How to avoid that inevitable slump

[USAFbowler]

It seems every year, I start strong and then slump through the middle of the season and end fairly strong. example:

This past season i was carrying 206 going into the christmas/new years break. after a month off (still practicing, yes) I came back and threw i don't know how many mid/low 5's or less....a few 6's here and there, but it got down to 178 and then the final month i got it back up to 185 where i stopped due to moving. other than practice practice practice how can I avoid that slump this year???

The area i'm at right now only has an 8 lane house on base (only a few fall leagues on base) and there's a small house off base, havent' been to it yet. so no summer league for me this year......any tips are ALWAYS welcome for this guy!!!

[Lonewolf300800]

sometimes a during a long season a mental letdown can occur, sorta like getting burned out from so much bowling. just work on your focus when you start to notice things heading in the wrong direction or better yet, take a week or two off...:eek: ...i know, hard for me to do either.

[Thepainscoming]

I agree with lonewolf, its hard to do, but it can help tremendously.

[Rowdy]

Slump???....Whats that???....Oh,that period after someone shoots a big number and then mentally,"Takes The Night Off",for a few weeks....or months....you have to keep in mind that every week is a brand new ballgame...the lanes and your ball don't care what you shot last week...and they damn sure don't feel that you're "owed" something this time around...you have to roll EVERY ball at 100% of your ability...now,go back and really examine your last league night....be honest with yourself here...how many balls didn't you go all out on???

[No Mercy07]

Uh you can't.. It's all how you overcome it

[Rowdy]

Can't what???

[blistershurt]

I'd have to agree with No Mercy, you cant avoid a slump, but the second you get into one, my coach told me this...that you should start from basics and take your time on the approach, it helped me tremendously, I started off this year with a 190 average in the first half, and I just died on the lanes or something, and my average dipped to 175 or so, then went up to 180 at the end of the year after I started getting coached.

[No Mercy07]

Can't what???

Avoid the slump

[Rowdy]

Avoid the slump

Sure you can. But you have to stay on top of your game at all times. It can be mentally draining to do,but if you want to avoid that slump you have to do it.

[rrwatson]

Agree with Rowdy, to me a slump should last no more than a couple of frames. Seen to many guys after a couple of opens or bad breaks give up on the game, night and series, then come back next week and still have no idea of what happened the week prior. Keep the slumps to a minimum within that one game. Spares arent that bad until the strikes start falling. :)

[Rowdy]

Agree with Rowdy, to me a slump should last no more than a couple of frames. Seen to many guys after a couple of opens or bad breaks give up on the game, night and series, then come back next week and still have no idea of what happened the week prior. Keep the slumps to a minimum within that one game. Spares arent that bad until the strikes start falling. :)

That's the idea. Hey,if you roll 10 spares in a row and strike on the fill ball in the 10th,that's a 200+ game.

[blistershurt]

No, I think its a 189 or a 190 game....I did it in a tournament when I had to use a urethane because the lanes were terrible

[kchays]

191 is the highest with one strike.

[Rowdy]

191 is the highest with one strike.

I stand corrected. I shouldn't try to do math in my head when I 'm on my meds.

[No Mercy07]

Sure you can. But you have to stay on top of your game at all times. It can be mentally draining to do,but if you want to avoid that slump you have to do it.

It may be a game, set, week, month, whatever you still can't avoid it

[Rowdy]

It may be a game, set, week, month, whatever you still can't avoid it

Every score I had this past season was from a 202 to a 278,with a combined average of 212.50 for three leagues. Wasn't no slump in there. But,boy howdy,was it draining to stay "up" like that three nights a week.

[No Mercy07]

Meh, maybe your a god. Who knows...

IMO I've hit a slump in almost every league every season. Idk how they do it for adult bowlers but for youths they give a recap sheet and it shows all your scores and good stuff...

[can-ham]

I have a similar problem. Every season I start off like crap. I practice during the summer but the last two years I'll start the season with some really bad weeks. This is 100% due to poor spare shooting and bad lane adjustment. By Christmas I'm in the groove and know exactly when and where to move.

So for me it's starting the year off with strong spare shooting.

For mid season slumps a great thing to do is get your ball or even an old ball or different ball you are not using in that league, resurfaced to match the conditions. Some times adjusting to a new or resurfaced ball will give you that extra concentration (and reaction) to work through a slump. Especially mid season your main strike ball(s) will need attention any way.

Also the best way to roll yourself out of a slump is to forget about it and just have fun bowling. the more tense and upset you get the worse it will be on you and your team mates...

[USAFbowler]

my slumps are always in the middle. and yes, rowdy i can honestly say i give my all every shot. well ok, every first shot. lol sometimes those splits piss me off but whatever. i'm dead on for 10 pins. single pins for that. but every first ball i always clear my head, take a deep breath, pick up my ball, focus on my shot, what i want to do, where i want to put it, and then....something always happens. drop shoulder, flip too much, not enough, don't get it out far enough/too far, it's just always something. maybe i'm just cryin? lol i don't know i would really just like to improve my game and avoid that "inevitable" slump that has happened to me since i started bowling.

[sawmaster]

my slumps are always in the middle. and yes, rowdy i can honestly say i give my all every shot. well ok, every first shot. lol sometimes those splits piss me off but whatever. i'm dead on for 10 pins. single pins for that. but every first ball i always clear my head, take a deep breath, pick up my ball, focus on my shot, what i want to do, where i want to put it, and then....something always happens. drop shoulder, flip too much, not enough, don't get it out far enough/too far, it's just always something. maybe i'm just cryin? lol i don't know i would really just like to improve my game and avoid that "inevitable" slump that has happened to me since i started bowling.

maybe your thinking too much?
i jus think bout where i want to put my ball and that ima get a strike for confidence with where im laying the ball down.

and i have the same problem..but my slumps r short..and they come everytime i bowl. lol.
like i will bowl a 220..then a 150 then bounce back with a 200

[Rowdy]

my slumps are always in the middle. and yes, rowdy i can honestly say i give my all every shot. well ok, every first shot. lol sometimes those splits piss me off but whatever. i'm dead on for 10 pins. single pins for that. but every first ball i always clear my head, take a deep breath, pick up my ball, focus on my shot, what i want to do, where i want to put it, and then....something always happens. drop shoulder, flip too much, not enough, don't get it out far enough/too far, it's just always something. maybe i'm just cryin? lol i don't know i would really just like to improve my game and avoid that "inevitable" slump that has happened to me since i started bowling.

From reading this,it's like you expect something bad to happen,no matter how well you may be rolling at the time. "Inevitable"??? Nope. Sounds to me more like a mental block. Kinda like you're afraid to bowl good and have to live up to that level every week.

I've seen guys who can roll 200's in practice but come league night there they are,rolling their "normal" 150's. Why??? They don't want to get better than their bowling buddies. They're afraid that if they start putting up better numbers that the guys will get all cheesed off and bowl with someone else.

You'll have to do some serious soul searching and see if thats the case. I hope it isn't. Try going into your next league night with the attitude that nothing is going to get you down tonight. EVERY shot will be delivered like you're rolling with Walter Ray Williams,Jr watching you. Your form will be perfect on every shot. Thats the only swing thought you should have,"I WILL be perfect on this shot." Vizualize the shot before you throw it. See the ball in your mind go exactly where you want it to. See how that works.

[ghostchild]

"avoiding the inevitable" is kind of an oxymoron, isn't it? :D

I agree with a lot that's already been posted about having cofidence and full focus in every single shot. Also, your bad shots and open frames are always in the past. You can never go back and erase them. You can, however, forget about them and make a better shot the next time.

I've found that having one (or more) of your teammates help keep you focused is a really good thing. Work together to help each other. Watch what your teammates are doing and how their shots are moving down the lane. You might notice an adjustment that they didn't that will help them increase their strike percentage. And they can help you in the same way.

One thing that I've found about practice is it's tough for me to be focused and intense like I am during league. I practice every week during the summer, but I can never get "up" for practice because there's nothing on the line. Competition makes me better, so practice is a bit tough to be motivated for.

Just stick to your guns and focus on making the best shot you have in you every single time.

[Rowdy]

One thing that I've found about practice is it's tough for me to be focused and intense like I am during league. I practice every week during the summer, but I can never get "up" for practice because there's nothing on the line. Competition makes me better, so practice is a bit tough to be motivated for.



You mean to tell me you've NEVER rolled against WRW,PDW,PA,PBIII or any other pro for the US Open in practice??? Those suckers always lose,I'm working on my trophy acceptance speech these days.

"Thanks,Randy. It was sure tough out there today. But I had faith in my,(insert name of ball here),I knew if I just rolled that baby out there it wouldn't let me down. I'd like to thank my oppenent for choking like a man at a hanging on that easy 10 pin in the 2nd frame. Opened the door right up for me to lay 8 strikes in a row on him. By the way Randy,thanks for grabbing Stone by the throat and slamming his head on the desk after he hollered "Hambone!" at me. Where's the check???"

[can-ham]

I can't remember where, but a read something really cool:
"Practice during league, and compete during practice"

Mentally put your self on the line in practice, focusing on every shot ect. And in league, approach it like practice, have fun move quickly.

I find I bowl best when I'm loose, in a good mood and having fun. The game I rolled my 300 I didn't even look at the score board, I knew I was striking and just kept it light in between shots making jokes and watching the lanes for changes. When I rolled my tenth I went to go sit back down and my teammate says "two more, big guy". I immediately had a huge smile and said "Hey clean game!". We laughed, but my opponent was a bit sour and said "not yet you don't". Then I struck out. But I was loose the whole game, actually the whole night for my first 700.

[rrwatson]

Congrats on the series and 300. Still pushing for first 7XX and have had 7/8 in a row a number of times this year after getting the BW going till the dreaded 10 pin or an 8 on a solid pocket. Its attitude whether striking or sparing or letting that 8 or 10 pin leave get in the way with anger or "oh my gosh, screwed again" then missing the spare. I love it when my opponent in the first few frames displays anger, a pissy attidute, or immediately starts complaining about handicap leagues and giving pins. Most of the time their slump has started and they are going to loose because Im still smiling and hitting the pocket. Pocket hit and split, pickup one pin, shake it off and get ready for next frame with a smile. Attidude: After every open I am going to throw three strikes to cover the open. Doesnt always work but thats my goal. Ninth and 10th frames in competive league, Im striking out so if your my opponent you had better have a big lead cause you know its coming not only to win my points but to help my team. Attidute, confidence, and teamwork and bowling with a smile when breaks go bad. Again, congrates on the series and game.