I nearly threw my ball in the bin the other night.

Is there a more frustrating game than tenpin bowling?

Oh, it is fun, I admit that, but it can also bring out the beast in players.
Has it brought out the beast in me? Many times.

I have been bowling for years and years, so you would think that I have my act together by now. Forget it, if anything, I am getting worse instead of better.

I used to be a good bowler, not a great bowler, but a good bowler.

Years ago, I played in a four man team in the Monday league and when our team lost one of its members, my son, then eight years old, asked if he could stand in until the team found a fourth player.

I agreed to do him a favor and so did the team. It is hard to refuse a little boy.

Over the next few weeks we lost most of our games, but when we won a game his eyes gleamed with pride.

My son is twenty eight now and has grown into a formidable bowler. We are still partners in a four man team, but now he is doing me a favor by letting me play on his team.
His technique has grown by leaps and bounds, while mine is still more or less the same.

I have my good days and my bad days (don't we all?)
Why else do you think I wanted to throw my ball in the bin the other night? I am sure there are other bowlers who have felt the same.

Some might say that it is important for a bowler to have his own ball, shoes and bag.
I agree. As such, I have all three and more. I also have a wrist guard, skin patch and a special liquid to clean my ball.

Both my son and I have had numerous balls over the years. Every two or three years we buy a new ball.
When we read up on them in magazines and watch what they can do on the Internet, they seem like magic balls. The answer to every bowler's prayers. They effortlessly roll towards the pins and strike.

The reality is a little bit different. Those magic balls lose some of their magic when thrown by an everyday bowler. They roll and they strike, yes, but not quite as often or as effortlessly as demonstrated in the video.

Bowling is just as much a mental challenge as it is a physical challenge.
After a strike a bowler feel victorious and confident to make another strike and another.
If the bowlers misses a strike, but makes a spare, he does not feel quite as triumphant, but still feels pretty good (especially after picking up a split).
But if he misses a spare and misses another one, chances are his confidence will rapidly go down the drain and he will lose the game.

So, yes, for a bowler it is important to have his own ball, shoes, bag and a variety of other goodies, but it is just as important if not more to be able to shake off a bad delivery or bad game. Perhaps the most important ball in bowling is a bowler's head.

After all, bowling is just a game. Sometimes a very important game, but still, just a game.

Learn more about this author, Conny Manero.
Click here to send author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about Bowling is fun?
We want to hear your view. Write now!