‘Talking Tactically’

with Lachlan Tighe..... 

(a weekly edition, commenced 12/9/2001, of thoughts, observations and commentaries on developments for bowls coaching and competition)

‘… sharpening culture – adaptable’

(edition 81  - 2004 of thoughts & observations on lawn bowls)

Late last year I wrote on the theme of Culture - Accountability, well this week I use the column to refer to ‘Culture – Adaptability’.

For any of us to be adaptable, especially in sport (bowls) we really have to hold a degree of faith in who we are and what we want to achieve or aspire to.  Elite players (bowlers) should have that high degree of self belief or else they would not have got so far in sport.  Over the years I have presented on a range of topics (to bowlers) and invariably I find little or no connection between what people want by coming to the seminar and what they are prepared to do (to succeed).  

To some extent the seminar topics interests the attendees as a matter of curiosity, the suggestion that it required a degree of change in application for people to acquire such success sounded too much like hard work for many in the audiences, thus was the presentation of any value to the audience overall ?

So what is it that makes the elite athlete (more) adaptable, more likely to forge ahead.

Well maybe the bowlers aspiring to the elite level status can best respond to these comments that I put as reasons for elite athlete’s adaptability:

• Deals with the unpredictable and takes competitive advantage of such ( England winning in the rain against France in the Rugby world cup semi)
• Sees change as a positive challenge
• Seeks new ideas and practices to be the best
• Listens and learns
• Anticipates, acts quickly to the new approach
• Seeks to out think the opposition and look for new approaches.

Again, change challenges the known, and, frustrates the nervous.  But, the best are those who move forward, and the mid field well they are those who are at the front of the pack though still in it and thus hesitant to go out and join the elite who have left the pack behind.  

I would dare to suggest that premier league level bowlers are this front pack mid field.  In the top 100 within their state, not daring to go the whole hog and be different, and then on to being the best in their state.

As I move in and around sport, I observe that the best athletes (coaches) in sport know that without change we as sports people stagnate, we are overtaken by the opposition.  Learn from cricket where a hunger to be the best drives them constantly forward even though they are at the top.  Read what their selectors, coach and players do and think to see where we all can go (in bowls).

A few suggestions for the budding elite bowlers (coaches) may be 

• Foster those who are creative thinkers to take your team further
• Allow the innovations to be applied
• Brainstorming (using people) ideas can extend the thinking of just one person
• Invest in your people so that you may get just one extra good idea and approach by that encouragement
• Network success stories – if they don’t listen to you, good go out and get a known expert in sport who says the same thing
• Initiate contacts to learn how you and the team can apply the principle of adaptability
• Out think the opposition, how -  for a start by simply just going out to see what the best are doing and use that as start to being adaptable and hopefully in pursuit of ultimate personal success.

Lachlan Tighe

24 March 2004