Rod Ross, one of the most respected and innovative coaches in the sport of bowling, has been named the first head coach of the United States Bowling Congress International Training Center that will be constructed at the national governing body’s new headquarters facility in Arlington, Texas.
Ross, 52, is the current head coach of Junior Team USA – the national youth amateur bowling team – and one of just 30 bowling coaches in the world certified at the USBC Gold level, the organization’s highest. He has coached numerous professional and world-renowned amateur bowlers and has helped revolutionize coaching in the sport by developing cutting-edge computer and video training technology that have become industry standards. He will use these resources at the new training center along with recently developed and patented USBC coaching technology.
“It is an extreme honor to be named the first head coach of the new USBC International Training Center,” said Ross, who is expected to begin his new position in January 2009 and will continue as Junior Team USA head coach. “I am very excited to be part of what promises to be a truly state-of-the-art facility for bowlers and coaches worldwide. The technology we will have available will lead coaching and the sport of bowling into the future. We’ll be the leader, studying bowling as a sport. It’s an exciting opportunity for advancing the sport.”
Ross, who as a Master Instructor with USBC Coaching advises coaches as well as bowlers, will direct the training center that will be located adjacent to the new USBC headquarters in Arlington. Groundbreaking for the facility is expected in late summer, with the building expected to be completed by June 2009. Plans call for the facility to have 20 bowling lanes, 14 for training and six for research and testing of bowling equipment.
Advanced technology and teaching tools will be a key component of the training center to help improve the skills of coaches and bowlers alike. The facility will be a coaching and training destination for Team USA, Junior Team USA and national teams from countries around the world. In addition, the training center will be available for a fee to any bowlers who want to take high-tech coaching lessons.
“For more than a decade, Rod has been a pioneering force in bowling coaching technology, which is a major focus of USBC as it moves forward,” said USBC Vice President – National Governing Body Neil Stremmel. “Rod’s background and expertise in coaching and technology makes him the perfect fit to make the USBC International Training Center the premier coaching and research center in the world.”
Ross and his wife, Teresa, a USBC Silver coach, have owned and operated Bowlers Connection, Inc., a pro shop and high tech training center at Manteca Bowl in Manteca, Calif., considered the premier bowling training facility in the western United States.
Ross, a native of Pocatello, Idaho, has served on the International Bowling Pro Shop and Instructors Association board of directors. He trains and advises pro shop operators around the world with his extensive knowledge of modern bowling equipment.
When Rod Ross takes over as head coach of the USBC International Training Center planned for Arlington,
Texas, next year, he will have an abundance of high tech equipment at his disposal. The USBC Gold coach and his staff will use cutting edge bowling technology to train and coach bowlers from around the world.
That equipment includes USBC patented biomechanics technology systems called grip pressure, foot pressure and motion capture that use a network of cameras, electronic sensors and computers to measure exact movement of the body during the approach and delivery. Motion capture is similar to the technology that video game-makers use to record Tiger Woods hitting a golf ball or NBA star and USBC spokesperson Chris Paul shooting a jump shot to make their game characters look realistic. Ross also will oversee the use of the Computer Aided Tracking System (C.A.T.S.) to record the exact location and velocity of bowling balls on a lane.
In addition, Ross and his colleagues will use DigiTraxT ball motion tracking software that measures the accuracy, consistency and transitions of a bowling ball on a lane and BowlersMAPT software that provides coaches the ability to analyze students utilizing computers and video analysis. Ross designed and developed both DigiTraxT and BowlersMAPT.
The sophisticated technology will be put to use during coaching sessions for Team USA, Junior Team USA and national teams from Federation Internationale des Quilleurs and World Tenpin Bowling Association countries around the world who want to train in the facility. In addition, the training center will be available for a fee to any bowlers who want to take high-tech coaching lessons. Ross also will be tasked with developing new technologies to keep the training center on the cutting edge in that important area.
“The goal of the USBC International Training Center is to have the most advanced teaching tools that will provide hard data about bowlers during their approach and delivery,” said Co-Director of USBC Coaching David Garber. “As one of the most respected coaches in the bowling industry, Rod will lead the training center to be the preferred place to train athletes from around the world that, in turn, will make it a financially sound project and investment for USBC.”
Long-term goals of the training center include: advanced development of bowling coaches and coaching programs for youth bowling, high school and college bowling; developing training techniques for different bowler styles; the improvement of bowling federations around the world; and to improve the sport worldwide with an eye on securing a place for bowling in the Olympic Games.
“If we’re going to be a sport in the Olympic family, we should give our athletes the facilities they need,” said Ross, who was bowling’s nominee for the 2004 United States Olympic Committee National Coach of the Year award and the 2005 USOC “Doc” Counsilman Award for advanced use of science and technology in bowling. “We’ll be the leaders, studying bowling as a sport. It’s an exciting opportunity for advancing the sport.”
By Patrick Brettingen
USBC Communications
Philippine legend Paeng Nepomuceno will conduct United States Bowling Congress Level 1, Bronze Level and Silver Level Coaching Accreditation Seminars in conjunction with the 6th Euro-Med Storm International Masters Challenge at Paeng’s Midtown Bowl in Manila. The tournament which promises to have many participants from Asia and overseas, runs from May 7-13, 2008.
“I am looking forward to conducting the seminars, especially since this will be the first time that a USBC Silver Level Coaching Accreditation Seminar will be given outside of the United States,” said Nepomuceno.
Nepomuceno was one of the 21 international coaches, who received their USBC Silver Coach certification during an exclusive International Coach/Instructor Training seminar hosted by the United States Bowling Congress in February 2008.
“I was privileged to be trained by USBC Gold Coach and Bowlersmap and Digitrax Digital Coaching Software Designer, Rod Ross (pictured left), one on one after I received my silver coach certification last February to be able teach and certify the silver level class seminars,” Nepomuceno explained. “I hope to be able to do as great a seminar this first time out just as his was for me.”
Level 1 will be held on May 2, Bronze Level on May 3 and 4, and Silver Level on May 5, 6, and 7.
Since Nepomuceno has joined forces with USBC as certified coach and USBC Ambassador one year ago, he has conducted 8 seminars and certified a total of 79 coaches.
“The Silver Level is an advanced level of certification designed for individuals pursuing coaching and instruction as profession,” Nepomuceno said. “Only Bronze Level coaches who have coached for at least one year are eligible for the course May 5-7.”
This course will cover:
- Keys to analyzing the physical game
- Equipment, lane and lane play
- Strong emphasis on “Cause and Effect” video analysis with an on-lane-session on Day 3.
Nepomuceno is also planning to have a Silver seminar in Hong Kong and in Singapore in a few months. We will inform you as soon as he has confirmed dates and venues. In addition there will be a Level 1 and Bronze seminar in Indonesia in July.
For reservations contact:
Email: paengusbc@hotmail.com
Fax: (632)810-7819
Phone: (632)845-3013
Cell phone: +639215519852
By Ted Thompson
The 2008 ETBF European Youth Championships at famed Tali Bowl in Helsinki Finland showed what can happen in the modern bowling environment when all parts of the scoring environment are predictable and at a high level.
During the Championships, 12 of 15 girls scoring records were broken and 11 of 15 boys scoring records were broken. There were also five 300 games during the Championships.
However, the closer you look and dissect the possible reasons why those records were broken and scores were achieved, the less anyone should be surprised.
The Players
The youth players of Europe are more knowledgeable than ever and the overall level of coaching is at an all time high. Add to the fact that eastern European countries are increasing in participation numbers and they are treating bowling as a sport. Even world renowned coach Sid Allen has been attracted to Europe being hired as head coach of Latvia. This proved to be a great move on the Latvian Federations part as it helped them achieve the country’s first Gold Medals in Major Championship events. In fact Latvia won a total of five medals during the Championships, 1-Gold, 3-Silver and 1-Bronze. A fine testament to what a solid coaching program can bring to a Federation.
The Scandinavian countries have long been setting the standard in Europe by developing great player after great player. The Finns, Swedes, Norwegians and Danes all took medals in the boys divisions and from watching the youth competition at the 2008 EYC, the Scandinavian’s still are generating many great players.
Sid Allen (center) with the Latvian Girls Doubles Gold Medal Team of Diana Zavjalova and Marija Tkacenko. The girl’s team from The Netherlands (left) took the Silver Medals and Poland (right) took the Bronze Medals which were the first medals ever for Poland. Photo Courtesy of the Finnish Bowling Federation.
But there are also some very good up and coming youth players from other parts of Europe because of solid coaching programs and Federation support. We should look forward to watching them in future European Championships and tournaments like the European Bowling Tour for many years to come.
Another item coming into place within Europe is increased equipment knowledge which is a huge part of being successful in the modern game. Until now and mostly because of language barriers, Europe as a whole has been behind the learning curve of countries where English is spoken or understood in high numbers. That however is changing and they are catching up fast as was evident by observing ball choices at this event.
The Lanes
But back to the environment, the scoring or playing environment that is. Tali Bowl is somewhat of an anomaly in the world of bowling. Built in 1972, the Finns might have known something very few knew, or at least practiced, about the installation of bowling lanes. Even after the replacement of the wood lanes to Pro Anvilane synthetic panels, all lanes at Tali Bowl consistently have a certain topographical characteristic and the key word here is “consistently.”
Many of the synthetic lanes we have checked over the years have showed very little regularity with regard to topography throughout any specific lane but not Tali Bowl, all lanes follow the same topographical features throughout the entire lane surface. When lanes are installed in as a consistent manner as they are at Tali Bowl, players have to adjust very little as they move across the center during any one block of bowling.
As Team Norway Coach Trond Syvertsen said, “Only thing we did, was not to move too much and keep the ball rolling forward.”
Just imagine not having to take one, two or even three frames to figure out how the next pair of lanes is playing in relation to the last pair and only having to concentrate on releasing the ball the same way. This adds a minimum of 10 pins to the scoring pace right off the bat.
ETBF Technical Delegates Dr. Pinchas Hershkovitz (right) and Harri Kalliokoski (center) with Kegel’s Sven Scheepers (left) inspecting lanes at Tali Bowl with Kegel’s Portable Lane Mapper.
As far as the specific topographical character of the lanes at Tali Bowl, lanes can be crowned, flat or depressed. But because it has been requested by Tali Bowl representatives to not make certain aspects of the installation public, here is how different types of topography act to a bowling ball.
Crowned lanes act like a banked curve that is falling away from the apex of the turn. You won’t see race tracks built this way but we do see many lane surfaces that are installed this way.
As the bowling ball travels towards the channel, crowned lanes decrease the pressure between the ball and the lane which also decreases friction. This decreased friction of the bowling ball keeps the ball from slowing down at the normal rate and therefore also decreases the hook potential of the bowling ball.
Basically, on a lane that is crowned the bowling bowl is rolling down a hill as it travels towards the channel and then has to climb a hill as it makes it moves towards the pocket. This topographical property also decreases pin carry because it lowers the entry angle of the bowling ball into the pocket.
Crowned lanes are also more sensitive to release variations or ‘mis-hits’ which can cause inconsistent ball motions for the less repetitious player. For right handed players, the 2-10 spare combination is a common leave on lanes that are crowned.
Flat lanes, or lanes that are in the plus or minus 10/1000 of an inch range, are very rare in synthetic lanes of today but there are actually a couple documented examples. One is the Kegel Training Center in Florida. The other is the bowling center that held the USBC 5 person team scoring record of 3905, Chacko’s Bowl in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. That record was broken in 2004 but Chacko’s is still the host to the USBC Men’s three player team series record of 2443. Flat lanes provide the most predictable ball motion for the greatest variety of styles.
Depressed lanes act like a high banked curve at a race track. Just like a banked curve helps a race car turn easier, depressed lanes help the bowling ball curve back to the pocket easier.
As the ball travels towards the channel, depressed lanes increase the pressure between the ball and the lane which also increases friction. This increased friction of the bowling ball helps the ball slow down and therefore hook into the pocket with more regularity. This not only helps with consistent ball motion, it also helps with pin carry because it increases the entry angle of the bowling ball into the pocket.
And last but certainly not least is the lengthwise levelness of bowling lanes. Lanes that predominantly go downhill from foul line to pin deck make the bowling ball slow down less and therefore decrease hook potential. Lanes that predominantly go uphill from foul line to pin deck make the bowling ball slow down more and therefore increase hook potential. As in crowns and depressions, flat lanes are the most predictable for most styles.
An example of how lengthwise level affects ball motion is a bowling center Kegel checked during their lane maintenance years on the PBA Tour. In this particular bowling center, the high end always played significantly tighter than the low end which had lanes that were added on after the initial installation.
After mapping the entire center, the difference was found to be in the lengthwise levelness of the lanes. All lanes in the high end went downhill almost two inches from foul line to pin deck. The lanes on the low end were relatively flat.
As stated in the opening paragraph of this section, the most important thing about a bowling center installation is “consistency” in lane levelness from the first lane to the last lane. For the bowling player, this gives the most predictable ball motion from lane to lane and that equals the highest scoring potential. If there is one thing we can say about the bowling lanes at Tali Bowl, they have very consistent topographical features from lane to lane.
The Pin Carry
Tali Bowl has long been known for good pin carry. The pins used during the 2008 EYC were Brunswick Max’s but it was not the pins that made the difference, it was the lane installation plus the entire pit area at Tali Bowl. The side boards (kickbacks) are tight, the pin decks are solid and the pin spotting was good.
The last 300 game bowled in European Youth Championship history in the boys division was, you guessed it, at Tali Bowl in 1994. The first and only 300 game by a European girl was last year in Thessaloniki Greece at another consistent lane installation but that bowling center has since closed down.
The Oil Pattern
Ah yes, the oil pattern. The one thing everyone likes to focus on because it is invisible and therefore open to discussion, controversy, interpretation or whatever analytical word one can come up with.
Being a mixed youth event that employed a single condition, the main goal for the 2008 EYC lane maintenance team was to provide a playing environment where many different bowling styles had a chance to succeed. In order for that to happen, it was important to provide an oil condition that complimented the lane surface.
The pattern used for the 2008 EYC was 39 feet in length as announced in Bulletin II. Standard procedure in ETBF Championship events is to announce only the distance based upon the pre-tournament inspection which is normally six to nine months in advance.
At the 2008 EYC, oil pattern information was transparently provided to the teams like never before. As usual the teams were provided the lane machine settings, the forward volume, reverse volume and the total volume of conditioner. However this time they were also provided with the front-to-back taper ratios and side-to-side ratios.
For all ratio readings, USBC Sport Bowling calculations were used which averages the unit amount of conditioner from boards 18L to 18R divided by the average unit amount from boards 3 to 7. Currently, USBC Sport Bowling has the only official guideline for competitive oil patterns in bowling and states side-to-side ratios must be 3:1 or less. The WTBA and ETBF do not have definite oil pattern specifications so the goal for the 2008 EYC was to hit the high side of the USBC Sport Bowling ratio parameters.
The front-to-back taper ratios at the 2008 EYC were 2.2:1 on the inside and 2.7:1 on the outside portion of the lane. This means in the front part of the pattern there is 2.2 and 2.7 times the amount of conditioner in those zones compared to the amount at the end of the pattern. A 3D visual of the oil pattern was also provided.
Also shown to the coaches and players were the side-to-side ratios from six different tape readings. The pattern ratios at the 2008 EYC were 2.5:1 at 6 feet, 2.9:1 at 14 feet, 3.0:1 at 22, 27 and 32 feet and 3.2:1 at 37 feet using USBC Sport Bowling calculations.
In comparison, the side-to-side ratios of the 2008 EYC pattern were the same as the 2007 PBA Greater Detroit Open and PBA Spartanburg Open. In those PBA events, the ratio at the end of the pattern was also 3.2:1 but all PBA tournaments must pass USBC Sport Bowling standards. Therefore, the 2008 EYC pattern also passes USBC Sport Bowling and was on the same difficulty level as those PBA patterns.
Conclusion
Too many people think scoring pace is all about the oil pattern. Of course the oil pattern can make the scores higher or lower but so do many other abovementioned areas of the playing field.
However, should we not just have some specific oil pattern parameters and let the scores be what they are? Bowling should not penalize a good installation and reward a bad installation because of a perceived perfect scoring pace and until now, that is what bowling has been doing.
The play and competition during the 2008 European Youth Championships was fantastic. There are many very talented youth players in Europe right now and all the record breakers and medalists should be very proud of their accomplishments because they earned it.
I also hope the players realize how lucky they were to be able to compete in an arena like Helsinki Finland’s Tali Bowl. It is arguably one of, if not the best, bowling arena in Europe. And the ETBF European Youth record book proves it.
]]>
On a bright and sunny Wednesday morning with mild temperatures of 10 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 12o Celsius), the 21 participants of the International Coach/Instructor Training seminar hosted by the United States Bowling Congress returned to the USBC Headquarters in Milwaukee, Wis. on for the second classroom portion of the USBC Silver coaching certification conference led by USBC Junior Team USA and USBC Gold coach Rod Ross.
Yesterday Ross (pictured left) and the coaches from 16 countries – Australia, Austria, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, England, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, Philippines, Singapore, Sweden and United States – covered Chapter 2 “Coaching the Physical Game” including Section 1 “Assessing your Athlete” and Section 2 “Evaluation Workbook” (Stance, Start, Posture, Timing, Footwork, Arm Swing, Release, Finish Position and Bowlers Analysis).
Today Ross will cover Chapters 3 and 4. Chapter 3 is about “Equipment Fit and Effects” and includes Fitting the Grip (Section 1), Fundamentals of Fit (Section 2) and Ball Layout Concepts (Section 3).
Chapter 4 features “Ball Dynamics and Lane Play” and covers aspects such as Understanding Ball Motion (Section 1), Advanced Ball Dynamics; Ball Dynamics for Hook Potential; and Advanced Ball Measurements (Section 2), Ball Motion Phases (Section 3), Drilling Patterns and Layouts (Section 4), as well as Equipment and Today’s Lane Conditions (Section 5).
On Thursday, coaches will receive USBC Bronze Instructor training by USBC’s Rich Williams, David Garber and Bill Monce. This certification will allow them to teach Bronze coaching conferences and certify new USBC coaches in their home countries and regions. They will cover learning styles, modern bowling equipment characteristics, physical game, lane play, videotaping students and giving a lesson. Click on the image to enlarge it.
Friday the coaches will be on the lanes in the USBC Specifications and Certification center getting hands on experience with exclusive new coaching technologies being developed by USBC.
The training seminar concludes on Saturday with the coaches working with students on the lanes at a local bowling center.
The conference at USBC Headquarters in suburban Milwaukee (pictured left) is part of USBC’s effort to help create an international coach training program and improve the strength of federations within bowling’s world governing bodies, the Federation Internationale des Quilleurs (FIQ) and the World Tenpin Bowling Association (WTBA). USBC is the national governing body for bowling in the U.S. Click on the image to enlarge it.
By Herbert Bickel
www.bowlingdigital.com
21 notable names from 16 countries representing all the three FIQ/WTBA zone – Asia, America and Europe – were invited by the USBC Coaching department to join the world’s most exclusive coaching seminar:
Andres Gomez, Colombia; Andrew Frawley, Australia; Cassidy Schaub, United States; Christer Backe, Sweden; Daniel Falconi, Mexico; Erik Garder, Norway; Ernesto Avila, Mexico; Foong Tak Meng, Malaysia; Holloway Cheah, Malaysia; Jason Belmonte, Australia; Juliano Olivera, Brazil; Kazuhide Shimoji, Japan; Kim Eui Young, Korea; Magnus Johnsson, Sweden; Marcio Vieira, Brazil; Paeng Nepomuceno, Philippines; Pedro Merani, Argentina; Sandy Lowe, Canada; Steve Innins, England; Thomas Tybl, Austria; William Woo, Singapore.
Click on the images to view them full size.
For many of the participants, especially those from Asia and Australia, the temperature in Milwaukee (-20) is about 50 (fifty) degrees Celsius colder than at home in Sydney, Kuala Lumpur or Singapore. Milwaukee has seen a lot of snow (the picture above shows the arrival at USBC HQ) in the past weeks and looks more like a ski resort than the home of the United States Bowling Congress.
USBC COO Kevin Dornberger (in the front in the yellow shirt), who is also the president of the World Tenpin Bowling Association, welcomed the class in the seminar room in front of more than 100 USBC staff members and introducing every participant personally.
“The vision of this project is for more coaches and athletes to get the vital bowling information that they need, delivered from reputable international coaches,” Dornberger once again stated.
Developing elite athletes throughout the world is crucial to the sport’s future. Having knowledgeable coaches in place throughout the world is an important step in developing the future champions in bowling.”
The five-day event will be conducted in conference room 4 at the USBC Headquarter and inside the eight-lane USBC Testing Facility.
The training seminar will feature a silver coach certification program with USBC gold coach, master instructor and Junior Team USA head coach Rod Ross (pictured left) followed by a bronze instructor session with Rich Williams, master instructor for the bronze level program, and David Garber, High Performance Director Team USA, where the attending coaches will learn how to teach the USBC Bronze certification conference and certify coaches in their home countries.
This seminar is a continuation of USBC’s effort to assist in the creation of an international coach training program and enhance the strength of federations within bowling’s world governing body, the Federation Internationale des Quilleurs (FIQ).
The newly trained coaches (pictured left) will certify USBC coaches in their home countries and regions who in turn will develop more high-level bowlers. Those athletes will increase the level of bowling competition around the world, which will help reach the ultimate goal of securing a place for bowling in the Olympic Games.
By Herbert Bickel
www.bowlingdigital.com
This seminar is a continuation of USBC’s effort to assist in the creation of an international coach training program and enhance the strength of federations within bowling’s world governing body, the Federation Internationale des Quilleurs.
The newly trained coaches will certify USBC coaches in their home countries and regions who in turn will develop more high-level bowlers. Those athletes will increase the level of bowling competition around the world, which will help reach the ultimate goal of securing a place for bowling in the Olympic Games.
“The vision of this project is for more coaches and athletes to get the vital bowling information that they need, delivered from reputable international coaches,” USBC Chief Operating Officer Kevin Dornberger (pictured right) said. “Developing elite athletes throughout the world is crucial to the sport’s future. Having knowledgeable coaches in place throughout the world is an important step in developing the future champions in bowling.”
The five-day event, portions of which will be conducted inside the eight-lane USBC Testing Facility, will feature a Silver coach certification program with USBC Gold coach, Master Instructor and Junior Team USA head coach Rod Ross followed by a Bronze Instructor session, where the attending coaches will learn how to teach the USBC Bronze certification conference and certify coaches in their home countries.
Coaches in attendance also will have access to exclusive new coaching technologies being developed by USBC.
Notables confirmed to participate include World Tenpin Masters champion and two-handed phenom Jason Belmonte of Australia, former PBA Tour player Andres Gomez of Colombia, multi-time international gold medalist Daniel Falconi of Mexico and long-time Swedeish national team head coach Magnus Johnsson as well as representatives from Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Denmark, England, Germany, Malaysia, Mexico, Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand.
Also in attendance will be left-handed Philippine bowling legend Rafael “Paeng” Nepomuceno (left), a USBC Level I coach and Bronze Instructor who has certified numerous coaches throughout Asia since teaming up with USBC in early 2007. Nepomuceno, a four-time World Cup champion, will receive Silver Instructor training at the event.
“The dedication Paeng has shown in certifying coaches is a fantastic example of how this program works,” said USBC Team USA High-Performance Director and co-Director of Coaching David Garber (right), who was part USBC Coaching’s first Level I and Bronze coach training in Guatemala City, Guatemala, last February.
“USBC wants to train and certify coaches within their countries to develop their athletes In turn, more countries will be able to train their players and take more pride in building a program they can call their own.”
The USBC Coaching program, which professionally trains and certifies coaches to teach the sport of bowling, currently has tremendous respect as it is the only coaching program for bowling recognized by the United States Olympic Committee. As part of its international strategy, USBC is developing more online coach training with the overall goal to expand USBC’s reach globally through information and education.
By Herbert Bickel
www.bowlingdigital.com