Pennant Training & Coaching
While the Club would like to see all Pennant, bowlers participate in the Pennant Training Program, there is an understanding that not all members wish to, or are able to, participate for a variety of reasons.
Bowling members who don’t play Pennant are welcome to attend in the Monday training/coaching sessions that are being provided by Howard Sandler for the first 6 weeks.
Pre-Season Pennant Training starts the Monday after Opening Day, Monday 15.9.25 and is scheduled for each Monday and Thursday until the first Round of Pennant; 6 weeks in total. The program will be reviewed by the Club Coaches towards the end of the 6 weeks and members will be informed of how Pennant Training will be operate once, the two Pennant seasons have started.
Howard Sandler is an experienced coach who loves bowls and loves coaching bowls. He openly offers to assist Clubs, groups or individuals. The Eltham Bowling Club has taken up his offer to assist us for 6 Monday afternoons to prepare bowlers for the Pennant season.
Howard will be introduced to members during afternoon tea on Opening Day.
MONDAY PRE SEASON PENNANT TRAINING: 3.00 PM TO 6.00 PM (15/9, 22/9, 29/9, 6/10, 13/10, 20/10).
Howard coaches differently to the Club’s previous paid coach. He works with a group of bowlers for a 50 – 60 minutes session. ie everyone in a group is to start and finish at the same time.
A session will consist of four parts
- A brief warm up exercise
- Drills for 20 to 25 minutes.
- A 20-25 minute “Training Game for Understanding”
- A brief fun activity.
Each part of a session will be different each week. The Club Coaches will be assisting Howard during these sessions.
Members will need to choose one of the 3 sessions he is offering each Monday. Members are asked to choose a session by writing their name in the appropriate column on a List located on the back of the Midweek Pennant Selection Board inside the Clubhouse by the end of Opening Day, Saturday 13.9.25.
The three sessions are:
Session 1: 3.00 pm to 4.00 pm. This is an Open session – ie any member may choose the session.
Session 2: 4.10 pm to 5.00 pm. If possible, the Club Coaches would like less experienced bowlers (bowling 3 years or less) to choose this session, as the session will designed for such members.
Session 3: 5.10 pm to 6.00 pm. This is another Open session.
Notes: If the number of members choosing Sessions 1 and 3 is approximately the same that would be beneficial to everyone.
If on a given Monday, you are unable to get to the session you select, it is OK to attend another session that week (no need to inform anyone).
THURSDAY PRE PENNANT MATCH PLAY: 4.00 PM to 6.00 PM (18/9, 25/9, 2/10, 9/10, 16/9, 23/10).
As the Club did last season, members are asked to form Rinks as close as possible to their Weekend Pennant Rink for the following Saturday and play a match. Skips are asked to help form the Rinks.
One difference this season is that three experienced skips (Hugh Robertson, Eric Butcher and Wayne Byrne) and an experienced lead (Scott Jarred) from Side 1 have offered to assist with the Pennant Training Program. Thank you to Hugh, Eric, Wayne and Scott.
On a Thursday, Hugh, Eric and/or Wayne, will work with the skips and thirds of Sides 2, 3 and 4 during their Match Play matches giving guidance on shots to be called and played, how to build up a head, etc.
Scott is available to work with leads.
The final details of how this guidance will be organised will be relayed to members later.
Note: Members who play Midweek Pennant only plus members who have offered to be Emergencies for either Weekend and/or Midweek Pennant are welcome to participate on a Thursday. Such members can be used to replaced members who have been selected for Weekend Pennant but who are not at Thursday Match Play.