comming soon

TMS - First for Volvo in the Midlands

The Role of the Coach

In most sports the coach forms an important interface between the player and their sporting role. In athletics the coach helps to hone the competitor both mentally and physically to train effectively and to continually improve their performance. In cricket, soccer and rugby the coach works with the players individually to improve their skills and to co-ordinate their efforts to work together as a group harnessing the strengths of each individual for the benefit of the team.

When I started bowling, the club had no coaching capability and we formulated our own way of delivering the bowl with occasional advice, often negatively biased, from the established players. Even today many of those senior players frown on the whole idea of anyone needing to be coached to play the game of bowls. Fortunately Bowls England take a different view and have established the English Bowls Coaching Scheme to train bowlers to become coaches, providing training schemes and manuals to assist both the coach and new and aspiring players taking part in the game of bowls.

Some of us in the club have felt sufficiently interested to take the training courses and the result is that we have all not only improved our own game, but have helped some of the newer bowlers who are receptive, to develop the correct delivery action and offer them practise techniques to help them achieve consistent line and length. There are many other areas where coaching can help to improve an individuals game, such as teaching etiquette, encouraging accurate jack delivery, developing match play, reading the head, playing yard on and weighted shots rather than them having to rely on learning perhaps from bitter experience from their inevitable mistakes when playing the game.

The Club now have 6 people who have a coaching qualification:

Brian Shaw, Dave Surman and Derek Wheeler have achieved Grade 2 standard and are designated as Club Coaches. This qualifies them to coach juniors and vulnerable adults and all have CRB clearance necessary when carrying out this role. They also are allowed to train aspiring coaches up to Grade 1 Foundation Coach Level.

Gordon Davidson, Geoff. Taylor, Eddy Downs are all Foundation Coaches and Gordon also has CRB clearance. All are willing and eager to proffer advice and help you with any aspect of your game.

The Ladies club do not yet have a coach but all the above are happy to work with members of both clubs free of charge, you just need to ask and they will be keen to help. It is intended in May next year to run a skills event on a Sunday Morning using five rinks with different tests on each to not only provide a competitive fun morning with prizes, but to encourage participants to use these techniques in practice to develop their game. Players of all levels are encouraged to have a go so watch this space.

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