‘Talking Tactically’

with Lachlan Tighe..... 

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

"The bias and hazards of selection"

"In my inaugural column last week on this site, I cited an article "Ironman Hocking bites the bullet" (Melbourne Age newspaper, August 1. 2001) which highlighted the tenacity for skill acquisition by Hocking as a footballer striving to develop his skills.

…Ray Jordan, a man who made a career in Australian Rules football on the strength of his eye for junior talent, had coached Garry Hocking in the Teal junior cup and dismissed him as a senior level prospect.

Within pennant bowls competition, we all gripe about selection, or specifically selectors. And that goes right through to national selection. So, like Jordan in football, selectors are not infallible, maybe they are even deliberately biased. So who cares !

Bill Morton, a bowler from Blackburn in Victoria, observed premier league over a period to ascertain the number of bowls in the zone analysis; his results read something like this:

…the scoring of bowls in nine(9) finals matches of the premier league shows 50% of bowls played finished BEYOND the yardstick of the jack location

…about 25% of the bowls played finished 2m.BEYOND the jack

…scoring of bowls in over 30 games at Division one (1) and two(2) pennant level show that MORE than 50% of bowls finished BEYOND a yardstick of the jack

If we borrow from athletics and swimming, bowlers can attain inner motivation simply by firstly elevating their ‘pb’ technical skill in training, thus requiring those bowlers SERIOUS about bowls as a sport (not a pastime) to keep some record of their competition let alone their training.

The game analyses done for ‘elbows’ last season follows that same principle of Bill’s- the need to know your performance level not the result; so few bowlers do any personal skill rating chart . I have had to impose it on the ‘elbows’ squad as a specific training session to highlight to them where each bowler is at currently with technical efficiency.

And then the other strong evidence for selectors is you WINNING, time and time again against good company.

Someday those selectors will have to sit up and take notice. If they don’t then other good bowlers surely will.

Remember, we bowlers cannot control selection in club/ state/ national teams, but, though type cast by others, we can pursue a level of training and performance that forces the selection to come about…it is all in the precise level of effort…your calling card should be …....attitude, mindful of practising habits )"

"Good Bowling"

"A Great Team ... defined for bowls and to apply to pairs, fours, sides of 16"

"Weight Watching - Drills and Experiments"

'Torpedo Toward Victory"