Mental Game.. PC4 style

“The big difference between great players and good players is behavior, especially in adverse situations. Some players can leave a solid 8 or a solid 9, and it’s like it doesn’t faze them. That sort of behavior is what I think all of us need to strive for. It’s not that I want everybody to go out there and be mechanical or not be emotional."- Norm Duke

The Mental Game, the hardest part to the game of Bowling or any sport for that matter.  In about 97% percent of every bowler and athlete, it is the weakest part of everyone’s “Game” and is the game that will never have a maxium level or a peak to it. The Mental Game is the part of sports that can always improve and grow to help you reach your goals in life.

Some of the things that go into the mental game, is everything that has to do with bowling once you step into the bowling alley for practice, league, or tournaments. It’s a thought process, it’s a routine, it’s whatever you want it to be.  You can make your game however you want it to be, its personal that’s what makes it so great.

I am actually trying to strengthen my mental game at the moment, I am working with a sports psychologist Doc Kolasinski.  She is from Florida and is very knowledgeable about the mental game and it is an absolute honor to be working with her. (the quotes actually came from one of her articles).  If anyone knows me from the past, My mental game is by far the weakest part of my bowling game, It is still today an issue with me and what is holding me back. Now I want my mental game to be the best quality or part of my game, which is the reason  why I’m working with Doc.

Since I gave a little background to my mental game and what my opinions on it so lets get into some of the things I have learned so far during the strengthening and learning of the mental game. First lets start off with books to read, “Focused for Bowling,” “Mind Gym” and the
“Inner game of Tennis”. Although I have not read these books I was suggested to read them and also heard great things about them and the readers learned a lot. I plan on getting to them this summer and read them.

Working with Doc, I have learned from her that the mental game is a five step to a good mental game. There is the 5 areas to the game as I mentioned before:

Area 1: Take responsibility for your performance

Area 2: Control your emotions

Area 3: Control your thinking

Area 4: Focus on the present

Area 5: Committing yourself to constant learning

If you can get these areas of the mental game under control, you will be able to achieve the results you want to achieve.  As I stated before, the mental game is the weakest point of the everyones game and it has no peaks to it.

Taking responsibility for your performance is something that everyone I believe struggles with. Everyone rarely takes responsibility for their performance and it bugs the absolute hell out of me. People point the fingers so many different ways and directions, instead of pointing that finger at the one way it should be… at themselves.  I believe that is where people lose at. They look at the carry the opponent got and rarely look at what they did during that match or throughout the whole tournament. Like I stated before, it is the weakest part of the mental game that everyone has, as well with controlling emotions.

Controlling emotions has always been my weakest part of my game but it is improving and will continue to improve. Showing negative emotion is something you see throughout every level of bowling but it’s apart of being a competitive bowler because you want to succeed but it is something that needs to stop. Im not trying to tell you to go out there and have no emotions but you need to control them and find ways to keep those in check. If you can do this along with controlling the other areas of the mental game, you will find yourself bowling better than ever.

If you ever want to talk the mental game with me, feel free to talk or ask. I’m always looking for ways to help or improve my own mental game.

PC4

" I’m a very emotional person, but I require a certain type of behavior from myself because staying composed brings many benefits. It allows me to keep my heart rate and blood pressure down, which allows me to stay under control. It also shows my competitor that I can handle the situation – and not only can I handle it, but I can handle it and still be a threat, which can scare the heck out of them.” – Norm Duke