‘Talking Tactically’

with Lachlan Tighe..... 

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

"Seeing is believing"

(edition thirteen, 5/12/2001, of thoughts & observations on lawn bowls)

Well respected former Australian Football coach, Robert Walls in his article ‘Dockers porky young guns to shape up’ Age newspaper 24/7/2001, said

…Freemantle’s (football) coach should give his 3 young rising stars the weekend off, for their long term development, so as to see first hand just how hard you have to work if you want to succeed at AFL level (or in sport).

He continued ‘…I don’t know what the dockers did but I reckon sending these 3 young players to the MCG to witness the greatest fightback in football history would have been of far greater value than sitting back sipping a cold one at a WA pub.’

I borrowed the phrase ‘thinking hard , hardly thinking’ from an elite coach in another sport and this Walls observation is an application.

The faculties we have above the shoulders- the brain, eyes and ears – are there to be used by bowlers who want to be the best they can. Forget the rest and the approach they have, that is why they are not household names.

Bowlers of all standards need to watch and learn from the best.

Why are we not seeing more squad and budding champs in bowls watching major events.

Quite simply, because their peers pooh pooh (disregard) the approach.

Again I was fascinated how this limited thinking prevails with our best bowlers.

When watching the clash between two women state champion sides on a recent Saturday, one of these players came over to me after competing and asked why was I not playing men’s pennant today; my response was as a coach (of two ladies out there competing) my prime role is to watch them ‘in the heat of battle’ so as to be able to share the game analysis with them and provide an impartial view of their performance and prepare their training for future events. This lady thought I would be playing men’s pennant being a Saturday.

If our best lady performers do not yet grasp this we have a long way to go for us bowlers to easily understand what Rob Walls was referring to.

Heaven help us while we remain in these dark ages while the rest of competitive sport moves on.

P.S. Ringwood Bowls club here in Melbourne has invited me to take on the role of establishing a bowls academy at their club and to come over to their club as skills coach assisting both their head male and head female coach. Interesting development.

Enjoy your bowls

"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"