HOW TO calculate your odds of bowling a 300?
By knowing your strikes per game average!
Perfection magic maybe just around the corner for some bowlers. You won't need your calclators for this article.
“Proforming” Perfection, The odds of shooting a 300
By Alan “Mr. Stats” Brizee © Jul 2024 Author of The Path to Excellence and
From Excellence to Success
When will the magic happen? The magic may have happened already, and you overlooked it as it was a continuation from one game to the next. I’m talking about a twelve bagger at any time. Most of you know about the great Andy Varipapa as he made a 300 from any 12 bagger and everyone called any 12 bagger, a “Varipapa 300”. I know some bowlers have been so close, so often, that just throwing the front six and they’re already thinking 300. NEWS FLASH: this isn’t the time to worry about what may never happen. ONLY WHEN you start with nine strikes should you concern yourself with thinking 300! And some of you were hoping that I’d tell you it will happen this upcoming season. If your average is around 220, it very well could be this season, or the next season. If you believe that bowling hasn’t been fair to you and you have missed more times than you can count on one hand, I have a revelation for you. Become mentally stronger, so that your chances for perfection increase. Those bowlers who have averaged 210 or better for several seasons, should have experienced perfection and seeking multiple 300’s. Just because it hasn’t happened to you yet, realize that life goes on, so stop putting extra pressure on yourself because you came up short again. When you keep throwing great shots and always hitting the pocket, a 300 maybe closer than you thought. Bowling doesn’t owe you a perfect game, you owe it to bowling, yourself, family and teammates to find a way to make it happen. Get that monkey off your back by developing your mental, physical and emotional game, so that you’ll focus on only what you can control. The MAGIC WILL HAPPEN when you’re prepared for it to happen and start throwing great shots. Most of us are getting older and wiser and time keeps ticking away. You can’t change getting older, so work on getting wiser 😊, so I won’t have to hear you missed another shot at perfection. Again, PUT IN SOME WORK to give you your best shot.
For all you bowlers out there trying to determine when you might get your ring for your first 300 game or when to expect another 300, I included this article on my HOW TO website. It will give somewhat valuable knowledge for future celebrations and another reason why you need to keep your physical game in good form. The chart will show how long you might have to wait for your next perfect game. If you work on your mental game, you can expect better results because your adjustments will keep you close to the pocket and having a better percentage of striking. This isn’t about 300 with handicap as you’ll see. It’s not about no-tap 300’s as well. It’s about your ability to do what needs to be done for perfection when others are getting the job done and some are duplicating their great games.
So, you throw a bowling ball and carry a few strikes. Only after you have thrown just twelve strikes in your career, can you say I could have shot 300. And to add clarity for this article, I’m talking actual strikes, not no-tap strikes. Any how many in a row of those twelve have you thrown? Having thrown 15 300’s and an 800 series, I know a little about the odds against a perfect game. Many perfect games WILL NOT be “perfect”. Bowlers carry Brooklyn strikes, high and light hits, messengers to carry corner pins, and collapse buckets on one or more shots in their game of fame. No one can predict when it will happen. A certain amount of luck is required when perfection is happening. Since we are human, we will not throw all twelve shots exactly the same. Your speed will vary slightly, you’ll miss your target by a board on one shot, distractions occur, opponents will trash talk to you and your self-induced pressure you put on yourself because only 300 matters in today’s game. If you’re averaging over 200 and haven’t shot 300, you should sharpen your mental game to give you a more realistic chance of having it happen to you. Mr. Stats says that you can beat the stats with a little luck and repeating great shots. Stats shows that hitting the pocket has rewards and will make your average climb higher.
The math here doesn’t do justice as each shot isn’t totally dependent from each other and doesn’t account for previous 300 games you’ve thrown or experience. I do know it’s easier after that first 300. But some of you will bring up that equipment has made it easier to shoot 300, but it has also moves oil around on the lane to where correct adjustments need to happen to continue to strike. The type of balls thrown down the lane will also move the oil around and the experienced bowlers usually will need only one adjustment to get back to hitting the pocket solid and start striking again. And here’s a question about bowling’s history. Has anyone ever averaged 300 in their career? Unless you followed bowling years ago, you probably said no one has. Well, you’d be wrong. There have been two bowlers who just joined an adult league in ABC and recorded 300 in their first game. As far as I know, no other bowlers have accomplished this feat. One bowler did compete in the PBA and won numerous titles. As some of you know, any string of twelve strikes at any time, he considered it a 300 and did it enough times where everyone called it a “Varipapa 300”. Andy Varipapa was probably the best around winning the All-Stars in back-to-back years and conducted clinics where he did trick shots for the fans.
When to expect a perfect game depends more on your ability to carry strikes and eliminate the pressure of those MUST HAVE shots in the 10th frame. Everyone puts too much into finishing your 300 in the 10th frame. But also everyone knows that without the first nine strikes, there can’t be a 300. Having a game to where you hit the pocket to get strikes or 9 counts, should help you achieve more perfect games than the average of all the bowlers who have shot at least one 300. Luck will play a part in most 300’s and bowlers should realize that luck shouldn’t be included when they have the opening 9 strikes. Senior bowlers with slower ball speed will need a few breaks to shoot 300, but it still can happen.
The following chart will show what your chance of shooting a 300 is by the average of the strikes you throw in ten frames. This is just an indication of your chance to celebrate your perfect game when it comes your way. I know a bowler who quit bowling after his 300, because he said there’s nothing more to prove. So, if you’re still waiting for your first 300, you should also get more practice to start repeating good shots. But it’s still about repeating great shots that should produce more perfect games in your career and that’s what the mental game helps you do.
If you understand for this article that every shot is independent from the others, use your average number of strikes per game and raise it to the 12th power. That will result in your probability to throw twelve consecutive strikes. When one is divided by this number, it shows how often you should expect to shoot your next 300. This chart shows both, one league and two leagues per season as this shows the importance of throwing more strikes per game in search of a 300.
(Only a few pros, may average 8 strikes a game for their season, but this chart shows why many bowlers now, bowl two handed in the hope of shooting 300. Their higher rev rate carries better with shots close to the pocket but need to be consistently hitting the pocket to be more productive.)
And now for your chance at making history, stop thinking 300 on evert shot! Focus on your shot!
With 12 strikes needed for 300, most happen with a little luck and confidence!
You saw the odds of throwing a 300 in bowling!
Don't let the odds defeat you, it could happen!
So, if you're throwing around 6 strikes per game, like I have done most of my career, hang in there, it may happen eventually. Since I’m Mr. Stats, I keep stats for the teams I’m on that included opens per game and strikes per game. In ’22-’23, I averaged 207.8, threw 5.9 strikes per game, averaged 1.3 opens each game and had a consistent 9.1 strikes and no-taps for 105 games. Because of an injury to my bowling fingers before I even started bowling, I have played the lanes going straight up the boards on the oil line and the reason for being a good no-tap bowler. Seeing that a 300 for me would be about every 13.7 seasons and for the 50 seasons I’ve bowled in adult leagues, by average I should have shot seven 300’s and I have shot 15 total. I did bowl several season being in three leagues, but it was mostly 2 leagues. I also have shot at least 20 “Varipapa 300’s” and had a 300 in practice before my first 300 in competition, shot during pot games against two Hall of Fame bowlers. I also have shot several 12 baggers during practice. It’s logical to think that any 12 bagger will be “practice” for when you actually have started a game with nine strikes. This chart does show merit, at least for my career. And there will be those who maybe double how often they shoot their 300’s because of good coaching and practice. Some have the finances to buy the perfect game in the box from all the latest and greatest equipment. Obviously, this chart is just for fun and a way to show that more strikes makes for more chances to shoot 300’s. It can also be a conversation starter for bowlers who just won their league championship! Any senior who is still looking for their first 300, may never get close enough to worry about the pressure in the 10th frame. If you focus too much on your first 300, the stress from not shooting one, could just keep you from shooting one. (Think about that for a minute, if you’ve been close and haven’t shot a real 300 in league or a tournament.)
You can see my last shot for 300 on my home page and notice that I just went up and threw a great shot that carried. My experience helped in getting the job done, as they say!
The chart also shows that if you’re not averaging 200, a 300 game would be considered rare. Of course it has happened, but the odds are against you. Most of you won’t know your strikes per game average, but Mr. Stats has added league averages in the left column to keep you guessing what it might be. The chart shows only whole numbers and seeing a half pin more per game could confuse a few bowlers. This is just to show how likely and how often the more experienced bowlers will run their shot out when perfection is a single shot away. The odds of perfection will depend more on how you prepare
Some of you are thinking about variables during your MUST HAVE 10th frame. There are going to be more variables when you carried the first 9 strikes. Bowlers who have shot at least one 300, won’t really be thinking 300 until the 10th frame. I will list only some of them so you can see why you MUST TAKE CONTROL of the situation to make it happen. It is only you that can drive the car home. Your decisions can and will impact the results and they start the night before by getting a good night’s sleep. My first book, The Path to Excellence will show you HOW TO gain control of your MUST HAVE shots.
AND as promised, here are some of your excuses for not shooting a 300:
1. The pattern you’re bowling on. Even house shots will have variances at different times
and effectively be different at a different center. Challenge and sport patterns will
make it harder to be perfect, but it could happen if you only try and work on it so
reality can come to life. Some patterns are even oiled a little different on the right side
than on the left side.
2. The amount of fun you’re not having. You see I put this second on my list for obvious
reasons. I still today, love to throw strings of strikes. It shows I’m alive and ready for
action. It’s what many competitors should automatically do when they show up to
bowl. This creates less pressure situations as you’re not obsessed by the HAVE TO WIN
AT ALL COSTS mentality. Putting less into the results will help you to relax, so you should
have a better chance of repeating great shots, to continue your string of strikes.
3. Inability to live with the results. There are a few who don’t seem to ever have fun
because they see fewer positive results in their favor. The bowling gods are against
them, AS ALWAYS. The sooner you accept what result occurs, can you start to repair
how you can see more favorable results. You just threw a good shot a left a corner pin,
it wasn’t a great shot and now you’re mad as another attempt at perfection has
slipped through your fingers. Very few shoot 300 on their very first front nine strikes. If
you keep trying like I did and use this super helpful article to improve your odds, it
most likely will happen.
4. Not putting enough effort into your game. There are several tips that will increase your
chance of 300. As you read through this, you might see a few things that grab your
attention and put you on notice. It can sometimes be the little things that keep us
from achieving bigger things. This list shows that almost anything can keep you from
300 and now you MUST BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF to see where you could improve to
record that perfect game. Question to you: How many of these 35 concepts could you
improve on? Some will be obvious while others may take time to embrace. Some of
these concepts will help eliminate pressure situations and some are about deciding
the correct route to give you not just more shots at 300, but a better realistic chance
to make it happen.
5. Not Having a positive attitude. When you’ve experienced positive results, it’s easier to
be positive. It harder to remain positive during slumps or bowling good with negative
results. More good results seem to happen when you try your best with positive
thoughts. Negative attitudes seem to relate to giving up. Positive attitudes relate to
learning about yourself, your equipment, the condition you’re bowling on and
focusing on what you can control.
6. Not making it a goal. So you dreamed about a 300 several decades ago and have been
close several times. Turn the tables in your favor. It should be one of your goals. Since
this will be a career goal, take the steps necessary to increase your chances. When
you just miss 300 repeatedly, it means you’re so close you can almost taste it. When
you keep missing like I did years ago, you’ll most likely find a way to make it happen
and then repeat it. A goal is like a never quit scenario, and as you know, winners never
quit, and quitters almost never win.
7. The ball you’re throwing. This is more about what surface your ball has after two
months of throwing it. It also puts grips in the equation as some bowlers very rarely
ever change grips. Practice can show you may need to scuff up your ball or even
change balls before league starts. The lanes could play differently this week due to
several factors and having a GO TO BALL that matches conditions is extremely helpful.
The interchangeable thumb inserts were great when they didn’t break, but after back-
to-back years of different systems breaking, I went to a solid oval insert to solve the
problem. Watching the reaction of all balls thrown down the lane also might show
indications of when adjustments might be required. This is about being informed of
what shot the lane is giving you and making quality decisions to consistently hit the
pocket. The way your ball breaks because of how its drilled could match the condition
and increase chances for that 300.
8. The number of bowlers on the pair. More bowlers will change how you play the lanes
as the transition happens. Bowling in a doubles league will make you feel like it’s your
turn to bowl all the time and you may feel rushed. With 5 person teams, your rhythm
probably won’t be consistent as blinds happen or teams throw a bunch of strikes.
Throwing back-to-back frames and then waiting to throw for your back-to-back
frames again doesn’t do as well for throwing great shots. There’s no need to rush
shots when a team is missing a bowler.
9. If your right-handed or left-handed and how many more are bowling on your side of
the lane. The more bowlers on your side of the lane effects transition and more than
normal correct adjustments may be required.
10. Where you play on the lanes in relationship to where others are throwing down the
lanes. Other bowlers as well as you can push oil around you start coming in light and
leaving corner pins. And sooner than later, oil starts to evaporate and now you’re
coming in high. Here is where you plan your attack as adjustments will need to be
made. When bowling you’ll hear that bowlers let up on the shot. Your speed on each
shot should be close so that making correct adjustments can happen. Where you
target on the lanes can be used for an adjustment and help with accuracy. The ball
you’re throwing could dictate how you play the lanes because of the shape of the
break.
11. Not getting quality sleep the night before. Being tired can reduce making good
decisions when adjustments need to be made. It possibly could affect your balance
when throwing your ball. It might affect your positive attitude and even your physical
game. Sleep will help keep your head in the game.
12. High rev rate bowlers and the number of two-handed bowlers on your side of the
lane. They can and have turned a playable condition into lanes that need constant
adjusting. The way you throw the ball could determine where you will throw to hit the
pocket.
13. The number of honor scores you’ve shot. It’s easier the second time around. Good
bowlers only worry about the honor scores that got way. Even if that 300 was in
practice or in my case, a pot game, it was easier after having the front nine strikes.
14. Motivation and help from teammates. We all need motivation to accomplish great
things.
15. Trash talking. Some of this may be in fun by a teammate to help relax you. Your
opponent may want to throw you under the bus during a close game. Someone else
may actually tell you you’re close to 300 or ask how many you have shot.
16. Inability to repeat great shots. A 300 still can happen when repeating good shots. It is
a great shot that carries better with the pins flying off the deck. The ability to throw a
great shot increases when your Zoned in and easier to repeat.
17. Inability to make correct adjustments. If you could eliminate adjustments that don’t
work in bowling, we would all shoot more 300’s. Adjustments are educated guesses.
Experience can be a huge advantage when the lanes change. Focus to give 100%
when you make adjustments so you’ll know if it was the correct adjustment.
18. Not being smart on your tournament trip. You shouldn’t try to make a four-to-five-
hour trip in a car or even fly and then bowl that afternoon or evening. Get there early to
watch previous squads to see where they’re playing. Practice on the condition if you
can. Relax a little the day before. Still try to eat balanced meals to keep your energy
high. Show up early and check your balls to see if they made it through the trip there.
Balls can crack and you may want to scuff them up some more. Brackets may be
offered and can pay for the trip. Tournaments should be treated like league except
that you may have to bowl at 9 A.M. And just because it’s a tournament, it doesn’t
mean that a 300 won’t happen. Watch where others that are scoring attack the lanes
and play the same area. Be smart, be aware, find the best shot to the pocket.
19. The type of equipment others on the pair are using.The way bowlers push oil around
can help or hurt your cause for 300. Transitions may not be the same every week
because of who’s bowling. What they use and where they play on the lanes could
affect your shot to the pocket and if you carry a strike. Be aware, stay awake and
learn to live with it! That’s today’s bowling and accept the challenge!
20. Not taking good care of your own equipment. Are you cleaning your ball after every
session? If not, why not? Today’s equipment that is soaked in oil won’t hit as hard and
can delay the hook you once had. And that comes to the balls that now need to be
baked after so many games, so that it still hits like the out of the box ball you bought.
Replacing grips can also help. Replace your IT system or switch grip as these can go
bad when you least expect them with ovals. And as always with manufacturers
putting new equipment out every other month or so, choosing a ball that matches
the condition on the lanes can play a huge role to record a 300. Old equipment will
work and maybe just changing its surface can be the answer.
21. Not having a solid routine This is so most everything is the same on every shot. The
night before competition, the day you compete, your pre-shot routine, post-shot
routine and post-match routine. Tweaking routines at times can lead to better scores
and maybe your chance at 300. Don’t fix them if they aren’t broke.
22. Your work schedule. This can relate to physical fatigue to make it more difficult to
repeat great shots. Being on call while bowling league isn’t the ideal situation, but I
know, you’re a bowler and want to compete. Let’s say I have warned you about being
a workaholic.
23. Your workout schedule. Physical fatigue from your workout most likely will make it
more difficult to repeat great shots.
24. The machine that oils the lanes. Newer machines seem to keep conditions more
consistent from one pair to the next. Older machines can need maintenance
25. The weather. Rain creates humidity and can change how your ball reacts. Wind
creates dust and can get on approaches to make them feel slippery.
26. Out of your comfort zone. Some bowlers have trouble making certain adjustments
when they are needed.
27. The need to finish as the game is close and a win may help secure a playoff spot.
28. Bowling in a position round and your team is now in a MUST WIN situation to make
the playoffs. I’ve never been accused of throwing a great score when my team was
in a position round or the playoffs. Being a team player, I watch my team and will
offer suggestions to getting them lined in and getting in the playoffs is one reason
I bowl.
29. Practice. It may cost a little, but it will keep you physically ready to compete.
Practice your mental game as well. My first book, The Path to Excellence will help with
this one. Most practice time is never wasted, and you might even learn a few things
when you do. It’s rather funny that you practice to get good, and now that some
scores goes through the roof, you think why practice because you shooting great
scores. Practice could actually help you shoot more great scores more often.
30. The way you practice before league starts. Knowing how to open up the lanes and
getting your team to help out. This is about creating area on the lane to greatly
improve a chance to throw another strike. Sport or challenge patterns have smaller
areas and your normal balls for house shots may not result in more strikes.
31. Not making a great shot. It is only after you made a great shot that you can accept
whatever happens. Great shots will create more positive results and potentially more
chances at being perfect. This is really what champions do best. It’s the best that
anyone can do, including you.
32. Mental burnout. All the hours spent being coached, practicing and showing that your
mentally tough. But it’s not hours that effect getting burnout, it’s the years you put
into the sport. Some dreams haven’t happened, it’s harder to stay focused and
scores don’t match which may turn into a slump. Let a sub bowl league for you while
you reenergize your batteries. Life is a game and because bowling is serious, you’re
not having any fun. Go play golf to let off some frustration so you’ll be ready and
focused to have more fun after you shoot your 300.
33. Not have many “Varipapa’s”. The Varipapa 300's are 12 baggers which start in any
frame, can make you think you’re due for your first. That maybe true. But the league
won’t have all the eyes on you, unless you have the front nine strikes. Many treat
“Varipapa’s” like real 300’s. You still have to throw 12 in a row!
34. Not getting lucky. You can’t depend on luck. You can make your own luck by being
prepared with practice, having a solid routine and making great shots. If bowling on
a team, maybe one of them will loan you a little luck in your quest for 300 😊. A little
luck can go a long way.
35. And finally, not having a strong mental game. Decisions, decisions, decisions. I
decided I wanted to start seeing better results, making a little extra money in optional
events and know that by having a strong mental game, I’ll have more chances of
shooting 300. Once you start bowling in the Zone like I have done, events can become
magical. Magic won’t happen all the time and even if I just missed again, I know that I
gave my best and gave my team the best opportunity to win the match and the
possibility to make the playoffs. There will be times where the TEAM MUST COME FIRST!
Being a team player, I believe that it has helped me achieve more and made me
mentally stronger when I was bowling a singles event.
Well, I covered a lot about being smarter than what you’re working with! Most reading this probably didn’t think this article would be anywhere near this long. I had to show why life does happen and how to improve your chances and realizing that breaking down potential problems, could be a great way to fix the problems you’re having. Remember, to fix a problem, you must admit you have a problem and that’s part of the problem. Some won’t accept any problem is theirs to solve. They’re quick to blame everything but themselves.
AND NOW FOR THE REST OF THE STORY. The chart shows why some bowlers shoot honor scores all the time and why the rest of us (like me), need a solid mental game just to get close to shooting a 300. The nice thing about discussing 300’s is that for some of us (again, like me), it brings back great memories. This article only shows potential to shoot a 300 game. It’s still up to you to throw quality shots to make it happen and even more so if you got a big break to keep your string of strikes going. Putting more importance on any shot over another may keep you from getting your name in lights. But there are no-tap events that can show the real you. Bowling in no-tap events is always fun and at times, a challenge as well. To get more comfortable shooting 300’s, start with a few no-tap tournaments. They usually hold these in the summer when most just want to have some practice before winter leagues start. A no-tap 300 isn’t the same satisfaction as bowling a real 300, but I have thrown many 12 baggers during no-tap events because just needing nine pins for a strike won’t add pressure to the situation. The real difference is that you don’t worry about carrying. No-taps are about hitting the pocket and 90% of the time I hit the pocket, it will be a strike or a 9 count for a strike.
This one question remains, will I, Mr. Stats ever shoot another perfect game? As long as I’m able to string six or seven strikes in a row once in a while, I feel that there will always be chance to shoot my last 300. Since I have rolled two “last 300’s” since turning 65, I can only hope one more is in store!
Bowlers, good luck in your quest for perfection and hope my article helped you shoot your first perfecto.
See you in the Zone!
When a 300 didn't happen often enough! No one can take your 300 memories away!
HOW TO get what you think you really want?
You go after it, BECAUSE YOU WANT IT!
We have wants and needs. It's not what you need, but what do you really want?
What I want most from bowling!
By Alan Brizee © Aug. 2000, rev. 2024 Author of The Path to Excellence and
From Excellence to Success
This is about when your wants turn into lifelong goals and become reachable. What you want may never happen unless you put in some work. If you want it to happen, YOU NEED TO DEDICATE YOURSELF TO DOING IT!
It's been said you take it one step at a time,
It can be hard to do and fairly easy to say,
They're not having problems hitting the pocket,
I just hope I can throw another strike today.
When setting your sights for the next goal,
Remember to reach for the farthest star,
Better be ready to go to distant places,
Have fun in your travels, no matter how far.
Just remember that during the next season,
It's not about scores but what you learn,
The knowledge will help your average soar,
Paying dividends in tournaments as you earn.
A lot of bowlers hope their team wins,
But some players like to do it alone,
But when the team is having fun winning,
It just makes it easier to get in the zone.
Those who exhibit the most confidence,
Have accomplished so much in the past,
As others try for their first achievement,
And hoping that it won't be their last.
Some bowlers who quickly rise to the top,
Get there because their attitude is good,
They like the challenges and the pressure,
It’s their confidence that knocks down the wood.
The bowlers who have won the most titles,
Will usually be honored in the Hall of Fame,
It would be great, but if I don't make it,
I will always try to have fun with this game.
Those that worry too much about their score,
And for those that dream of a perfect game,
Of course there are a few bowlers hoping to get in the Hall,
All I want is, to shoot annother 800, just the same.
(NOTE: 2 and a half years later, after writing this, and two lessons from my mental coach Beth, I finally shot my 800. It was a stair step 268. 269 and 270 for 807. After the 3rd frame, going spare, strike, spare, I didn’t think about the 800 until I was in the 9th frame. I told myself, I needed the next three, which I had done at least a thousand time before. I threw 4 great shots to punch out, one shot at a time. I will admit, there was an area of around four boards, but I still had to throw the ball well to strike. This should show that you have to forget what you’re shooting and focus only on one shot at a time. Looking too far towards the future won’t guarantee the results. Only when you focus on the present, can great things start to happen.
Added notes: I was honored for my hard work as Secretary of the Traveling Masters by Tucson Tribute and Honors in March 2011. My biggest accomplishment came in October 2014, when I averaged 244 for all 18 games to win the USBC Tucson Metro Senior Masters. My last three games were 803 with a 300 to force a final match. The great thing about this time was that my mom, before she passed away, was able to see me achieve three goals and my take home my all-time goal of winning the Masters.)
See you in the ZONE!
Lasting memories in bowling are the rings
they award you with for 300's and 800's!
HOW TO continue your stay in the Zone?
Compete like it matters, because it does!
Does it matter by competing in the Zone?
By Alan Brizee © June 2024 Author of The Path to Excellence and
From Excellence to Success
Competing to be your best and show them you have game, DOES MATTER!
IT DOES MATTER, if you want to reach higher levels of competition.
IT DOES MATTER, if you want to start collecting bigger prize fund checks!
IT DOES MATTER, if you want to help your team make the playoffs.
IT DOES MATTER, if you’re going after the goals you set.
IT DOES MATTER, if you want to start seeing win lights turned on.
IT DOES MATTER on EVERY SHOT OR EVERY PLAY!
IT DOES MATTER, if you want to SHOW THEM WHO YOU ARE!!
Think about this article’s title. Should being in the Zone matter? Only the athlete reading this can give an honest answer. If you answered, it doesn’t matter, then why are you wasting time reading this article? I’m here to tell you that winning titles and championships should matter because you learned HOW TO compete in the ZONE and want to have more FUN winning, DOES MATTER!
If you think this article will immediately get you to perform in the Zone, you should read my first HOW TO book, The Path to Excellence, as this article is about why you NEED AND WANT TO compete in the Zone! My first HOW TO book, will help you get there in one month. Performing in the Zone is about having a GREAT mental game!It won’t usually happen in just a few days. Performing in the Zone leads to more SUCCESS earlier in your career! SUCCESS will guide you to have more confidence in your ability to do GREAT things in your sport!This ability will get you locked on winning a championship! A lot of athletes need to reprogram their brain because they focus on several things outside of their control. To reprogram an athlete, I start with the basics so every athlete who reads my HOW TO book, goes through the same process to Elevate their GAME! What you think about during the competition and how you think IS WHAT MATTERS! The Zone is about having a structured consistent routine, so every shot, every play and every situation is as identical as every other shot, play or situation you’ll encounter during any competition! It will help you eliminate intimidation and disregard the trash talk. Getting to the Zone will take your good mental game into the GREAT mental game category! A GREAT mental game will help you make CORRECT adjustments and CORRECT decisions! This is why you want to travel there and WHY IT DOES MATTER!
If you ever played no limit poker, you know you can go all-in at any time. This is also very true when competing in sports. Being all-in shows 15 valuable athletic attributes, in order of how they should materialize in your career:
You’ll start with some Enthusiasm. With a few accomplishments, you’re having FUN
absorbing experiences to help you.
And then you face Adversity. How you respond after a few setbacks, will show others
who you really are!
You maintain your Positive Attitude. This helps reduce pressure when competing and
faced with a MUST HAVE shot or play!
You’ll develop some Discipline. You’ll outline routines you’ll use, set a few goals and
have procedures so slumps can be avoided.
It’s your Dedication that will improve your mental game, so you'll start seeing GOOD
results happen mo re often!
Then your Determination will want better results! You start to cash more often in
tournaments.
Now your Diligence kicks in. It will be your hard work that shows up when competing!
Your Character will shine through after putting in the work. This is your NEVER QUIT
mentality!
Owning Self-esteem can be HUGE! Minor SUCCESSES lead to HIGHER GOALS!
Now you can say you’re a Competitor! You don’t want to watch it happen. YOU
WANT TO MAKE IT HAPPEN!
Trust is a must! You’ve done it a thousand times before. You can do it ONE MORE TIME!
Persistence shows your stick to it ability. Keep going. Don’t let them catch you!
Show your Love for the sport! Respect opponents because they also want to WIN!
With Confidence, your SUCCESS will speak for itself! Your knowledge should help you
win more often!
With your Commitment to Excellence, the Championship could go to the one that
WANTS IT MORE! If you put in the work, IT WILL SHOW YOU WANT IT MORE!
Being all-in and taking the trip to the Zone is how champions compete! Did I finally wake you up? If I did, I’m only trying to help. With being all-in, you still should be having fun, chasing goals and be in close matches against better competition. Like the fun I have in writing these articles. If you’re not having fun, why continue to frustrate yourself? My first HOW TO book will make competing FUN! It looks like you want to start having fun to see what a difference it makes for your game and to climb the standings to get bigger prize fund checks.
The length of your stay in the zone depends on several factors and of course, your mindset. The better your focus, the longer your stay there will be! There are more ways to get thrown out of the Zone than there are to compete in the Zone. The Zoneis actually a state of mind and how focused you are. This is about why you want to be in the Zone! Rebuilding your usual mental routine can take you forward, instead of being left behind. Having a great mental game is just a start to bigger and better positive events you’ll be proud of. Practicing your physical game will also be required to match up with your mental game.As someone said, it takes two to tango. Well, all sport uses three elements to determine your potential during a game or match. I’ll give a few paragraphs to think of what that third element could be. This is one of my usual tests for you, so you can determine how competent you are when thinking through certain situations. This question isn’t a pass or fail answer. Some sports require quick thinking because of their fast pace of play. Other sports may give several minutes such as baseball or football, just to name two. Football you ask? Yes, timeouts and after 3rd downs are examples. With everything happening today and watching pro sports on TV, some of you could be turned off by the pros by how they handle certain situations on the field, court or wherever they normally hold contests to determine the best team. Those athletes called rookies have so much to learn. Sure, they can surprise you at times, but the players with more experience usually have the edge to win games or matches. Of course, the teams with more experience will have a better than 50% chance of winning the game, or series of games. The percentage will be determined by how many championship or playoff series they have been in. Does one team have the MVP? Who is the hot team in the playoffs? Any team that came to play could win and team chemistry as well as injuries change the percentages. And you know the Cinderella story, the team that wanted to win it more! NOT ALWAYS does the best team win in case you didn’t know. If the best team or player always won, we wouldn’t need to compete. But as in sports, minor injuries put a monkey wrench into the percentage. Getting to the Zonedoesn’t guarantee you will avoid injury or produce a win. Competing in the Zone can’t even guarantee that you’ll repeat great shots, as the 345 factors determine that. The Zone helps you by having a pre-shot routine that you will use on every shot, NO MATTER the importance of the shot. Adjustments will most likely be needed and as everyone should know, and not all adjustments work the first time. A correct adjustment can make your trip to the Zone a little longer! Making the wrong adjustment can take you out of the Zone. The Zone basically happens when both your physical and mental game work as a unit to generate GREAT results! I hope that you’ll understand as you read this, that I normally use singular references (because I have participated in mostly sports that have single events instead of teams. But it does matter that an individual on a team needs the team to help and can’t do it all himself or herself. This paragraph is long for good reasons, but I wanted to clarify some things, and as you should know, very few things in sports are etched in stone.
Now that you’ve started to work on strengthening your mental game, that doesn’t mean you should ignore the first element, your physical game. After all, your physical game is the reason why you can compete. With most sports, the legs are the most important part as they keep you standing, running and help keep you balanced by repeating GREAT shotswhen needed. So, like I told you, practicing your physical game is a must to have a competitive edge for upcoming matches. Going to the gym should help keep extra unwanted pounds off and in better health. Your core helps with balance and the ability to move quicker in another direction, depending on your sport. Football is one of the few sports where players might want to gain weight. with the offense linemen. Depending on your sport, shot making isn’t the same in all sports. Rolling a ball, like in bowling. Shooting a ball, like a free throw in basketball. Swinging a club, like in golf. Throwing the ball, like a quarterback in football. Pitching the ball and swinging a bat, like in baseball. What I just mentioned are repeatable shots, and after lots of practice, they can be repeatable GREAT shots. Mental toughness can happen just playing games as you’ll read next. These games are throwing darts, pitching horseshoes, the stroke of a cue stick in pool and the racking in of chips on the poker table after you win the hand. OK, so that last one isn’t valid, but I thought throwing in some fun would help you to continue reading 😊. In sports, the physical game needs to be relaxed, free swinging and seem effortless! So, while you get ready to hit the gym or go to practice, I’ll write the next paragraph, and you might take a break. I see you want to Elevate your Game and dive in. Let me give you a head’s up, before I answer that question I asked in the last paragraph, that third element can have more impact on you as an athlete than some realize. To compete in the Zone, repeating good shots is what keeps you in that magical place! You don’t need a Great physical game in every sport, but you’ll need a good physical game in most sports.
Isn’t the reason you’re on my massive mental game HOW TO website, to learn more so you can dominate your sport in the future? Yes, building a better second element, your mental game, will make you a more complete athlete! Having a GREAT mental game can make up for having just a decent physical game. THAT IS ME and why I wrote my first HOW TO book, to help others as there was no help decades ago. Decisions, decisions, decisions are what you’ll be facing in competition. The decisions you’re making may work out at times right now, but is that after one, two or three adjustments? Guessing what might work, but that isn’t what athletes with a good mental game does. Mentally tough athletes are in tune with their body and game, determine some decisions before they actually put them in action. Improving your mental game could also help you financially if there’s a prize fund for the top participants of a tournament or league. It could also help you qualify for Team USA, for one example. Another help would be a higher draft pick and more money as a sign-up bonus. But I do know that FOCUS and CONFIDENCE are the biggest of the 345 factors! How can you be consistent if you’re not focused on your intended target and hit it only three out of five times? How can you be confident when you don’t see many positive results? Walking in a straight line toward your target will increase accuracy. Working on your mental game should elevate your game, so you’ll be more motivated to become successful! Motivation should help you put in the work required to make that happen. I could go on and on, but I do have a couple of HOW TO books that could reprogram your normal ways of doing things. Champions sometimes do it their way because of their routines. Some can learn from watching champions and others will try to copy them. Everybody is different so what works for some may not always work for everyone. When you experiment with different aspects of your game, such as your pre-shot routine, changing it up might be the correct answer. After any change, I would put in a few practice sessions first before trying in competition. The 345 factors are covered with some in more detail, in my first HOW TO book!
Before I get deep into the final element, which you almost forgot about, here’s some food for thought: I can almost guarantee the following happened many times in your career:
Distractions will occur when competing,
Transitions will happen in your sport,
Opponents trying to psyche you out,
Someone yelling your name,
Family and friends watching as they react as to how well you’re doing and teammates
not motivating you
can throw you out of the Zone.
Anyone who has averaged 210 or better in bowling may have visited the Zone and because they didn’t have a GREAT mental game, didn’t stay too long. Those who did visit didn’t know how to stay there. Getting back to the Zone after being thrown out depends on when it happens and the situation of your current match. The importance of the match and the transitions in your sport might keep you out. Even if you don’t get back to the Zone, that still means you’re going to still throw some GREAT shots, but not repeat as many!
Let’s fast rewind to my question: The third element of sports.
Do you have an answer to my question? The first two elements you can practice while the third can’t be practiced. My hint for the third element involves your spouse, maybe a few kids, relatives, your friends and associates at work. The answer is emotional. Stress from home and work isn’t ideal for sports and can keep you from staying in the Zone. Having them around when you compete is sometimes a bad idea as you’ll try to impress them instead of focusing on your task. Part of this element is mental burnout as we have seen in recent years. If you’re a team player, the referees and the calls they make can stress out many athletes and could throw athletes out of the game. You’re not going to help your team in the locker room. Your temper has no place in sports, because it doesn’t help your FOCUS. Your level of excitement or arousal needs to stay the same during the entire match. Getting too excited elevates your heart rate and then you start rushing shots. Not being excited enough can almost put you to sleep. Showing some emotion like I have done in the past is how I “proform” best. Watching pros is a mixed bag of tricks. All I can say if it works for you, then why fix it? I’ve thrown more than just a little at you, so this article won’t be a quick fix, like you were hoping for.
And now for the million-dollar lottery, the Zone is when you’re relaxed and focused on your goal for the match. The Zone isn’t like a pre-shot routine, it’s where you’re so focused on your game that both your physical and mental games work GREAT TOGETHER! And yes, you need to have a short-term goal because it keeps you mentally focused during the match. Staying in the Zone is somewhat determined by your results and your GREAT mental game.
NOTES: Competing in the ZONE can occur early in the match or when you have a MUST HAVE shot in front of you. If you want more than what I wrote, it’s time to spend a little cash and buy my HOW TO book, so you can have much more fun in the future. You need to understand the "Fun"da"Mental"s of the Mental game so you can compete in the ZONE! All I will tell you now, is that “proforming” in the ZONE has won me many more thousands of dollars than not being there. So, if you see me in the Zone, say “Hi” and I’ll say “How’s it going?” Or depending on when you get there, I might say, “What took you so long😊 ?” Now you have a decision to make as to how you want the future to unfold. You can compete, hoping to win or change your mental map knowing the odds of winning have been GREATLY increased. Your future is waiting for a rational decision. Remember that if you wait to make your conclusion, you’ll own it. The sooner you get started, the sooner you'll see better results. Now you can’t say I didn’t warn you 😊!
Take care, have some fun and message me if you win any hardware!
As always, See you in the Zone!
Confidence and proforming in the Zone will change your thought process!