Drills for Improved Bowling Targeting and Versatility

Okay, so versatility training is important in our sport. Many different varieties of how you can get it done, but you guys have had some experience from your, your past experience with the International Training and Research Center in Arlington, where they had some great tools. You were able to use a lot of different features and it gave you some good accuracy, repeatability, goals and training, and you've actually kind of modified a little bit of what you've learned there into some tools you have to work with your team now. Yeah, it'd be great if everybody could, you know have a C.A.T.S. system set up at their bowling center where they practice all the time.

Unfortunately, that's not feasible for a lot of people. So, what we've done, very simply and cheaply I might add, just created some PVC pipe with a little T joint on it and created something where you can really track not only where you're targeting, but also some versatility stuff. Yeah so when it comes to the targeting, we can set one up at, you know, the arrows roughly, if they target there, and down at the breakpoint. And then we can see how accurate they are and they get points based off of, you know, if they're able to repeat that. Secondly, we can also do it with versatility.

Meaning, like here we have it set up for just targeting at the arrows. So, what they'll do is they'll get lined up to hit the pocket, and then maybe decrease their rotation or increase their rotation, try to miss a headpin right, try to get it to the left side of the headpin, by changing their personal versatility. So a modification on the tools that you've been able to work with, but still serving the function of giving you guys the same data that you would collect if you had the other tools. So, a great feature, absolutely. It's still the instant feedback that you get from a C.A.T.S.

system, but this way we can make sure you're still hitting your target, and just strictly manipulating the variables that you can manipulate with versatility in order to create down lane ball reaction changes. The visual feedback along with the tracking system you guys have had developed really helps put your players, not only increase their game but learn quickly what their versatility is. Okay, Shannon, so, what we're gonna here is Steven is going to throw a series of shots for us and we're gonna look at his versatility with speed control as well as with his hand position, what he's going to do with his axis rotation. His first shot is just gonna get him lined up to the pocket and he's gonna keep his feet in one position. He's going to use this targeting system with the chain hanging there as his target, going to the front of the lane, and just getting himself lined up to the pocket and comfortable where he's hitting.

What he's looking for is the first step, basically, in using this tool. That's right. And what we'll have him do throughout the series of all these shots is never change where he's standing, and/or where he's targeting. It's gonna be the same and that way, that really gives you an idea of the difference rotation and/or speed can make. So on this second shot, Steven is gonna slide into the same place, still hitting the same target through the arrows, but he's actually gonna decrease his rotation.

What less rotation will do will get his ball to start sooner, be smoother down lane, actually make it to where it doesn't change direction down lane, and you can see that he's missing the headpin. Exactly, now shot three in this case, he's gonna, actually, like you said, stay in the same position. He's gonna actually keep the same target on lane, and he's gonna have more rotation. So he's gonna change his hand position which is gonna increase his angle down the lane, and with this shot you can see he hits his target, and this time the ball goes high onto the headpin. Okay, so as you can see with these two shots, just identifying his rotation, one with a hand behind the ball more, the ball reads the lane sooner and doesn't get to the pocket or the headpin.

And then the other one where his hand is on the side of the ball, it gets further down the lane and it has more change in direction the back of the lane. There's really a large difference in versatility with just his hand position, simply keeping his feet in the same position and using the targeting system to get into the same path on the lane. On these next two shots, Steven is gonna keep his rotation the same, slide in the same part of the lane, still hit the same target, but he's gonna be adjusting his feet. On this next shot, he's actually a little slower. So with his ball speed being a little slower and keeping all the other variables the same, he's actually missing the headpin to the left.

Yeah, the slower speed causes the ball to actually read the lane a little bit sooner and change direction. On the fifth shot here though, he's gonna change his speed to be faster. Again, keeping all the variables the same with the exception of just the speed, he's gonna hit his target, but this time he's gonna miss the headpin to the right, simply because the ball doesn't have enough time to slow down and change direction. So again, as you can see with rotation, the difference with speeds being faster and/or slower, just simply that, can make you a much versatile, much more versatile player, allowing you to be successful in a lot more different patterns. Yeah, having multiple tools for each player to be able to change their versatility and stay in the same part of the lane will change how the ball reads the lane but also make more versatile when it comes to anticipating the changes needed for adjusting the lane.

Okay, so coaches we have a great example here in Steven's use of this tool. Not just for accuracy but for a lot of other features, a lot of other things that are helping train his versatility. Yeah, this is a great way that we can really separate the targeting aspect of it, so that every shot there's instant feedback on whether or not they're hitting the target, and then just really break down the versatility, difference they're trying to make whether it be rotation or whether it be ball speed. Yeah the great thing about this, like Bry said, is they're getting instant feedback, but it also helps build confidence immediately on whether they're able to do this and repeat it, so that when it comes time for them to call upon it in competition, they're able to do it with some confidence. And then with you as coaches, definitely the trackability feature of this, of you taking all the information, all the data you collect from every shot, when you're doing this through a cycle with your team, being able to process that data and figure out what do I need to work on with these players and how can we help train them with this tool, and they can get instant feedback on exactly what you've tracked.

Yeah and one last thing is that, you know, people at home may not have the opportunity or may have a working relationship with a bowling center to where they can go and do something like this, but something as simple as, you know, maybe asking the front counter person if you can put a piece of tape on your, on your target at the arrows or something. It doesn't have to be, you know, it doesn't have to have the whole PVC pipe and everything if the bowling center doesn't allow you to. But there's many different ways, just by being, you know, using your imagination a little bit as to ways you can accomplish the same goal. Because, you can see from those differences that, he was hitting the target the same way but the ball reaction down lane was changing drastically and that's just great instant feedback to take. Yeah, significantly different ball reaction down lane, from what we saw.

Especially keeping his feet in the same spot, looking at the same target on the lane, but just changing a couple of variables, really large difference in what we saw with the pins down the lane. Yeah, one of the really important things for us as coaches when we're working with players to see what they can and can't do, is I'm not gonna call upon a player in competition to increase her rotation if she physically can't do it, and vice versa. So you make sure you know what your players are capable of, this tool helps you train them and/or teach them exactly what they're doing already, and anybody can take this same concept and apply it to their game when it comes to their own environment in the bowling center. So take these tips and take this training tool with you when you get a chance, or a modification of it. And soon, before you know it, you'll be increasing the averages on your scores too.