About John Jowdy and his new book, written by Dick Evans |
John Jowdy's 'Bowling eXecution' book is a XXXXXXXXXXXX--300 By Dick Evans Over the years, I have spent countless hours waiting for John Jowdy to end his free coaching sessions with pro bowlers with strike woes so we could go to eat breakfast, lunch, dinner or get a late snack. It has happened in Reno, Miami, Akron, Las Vegas, San Diego, Los Angeles, Calgary, Reno, Venice, Fla., and at many other men's and women's tour stops. And always he seems to be stressing two things - a free arm swing and reaching out at the point of release instead of hitting up on the ball. Until 1986, I really had no idea what a great bowling coach John Jowdy really was because I'm not a good bowler. But then on the night of April 25 at Riviera Lanes in Akron, Ohio, I finally realized that Jowdy is king of the coaching world. Because on that night, four of the five PBA stars who had made it to the televised finals of the Firestone Tournament of Champions publicly thanked John Jowdy for making it possible for them to get to the TV show. The four were eventual champion Marshall Holman, runner-up Mark Baker, third-place Del Warren and fifth-place finisher Mike Aulby. This was not a solicited endorsement, this was a spontaneous and heartfelt thanks from four great pros. Now, thanks to the Human Kinetics publishing company, bowlers all over the world can share in John Jowdy's keen understanding of the bowling game through his new book â€" "BOWLING eXecution." And the cost of the 209-page book that includes Jowdy's wisdom, pictures, illustrations and charts is only $19.95 and should be available in most bookstores, bowling pro shops or by calling 1/800/747-4457. When more than 100 pro bowlers, who have won more than 1, 000 national titles, are willing to sing your praise then you know the man is special. And believe me, John Jowdy has a special way with words when it comes to instructing bowlers. In the book, I really enjoyed the italic quotes from many of today's top pro players about their own personal games. They were timely placed to illustrate points Jowdy was trying to make about different aspects of bowling. Here are a few excerpts from Jowdy's book that I thought were thought provoking: A. "One of my favorite suggestions for transforming concentration into reality is to draw a picture in your mind, wherein your strike shot enters the pocket and demolishes the pins. This is the power of positive thinking." B. "Norm Duke has risen to superstar status not only by virtue of his incredible talent but also through his bowling intellect." C. "I devised a method to stay under the ball yet maintain a free arm swing. I refer to my system as a ‘ring-finger lead.' In the ring- finger lead, all movement in initiated from the hand (the lowest and heaviest part of the swing) requiring no muscle tension..." D. "Power players such as Pete Weber, Steve Hoskins, Ryan Shafer, Amletto Monacelli and Robert Smith all begin their hand positions with the fingers at approximately the 9 o'clock position. Power strokers like Mike Aulby, Parker Bohn III, Dave Husted, David Ozio and Brian Voss initiate their release with the fingers at the 6 o'clock position." E. "One of the best components to a proper follow-through is the softening extension of the fingers and arm. The fingers extend outward, not upward, to the break point. Make a concentrated effort to keep the arm extended with little or no bend in the elbow. You only can accomplish this if you deliver the swing from the shoulder. Any delivery that is generated from the forearm negates any possibility of a proper follow through." Jowdy is not just giving lip service to these printed comments...he teaches them to all bowlers. What I like about Jowdy's coaching technique is that he doesn't try to change a good bowler's natural style, he just tries to refine it with a free arm swing and a follow through that stresses reaching out instead of reaching up. In his "perfecting the arm swing" box, he points out mistakes and modifications needed. For example, Jowdy says that if the bowler's forearm muscles are flexed then to improve his swing the bowler should relax the arm. Or if the back swing is muscled-pulled, then the bowler should use a soft upward pushaway to create gravity for a free fall of the ball. I loved a comment by multi-champion Kim Adler when describing the difference between a cranker and a straight shooter. "I am a self-proclaimed ‘tweener'-- more accurate but less powerful than a cranker and less accurate but more powerful than a straight shooter," Adler wrote. "The ‘tweeners' are a silent minority, even more so among women bowlers. "Because we cannot take advantage of unique lane conditions, we must be more accurate, more open to changes, and more levelheaded for making quick decisions before other bowlers." Jowdy did not make any quick decisions about his book, he and wife Brenda toiled over it for more than a year. The overall quality of the book's printing is excellent, cleverly organized and easy to follow. The many pictures, most of which were taken just for this book, go hand in hand with Jowdy's words. In my book, the pictures came up a little grainy for some strange reason, possibly a printing problem. I have never felt that John Jowdy was a great writer, but after reading this book I am ready to change my mind. He just MAY have written the greatest bowling instruction book in history. Email address of publisher Human Kinetics: [email protected] |