Coaching

Bowls: Coaching

The club employs a bowls coach who is available for lessons on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 15h30 to 17h00 (3:30pm to 5pm). and one Saturday per month.  This service is available to members and new bowlers free of charge. Private lessons at alternative times may be arranged with the coach if necessary.

New bowlers will be allowed 3 lessons before having to apply for membership. Once an application for membership is received by the club, the prospective new member may continue with coaching until the coach is happy that he/she is ready to play in a game. The coach will advise the bowls committee accordingly.

During coaching sessions, new bowlers must wear flat heel-less shoes but may play bare footed for the first session only. Bowls will be supplied by the club for coaching sessions and the coach will advise new bowlers on the correct size of bowls to purchase.

Mike Brown has now been appointed as Bowls Coach from January 2013, we kindly request that Mike is contacted on 082 410 7246 or via email on mike@bisonlubricants.co.za

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BOWLS COACHING CORNER

THE MIND IS THE MATTER

THE “FIGHT OR FLIGHT “SYNDROME

Your emotions affect every cell in your body. Mind and body, mental and physical are intertwined. The proof of this is the immense field of growth that combines psychology and health, namely psychosomatic medicine. There are physical manifestations of what is on your mind and psychological reflections of what happens to you physically. So, you can become very irritable because you have indigestion OR you can get indigestion as a result of mental irritation. 

Whether the reasons for becoming emotional are real or imaginary, your reactions are similar. When you become anxious during a game, when you start to worry, “will I make it? I have to make this shot or we lose” – your body starts to react almost as if the danger were not a lost game, but a lost life. It goes into a state of preparedness for danger known as the “fight or flight” syndrome. This pattern of behaviour stems from prehistoric times as a survival mechanism, and functions without us having to think about it. This automatic response is very valuable if you are about to be charged by a buffalo or lion, but it has its disadvantages when you are trying to settle down and concentrate on your next shot.

I will not delve into the medical and chemical reactions of the “fight or flight “ syndrome. Suffice to say that in sport it is very common for anxieties and tensions to be disruptive both physically, affecting you playing ability and mentally your concentration and judgement.

THE PHYSICAL DISRUPTIONS
• Choking or shortness of breath
• Blurred vision – excessive watering of eyes and impaired sight
• Death grip – excessive muscular tension tends to destroy fluidity needed for successful performance
• Muscle fatigue.

THE MENTAL DISRUPTIONS
ANXIETY
1. Makes you stop trying
2. Creates avoidance and halts development
3. Can ruin strategy and tactical judgement
4. Can make you sick
It is not the sport itself that does most of the damage. it is the intense exaggeration of pressures that cause us to suffer far more anxiety than is warranted.

WHAT IS THE ANSWER?
It lies in your ability to channel your emotions and control your own game.

NOTE: This is an abbreviation of a very intense topic.

ARNOLD LEVITAN
BOWLS COACH

Playing Times

Dress Code

Events: May 2013

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