For those of you who have heard of Ron Clifton and were possibly thinking of taking lessons or one of his clinics, I thought I'd post up my recent experience with him to give you someone's point of view who just worked with him.
Ron met with a friend of mine recently during a PBA tour stop in Indianapolis for some one-on-one instruction. This was my first time meeting him as I had only read some of his articles in the past.
He was nice enough to setup an appointment on short-notice and was ready to go that night when we got there.
For over 2 ½ hours, he worked with the both of us on the lanes and provided hands-on instruction. Here are my observations:
- I have been bowling for over 15 years and have been lucky enough to have had some coaching during that time. I was coached by a few different individuals and two of my collegiate coaches were quite accomplished…therefore I am able to compare Ron to some of those instructors.
- Ron’s methods, which include a high-level of analysis via video recording, are extremely insightful to each individual’s own unique game. What I mean by this is that he will analyze a bowler’s current level in the game and work to make certain changes that will best suit that individual. Far too many coaches try the “cookie-cutter†approach to coaching where all players must have the same arm-swing…footwork…release….etc… Each bowler is unique and Ron uses everyone’s personal strengths in their game to build off and make certain changes to improve and optimize their game. In my friend’s case, there were some more major changes that needed to be made and Ron worked with him to focus on how to improve those facets of his game. My game has stronger fundamentals; however Ron was easily able to point out areas that were hampering some things in my timing, backswing, and release that could be corrected for better results. Many times changing just one or two of these smaller areas will make other things fall in to place.
- The video analysis is in my opinion one of the strongest tools that can be used by any coach in any sport. The “camera don't lie†as they say. Ron spent time with us slowly going over the videotape in super-slow motion to point out certain things that could only be brought out by a trained eye. As many who have never been video-taped before can attest to…it can be a shock to see yourself bowling for the first time…you're never doing what you think you are. My friend had no idea he was doing certain things. I had been videotaped before, but when Ron went frame-by-frame, I found many things I wasn't aware of.
- Paralysis by analysis can hamper any individual in any sport. Ron will have you focus on a couple main points. It is far too easy to get bogged down by 25 different things at once…start with the big items…get those going, and then if the rest don fall into place, you can pinpoint smaller areas.
- Ron obviously has a wide-knowledge of the total sport and spent time with us discussing ball drillings/fits, axis tilt/rotation, and especially lane conditions. Once again, these talks were not just general…but suited to our individual games.
- In my opinion, the teaching method Ron uses in bowling can be well-adapted to any bowling skill level. Some coaches don have the time or patience to work with beginners or your average league bowlers, but from what I saw, Ron can do that very easily. Other coaches only surround themselves with elite bowlers, and while they are good at that, they may not have the patience of say a junior coach who works with someone learning the fundamentals. Ron obviously has worked with some big names, pros included, and has the knowledge necessary to instruct at that level.
- While I unfortunately don bowl many tournaments anymore or encounter the tougher demanding lane conditions I used to when I bowled those tournaments, I think a lot of the instruction I got from Ron would really shine if I were subjected to those oil patterns again. Poor fundamentals and sloppiness in your game can be easily hid on a walled-up shot but become very apparent on a flatter condition. By solidifying your game in the major areas, you can be more ready to address a harder condition knowing no major faults are hindering your performance. That’s just my opinion on that.
I would definitely recommend taking one of Ron’s clinics if you are serious about improving your game. He knows what he’s talking about and his teaching methods are among the best I have encountered. I’m almost disappointed I could only work with him for a few hours, so I can only imagine what a few days would do to further improve your game.
By the way…I also tried some of that Magic Carpet inserts and I must say I took a liking to them. For someone like me who goes through a lot of tape in the thumbhole, they could be that needed change that solves a part of that problem.
- Jeremy
