Good Coaching is Hard to Find

Recently, during a lesson I was giving to the mother of one of my youth students, something was said that really took me aback.

I was explaining to her that she wasn’t getting her hand around the ball at all, and that the lack of axis rotation and tilt was causing her ball to see it too early, roll out, and never turn over down lane.

She looked at me — confused — and said, “that isn’t what you tell my son.”

Her son, has a tendency to overturn his wrist, thus causing his elbow to rotate and causes a number of problems.

I explain this to her, and that the advice I give him doesn’t really apply to her, as her issues and game are very different than his.

She looked at me — puzzled again — and said, “anytime we’ve (she and her son) worked with a coach in the past, they always tell us to work on the same thing.”

And while this is a disappointing realization, it’s also very true, unfortunately.

Good coaching is hard to find. And, often enough, they aren’t adequately appreciated or acknowledged.

Good coaches understand that everyone is different. And, as a result, understand that everyone’s physical game is different; what works for one bowler may not work for another. Good coaches are patient, yet stern. Good coaches are consistent, but know when to move on. Good coaches understand you, your needs, your goals, and your capabilities.

In essence, good coaches are good. And we know that there are a lot of them out there that don’t hear it enough. Either in a separate post or in the comments section down below, tag and thank the coach/coaches that have helped you along the way and helped you become the bowler you are today.

I’ll begin: thank you, Randy Stoughton and John Gaines!