Michael Cousins Bowling Blog
Bowling is Frustrating at Any Level But It Is All About How You Handle It
Everyone Handles Frustration Differently In Sports
With all of the talk about Serena’s recent outburst, I wanted to talk about how it relates to bowling. Bowling is frustrating. No matter what level you’re at, this much is certain. There are no exceptions. But we all handle this differently. Some of us hold it in, some openly release it, and others are somewhere in-between.
And while there is no “right way” to relieve our frustrations, it is important to find what works best for each and every one of us. For some, getting fiery and loud helps them perform. For others, they only get worse when they let out their frustrations.
But one thing is certain: everyone deals with it.
I know for me that I typically do better showing my emotions, within reason, of course. I don’t recommend anyone act out, yell, scream, or kick things, but when I try to keep my emotions in and keep them subdued, it typically just eats at me and makes the inevitable all the worse.
So what I do is simple: I take my frustrations out on myself. Now, I don’t hit things, I don’t scream, and I definitely don’t act out aggressively at others. But I do get mad at myself. And that seems to help me.
When I try to keep my emotions in for too long, the frustration only seems to build and get worse. That said, I know people that are the exact opposite. For them, keeping cool is what helps them. For me, that doesn’t work.
And like I said, everyone is different. But it is important that you figure out what helps you calm down, because otherwise, you’re going to have a lot of long, frustrating days.
Getting Mad And Frustrated While Bowling Is Impossible To Avoid
Frustration is impossible to avoid. We are all human. We all make mistakes. And in bowling, like all sports, those mistakes can be the difference between winning and losing. Which only makes it all the more challenging to deal with.
I look at great champions in other sports, like Tiger, Tom Brady, and Novak Djokovic, for example. Three athletes known as some of the best to ever play their respective sports. And three athletes known for their fiery attitudes. When things aren’t going their way, they let their emotions out, and historically they respond to that and improve their play.
Other athletes, like Rafael Nadal and the Manning brothers, three incredible athletes, went about it totally differently. No matter how frustrating the moment, they seem to keep their cool and keep their frustrations bottled up. And it worked for them.
So, again, finding what works for you is paramount.
I remember what it was like before I found a coping method that worked for me. Once I lost my composure, it was nearly impossible to gather myself and recompose. Which obviously only made my scores go down with my attitude. I would just hold it in and hold it in until it eventually broke me.
What do you do when things get frustrating on the lanes? Do you try to keep your cool? Are you an emotional player? What works best for you? Let us know down below!
I am extremely competitive, so when my bowling scores tanked, I threw my shoe…yes, my shoe.