Trusting Your Bowling Skills

By: bowlingball.com, 7/26/16

Updated 6/29/2020

We have all heard the phrase “keep things simple.” In bowling, this means trusting your bowling skills when you are competing in leagues or tournaments.

Avoid jamming excessive thoughts into your mind complicating your task of performing well during competition. Keep things simple. Trusting your skills means using the most reliable keys to your game which have been well practiced and then relying on them during competition.

We know that bowling is a mental and a physical game. Learning how to concentrate on your game during competition and making good decisions when adjustments are needed is a process successful players master. You can easily derail your game by trying to think about the mechanics of your bowling each step you take when delivering your bowling ball.

Instead develop the skill of playing the game in front of you by watching your sight target and thinking only of making a good release of your ball toward that target. Avoid complicating your thoughts while walking to deliver your ball. Juggling too many thoughts about your approach motion can lead to an errant delivery. Experiment in practice and trust your game when you bowl where your scores matter.

In addition to trusting your physical game, you must also trust your decisions when facing using one of many adjustments available to you as your ball reaction changes. In other words, trust your decisions about playing the lanes or using some other form of adjustment as you bowl. Pro bowlers are adept at playing the game in front of them, trusting their abilities, and thinking only about what they must do to make a good shot one at a time. This concept of keeping it simple when bowling will de-emphasize the pressure of making good shots and playing the lanes effectively. Trust your bowling skills when they are most needed. Keep it simple.

Also a very important key to trusting your skills when bowling competitively is to be well practiced. Use your practice sessions wisely and work on the physical game fundamentals you must rely on when bowling in leagues or tournaments. Develop a practice plan.