My son's training progress & One step drills fix so many things!

[Phonetek]

For months, since my son got his ball he's always had problems with his back swing coming behind him. How he was shooting 200+ like that I had no clue. With the help of the one step drills we FINALLY figured out why. Even with videos of him and two bronze coaches working with him it didn't occur to ANY of us what the problem was. The one step was the answer, but I had to see him from the front to see it. None of us could tell from behind but it was his push off. Yep, that's all it was. He was pushing off to the right but it was so hard to see. All I had to do was make him exaggerate his push off to the left and BAM, nice straight swing! When he's not thinking about it he still gets it behind him but he realizes he did it when he does.

The other big help with the one step drill is he's learning the slide step with knee bend. Before he was just straight legging it but he would fall off to the right every time. Again, with his backswing not coming from behind pulling him to the right he can bend his knee and post his shot. Impossible to pull your body to the right on follow through and bend and stay balanced at the same time. It all comes together from one drill.

Yesterday after I stopped bowling with him I had him do this drill. I figured he was gonna give me lip about it because his score was gonna be bad and he was gonna be looking silly. To my shock he said "Okay Coach" and he reached up and turned the scoring monitor off and went right up there and did it. Not only that but with the monitor off not only could he not see his scores but had no idea how long he did it for. 8 games of one step drills! LOL So glad it's only 50 cents a game! I don't care though. All he wants to do is get better. After than he shot a few games of low ball for the first time. That too also helped him greatly understand how and why to move his feet and what to aim at.

Suddenly now that everything is starting to click the passion in his game is really starting to show. It flipped like a switch. It's gone beyond just learning a sport and he's a natural. He is really starting to remind me of how I was back when I was a youth bowler. He told me last night that he wants to bowl in the Junior Gold to see if he could qualify. He said he was afraid to ask because of cost. I asked one of the bronze coaches if he thinks he could do it. He said he thinks he could have a good shot to qualify to at least the second round at U15 and possibly further. That was enough for me.

I made a promise to him that I have to keep. If he is really this serious and dedicated, I don't care what it costs and what league or tournament he wants to bowl in and wherever he wants to bowl I promised that I would make it happen. As his dad and his coach....beg, borrow or steal, I just have to give him every shot I can for him to succeed. I told wife that "No" can never be an option so don't even think about it and she agreed. My work is also willing to help as well. He already needs a heavier ball, 12lbs is definitely too light. 14lbs would likely be best at this point which would open up a lot of options beyond plastic and he's ready for better. Storm comes to mind. My truck is broke down and I already told wifey it's gonna have to wait two weeks for another paycheck so I can get him a new ball. We still have her truck which is better on gas, a little inconvenient but not a big loss for now.

[JasonNJ]

That's awesome, I'm surprised you couldn't pick up the push away from behind though. Were you taking video from the back with the camera centered behind his bowling shoulder? Keep up the good work, the one suggestion I have before you send your son off to compete in Junior Gold next year. Have him practice on a sport shots as well and teach him to read his ball motion. Many kids go to Junior Gold for the first time and they have a rude awakening because that's the first time they ever played on a sport pattern.

[Phonetek]

There is a local center we've went to recently with a sport pattern. He got a card from my boss for 3 free games a day until Sept 1st at that center. I don't know which specific pattern it is. He seen how much more accurate he has to be. He still somehow manages to get that huge arc on that polyester Pyramid ball on the sport pattern. I don't know how the heck he does that. All and all he did pretty darn well (at least I think), so far looking at Pinpal he's averaged 171.31 on that shot in 18 games with only one deuce a 203. So he's pretty consistent. We have time to bring that up a notch or two before Sept.

I have tried telling him that competing isn't easy and it's harder to advance than not to. That said, I'm not going to talk him out of it. If he wants to give it a try then I'll encourage it. Yeah he could fail miserably but he could also dig deep and shock us all, you never know. I think either way it goes will prove beneficial. In order to become a humble winner you have to learn to be a gracious loser.

[JasonNJ]

There is a local center we've went to recently with a sport pattern. He got a card from my boss for 3 free games a day until Sept 1st at that center. I don't know which specific pattern it is. He seen how much more accurate he has to be. He still somehow manages to get that huge arc on that polyester Pyramid ball on the sport pattern. I don't know how the heck he does that. All and all he did pretty darn well (at least I think), so far looking at Pinpal he's averaged 171.31 on that shot in 18 games with only one deuce a 203. So he's pretty consistent. We have time to bring that up a notch or two before Sept.

I have tried telling him that competing isn't easy and it's harder to advance than not to. That said, I'm not going to talk him out of it. If he wants to give it a try then I'll encourage it. Yeah he could fail miserably but he could also dig deep and shock us all, you never know. I think either way it goes will prove beneficial. In order to become a humble winner you have to learn to be a gracious loser.

I'm not saying he's going to fail miserably, from what it sounds like he should do well or at least compete but if that would have been his first time on a sport shot then he probably would have struggled to compete.

Junior gold just finished and I read a post from Danielle McEwan saying she remembers her first time at Junior Gold and she did terrible. While she sat crying, she decided that would never let that happen again and she used it as motivation to work on her game.

[Phonetek]

I'm not saying he's going to fail miserably, from what it sounds like he should do well or at least compete but if that would have been his first time on a sport shot then he probably would have struggled to compete.

Junior gold just finished and I read a post from Danielle McEwan saying she remembers her first time at Junior Gold and she did terrible. While she sat crying, she decided that would never let that happen again and she used it as motivation to work on her game.

Oh most definitely, I didn't take it as you said he'd fail miserably. My apology. He isn't at the point yet of reading lanes well at all yet. When we get a pair at work he tries to play both lanes the same. Rookie mistake. I told him it don't work that way LOL He's still very green in many many ways. Luckily I have other coaches at my work at my disposal for free. He hates one of them though. Whenever he brings his back swing behind him he makes him drop and do 10 pushups LMAO. It's working though!

When we practice together I make him move all over the lanes trying different lines so he can understand how things work. He won't get anywhere being a one trick pony shooting down 2nd arrow. Cash is a bit tight but we have at least 8 different bowling centers within 20-30 minutes from where I live. I'm trying to take him everywhere I can so he can see the differences between centers and conditions. Next week I'm taking him to one of the places I grew up in when I was at my peak. That's over an hour away but he's dying to go to that dump. LOL

That Danielle McEwan example you mentioned reminds me of another from the women's US Open who lost the previous year. She kept a picture of her loss as the desktop on her cell phone so she could see it every day. She ended up winning the following year. Can't remember her name off hand. Being reminded of a loss can certainly drive you to win. Right now win or lose, exposure is key. It will give a greater understanding of how things operate and what to expect.

[JasonNJ]

That Danielle McEwan example you mentioned reminds me of another from the women's US Open who lost the previous year. She kept a picture of her loss as the desktop on her cell phone so she could see it every day. She ended up winning the following year. Can't remember her name off hand. Being reminded of a loss can certainly drive you to win. Right now win or lose, exposure is key. It will give a greater understanding of how things operate and what to expect.

That was Shannon O'Keefe. You always learn more from failure than success. Also makes you appreciate success more.

Taking him to the different centers is good. Topography is a huge factor in ball motion and seeing how different centers play different is good to know. Funny story, I have 4 daughters ranging from 7 to 12 and they are just learning about lane conditions and oil. One night last winter, its was a night of a snowstorm but my league decided to bowl and the other league cancelled. I took my girls set them up on a pair and started bowling my league. My girls were just used to bowling open bowling so lanes conditions are always hit and miss and this was the first time they ever bowled on a fresh pair. After about 10 minutes, they all come running to me and complaining their balls aren't hooking. I just laughed and had to explain about bowling on fresh oil and told them they needed to adjust and possibly slow their ball speed down