How Your Mood Affects Your Game

We’ve all been there. You’ve got the front six. You step up in the 7th, and it’s a great shot, but the 10-pin is standing. How do you react? Do you flip off the pin and kick the ball return while cussing all the way through your spare shot? Or do you say “good shot” to yourself and grab your spare ball and say “easy spare”?

How you react to bad shots – or good ones that don’t carry – can have an effect on your next shot. Sometimes it carries over to set the tone for the entire game or session. Here’s how:

Your physical body responds to your reaction. If you step up to throw your spare while still cursing under your breath and shaking your head about the standing pin, your chances of missing have just increased. Why? Your mental anger will pump adrenaline into your body and affect your physiology. You may grip the ball harder, throw it too fast, or just rush the shot in general. Just not focusing mentally on making the spare can make you miss.

90% of league and tournament bowling is your mental game. How you talk to yourself about your shots affects your physical game immensely. Learning the ability to not react emotionally to a bad shot or unforgiving carry is a great way to improve your game. It allows you to focus on your next shot and stay consistent in your game.

Don’t believe me? Try this ONE thing: next league or practice session, every time you leave a ten pin (or a seven pin for my fellow lefties), just keep repeating “easy spare” to yourself until you step up to make the shot. I’d love to hear your comments below – tell me what happened when you tried it!