​​​Fifteen years ago, the United States Bowling Congress initiated the USA Bowling Coaching program with a simple idea: Anyone – whether it’s a parent in the stands, a high school coach on the lanes, or a pro shop operator – could play a role in helping kids become better bowlers.

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That was a great idea! After all, aren’t they the future of the sport?

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Today, that mission is thriving in communities across the country, where these free coaching seminars continue to equip everyday adults with the skills and confidence to teach the fundamentals of the game and inspire the next generation of bowlers.

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To date, the program has successfully trained 12,320 individuals across 772 seminars. Attendees have even included people who just want to improve their own game. One year, an entire collegiate bowling team took the course.

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The USBC recently released the sites for this year’s 15 seminars across the country, and I noticed that a couple of them were within driving distance from the Peoria area. One will be held in Don Carter Lanes in Rockford on August 17 and another will be at Cedar Rapids Bowling Center in Iowa on July 26.

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I’ll probably sign up for the one in Rockford. I might even just monitor the class to satisfy some of my curiosity about coaching.

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When I took it upon myself to coach my son Andre when he was a teenager, this program was not yet available.

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Of course, I had the benefit of having seen some of the best coaches in history – John Jowdy, Fred Borden and others – work their magic on some of the best bowlers in the world on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour.

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When I was a member of the PBA road staff, I would watch these coaches as they helped anyone from newbies on the Tour to bona fide stars get even better.

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So, I was able to pass along that knowledge to my son, who, luckily, absorbed it like a sponge.

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But I got curious about these coaching seminars because I want to see if I did it right. Could I have done anything differently? I offered encouragement, gave advice and tried to help him improve, even though I had not had any formal training as a coach.

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And I have seen some parents and would-be coaches doing the same thing for up-and-coming youth bowlers, or even adults who were struggling on the lanes. But, despite their good intentions, how much are these “coaches” really helping these bowlers?

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I want to see if I give my son the right foundation back when I started coaching him.

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That’s what will take me to Don Carter Lanes, where I’m sure I will come in contact with other people who want to sharpen their skills to make better connections with their “students.” There will be people who want to be able to teach these bowlers the sport in the right way.

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The three-hour seminars are designed to provide the attendees with the skills needed to coach youth bowlers in their local programs by teaching the fundamentals of the sport. This covers physical game, nutrition, physical fitness and life skills.

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The coaches heading these seminars are either Gold Level, Silver Level or Bronze Level through USBC training.

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Mike Jacobs, a Bronze Level coach, will be heading the seminar in Rockford.

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And this won’t be a class that people will be able to just skate through. It sounds like it will be pretty comprehensive. The attendees will receive a 140-page coaching manual, two quick-reference guides, and an eight-week lesson plan to support their instruction.

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What I also found interesting is that the course could be a steppingstone for attendees who want to further their careers in coaching.

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By completing the post-seminar survey, attendees of the program will be able to take the USBC Level 1 Coaching course – also at no charge!

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That, of course, could lead to taking advanced training for the higher levels of USBC coaching certification.

This program, however, appears to be one of the best-kept secrets offered by the USBC.

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I checked with Pro Shop Tony Schnack, who is on the Youth Committee of the Peoria River City Bowling Association. He was not familiar with the program.

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“It looks like a good program on paper, and there are several notable names doing the coaching,” he said. “It focuses on the basic fundamentals/skills needed for youth bowlers to grow in the sport of bowling.

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“It looks like they’re trying to organize it in a more mainstream youth sports program style. The coaching aspect is to get more adult volunteers into coaching roles”

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Some of the other coaches involved in the training include Susie Minshew (Gold), PBA50 champ Mike Dias (Silver) and Bob Maki (Silver), a former Director of Coaching at USBC.

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So, I’m anxious to see what information I can learn from Mike Jacobs at the Rockford class. I’m always willing to help anyone who is trying to improve on their game. I just want to make sure I’m teaching them the right way.

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If anyone wants to sign up for this program, the entire schedule and registration information is available on the link below. Maybe I’ll see you in Rockford.

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https://bowl.com/youth/usa-bowling/coaching-seminars-schedule