Raising Awareness, Building Responsibility, Building Self Belief

Sharon Sims, National Coaching Coordinator

The 2010 Junior Trans Tasman event was a real milestone for our age group programme. The team secured the overall points, the U25 women were dominant particularly on days 2 and 3 and the under 18 team beat Australia for the first time. It was not that long ago that we could not field an under 25 women’s side but now we are beginning to see some real depth among the young players. They are eager to improve and open to challenge, something older players could learn from. 

This improvement is all the result of coaching and not just in the Talent Development programme. Hundreds of dedicated coaches are putting in many hours introducing the game to young players and helping them develop their skills. I have particular admiration for this group of coaches, who love working with young players despite the knockers who insist on telling them it is a waste of time, and the few grumpy club members who are unwilling or unable to make young players feel welcome. It is all these coaches, not just the few who have had direct contact with players in this particular team who have made that difference. Thank you and congratulations to you all.

Recently a number of people have complained to me about examples of bad etiquette and poor sportsmanship that they have encountered and I have to agree, there has been a noticeable decline in standards in recent years. However, when I ask “what did you do about it?” invariably the complaint is that “they ought to do something”. But like most problems it’s we not them that can fix it by having the courage to challenge the behaviour at the time instead of complaining afterwards.

Coaches, we should take the lead in this. Lectures on etiquette are not the answer, instead try creating learning opportunities for players to learn in context, and if new players do slip up assume they didn’t know and have a quiet word.  

Recently a player asked me how they could peak for an upcoming event. Although preparing athletes for peak performance has become almost a science in the “faster, higher, longer” sports, there is no simple recipe in bowls and I am not sure anyone has the answer. However there are some good principles we can follow. 

Steadily build the intensity of your on green training up to about 4 days before the event. Focus on the skills related to your position and put yourself under pressure in training by monitoring your performance, aiming for steady improvement. In the last few days reduce the intensity and shift the focus from skill performance to feeling totally comfortable and confident in the rhythm and timing (feel) of your delivery. The final day in particular should be low intensity, hopefully by now you are confident that the rhythm and timing feel great and you can relax and trust the outcome. 

Think about the events that you play in the few weeks immediately prior to the peak event. A good singles event in that period is ideal but failing that something competitive and compatible with the position you are going to play. If that is not possible organize some competition in training, something really challenging not just a roll up game.  Change the rules to put yourself under pressure. The “Pressure Game” featured this month is one suitable example.

Use the build up events to practice your mental skills. Self reflect after each game and work out how you can improve on your last performance. Think about your ideal pre game preparation and practice sticking to those good routines.

Do some good basic planning and preparation. If you are travelling, make sure everything is organized and ready to pack in plenty of time. Make sure home and work are sorted so you can “walk away” with no niggly worries.

Basically it’s about arriving at the event calm, confident and fully ready for the challenge ahead.                                                 

Well somehow 2009 is almost over and I find myself writing the last column for the year. A good time to acknowledge all those hardworking members of the coaching community who put in many hours helping others get the best out of their bowling experience. We are seeing a change of attitude amongst bowlers, as a result of good coaches offering enjoyable challenging activities that show bowlers that there is more to coaching than technique and that a roll up is not effective practice. Thank you coaches, your dedication and enthusiasm is making a difference.

Among the other positive signs of change is the increasing willingness of centre coaching groups to engage with the Coach Force staff at the Regional Sports Trusts. As well as providing interesting updating/educational workshops they are also offering extremely valuable support to centre coaching groups/committees. One of the most exciting developments is the appointment of the first dedicated bowls Coach Force Officer by Sport Taranaki. Stephen Brophy was appointed just prior to the season opening and is already making a positive impact. He is determined to raise standards in Taranaki through a revival of coaching and has put together a good plan to achieve that. So far 20 new coaches have “signed on” for the challenge. This is a great opportunity for bowlers in Taranaki to get behind his initiatives and make it work.  

I recently visited Taranaki to help Stephen demonstrate to representative players and selectors the benefits of purposeful training. The theme for the morning session was line control and we used the games featured here. It was great to see the players enjoying the challenge and at the same time improving the quality of bowls they played.

Best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy 2010. For those of you attending “the Nationals” prepare well and enjoy the benefits.

This year we have taken a different approach to training new coaches with new resources and dedicated Coach Trainers to deliver the courses. Those Coach Trainers have done a great job during the off season and since they were trained in May, 74 new coaches have attended training courses and 303 coaches have been updated.

Thank you Ann Muir, Howard Sandler, Pat Bull, Dot Curry, Lorna Reeve, Vickie McNamara, Sue Mairs, Kerry Geertson, Josie Uren, Roger Munro and Ruth Roberts for the work you have done. The feedback from all the courses has been extremely positive and it is great to have so many new enthusiastic coaches in our clubs.

Thanks also to Pauline in the office for her reliable support and to all the new and updating coaches for their keen participation and willingness to help other bowlers.

Last month we talked about ensuring that bad technical habits are sorted early in the season. The next stage is to work on improving fundamental skills with some repetitive drills such as those in previous issues. Identify your weaknesses and your strengths and practice them both. Always use consistent, honest measurement and keep a record of your progress. Often players over estimate the percentage of effective bowls they actually play and when they first try measuring and recording are shocked by the real numbers and find all sorts of excuses not to record a particular session or even give up all together. Another common trap is to stay in your comfort zone and only practice or score those drills that you do well.

Remember, for training to be really effective it should be harder that the game. Don’t be afraid to put yourself under pressure by setting some tough targets and measuring your progress honestly.

The season is underway again and it is time for players to check the fundamentals again and get rid of those bad habits that have crept in over the previous season or in the off season break. Ideally players would begin this process pre season but it is not too late to start now. Get out that video camera and film from the bowling arm side at a 90 degree angle, and from the front directly down the aiming line. Keep the camera as far away as practical and use the zoom to fill the screen at the point of delivery. Chopping off the head in the address position is okay.

Player and coach should examine the video together looking at the fundamentals of:

•   Alignment and Stability, (straight lines)
•    Rhythm and timing  (smooth release)
•   Weight transfer

Look for the cause of an error not just a symptom. This means looking very carefully at the first elements of the movement and only changing latter movement once the earlier elements are sound. Often one simple change in first movement or address position will cure a sequence of subsequent problems. By taking this approach and focusing on only one or two changes at a time players can make changes easily and with out the confusion caused by trying to fix a whole lot of things all at once.

Trying out the changes immediately and filming again to compare the before and after footage is particularly effective and helps players make changes with confidence. Perseverance is the secret at the next stage. There will be a period where making a change causes a temporary loss of “touch” and confidence, and many players make the mistake of reverting. Stick with the change, get regular checks from your coach and you will be set up for a successful season.

One of the key roles of a coach is to help players set useful goals. In the previous two columns we talked about the importance of focussing on performance and process, but when we ask players about their goals they will usually have outcome goals such as wanting to win a particular event or be selected for a particular team. Although outcome goals might motivate a player to persevere, they are not very effective in producing improvement.

A really useful way to help a player convert an outcome goal to process and performance goals is to ask the GROW questions.

Goal. What is your goal?

What do they want to achieve and by when

Reality  What is the current reality?

Take time to examine the current reality honestly. Make sure to include the non bowls issues, like work and family commitments and get an honest appraisal of how much time the player is prepared to commit. What aspects of their game need to improve? Keep the discussion objective - what is the evidence for how well/poorly they are playing now. Introduce the idea of performance measures and goals. Is the goal realistic or should that be revisited.         

Options What could you do?

Once you have an honest assessment of the current reality the player can begin to suggest options. What training could they do, when and how often? How could they measure progress? What events could they play/not play? What support could they get from you or others? Get them to list as many options as they can.

Will What will you do?

Finally choose just 1or two of those options that they are prepared to fully commit to.

Now you have a sound platform for improvement with a simple plan and process goals to focus their effort. The responsibility for meeting those process goals lies with the player, as do the rewards. 

If there was one word the Black Jacks got sick of hearing from me during the 2008 World Bowls campaign it was the word PROCESS. I bombarded them with the word as often as I could. Eventually they all agreed with me that it was a very important word and did assist in the successes achieved at the event.

Having good processes in place, both on and off the green, is very important in ensuring we are continually improving.

So what do we mean when we talk about process in relation to success on the green. For me it is solely about ensuring we are ticking all the boxes in the areas that we can control. Once the bowl has left our hand it is totally out of our control and all sorts of issues can then affect the outcome of the bowl, and there is nothing we can do about that. What we can control is everything that occurs before and during the delivery of the bowl. Specifically that’s about having a good pre-shot routine and then a consistent delivery that ensures we are getting the bowl away as smoothly as we possibly can down the right line and with the correct speed to achieve our desired outcome. This is where I must emphasise that the processes we use must not be outcome focussed. This was the area that the Black Jacks did get right, they ensured their processes were sound and let the outcomes take care of themselves.

Off the green having good processes is also very important. We need a process around planning and de-briefing. Planning our season and each week of our season to ensure we are not playing too much and are including enough time for quality training sessions.

Just as important as planning is having a very good process of de-briefing. Being very honest with ourselves and asking our three favourite questions. 1 What did I/we do well today/this week/this season? 2 What do I/we need to work on? 3 How am I going to do that?

How do your PROCESSES measure up?  

Last month’s topic was self reflection, but what should we be reflecting on? Often players focus entirely on the result and their bad luck in the last end. Others will claim that how well they played is more important than the result, but usually their judgement is totally subjective and of little more use than being outcome focussed.

To improve we first need an objective measure of our performance.

In athletics they measure how far or how fast. What can we measure in bowls?

In training it’s easy, do repetitive drills and count the number of bowls that finish within a constant distance of the target. Strive to improve personal bests by doing the same number of repetitions each time or by counting how many bowls it takes to achieve a set task. Examples of both approaches can be found on the Bowls NZ website Club/Coaching/Drills and Games

Measuring performance in competition is more complex. Luck will always play a part in bowls, but playing more good bowls than your opponent tilts the odds in your favour. Counting the number of effective bowls is a great place to start. Front end players can count how many bowls finish no more than a mat width short and within a mat length of the jack. Draw shots to other targets (covering etc) can also be measured using the mat length standard. Back end players might choose to measure their conversion rate, and teams may count how many bowls were short, or how many times they were more than 2 down.

Players - keep the score yourself or delegate the task to a team mate or coach.

Coaches – only measure what is agreed with the players and use the results to monitor an individual player or team, never to compare players.

Performance measures provide a baseline for improvement. Next month we will discuss the next step – a process to improve.

Mental skills have a major impact on performance in any sport. While most coaches understand the importance of helping players to develop those skills, the majority of bowls coaches fail to do that effectively. Inexperienced coaches often provide players with masses of information on the subject or, recommend their own “wisdom” and coping strategies. Although well intentioned this approach misses the mark because they have missed a vital step. Before a player can develop their mental skills, they need to have the ability to self reflect, and most players need to train themselves to do this effectively.

§  What went well?

§  What do I want to do better next time?

§  How will I do that?

A player who honestly addresses those questions after every training/game/event can begin to build a picture of their own strengths and weaknesses and create a plan to improve. The coach’s role is to challenge the players to do this routinely and honestly and to help them implement the plan.

A self reflective player will be able to identify their own ideal state and the “red flags” that are associated with poor performance, then develop strategies to maximise time in the ideal state.

Coaches can assist by creating opportunities in training to test and practice those strategies. By changing the rules of games, placing constraints on players or intervening in ways that create “red flag” situations coaches can help players develop those skills in the context of the game.     

This month we feature a game designed to help teams improve their communication skills. Clear concise and positive communication while directing the head is essential for good team performance, and this game is a great way to improve those skills. The laughter will be a bonus.  

Last month’s topic was purposeful practice. Drills and performance measures for individual practice, and modified games for group sessions. If those Drills and Games are our tool kit, how do we use them in our clubs to create challenging, enjoyable learning opportunities for players?         

Players want coaching activities that are:

Accessible	§  Regular (at least weekly) sessions in blocks of 4- 6 weeks §  Coaches who listen to players needs and adapt programmes to suit §  Simple equipment readily accessible for players to use at other times
Consistent	§  Receiving contradictory advice is frustrating. Make sure your club coaches are accredited and up to date.
Challenging and FUN!! ……. Laughter and noise on the green is not a crime

We do have some very innovative coaches running great club programmes. At Bay View BC, Barry and Beryl have produced some fantastic novel training equipment. I was particularly impressed with the head templates marked on round 1m diameter mats. Old brightly painted bowls are placed on marked spots on the mats. With just a few different templates a huge variety of heads can be produced simply by rotating the mats.

An old fashioned autocratic coach would tell the players which shot to play, but it was great to see players selecting a shot and having 4 attempts at that shot then 4 attempts at a different shot. Players were allowed to discover and discuss the percentage shot themselves, so much more effective for long term learning!!

The feature Centre Line drill is my version of another Bay View activity which can be used for individual practice and/or turned into a group challenge.   

If you have novel examples of games and challenges that players are enjoying, please send them to me so we can share the fun.

Purposeful practice is the key to improvement in every sport. However the majority of bowlers fall into 2 distinct groups, those who just play as often as possible and don’t practise at all and those whose practice is regular but lacking challenge or purpose. This latter group often draw like the proverbial mustard plaster in practice but fail to reproduce that consistency in competition.

How do we make our practice purposeful and challenging?

§   Involve a coach.

§   Measure your performance.

§   Set goals and strive to improve your personal best.

§   Practice all lengths, particularly the extremes.

On the Bowls NZ website Club/Coaching/Drills and Games you will find examples of drills for individual practice of the fundamental skills and games for group practice of tactics and skills.

The drills are designed to improve basic skills, using simple consistent objective measuring of performance so that players can set goals and strive to improve their personal best. Recording the results will enable player and coach to monitor progress and identify strengths and weaknesses.

Skills also need to be practiced in context in an opposed game. Too often players attempt to do this by rolling up with a mate or an opposing team, more often than not simply reinforcing bad habits. The games on the website are designed to make group practice purposeful challenging and fun. The games are modified to challenge a particular skill or tactic and are a very good way to improve tactical judgment and refine skills. Try them and create new games of your own.

Practicing with a purpose is not only more effective it is also more enjoyable.

Have a go!!