So I've decided to look for a coach

[zdawg]

10 weeks into my bowling "career" :D and I've progressed quite a bit - and while I've been able to figure out some things on my own and fix them through practice, I think its time to get somebody trained to look at what I'm doing and give me some things to work on so I can continue to make progress, and of course to straighten out any bad habits I have currently while I'm still brand new to the sport.

That said, is there anything special to consider when choosing a coach? I went to bowl.com and looked up coaches in my area (downtown San Diego), and there are a number of them listed but I was wondering is there any type of review site for bowling coaches? Or should I just pick one closest to me and see if I like him/her and go about it that way. Any opinions/advice would be greatly appreciated

[bowl1820]

Haven't heard of a review site for bowling coaches, Good idea though.

Yeah pick one and see if you like him/her and talk to the coaches other students, get their opinion.

[zdawg]

Haven't heard of a review site for bowling coaches, Good idea though.

Yeah pick one and see if you like him/her and talk to the coaches other students, get their opinion.

Thanks, I sent some emails guess I'll go with a first come first served basis. On that note, I've been looking for a new side project, maybe I'll create a "yelp" dedicated to bowling instructors ;)

[zdawg]

As an update, the first coach I contacted his email bounced, and the second now lives in Hawaii, not San Diego. I'm guessing bowl.com's information is way outdated, which tells me that there is some need for a more updated site (although maybe not much demand), with reviews might be in order ;)

[vdubtx]

Maybe Facebook has a bowling group for your local area. You can ask on there. We have a DFW area bowling group that is pretty active.

[zdawg]

Maybe Facebook has a bowling group for your local area. You can ask on there. We have a DFW area bowling group that is pretty active.

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll check it out and see what I can find

[scruffwhor]

coachup.com

I think there's another site out there that's a similar coach search engine if you will. I found 4 in the chicagoland area. Maybe you can find more around san diego.

I met my coach through bowl.com based on who replied to my email first. I got pretty lucky I think, because Monetta was an awesome coach and gave me some awesome tips in one session. More than half of the other coaches I contacted didn't respond. So Bowl.com needs to updated for sure.

Good luck, in my opinion, a coach and practice will vastly improve your game.

[zdawg]

coachup.com

I think there's another site out there that's a similar coach search engine if you will. I found 4 in the chicagoland area. Maybe you can find more around san diego.

I met my coach through bowl.com based on who replied to my email first. I got pretty lucky I think, because Monetta was an awesome coach and gave me some awesome tips in one session. More than half of the other coaches I contacted didn't respond. So Bowl.com needs to updated for sure.

Good luck, in my opinion, a coach and practice will vastly improve your game.

Thanks for that suggestions, and yeah I've been practicing on my own a lot, going home reading this forum, watching instructional videos on youtube and then going back and trying to implement some of the stuff I've learned online. But I think I'm at the point where I'd like somebody with a trained eye watch my practice sessions and give me pointers.

[zdawg]

So the first coach I contacted, who now lives in Hawaii, recommended Mark Baker and gave me his contact info. I contacted him, and it appears he comes down to Oceanside which isn't too far from me every other Tuesday. SO, it looks like I have a lesson booked with him this coming Tuesday, doing some googling it appears as though he is a highly qualified/sought after coach so things fell into place!

[vdubtx]

zdawg, you won't find a much better coach than Mark Baker. Good choice. Wish I lived in Socal, would certainly have Mark as my coach.

[scruffwhor]

Im in the middle of Mark Baker's book [U]The Game Changer[U] right now.

[Bunny]

I was going to suggest Mark but wasn't sure of the distance for you. He's awesome! Mark also does a Saturday clinic with HOF Barry Asher for $10 at Fountain Bowl. Great for tune ups in between private lessons.

My husband took one lesson with Mark for his Birthday and has improved a lot already!

BTW-don't bother with $20 extra for video. It's not worth it. He just shows you a little of you bowling at the beginning of the lesson. It's not like you get something to take home and study. I felt it just took time away from the lesson.

I would suggest buying his book and reading it before your lesson. It'll help.

Good Luck!

[Stormed1]

You can't go wrong with Mark. Outstanding coach

[zdawg]

Thanks for all the advice guys, had my lesson yesterday and it was pretty awesome.

There were a bunch of things we worked on, funny enough most of my "problems" are only problems because they're the advice I was given 9-10 weeks ago by well meaning (I think) experienced members of my league. Apparently he disagrees with a lot of the common wisdom that dates back to the 60's and 70's that is still preached in bowling alleys across the country. Using just some of his suggestions during the session and my aim/targeting was ridiculously more accurate, lol if only I had refused to listen to people two months ago :p But in all seriousness, I'm really glad I booked the lesson can't wait to practice a bit before my next league session, hopefully I can break that pesky 200.

Bunny, as you suggested we skipped the video part (actually he did this without me asking, I'm guessing because he knows I'm a beginner and he expected a bunch to be wrong) thanks for the heads up about the weekend clinics, I'm pretty sure I'll make the trek up north one of these weekends in the near future.

Also, I ordered his book but it hasn't arrived yet, hopefully some of the things we went over yesterday are touched on in his book, would really help to have it as a reference - the only regret I have is not having the entire coaching session recorded so I can go back over it, maybe he should offer that :D

And finally he gave me a bunch of positive feedback througout the lesson, and at the end he mentioned I have a chance...chance for what I have no idea, but it sounds positive!

[Bunny]

That's awesome zdawg! Mark is the best at what he does for sure. I recall he gives lessons in Carlsbad or Oceanside. Is that where you took your lesson? That's cool he did the video anyway.

I highly suggest you write every tip down that you can remember from your lesson in a little book or pad that you keep in your bag! Don't wait do it while it's still fresh!! I suggested this to my husband and it has really helped him. He said that there was no way he would remember everything Mark said and it's nice to do a little refresh before he bowls.

You are so smart for taking a lesson from Mark early in your bowling career. It will be well worth it!! :)

[zdawg]

Hi Bunny, yep he was down in Oceanside, he said he tries to come down that way twice a month when he's not travelling (he mentioned going to Singapore soon, guess he's an international coach).

And yeah, I jotted down everything I could remember when I got home yesterday, gonna go hit the lanes either later today or tomorrow and start working on the areas we did yesterday so I have time to get used to it before the next time I bowl for my league.

I definitely can see why he's so highly regarded, both for the wealth of information he has in his head and his ability to explain effectively.

[vdubtx]

Yes, he is a coach for lots of pro's and even for Terrell Owens. :cool:

[noeymc]

http://www.bowlingboards.com/threads/15575-a-few-link-about-Tom-Reid


i googled about mine lol

[dnhoffman]

So how's it going them? Update?

[zdawg]

So how's it going them? Update?

Well, the bad news is I'm struggling to break 110 on a consistent basis (my league average is currently 126 and was going up 4-5 pins per week before I had my mechanics corrected). The good news is I might be on the right track, sometimes I'm able to hook the ball as was the case the other league night. Today while practicing I was yet again unable to get any hook whatsoever, and now my wrist is in pain from trying too hard to rotate the ball. I think before I went for coaching I was gripping the ball tightly and somehow was able to put the right revs on the ball to make it hook, but now that I've changed a bunch of stuff it isn't working

I won't be able to see Mark Baker again anytime in the next couple of weeks, but there is a local coach here that is also coached by Mark, I'm gonna see if I can get him to analyze my release. I have a very hard time believing my wrist is too weak, I have "popeye" forearms and have always had extremely strong wrists as evidenced by some of my max lifts back in my powerlifting days, and some of the fools that tried to arm wrestle me LOL.

I "think" there is just something inherently wrong with the way I release the ball, it may be that the thumbhole was drilled too big, or just that I still have muscle memory from my house ball days - I find it quite impossible to completely relax my thumb during the forward swing - even when I consciously "force" my thumb not to squeeze it does at least a bit.

I'm fairly certain that my thumb isn't exiting the ball before the other fingers, so what I'm doing is just spinning it but it gives me virtually no hook and I can't strike since I'm not lining up from a straight shot. Frustrating would be an understatement, lol I know people said it would get worse before it gets better but I was on the verge of breaking 200 and now some games I struggle to break 100 :(

I was also told that the Mongoose lifter corrects your release and forces the thumb to come out in proper timing in regards to my fingers, so I'm gonna try using one during practice sessions.

EDIT: I just added some videos in the Bowling Videos section, if you have some time feel free to take a look and leave any comments, etc. being a complete beginner I'm open to all criticisms/opinions/etc

[dnhoffman]

I left you some feedback in the other thread.