Rhino's Take - Mental Game part 3

In this last segment of the mental game, I want to discuss mental mindset.  It is amazing how quickly our mindset can change in the game of bowling.  Sometimes it is for the best, but most commonly it is extremely detrimental to our game.  One of the most important things we have to be aware of as players is when this change occurs.  Some days it happens when you see your competition, while others it happens in the middle of competition when things aren’t really going our way.  Whether it is during a night of league, or in a tournament, it is something we have all felt and deal with on a regular basis.  When we experience this transition of our mindset, the single most important thing to remember is the game hasn’t changed.  We have trained ourselves to execute the way we want, so all we have to do is free our mind!  It is incredibly important to understand that the goal of bowling doesn’t ever change from practice to league to local/state tournaments or even into a PBA competition!  In this segment, I am going to share a few stories of examples of how our mindset can change in the blink of an eye and inevitably, if we allow it, lead to a very detrimental result.

Devin Bidwell, a longtime friend of mine was tied for 1^st going into the final day of Team USA Trials this year.  The field was strong and the tournament itself in my opinion is the hardest tournaments there is.  As Devin entered the final day, he felt no pressure.  He said “Going into the day I wasn’t nervous or worried about making Team USA.  My goal was to make the cut (top 3).”  However, Devin struggled out of the gate.  After 4 of the 6 games, he found himself in 109^th place for the day which would drop him well out of the top 3.  Most players at this point might have chalked up the day and the tournament by saying things like “well I guess it just isn’t meant to be” or “I guess it’s just not my day.”  In fact, Devin recalls, “The things going through my head during those middle games weren’t positive at all.  I experienced the negative self-defeating thoughts and emotions that a lot of people normally get lost in.”  Speaking for myself I can’t even begin to tell you how many times that I have found myself in this same exact circumstance.  Although he battled himself in those middle games, Devin fought hard to get his mind back in the right spot.  He stated, “When I noticed those thoughts weren’t real, it was easier to separate from them for enough time to let the lane tell me what to do.”  By understanding mentally where he was and where it could lead him, Devin stepped up to shoot 270-245 his last two games to boost him all the way to 42^nd place for the day and an overall finish of 5^th place.  Although Devin fell short of the top 3, he found a way to make a phenomenal finish which ultimately put him in a position to be selected for Team USA for his first time.  Looking back at that last day Devin said, “If I caught it faster, I would have been in a completely different position.  All of those thoughts cloud the mind preventing clear decision making.  The only way to perform at your best is to let all thought go and be completely clear minded.”  He went on to say, “It is difficult to realize that you’re being consumed by the thoughts.  It’s as if they control your actions causing you to unconsciously react to situations that really aren’t in any way related to what is truly happening.”   Devin’s mature words of wisdom are something we can all learn from and a lasting example of why a consistent mindset no matter what we are going through is so incredibly crucial.

Let’s now move on to another example of how our mindset may change without us really knowing until it is too late.  Have you ever noticed the nights of league or even a tournament where it seems like you can’t miss in practice?  You are lined in and you feel like it is going to be a really good day/night of bowling.  Then all the sudden the arrows appear, and it seems like you can’t hit the broad side of a barn.  I know I have been there many many times!  All that has happened in these times is your mindset has changed.  In practice you were free, limited in your thought process and things just happened.  However, once scoring started, all that occurred was you began to think!  During these times, it is again very important to realize and understand that the game hasn’t changed!  In fact there is no real difference between your practice time to league or even tournaments because the object of the game never changed.  Your mindset has though.  This is one of the most key things to understand and catch when it comes to the mental game.  

I remember in 2004 I bowled my first ever US Open in Fountain Valley, CA.  I had just made Team USA for my first time and I was bowling better than I had ever bowled in my short career.  The pressure I felt entering this tournament was almost overwhelming.  After all, it was my first PBA Tournament let alone the fact it was the US Open.  As I looked at the pairings list the night before qualifying, my mouth dropped.  Nervousness almost became fear yet also excitement as I saw Pete Weber was on my pair.  I mean I had watched Pete my entire life on TV and he was incredibly intimidating.  Upon seeing Pete that next morning, the feeling was much like a dream.   Not only was I up against the best in the world, but one of the best to ever put shoes on.  Needless to say, my first game was not one to remember.  I recall bowling 150 just because my mindset had changed just because of who I was bowling with.  I was more worried about staying out of Pete’s way than I was my own game.  When I took a step back after that game, I realized all of the drama I had created in my head about bowling with Pete had significantly affected my ability.  Thankfully because I was able to understand exactly what had happened, I was able to settle in and eventually make my first PBA cut. Had I not been able to take a step back after that rough start, there is no doubt I would not have had a prayer in that tournament.  Clearly, I let the drama of the moment get to me.  This was an incredible learning experience and something that significantly helped me moving forward.

Being able to separate the drama from the actual game itself is one of the single most important things that can allow you to play your best.  The ability to keep your mindset on track, will naturally allow you the ability to be mentally free and clear.  My encouragement and challenge to all of you is to think differently the next time you go out to play.  Just because it is competition, doesn’t mean you have to act, nor think differently.  Again, the game hasn’t changed, so you can’t allow yourself to change either!  Understanding and sharpening this mental skill will significantly improve all of your bowling performances!