recently. Generally, poor performances tend to follow poor attitudes and sour dispositions. It’s a cycle that can be tough to break, but it’s not impossible.

Picture this: you’re in your first game of league night or a tournament, and you’re tested with bad breaks right out of the gate. Frustration creeps in, and before you know it, those early setbacks throw off your entire performance. Or maybe you deliver what feels like a perfect shot, only to get “tapped” and leave a dreaded corner pin standing despite hitting the pocket solidly—costing you a crucial score in an important match. Then there are those times when you simply make a poor shot at the worst possible moment, desperately needing a strike to stay in the game. Any of these scenarios can spark a negative attitude, and it’s easy to see why.

The key to overcoming these challenges is to learn how to grind it out. Keep making the best shots you can, stay patient, and trust that, in time, the breaks will start going your way. Top-tier bowlers don’t let bad luck derail them—they adopt a no-give-up attitude that carries them through tough moments. By embracing this mindset, you’re setting yourself up for future successes on the lanes. It might sound counterintuitive, but the best time to work on building a positive mental approach is when things aren’t going well in competition. That’s when the pressure is on, emotions run high, and your game can easily veer off course if you let frustration take over.

Rather than giving in to those negative feelings, see these moments as opportunities to build resilience. Tough it out by focusing on grinding through each game, frame by frame, without throwing away shots just because of a bad break. It’s in these high-pressure situations—when you’re tested the most—that you build character and learn to bowl well by keeping your emotions in check. Stay positive, focus on making one good shot at a time, and avoid getting ahead of yourself. Dwelling on what’s already happened won’t help, so shift your attention to the next shot and let the past go.

Confidence isn’t something that just happens—it’s a choice. Choose to believe that you can overcome obstacles on the lanes, and your attitude will improve as a result. As the saying goes, the last of the human freedoms is the ability to choose your attitude in any given set of circumstances. When adversity strikes, don’t waste energy complaining or whining about poor breaks. Instead, stare it down and beat it back with your bowling ability. Trust in your skills and give yourself the chance to shine by maximizing what you’re capable of achieving.

Developing this mindset takes practice, just like any other aspect of bowling. When you’re in the middle of a tough game, remind yourself that every frame is a fresh start. A bad break in the third frame doesn’t have to define the rest of your night. By staying calm and collected, you’ll not only improve your performance but also enjoy the game more. Bowling is as much a mental challenge as it is a physical one, and the players who succeed long-term are the ones who master both.

Think about the bowlers you admire—the ones who seem unshakable no matter what the lanes throw at them. They don’t let a split or a missed spare ruin their focus. They move forward, shot by shot, with a quiet determination. You can do the same. It starts with a decision to stay in control, to keep pushing forward even when the odds feel stacked against you. Over time, this approach becomes second nature, and you’ll find yourself handling pressure with ease.

So, the next time you step up to the approach and things aren’t going your way, take a deep breath and reset. Focus on the process, not the outcome. Trust that your preparation and ability will carry you through. A positive attitude isn’t just about feeling good—it’s about giving yourself the best possible chance to succeed, no matter the circumstances.