How do you control your emotions during a perfect 300 game?

[Hammer]

What are you feeling when bowling a possible 300 game? The closest I game was all strikes except a spare in the 8th frame. For some reason I didn't feel nervous like I thought I would. I did the first time I came close when I started with nine strikes in a row. I had so much adrenalin going that I could hear my heart beating and my legs felt like rubber. I ended up getting a spare on the first ball and got nine more pins on the second ball in the tenth. How did you control your emotions in the 300 games that you bowled? Were you able to stay calm through the tenth frame when you needed three more strikes? Controlling your emotions to get a perfect game has to be hard to do especially the first 300 game you bowl. :cool:

[TCJ]

The one time I had a shot at a 300 after 11 in a row, I didn't really try to control emotions. For one, I'm not a highly emotional bowler no matter what is going on. I don't get overly-excited, nor do I get down on myself for a bad game. I didn't try taking more time, or thinking about the shot too much. What I did was just go through my typical routine and throw the shot. Turned out I missed left a couple boards and came up a hair heavy, thus missing my 300, but... it didn't bother me at all. Maybe just being a boring person helps calm the nerves?

[e-tank]

once im at about the front 8 i take a couple shots haha

[billf]

The first time I was calm. Maybe due to it being a non-sanctioned league, who knows. Anyway, I was into my delivery and instead of releasing the ball I yanked it up, turned around and said, " I bet half of you are hoping I choke." I then re-set and buried it.

Now the first time I converted the 7-10 split, you would have thought I hit the lottery for a billion dollars I was so excited, yelling and such lol what a dork I am.

[got_a_300]

I just do not think about having 10 or 11 in a row I just
tell myself to just get up there and throw the ball the best
that I can on every shot.

The first time that I had a shot at a 300 game in league that
was all I could think about and it got me really nervous on
the last shot but I still hit the pocket but hung a stone 8 pin
for a 299 game.

I said after that I would never let it get me that nervous again
because I would not think about it and so far it never has.

[J Anderson]

I just do not think about having 10 or 11 in a row I just
tell myself to just get up there and throw the ball the best
that I can on every shot.

The first time that I had a shot at a 300 game in league that
was all I could think about and it got me really nervous on
the last shot but I still hit the pocket but hung a stone 8 pin
for a 299 game.

I said after that I would never let it get me that nervous again
because I would not think about it and so far it never has.

How do you not think about it when the teams to either side of your pair realize that you've got the front nine and stop bowling to watch you?

[ghetto24]

with me, it didn't really "kick in" until I got on the approach for the first ball of the tenth. then a giant wave of "HOLY ****" ran through me. legs got a little weak. had to take a couple deep breaths. got progressively worse each ball.

felt like a newborn dear after the 12th strike. lol

[jbeck]

Hell, I'm looking for my first 5 strikes in a row!

[got_a_300]

How do you not think about it when the teams to either side of your pair realize that you've got the front nine and stop bowling to watch you?
The way I do it is I just try my best to ignore them and everything
else that is going on around me and keep my mind in my own little
world and just focus and concentrate as hard as I can on what I'm
wanting to do with the ball and hitting my mark.

[noeymc]

i never no what i am bowling till the end dont look at my score well try not to

[Tampabaybob]

The one time I had a shot at a 300 after 11 in a row, I didn't really try to control emotions. For one, I'm not a highly emotional bowler no matter what is going on. I don't get overly-excited, nor do I get down on myself for a bad game. I didn't try taking more time, or thinking about the shot too much. What I did was just go through my typical routine and throw the shot. Turned out I missed left a couple boards and came up a hair heavy, thus missing my 300, but... it didn't bother me at all. Maybe just being a boring person helps calm the nerves?

Until you get there, you'll never know. Not being a smart ***, but it's true that most guys (and girls) get weak knees. The ONLY thing I can tell you is the need to remain calm, control your breathing, and do your absolute best to stay in YOUR ZONE. Even my last one I threw a couple of months ago, I had to slow down and relax. The ONLY thing I said to myself in the tenth frame was "Just make a good shot !"

[BrandonKR]

I bowled mine a couple of months ago, and my previous high game before it was a 267, so not even close. You could imagine the nerves that I was feeling that night. When I got the front 7, nerves were kicking in. I was trying to take my mind off the 300 because the lead off bowler on our team also had the front 9, and I think he was trying to take his mind of his by worrying about how I was bowling, so I guess that helped a little.

The lead off bowler tugged it in the 10th and left a split, then it was my time to go. I thought to myself, 'It's just another three balls, you've struck out millions of times before in the 10th, just do it again.'
Flush, light mixer, dead flush.

Throughout the game I was in the zone, and I feel like to bowl well you need to stay in the sub-conscious, and not think about the mechanics of what you're doing. Just stay calm and let your body do all the work.

[ArtVandelay]

I have never had a 300 game, but I've gotten the first 7 or 8 a couple times... In each occasion I started to feel different around the 5th or 6th frame, so in my case: You DON'T control your emotions! hahahaha. You let them win! hahahaha.

It's funny though, because I've been bowling well lately, averaging over a 200 (which is great for me) for over a month now, and I had a really nice 644 series last tuesday. Just a few nights ago, I had a dream about bowling. And I guess if you LOVE yourself, you're supposed to have happy, supportive dreams. But noooooo.... My stupid Irish mind likes to torture me as some kind of sick joke!!!

So, in this dream I had the first 11 strikes, and on the FINAL ball I left the 10 pin for a 299. And OF COURSE it had to be the 10 pin because the 10 pin is already my nemesis. Maybe dreaming of a 300 game is the closest I'll ever come to a 300, so it's maddening to know I might never even get that 300 in my dreams! hahahahaha. It's actually kind of funny to me. I have a twisted sense of humor.

[Greenday]

Never bowled a 300. But every time a big/important game comes around, I always go about it with the same mentality: "It's just another game". I focus on making good shots and nothing else. Otherwise, I overthink stuff, mess around with my shot, and stuff will go wrong.

[Tampabaybob]

I have never had a 300 game, but I've gotten the first 7 or 8 a couple times... In each occasion I started to feel different around the 5th or 6th frame, so in my case: You DON'T control your emotions! hahahaha. You let them win! hahahaha.

It's funny though, because I've been bowling well lately, averaging over a 200 (which is great for me) for over a month now, and I had a really nice 644 series last tuesday. Just a few nights ago, I had a dream about bowling. And I guess if you LOVE yourself, you're supposed to have happy, supportive dreams. But noooooo.... My stupid Irish mind likes to torture me as some kind of sick joke!!!

So, in this dream I had the first 11 strikes, and on the FINAL ball I left the 10 pin for a 299. And OF COURSE it had to be the 10 pin because the 10 pin is already my nemesis. Maybe dreaming of a 300 game is the closest I'll ever come to a 300, so it's maddening to know I might never even get that 300 in my dreams! hahahahaha. It's actually kind of funny to me. I have a twisted sense of humor.

Art, I hear what you're saying, but let me tell you what I would tell anyone that has gotten the jitters after 5 or 6. And by the way this is a BIG part of the mental game of this sport.

The need to relax is first and foremost. Tension is a killer. First try to control your breathing, by taking a deep breath, holding for a couple of seconds, then slowly releasing the breath. If necessary do it a couple of times. The next thing I would advise to do is to stop focusing on the scoreboard and focus on your delivery and your release. I'm not trying to over-simplify this and I know it's easier said than done. But I would love to see you put up a post here soon saying that you did these things and shot your first 300. Relaxing during the waining moments of a game when you have an 8 or 9 bagger and the anticipation of getting up in the tenth (also knowing all eyes are on you and silence prevails) is a tough nut to crack. But you can and will do it. Good luck, I'm looking forward to seeing THAT post soon.

[josheaton16]

The closest I've ever been was the front 9. First ball in the 10th i threw a great shot and left a ten pin! So i got a 279. But i have to say i was definitely nervous after six or seven. Pacing around and such lol. I agree it is hard to try and keep yourself calm, especially if you've never been that close. Hopefully next time i won't be so nervous.

[billf]

Maybe my life has altered my thinking too far outside the box.
Will a perfect game put food on your table? Get you any real money? Change your life or anothers in any meaningful way? No it won't so why be nervous? It's not life or death. I know it's just how I think but I just don't undrestand getting nervous about something so irrelevant in the grand scheme of life.

[GoodGorilla]

I saw some funny **** today. I was bowling next to a guy who was on fire, and I watched him miss a strike by one pin and later after I was done bowling seen that he had a perfect game while having one frame edited as a strike. He changed his missed frame to having a strike and told a bunch of people he had hit a 300. There was no money involved so I didn't rat him out, what a scum bag. I've personally come short one frame of a 300, but that **** is just low.

[classygranny]

I'm thinking after reading through all of this post, that I believe I have the answer to all of this....

I'm going to put a deep breath, exhale, some encouraging word to myself, remain calm, focus, and concentrate on hitting my mark in every pre-shot routine so it won't be any different on #1 or #8 or #12.

Wait....that's what I try and do now, so why haven't I had a 300? Oh, yes, the bowling gods have not rewarded me as of yet. Some day, some day....

[billf]

I saw some funny **** today. I was bowling next to a guy who was on fire, and I watched him miss a strike by one pin and later after I was done bowling seen that he had a perfect game while having one frame edited as a strike. He changed his missed frame to having a strike and told a bunch of people he had hit a 300. There was no money involved so I didn't rat him out, what a scum bag. I've personally come short one frame of a 300, but that **** is just low.

There was a guy I caught pre-bowling a 9-pin no tap league that made a score correction to get a 300. I didn't say anything but I did have pictures. He didn't bowl the normal night the rest of the season and his scores indicating that he didn't cheat anymore either. I mean seriously, he had a 140 average and tried to pass off a 300. About two months after he came clean so I let up on him.

[RoccoRock]

Two weeks ago I had a shot at one. After I threw the front 7, one of the lanes broke down. We had to sit and wait. Naturally, a 300 was all I could think about. When we resumed, I got the next 2 for the front 9. I took a walk after the 9th frame, calmed my nerves a little. Stepped up in the 10, relaxed, and threw a bad ball. My wrist flattened out, and the ball had very little rotation. It went light, left a split, and disappointment. The odd part is that it was the first game in 3 months that I bowled with one hand.

[I suck at bowling]

Try having the front 7, then burying the next shot only to leave a stone 8.

I was throwing a fit, lol

[Tampabaybob]

I have never had a 300 game, but I've gotten the first 7 or 8 a couple times... In each occasion I started to feel different around the 5th or 6th frame, so in my case: You DON'T control your emotions! hahahaha. You let them win! hahahaha.

It's funny though, because I've been bowling well lately, averaging over a 200 (which is great for me) for over a month now, and I had a really nice 644 series last tuesday. Just a few nights ago, I had a dream about bowling. And I guess if you LOVE yourself, you're supposed to have happy, supportive dreams. But noooooo.... My stupid Irish mind likes to torture me as some kind of sick joke!!!

So, in this dream I had the first 11 strikes, and on the FINAL ball I left the 10 pin for a 299. And OF COURSE it had to be the 10 pin because the 10 pin is already my nemesis. Maybe dreaming of a 300 game is the closest I'll ever come to a 300, so it's maddening to know I might never even get that 300 in my dreams! hahahahaha. It's actually kind of funny to me. I have a twisted sense of humor.

ART.....It'll come when you LEAST expect it. That's how my first one was.

[vdubtx]

When I am getting close to a 300, I try to just carry on like normal. Chat it up with team, watch others bowling, just staying engaged as normal. When I am up to the 10th and all others have stopped bowling, I just go through my normal pre shot routine and not think about anything else, remember to breathe. Just get up there and put down a nice shot. 11th same thing, breath. 12th dry my hands a little bit extra and go through my pre shot routine. Kind of hard at this point to get a good stance as your knees will be shaking at this point, they have in all 4 of my sanctioned 300's. Don't forget to breathe.

One thing I have learned is to not let myself get into a mind set that I need to adjust if my 10th and 11th shots were good. Even if they weren't great shots I still go out there and throw the same as the prior 9 strikes that go me to this point.