Coaching – with BQ coaching committee: PRIDE in lawn bowls
By Alan Thorp
I often hear sports athletes comment that they “play with pride” and I respond “to play with pride is to play the game and still have fun”. With this in mind, and having observed the performance of our athletes at the 2020 Olympic Games in Japan, I thought now would be a good time to address the simple acronym pride in relation to lawn bowls.
Bowlers want to improve their performance by reaching their unique goals associated with our wonderful game of lawn bowls. At the same time, they understand that playing bowls creates a bond with those they play against (opposition) and provides fulfilment, excitement, satisfaction and achievements along the bowling pathway (progress goals and stepping stone goals). The bowler takes pride in their own personal development (hopefully with a coach) as they progress through the different levels of the sport.
Let’s look at the acronym pride in relation to bowls. PRIDE = Preparation, Respect, Integrity, Determination and Excellence.
P: Preparation
This is your physical and mental preparation needed to play the game while understanding the difference between social and competition events. To do this, we must address the three components of the Performance Pie:
a. Physical/conditioning.
b. Psychological, the mental aspects of bowls. c. Technical/skills.
If we wish to compete at the highest level or perform at our optimum, we must address all components of the Performance Pie (best achieved by working with an accredited coach).
R: Respect
Always have respect for your opposition; they will have respect for you if you treat them the way you would like to be treated. It’s great to be competitive and aggressive in your game, but always display sportsmanship and respect. Always show respect for the game, its rules, the umpire and other people involved with the event such as the controlling body and match committee.
I: Integrity
Be honest with yourself and others. Failure to abide by this moral can, and will, influence your bowling career.
D: Determination
Set your boundaries and be determined in your approach to all aspects of the game. Know what you want to achieve, know your purpose and intentions, and find out what you need to do to become the best at lawn bowls.
E: Excellence
What do you need to do to attain excellence in your chosen sport of lawn bowls? Is it the quality of bowls you play that deserves merit? Or attainment of excellence surpassing merit through hard and determined work, by achieving and excelling?
In summary, I have only outlined what I believe to be an understanding of pride in lawn bowls. Pride is used in many aspects of everyday situations and is a very powerful acronym. While the majority of us are not going to play for the Jackaroos, we can adopt pride and introduce it into our own preparation when aiming to fulfil our goals, no matter what level we might play. Finally, to achieve your optimum peak performance, always attain the assistance of an accredited coach – they will help.
*** ECKA’S TIP. ***
What qualities does a good communicator have? Many people describe great communicators as those who actively listen, acknowledge others’ thoughts and feelings and can transmit their message accurately.
