Is winning all that matters?

[John_Velo]

G’Day All,

My question to you is a fairly simple, what is more important to you when you bowl?

Winning or bowling the best shot you can?

Now to where the question comes from. Last week I had the pleasure of once again of bowling with Stephen Cowland. I enjoy bowling with Stephen and bowlers like him because of their drive to win, they take it personally. Yes, he took two games off me and I am ok with that. I did not bowl to what I believe I was capable of and Stephen did more than enough to win the games.

I also had my Dad in the back ground shaking his head at me. That’s ok, even if he is not there I can still hear his voice from when I was a junior.

In the second game I got up and threw 8 in the second ball of the tenth, Stephen promptly told me that if I had struck I would have closed him out. I stepped back to take a drink and Dad said the same thing about the 8. That was the last thing on my mind, I did not even look at the score board, my focus is solely on bowling the best shot I can. I take bowling the best shot more personally than winning or losing. I am even happy to miss the spare if the first shot of the frame was bad enough, years ago I would have snapped a toe off on the ball return. But they tend to frown at that these days.

Winning or losing does not matter to me, never has. It has always been about bowling an as close to perfect shot that I am physically capable off. Then looking to make the next shot that little bit better. I can’t help the fact that by nature I am a perfectionist. Always have been. I analyse ever shot, the only person I compete with and lose to is myself.

I also understand that the absolute desire to win is what makes the likes of Stephen, George F, Dad and the other greats of our game, great bowlers. I don’t have that same desire and understand that.

What drives you?

 

[Brenton_Davy]

John,

Short answer to a long questiin.

You know the old saying "It's not how, not how many"? Well, I have amended that to, "It may be not how, but how many, but if you get the how right, you will get more of the how many!". I focus more on bowling well and if that is enough to win, then so be it. Truth be known, my best is usually enough or pretty close to enough to win anyway.

 

[John_Velo]

Hi Brenton,

Thanks for taking the time.

I agree, for you only ever play yourself. If you get it right it’s easy, so the only one to beat is yourself. Not the score board.

 

[ADP1805]

John,
If you have thrown it the best you can and dont win.Not much you can do if your out bowled.
Personally i try to repeat the best shot i can each frame if the total in the tenth is enough to win thats great if not i can walk out knowing i did my best.

Knowing your opponents score going into a tenth frame is always handy however make the best shot you can and let the score look after itself.
remember bowling and bowling well is all about repeating the same shot over and over look at Belmo George etc what do they do best.They throw the same shot time and time again and the score soon adds up.

Cheers,

 

[bluey]

I would rather loose bowling great shots than win bowling crap ones. I think as Brenton said, if you execute great deliveries the scores will come as a result of that. Bowling crap shots will only get you by so often.

 

[jason_doust]

Nicely summed up Paul. For me it's about "How well did I throw during it this session?" If I threw it great and someone threw it better, well, I guess we're all happy. As competitive as I am, ultimately it's just a game of bowling. I guess it comes down to where you're looking at it from.

 

[amagill]

I was asked a fantastic question whilst bowling with Jason Doust in the Audi Orange Open a little while ago, I was struggling, on the 2nd day, to hit the pocket. Whilst mumbling to myself on the way back to the bowler's area after a not so great shot, Jason asked me this question:

"Good games are made of what?"

I was honestly stumped, instantly, I was racking my brain trying to think what the answer was, could think of it.... Turns out the answer was simple:

"Good shots! Make the good shots & the good games will come!"

Every time I start to struggle a bit, I now think of that very question. It reminds me to get back to basics, and make good shots. The rest will take care of itself

 

[dishman]

What matters most to me is having fun while bowling. At the end of the day, bowling is not my day job, and its what I choose to do in my spare time. When it stops becoming fun, then I have to re evaluate why I am bowling. Its one of the main reasons why I switched to bowling two handed.
Saying that........winning makes bowling more fun
Dinesh

 

[Geoff300]

Attitude is what it is about, once you can play the game,
If you want to win and have the desire then thats what works.
Once you reach the point of not caring about the win it is time
to leave the tourn scene and just bowl leagues and enjoy the game.
That comment about bowling league is not meant to be condescending
just part of a process, I know cause I'm there !! LOL

 

[John_Velo]

Hi Geoff,

How many times have I argued that point with Dad over the years.

There have been many great sports people over the years that have been down on ability but had an attitude to carry them through. Then those with so much raw talent that it makes you stop and admire their game, but they are not the winners.

I guess the winners will make the record books. The other greats will have enjoyed playing with the winners.

 

[Glenno]

So true Geoff and thats one of the reasons why i dont bowl anymore tournaments for the time being. Im not interested in trying to improving myself or winning anymore and have lost that killer instinct hence the reason why i stick to leagues. Im loving the socialising of bowling at the moment,using one bowling ball and still have a healthy average

 

[GeorgeF]

When people look back in the history books its all about who won, for me, winning is everything.....

 

[Ryan_E]

Well, I wanna bowl the best I can. The best I can be, is being #1.. Leauge, Tournaments etc... At the moment, Im not bowling my best.. Our team is 4th/26 in Leauge, and I havent placed higher than about 20th in a tournament...

Winning is the pinacle of bowling well, in my opinion.. Even if you win by low scores, the pattern is the same for everyone, YOUR the one that needed to bowl the game.

 

[jimcross]

Jason - " Just a game" AGHHHH !!. Dishman - " Fun" AGHHHHH !!!. George - Good God - I actually agree with him. !!!

 

[androooo]

Win some good, win some ugly... as long as you win.

 

[Goldberg]

Winning isn't all that matters - but it's pretty damn close.

Bowling well gives you a better chance of winning. Play as well as you can and your chance of winning increases.

Saying that "I bowled good today" is nice, saying "I won today" is a whole lot nicer

 

[bowlrig]

I don't play any sport to not win, might be a wayward golf shot off a tree & onto the green.....do I care, think not, might be a shot pulled through the nose with half the rack on the pindeck still, but a strike none the less....do I care, think not. My opponents may not like it but that is their issue.

I practice to play proper shots, I bowl league & tournaments to win. I play golf to w...w...w...well I will just leave it at that.

Rob

 

[John_Velo]

Hi Guys,

Let me expand on my thought pattern briefly.

Winning is nice, but I always look at the why I did not. So looking at my original comment. Was it the strike, 8 spare in the ten that lost me the game, where strike, strike, 8 would have won. No, it was the bad shot 7 split in the sixth that cost me the game. I always take a really broad look at the picture.

If I bowled a 200 and was beaten by a 201. But I had an open frame and the person I was bowling closed every frame. The issue was the one bad shot. So the losing does not eat me as much as the bad shot did. I cannot control what my opponent does, but I have control of my own actions.

So in this case, I beat myself and would be angry at the bad shot not the loss that was the end result.

 

[Roysa]

Good point John and i agree...

it is funny how the last bowler in a team leagyue game blames themselves if they open and the team loses overall by 3. When in actual fact any open frame that game is to blame.

Good example last week i got beat in the final game of the night 245 to 246.... the only difference in the whole match was i had a low pin count spare in a frame where my oppenet had a 9 spare. I was a pin behind due to this from about frame 5 and it finished that way.

In saying that he left a cold 8 pin but also got a nice mix off a light hit that almost went in the gutter at 30 feet... swings and roundabouts as they say.

To answer the question, i play to win but im only ever mad at myself if i bowl bad, never at the opponent for winning.

PS Another good thread John.

 

[da_cowman]

I keep getting a mention in your posts... I will take it as a compliment.

To be honest, I think that might have been the first time I'd actually done the math on the what was going on. League is just practice, but slightly better practice. As much as you try to push yourself in practice, you're only ever playing you're own mind games. When you need to step up and double in the tenth to win, whether it's a game of league or a tournament... That's when bowling becomes really fun and it's those moments that I love. Needing to do it, and getting it done. Which I think I mentioned to you John when that game was finished.

Maybe one day when I'm older and physically can't keep up with the younguns, I'll head down for weekly league and do it primarily for fun, but until then, I'm a competitor, and generally quite a fierce one. It's about becoming the best you can, and there is no reason why that can't be better then everyone else's best.

I think that answers your question...

Cow