Thought Stopping - Mental Skills for Tenpin Bowling

Hey! Does the picture of the big red stop sign draw your eyes away from this sentence? Chances are the colour red caught your eye and drew your attention to it first. I've also placed the thought in your head. That demonstrates the importance of visual imagery and we'll show you, here, how to use that power to enhance your own bowling game.

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Read an article on positive self-talk, read about "bad games" or return to the Training room.

Revised July 21st 2000

That little voice in your head

A hypnotist can use the power of suggestion to induce you into a deep trance like state of relaxation. After a hard days work your spouse/kids/parents can make you so angry the blood rushes to your head and your temperature rises. Those are physical responses to people talking to you - and, in your mind, you talk to yourself all the time. (even while you sleep your brain is active, dreaming). When you understand this you are one step closer to advancing your bowling skills through the power of the mental game.

The power of positive self-talk
The mind is an extremely powerful thing and it can work for you or against you. We want to teach you some simple skills to make you more competitive. Did you know that a person who has their arm or leg amputated can 'feel' pain in their limb - even after it is no longer there? First reported by soldiers wounded in the battlefields of the 1800's this phenomenon is called a 'phantom limb'. Whats going on is the brain is constantly active and needs sensory input, even if - physically - the body doesn't exist! When you bowl your brain is ever active, thinking thoughts, and competition can be a stressful experience which creates negative thoughts. You need to be aware of this and be able to use thought-stopping techniques to rid your mind of the negativity.	PMA, positive mental attitude - we've all heard this phrase before and for good reasons, it works! What's more, these techniques can be applied to any part of your life, work, family and recreation. Condfidence, belief in your ability to perform, is crucial to competitive success. You must have the mental skills to maintain your confidence levels and to keep those of your team up too. Once you become aware of the negative thought visualise a big red stop sign. When you see a stop sign you don't need to think about it, the mind has been conditioned to respond to the red sign, it happens fast and naturally. Red, white and black are very intense colours: blood, purity and death - vital signs. Imagine you see the stop sign and you will trigger this response. Now the real trick is not only to stop the negative thoughts, but replace them with positive thoughts. These positive thoughts are another vital component of your strong mental game, they are called affirmations and are prepared in advance to deal with the dificult situations you face in competition.

The power of positive self-talk

The mind is an extremely powerful thing and it can work for you or against you. We want to teach you some simple skills to make you more competitive.

Did you know that a person who has their arm or leg amputated can 'feel' pain in their limb - even after it is no longer there? First reported by soldiers wounded in the battlefields of the 1800's this phenomenon is called a 'phantom limb'. Whats going on is the brain is constantly active and needs sensory input, even if - physically - the body doesn't exist! When you bowl your brain is ever active, thinking thoughts, and competition can be a stressful experience which creates negative thoughts. You need to be aware of this and be able to use thought-stopping techniques to rid your mind of the negativity.

PMA, positive mental attitude - we've all heard this phrase before and for good reasons, it works! What's more, these techniques can be applied to any part of your life, work, family and recreation. Condfidence, belief in your ability to perform, is crucial to competitive success. You must have the mental skills to maintain your confidence levels and to keep those of your team up too.

Once you become aware of the negative thought visualise a big red stop sign. When you see a stop sign you don't need to think about it, the mind has been conditioned to respond to the red sign, it happens fast and naturally. Red, white and black are very intense colours: blood, purity and death - vital signs. Imagine you see the stop sign and you will trigger this response. Now the real trick is not only to stop the negative thoughts, but replace them with positive thoughts. These positive thoughts are another vital component of your strong mental game, they are called affirmations and are prepared in advance to deal with the dificult situations you face in competition.

Return to the training room to read more articles on the mental and physical games.