Author Topic: Took my first lesson (Read 452 times)

LowRev · « **on:** February 06, 2006, 03:25:26 PM »

I finally decided to take the advice I have seen many times on this siteâ€¦.â€A new ball isn't going to raise your average-if you have the money to buy another ball spend it instead on lessons and learn better basics.â€

Taking advice again from this site I asked some of the better bowlers in my league if they could recommend a good coach. Not everyone could recommend a coach but a couple recommended a woman named Debby Haggerty who works out of Fireside Lanes (here in Sacramento).

I looked her up on the USBC site and decided she was legit. She charges $50.00 an hour which seemed to be a little on the high side from postings I have read but I decided to go for it.

She watched me bowl a few frames and then she got down to taking my game apart. At first she was cautious with her critique probably because she thought I was going to get all defensive but I figured I was paying her for her expertise and I have had a 160 average since last winter and I don't know how to get better.

This is what she quickly determined:

My equipment is too light (14lbs) and I am muscling the ball
Because the equipment is light I am rushing through my approach
I am bending forward at the waste instead of staying back
I am starting with the ball too low and in front of me so I am swinging it around my right side and also rushing my backswing (this is causing me to have a very inconsistent release)
She suggested I go to a fingertip grip

Basically I have to strip my whole game down and rebuild. It was a lot to try to change all at once. What I do now in practice and league is attempt to correct one thing at a time. I admit I am not instantly tearing up the lanes but I can tell now when my arm swing and release are correct because it feels effortless and the ball seems to hit with more power.

I am glad I decided to get a coach; it was worth the money. She worked with me that first day for an hour and a half (probably because there was so much to fix) but it was all part of the $50.00 hour. I plan to take lessons once a month. She gave me a workbook with drills to practice and descriptions of what I was doing incorrectly to remind me what to work on during practice.

The coolest thing about this was that because she felt that my equipment was too light I get to buy new ball!

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Jeff

LowRev and Lovin' it

MSC2471 · « **Reply #1 on:** February 06, 2006, 11:29:49 PM »

Jeff: Thanks for your post on your coaching experience. Be sure that she is willing to work on only a couple of aspects at a time- some parts of your game you may be able to engrain in muscle memory quickly while other parts may take months and months of hard work. I would suggest if you can get on a lesson plan where you can see here every 2-3 weeks at first. Sometimes a month between lessons can be hard for everything she taught you to stay into focus.

I had 10 coaching sessions between January and August of last year and I went for a refresher this past month with my coach and also plan to do another session soon. It's always good to have a second set of eyes to see your game and see what you need to improve upon.

Matt

ParoxysM · « **Reply #2 on:** February 07, 2006, 06:27:27 AM »

Im weary about getting a coach, 'cause my style is awkward at times. Im sure they would roll their eyes and sign me up for a 12 week tutorial.
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14lb Animal | 13lb polyester

JohnP · « **Reply #3 on:** February 07, 2006, 10:41:33 AM »

LowRev -- Don't expect to see improvement in your scores immediately. Almost any time you change something in your game you will actually see a decrease in scores for a while. But as the proper changes become imbedded in your game through practice, you will stairstep well above your original average. -- JohnP

Author Topic: Took my first lesson (Read 452 times)

LowRev

Took my first lesson

MSC2471

Re: Took my first lesson

ParoxysM

Re: Took my first lesson

JohnP

Re: Took my first lesson