JG2 Coaching

There has been some discourse on social media about coaching and the level of complexity of the verbiage utilized. The conversation has been productive and there have been good points raised.

It is our duty, as coaches and educators, to attempt to tailor information to the audience. At some level, it can be difficult to get information to the player depending on their level and experience. Although there is difficulty, it should not alleviate us of the responsibility to be able to communicate effectively. If we do not have the ability to relate and express information effectively to all level of players, we shrink the impact we can make on the bowling community as a whole.

The discussion has continued in how things are explained and are we trending away from knowing how to actually knock pins down. There is a discussion to be had with players regarding the technicalities that are involved in the game, and it is important to note that some players can certainly get bogged down in them. Thinking about the perfect arsenal, perfect physical game, and perfect mental game can stunt growth along the way. There is no perfect in this sport that has some much gray area. Coaching players through this can be a difficult, especially with the abundance of information available online.

The beauty of this sport lives in the gray. There is no exact spare system, but there are guidelines. There is no perfect arsenal, but there are guidelines. Coaches should be training players how to navigate these guidelines and directing them to identify what is the correct option for them and WHY. The why is what separates good coaches and great coaches.

Explaining the why is what positions players to make adjustments on the fly. Additionally, it positions players to be able to explain things for other players, creating value for those around them. In a team environment, you cannot have too many players who understand the game at a high level. Education is paramount to a team's success.

There is a fine line between educating and instructing, and the best coaches in the world have been able to toe that line. This distinction can be the difference in "We should be considering this ball, can you tell me why?" versus "Throw this ball and stand here." Push players to think for themselves with gentle nudges in the desired direction.

Allowing players to fail in real time can be difficult due to the desire to win and succeed, but occasionally it can be necessary for the overall learning process. Players will learn the best from failure, if they allow themselves to view them as opportunities for growth. Failure is simply a piece of the puzzle. Reflection whenever failure occurs is necessary for growth.

With the summer being here, lessons have certainly started to be scheduled! If you would like to get together for a session, please reach out!

The end of the collegiate season brings a variety of emotions. Of course, we would love to be preparing for ITCs, but unfortunately, the end of the USBC season comes down to one event on one weekend to attempt to continue.

This situation provides a learning opportunity and also forces you to find perspective. Does bowling poorly one weekend make your season a failure? Does bowling well one weekend make your season a success? The answers to those questions very well may be different.

Team bowling, just like individual bowling, it is important to not let one weekend define your season. Individually, you can always find an event to go compete in the next weekend, where collegiately, your season/career may simply be done. For the returners, we are done competing till October.

Luckily for us, after our poor performance at Sectionals we were able to get right back on it and compete at NAIA Nationals the following week. NAIA Nationals led us to do some of our best bowling of the year, finishing second after coming in as the six seed.

I implore all players to not be afraid to jump back into competition after a less than perfect event. As bowlers go, it seems to be extremely difficult to build confidence, but exceptionally easy to have it fall apart. Do not allow your confidence to be evaporated after one poor event.

Develop a practice plan and get to work. If you struggled on one area in particular, zero in on how you will improve it. Maybe it is an area you have historically been good at, so you may just need to convince yourself that you can perform in that area.

The end of the collegiate season also opens up a lot of time to get sessions in. If you are interested in working with either of us, certainly reach out!

While watching the US Open I stumbled into an open bowler who used to frequent Blue River Bowl in Shelbyville during his lunch breaks. We became friends, and I would regularly look forward to him coming in and chatting while bowling and eating chicken tenders. These interactions would scratch the teaching/coaching itch at a time where I was not really teaching/coaching.

He showed great interest in bowling, but nothing like he wanted to compete at the highest level. Simply a general curiosity in the game and what makes it different. We had brief conversations regarding house patterns, how to play lanes, and how hooking the ball requires much less rotation with the hand than non-bowlers think. He was able to see his scores improve during these lunch sessions.

I asked him what he was doing watching qualifying at the US Open. He replied that he recently moved up to the area and still finds himself fascinated about the sport even though he does not do it as regularly as he would like. We talked about what the players were being asked to do on Tuesday's pattern and how impressive it was. It was interesting to me how a non-bowler could understand so much.

How should the PBA and USBC go about attracting non-bowlers? Currently, it seems like there is even a large disconnect between league bowlers and the best in the world. Indianapolis boasts one of the largest bowling communities in the world, but there were not many people in the building to watch the best of the best in their backyard. Why do you think that is?

Is it lack of awareness? Lack of care? Lack of understanding? If any of these, how do we improve that?

The Friday before Intercollegiate Sectionals. What a grind of an event. Four blocks of sixteen baker games across two days with no reoil during lunch. The lanes are going to get ugly, bodies and minds will be exhausted, and the teams who survive are the ones who will be tenacious.

There will inevitably be ups and downs throughout sixty-four baker games, so having the mental fortitude to move past poor shots and surprising ball reaction is paramount to success. Giving any frames away due to frustration can be the difference in qualifying or not.

It is important to hit the pairs that are good and navigate the pairs that are not as good. The key to doing that is simply filling frames. Shoot spares at a high level to avoid the disaster game that will be so easy to shoot.

One huge challenge that is the unknown is what this event will look like without urethane balls. There is no secret that urethane has been the most important balls in college bowling the last 5+ years. They act as a bit of a safety blanket to get through the fresh and not force players too far in. The lack of urethane going down the lane will drastically change how the lanes will transition and how quickly teams will move in. I suspect that we will see the lanes hook the most that we have seen in a while.

Group the lack of urethane with the lack of pattern knowledge and the inability to change ball surface during practice. Putting together a sound arsenal with a good gameplan is imperative. It certainly feels like a bit of a guess on many fronts, but it is clear that it will take eight men/women working together to play roles when required to qualify for the Intercollegiate Team Championships.

The biggest test in collegiate bowling is upon us. Best of luck to all teams!

US OPEN WEEK

What a fun week of bowling. The lanes looked tough, and all of the patterns seemed to require different challenges.

While the PBA has revamped the lane pattern program, USBC events often pose different challenges than the traditional PBA pattern. The shapes are often a bit more out of the ordinary which causes players to dig into their bag of tricks.

This week we have seen the best in the world play straight, hook the whole lane, throw strong bowling balls, throw plastic bowling balls, and everything in between. Players have had to be creative with ball selection, lane play, and roll manipulation. Tuesday night, we got to see Belmo trying to rip the grips out of a plastic ball while Simo was being nice to a reactive ball hooking the ball a lot. Both yielded great starts on the medium pattern.

Events like the US Open allow players to show truly what they can do. Often, we see EJ and Belmo doing the same thing over and over regardless of the pattern, but this week we got to see how vast their skillsets truly are. They are often tasked with changing between one extreme to the other, which truly shows the importance of ex*****on. The importance of fill balls cannot be overstated, as they act as a free test ground when making a big change. Opening in the tenth can eliminate the ability to test something, which leads to either hesitance in making a change or a blind guess to begin a game.

Hopefully all bowlers will utilize this week to understand truly how good these bowlers are. Competitive bowlers, reflect and think about what you could or could not do in this environment. Do you have the ability to play the lanes where they were required to play?

If you would like to set up a session, let us know! The collegiate season is winding down, so we can certainly get something on the calendar moving forward!

The start of the PBA season has been fun to follow!

Dual patterns have called for the players to show a wide array of skills, with each pattern requiring different angles. The angles often are not vastly different on the fresh with the ability to play a bit straighter on the short with urethane or urethane-like equipment, but as the lanes transition and the players move in, steep angles through the fronts are required.

Compare the strategy required on the short pattern to the long where it seems to be important to play the lanes simply and not give the ball too far away from the pocket. Now picture the advancers round where you are required to be very steep through the fronts on the right lane and then keep the ball close to the headpin on the left lane.

Sometimes it takes watching the best in the world closely and working to understand what they are doing to fully appreciate the skill level on the PBA Tour.

How do you develop the skillset to do what the best in the world are doing? Simply put, you must be put in a position to utilize those skills. Practicing various angles on the house shot are possible, but sport patterns often provide many more opportunities to get creative with angles.

It is strongly recommended to practice on sport or challenge patterns whenever possible. These patterns can push you to play uncomfortable angles which over time will become comfortable. Find a sport league over the summer and challenge yourself. Tailor your expectations and view it as an opportunity to develop.

If you are interested in having a session and discussing laneplay and strategies to develop overall, reach out! The collegiate season is close to ending, which will provide more opportunities to get together!

Super late on this trend, but many coaches recently posted their "why."

It has been great that many are in it for developmental reasons. That certainly aligns with what we feel here. Helping teams and individuals grow both as bowlers and people has been the greatest joy. The personal development is something that we are fortunate to play a big hand in through Marian University, interacting with students consistently. This positions us as a resource for all life challenges. It means a great deal when our student-athletes come to us for advice, even when it is not bowling related.

Development on the lanes is also very important. This sport of bowling is something that we have studied for some time, both on ourselves and with our students. Throughout this time, we have developed our own philosophies and ideas of what we like to see, which is often a combination of things that we have learned from various sources. We have been fortunate to learn from many coaches throughout our time both as players and coaches which has help mold us into who we are today.

The sport is ever changing, which continues to pose challenges. These changes allow coaches and players to reflect on what they have learned and compare to the new information. Do these changes make sense? Do they seem like one size fits all? Could I implement them in my game? All reasonable questions that should be considered prior to blindly following any information, whether new or old.

As coaches, we should always embrace these questions. Questioning of teachings allows us to further explain something which can help a student commit, as well as it allows us the opportunity to think about something at a further depth. We should constantly welcome the challenge. The ability to explain something at a level shows a great level of understanding of a topic.

The sport has given us so much. Bowling allowed us to meet some of our lifelong friends (as well as each other). Being able to play a role in somebody's enjoyment of bowling is something that we do not take for granted.

Why do you bowl/coach? What brought you to the sport? What keeps you doing it?

Two weeks in a row with a post about speed changes. If that does speak to the importance of it, I do not know what would!

While thinking about limited arsenals, it is important to have equipment that lasts longer than five frames to cover an entire day. Speed changes can expand a ball's usability window. While changing ball speed may not allow the ability to throw the strongest solid piece with 500 from the left gutter (for a right hander), it could extend the ability to move a bit further left with it and still have it go through the pins properly. This can set up the remainder of the progression after the "One Ball."

One example that brings great ball speed flexibility can be short patterns. Often, throwing the ball fast to the outside of the lane can be great on the fresh. As the fronts become depleted, moving in is inevitable. Combating early friction by simply trying to throw the ball faster through it will yield loads of flat hits due to energy depletion. Getting slower and shaping the ball around the lane can be a great option, but the ball has to have time to roll the correct way, especially with the tightness that is likely developing downlane.

In general, throwing the ball fast can allow a player to play the lanes more front to back, while throwing it slow can allow a player to open up their angles. There is a time and place for both options, hence the importance of developing both skills. If the facility that you practice at displays speed on the monitor, track it. While it might not be the most accurate thing of all time, it could provide a tangible thing to track and work to increase, decrease, and/or make more consistent. If your facility does not have the speed displayed, you can get creative with video and tracking the time from the point of release till the ball hits the pins. This would be best done from an angle so the camera does not need to move and so you can accurately determined when the ball is released and when it hits the pins.

If you would like to work on speed control and versatility, reach out and we can get a lesson lined up!

Ball speed versatility has proven to be very important at all levels. How much versatility is needed? When developing this, the target is ± 2mph. Of course, the more versatility the better, but it needs to be done in a way that a player's physical game is not completely derailed. Increasing or decreasing ball speed should not completely diminish a player's ability to hit their target and their ability to have consistent ball roll.

While working on ball speed fluctuation, it is imperative to take videos. Take videos of your baseline, then take videos of attempting the ball speed adjustment. What is observed? Higher swing? Lower swing? Quicker feet? Videos from the side can help maintain that timing is not being radically changed.

There are many ways to accomplish ball speed versatility, but it can take experimentation to see which works for an individual player. Walking quicker can work if the swing matches. Walking slower can work if the swing matches. There are often more things that have to be considered versus the simple, speed up or slow down queues.

If you are interested in working on these things, reach out! While lesson availability can be a bit sporadic during the collegiate season, we can certainly work to line something up in the near future.

What would you deem the most important skills to develop for bowlers? It seems like this answer changes weekly depending on the environment.

This skill certainly depends on the player's level. A league player likely does not need to develop playing outside of the five board at the arrows, but they could benefit from developing ball speed versatility and the ability to change their roll.

As coaches, it is important to understand what the player is looking for out of a lesson/session. Are they simply looking to make more corner pins or are they trying to develop skills that could help them at the USBC Open Championships. The list of skills needed at the competitive/sport level is a long one, but what is the highest priority?

For the next few weeks, we will be diving into skills that could be prioritized, and the reason they are important.

What do you believe is important to work on? When you have seen other people succeed while you were struggling, what were they able to do that you cannot at this time? What are your strengths? When you are succeeding and others are struggling, what are you doing that makes you different?

Our sport is often simplified into winning or losing. This inevitably leads to a lot of unhappy bowlers, as only one individual/team will win any given day in any given event.

We have discussed reflections and how important that is for development, both individually and as a team. What also needs to be added is that when an event is lost, it is okay to tip your cap. Just because a bowler beat you, it does not mean that they got lucky, that you caught no breaks, that their side of the lane was easier, etc. Accountability is your friend, and it is liberating to simply tip your cap and say that a player was better than you that day.

Some may view that as weakness, but it is the exact opposite. It takes strength to admit that a bowler/team simply had your number on a given day.

Then, reflect on why they had your number. What were they doing that put them in a position to beat you? Do you have the ability to do that? If not, why not? How do you develop the skills to do what set them apart on a given day.

The best bowlers in the world are versatile. That is what keeps them in contention on a wide array of patterns and conditions. The reflection above can pave the roadmap to become more versatile to keep yourself in contention, regardless of the pattern.

Do you have the ability to manipulate your rotation, tilt, ball speed, angles? Can you play all across the lane? If you lack confidence playing in certain areas, practice them! When you go practice, do not default to your favorite spot with your favorite ball. Challenge yourself so you are a well-rounded player and can do what the lanes call for. The lanes will tell you where they want you to play and with what ball, it is up to you to listen.