The Science of Bowling
The ITRC will be closed to the public from Jan. 15-27 to host the PWBA Kickoff Classic Series. The facility will resume normal operating hours Thursday, Jan. 28 at 10 a.m.
To learn more about the PWBA Kickoff Classic Series, click here. To watch the event, subscribe to BowlTV.com.
Be on the lookout for more information on these items from the ITRC:
The ITRC will have a modified schedule for the holiday season. The facility will be open:
The ITRC will resume its normal schedule (Wednesday-Friday: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.; Saturday: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Sunday-Tuesday: Closed) starting Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021.
For more information, visit our contact page.
The ITRC will be hosting two separate youth clinics on Dec. 29 and Dec. 30, 2020 to help bowlers improve their games. Space will be limited for each event, so be sure to submit your entry below under the appropriate clinic.
Tuesday, Dec. 29 – Fit analysis and release profile – THIS SESSION IS FULL
Time: 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Cost: $50 per person
Clinic Size: Maximum of 15 youth bowlers (ages 17 and under)
All participants will receive a documents on their fit profile and release parameters.
CLINIC IS FULL!
Wednesday, Dec. 30 – How to play long, medium and short competitive patterns – THIS SESSION IS FULL
Time: 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Cost: $50 per person
Clinic Size: Maximum of 15 youth bowlers (ages 17 and under)
All participants will receive visual handouts.
CLINIC IS FULL!
The ITRC will be hosting a clinic for adults (age 18 and older) on Jan. 2, 2021 to help bowlers with averages of 185 and above move their games to the next level. Space is limited to the first 10 entrants, so be sure to submit your entry below.
Saturday, Jan. 2 – Adult Clinic SESSION IS SOLD OUT!!!
Time: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Cost: SOLD OUT — CLASS IS FULL!!
Clinic Size: Maximum of 10 adult bowlers (ages 18 and older)
Students will have the opportunity to work with the ITRC staff on several aspects of their games, including classroom and on-lane training sessions, release property discovery, physical game analysis and training and much more. This clinic is for adult bowlers with averages of 185 and above.
SOLD OUT!!.
The International Training and Research Center will offer new hours starting Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020. These new hours will allow us to serve you better, and we’re excited to expand our evening hours!
In addition to the new hours, the ITRC will be available seven days a week for private events, camps and clinics or tournaments. Be sure to visit our contact page to reach out by phone or our contact form.
The World Bowling Coach Conference will return to the International Training and Research Center (ITRC) in May, bringing together coaches from around the world for an educational conference on the sport of bowling.
In conjunction with World Bowling, the world governing body for the sport of bowling, the ITRC staff will host the three-day conference from May 6-8 in Arlington, Texas.
The ITRC staff also hosted the first World Bowling Coach Conference in 2014, which featured nearly 100 coaches representing 28 countries.
This year’s conference will include presentations from 16 of the best bowling minds from across the globe, including Team USA head coach Rod Ross, European Tenpin Bowling Federation lead instructor Juha Maja and Team USA sports psychologist Dr. Dean Hinitz.
“We’re honored and excited to host such an incredible panel featuring some of the top minds in the sport,” said Ross (pictured left), one of six United States Bowling Congress Gold coaches scheduled to be among the presenters. “This conference will give coaches a chance to learn, discuss and apply the necessary tools to continue to build a future for the sport.”
Topics that will be presented during the conference include detailed looks into ball motion, the physical and mental game, strategies for team play and the latest advances in coaching.
Coaches in attendance will get an in-depth look at the technology housed at the ITRC and how it is applied to coaching, including biomechanical motion analysis.
As part of the conference, participants will get the opportunity to see how bowling balls, pins, lanes and more are tested prior to becoming approved for USBC-certified competition as well as the chance to see the USBC Equipment Specifications and Certifications department’s Enhanced Automated Robotic Launcher – E.A.R.L. – in action.
The ITRC is part of the International Bowling Campus and conference attendees will have the opportunity to visit the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame as part of the three-day experience. The conference will conclude May 8 with an open-panel discussion with the presenters.
Registration for the World Bowling Coach Conference is open, and interested coaches are encouraged to register as soon as possible at WorldBowlingCoach.com since space is limited.
The best bowling coaches in the world are invited to the International Training and Research Center (ITRC) in Arlington, Texas, next March to take part in the inaugural World Bowling Coach Conference.
In conjunction with World Bowling (the World Tenpin Bowling Association), the world governing body for the sport, the ITRC staff will host the educational conference on March 28-30, 2014.
One key topic for discussion will be the establishment of a Global Coaching System. A task force of coaches has been working with World Bowling to review international coaching programs and curriculum.
“We have seen encouraging growth for our sport in many parts of the world and identifying credible coaching programs is an important part of continuing that growth,” WTBA President and CEO Kevin Dornberger
“There are several excellent coaching certification and rating programs in different regions of the world, but no common system to compare credentials. This conference will be a great opportunity for the best coaches in the world to exchange ideas and discuss the concept of worldwide coaching standards.” (pictured right) said.
World Bowling has three zones for bowling – American, Asian and European – and more than 110 member federations. The conference will have presentations from nationally-recognized coaches from each zone as well as ITRC coaches.
The Pan American Bowling Confederation (PABCON), Asian Bowling Federation (ABF) and the European Bowling Federation (ETBF), along with the United States Bowling Congress and Kegel, a leading company in the industry, are supporting the start of a World Bowling Coach Conference.
“A key mission of the ITRC is to be a resource for all bowling coaches and federations so we are eager to be a partner in the World Bowling Coach Conference concept,” said Rod Ross (left), director of the ITRC and head coach of Team USA.
“The sport will benefit from a regular gathering of coaches to discuss best practices and consider international principals for certifying coaches.”
In addition to the top coaches who will present at the conference, any international or domestic coach is invited to attend the inaugural World Bowling Coach Conference.
For more information on the conference, fees, schedule details as well as registration are available at the conference website.
The International Training and Research Center played host to the 2012 Junior Team USA Training Camp this week, where 20 elite players focused on everything from axis tilt and lane play to the importance of team work and accountability.
“This is the strongest group we’ve ever had on Junior Team USA,” head coach Rod Ross said. “The talent is very deep on this team; these are very skilled players.”
That talent includes 2012 USBC Team USA Trials winners Danielle McEwan and Marshall Kent, who bowl for Fairleigh Dickinson University and Robert Morris University respectively. Their Team Trials titles qualified them to represent the United States at the 48th QubicaAMF World Cup in Poland this November, marking the first time both representatives of the U.S. at that event will be from the junior team.
“We’ve never had two players from the junior team win Team Trials,” Ross said. “That’s just phenomenal. The whole point is to develop these players and give them the experience of competing against world class talent. I look forward to it, and I think they’re going to do well.”
Perhaps no player epitomizes the depth of talent on Junior Team USA’s current roster than 14-year-old Kamron Doyle, who became the youngest player to cash in the history of the U.S. Open earlier this year and is the youngest player ever to qualify for Junior Team USA.
“I always dreamed of being the youngest one on the team, and for that to have come true at Team Trials feels amazing,” Doyle said. “Hopefully I get to go out and compete for my country.”
Junior Team USA members will await word on which eight players will get that chance to compete for their country at the 2012 WTBA World Youth Championships, which will be held June 22 – July 3 in Bangkok, Thailand. The team’s talent level may be an exciting prospect for Ross, but it also makes for some very tough decisions.
“Choosing which players to take with us to the World Youth Championships will be one of the hardest decisions I have ever made,” Ross said. “Any of these players could start for us.”
A wealth of objective information will factor into that decision, much of it gathered during training camp this week, including data on everything from axis tilt and rev rate to ball speed, accuracy and even the players’ athleticism in the ITRC fitness center.
“They have everything here,” McEwan said. “They have the cameras that show your shot from different angles, the televisions with delayed replay that let you watch your shots, and coaches who practically are technology themselves with how intelligent they are and how much they can help you.”
But beyond the video analysis, hours of practice on various lane patterns and classroom discussions, it is the quality of the individual that Ross and the entire Team USA coaching staff emphasize most.
“We spend a lot of time on that because it’s not just about bowling; everything you do counts in life,” Ross said. “From how you conduct yourself in line at the grocery store to how you merge into traffic, it all ties together. One thing they learn here is that who they are and what they do affects everything else. You can make excuses or you can be responsible for your actions; you can’t do both.”
The ITRC is home to some of the most innovative and cutting-edge coaching technologies available in the bowling industry today, including high-speed video cameras, motion-capture devices, foot-pressure sensors and goggles enhanced with cameras to show exactly where a player is looking during the approach and delivery. A DVR system also is in place and can record any video feed to let a bowler see what they did on their last shot as soon as they step off the lane.
A United States Olympic Committee-recognized training center, the ITRC is a joint venture of USBC and the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America. It is the most innovative and advanced training, research and testing facility in the sport of bowling with 14 lanes for training and six for research and testing.
Gianmarc Manzione
USBC Communications
After selling out in its inaugural year, the Bowling Combine for College Prospects will return in August with expanded capacity to help bring youth bowlers together with college coaches.
The Bowling Combine, which will be held Aug. 7-11 at the International Training and Research Center, will allow young bowlers to be evaluated using today’s most objective standards and give college coaches a chance to analyze the potential fit of the student-athletes for their programs.
“We had such an overwhelming response to this event last year that we are opening it up to even more bowlers who want to participate,” said Bryan O’Keefe, assistant coach for Team USA and the program director for The Bowling Combine. “Last year, we had 72 bowlers take advantage of the opportunity to have their skills evaluated, and this year, we have increased the number of spots to meet demand.”
The Bowling Combine is open to bowlers who have collegiate eligibility remaining and have completed at least their sophomore year in high school. Space is limited and those interested are encouraged to sign up early.
At last year’s combine, nearly 20 college coaches attended and several bowlers signed with college programs as a result of their participation in the event.
Mike LoPresti, who has led Fairleigh Dickinson University to two national titles, attended last year’s Bowling Combine and said the ability to evaluate so many bowlers in a short period of time made it worth the trip.
“Any opportunity we have to rank and watch prospects is a place we need to go,” LoPresti said. “This brings a lot of interested candidates to one place. This is a great opportunity for any coach, to have somebody evaluate players for them. Then all we have to do is put the pieces together.”
Athletes will be tested on specific skills and provided an overall score using the Performance Evaluation Test (P.E.T. score). These scores are an objective measurement of the bowler’s abilities and can be used to compare the bowlers against each other.
The Team USA coaching staff will direct and evaluate the bowlers during the Combine at the ITRC, the official training center of Team USA. The ITRC has state-of-the-art technology including Bowler Vision Eye Tracking, DigiTrax(tm) ball motion technology, video analysis and more.
Some of the bowler’s skills that will be evaluated include Shot Repeatability Analysis, Release Ratio, Spare Proficiency, Breakpoint Management, Vertical Leap, and Balance Test. The tests at the Combine are used to evaluate a bowler’s skills and abilities; this is not a coaching clinic.
Bowlers will receive a Recruiting Kit at the conclusion of the Combine. The kit will have video shots and bowler variables measured, and a detailed report of personal data collected during the Combine including their overall P.E.T. score. Coaches will receive an evaluation of each bowler and will have the opportunity for one-on-one contact with prospective student-athletes.
