What a great point to bring up. The first thing I think every coach should do when meeting with a new athlete is check the fit. I had a new student tell me before our first session his arm was sore in between his wrist and elbow. As I thought about it, I realized this could have been from a span issue. When we began I checked and his primary ball was drilled completely stretched for his fingers, his secondary ball was drilled even longer than that. A new fit will increase both his repeatability and reduce strain.doogie wrote:All great observations. One more thing that has helped me from the many helpful individuals on this forum is A good coach should , in my opinion, and foremost, make sure the student is properly fitted into his equipment in regards to span pitch and weight. I was wrongly measured by an "old school" driller, coach and proceeded to acquire severe MF pain. After discussing with the people on this site, my pain is gone, consequently , I am back bowling as before, pain free and also helping with the problems acquired from being STRETCHED in the ball, rotation issues, tilt issues, just all around problems. So, fit is of utmost importance to me. Have a great Christmas everyone.
Another top skill of a quality coach I think is humility. There are many times that the egos of a student get in the way of teaching them a new skill and this is an expected part of the process, but the ego of the coach should never get in the way. I know its been said a hundred times before but coach with the bowler's style not against it. A coach must be willing to admit that an undesirable form may have merits for the bowler and it is their job to coach for the most benefit of it.