I have a bit of mental problem (well actually a thought problem) that I wanted to discuss. Before the fall/winter league started I went and got some of the basic problems with my delivery straightened out. I have come out the first 4 weeks with the best bowling since my comeback. I have averaged over 180 every week when my previous average was 164 for both the last summer and fall league. Now here is the problem:

I feel confident that I can keep up this level of bowling but another part of me is just waiting for the wheels to come off. I am sure it because every time in the past when I have got rolling like this something happens where I suddenly hit the wall and have a spell of sub-par bowling. In some ways maybe this is good because I will not get blindsided if it happens and it is making me stay focused but I know it is negative thinking and I don’t want to have it end up hurting me in the long run. I was wondering if anyone else has had these thoughts and how you deal with it.

Scott,
I have said this before, but I think in your case the wheels are not going to come off. I believe that you have been bowling awhile now since your comeback and you have worked hard and the result of that is your game has gotten better.

Sure slumps will come, but you have to remember how you are bowling now. Remember that you have been there before, and you will be there again. And you will get even better as time goes by and you continue to develope your game.

Its what I'm struggling with right now. I have bowled poorly in the past, I worked at it, got some coaching help and got better.
I have a couple of 300 games, and have had some pretty decent (for me) series in the past, not as consistant as I'd like but some success all the same.
Now I'm struggling, but remembering that I have had success before is whats keeping me somewhat sane.

Don't wait for the other shoe to drop, enjoy your success. You have worked hard to get it.

I wouldn't be to concerned about it Scott. Just don't get into bad habits, and don't try to hard. To me that's when I develop bad habits when I'm trying to hard. Instead just go up there, clear your mind, and roll the ball. Think about what you're going to do while you're setting up. Once you're ready to start your approach focus on that mark and nothing else. Back to the basics :-). I get negative thoughts myself, but they turn out to be only thoughts. The tricky, but manageable part, is not letting those thoughts affect you. It's like that part on Happy Gilmore, "Find your happy place!" LOL.

Scott,
Remember KISS(Keep it simple stupid). Dont worry to much you will fall or stumble again. Dont worry what happened in the past. Just do what you been doing the past weeks. Dont over think things too much, just bowl. You should be fine.

I know I tend to be one who worries too much and thinks things are going too good so something bad is bound to happen. I guess I just need to realize that I have and will continue to improve and stop worrying about it.

Just remember: negative thoughts = negative results. No matter how difficult it is to do so, try to stay positive and bowl within yourself. Your best for a particular day might be 30 pins under your average or it might be 100 pins over. Unless you can prove to yourself that you gave less than 100%, then you have nothing to be upset about and just chalk it up to experience.

It's inevitable that slumps will come, but that's almost always due to overanalyzing your game or "bowling with your brain." Let your mind calculate adjustments, not throw the ball. That's the job of the muscles and what you've trained them to do. Let them do their job without interference.

I agree with everyone to find your happy place and let the negative thoughts go. But as a change of perspective, did you ever consider the idea that these negative thoughts are acting as negative reinforcers to keep your scores up at least until you don't need them anymore?

And by not needing them anymore, I mean that you stop chalking your scores up to luck and instead count your recent success as you improving, getting better, and being that d*mn good.

Thanks for all the support. I fell back just a tad this past week. Actually by averaging 180 on a night where I only got 10 strikes I really held together well. Even though I couldn't nail down a consistent spot for striking I was dead on for spares. The only spares I missed were 3 huge splits and picking off a couple multi-pin spares. I made all my one pin spares.

I think now I realize I am just better than I was and now I am looking forward to even get better. I am seriously thinking about joining a second league if not this year maybe next.

When you aren't striking consistantly, being dead on with spares is what will get you the win. Good going.