About Coach Ken

Coach Ken Fair’s love for the sport of bowling began when he was 10 years old, after being introduced to the sport by a neighbor, who would take all of the kids that wanted to go, bowling on Saturday mornings. That first strike sparked a lifelong passion, and ever since then bowling has been a regular part of his life That love of the sport has evolved into wanting to share that joy with others through coaching. The goal is to help people enjoy the sport more by improving their skill level through personalized instruction, encouragement and sharing proven strategies that he has learned through experience and coaching certification classes.

Coach Ken’s teaching philosophy is rooted in students acquiring and mastering the fundamental movements in bowling. The fundamental physical skills in bowling are not complicated, but they are complex. They are not complicated in that a bowler is only moving on the approach for about 5 seconds and the movements are not difficult but a slight change in body position, hand position, wrist movement or a multitude of seemingly small changes can make a huge difference in what the ball does on the lane. That’s why knowledge of and execution of the fundamental skills are important for athletes to improve. By focusing on the fundamentals, athletes can identify and correct subtle errors.

Coach Ken feels that his main role as a coach is to instruct and guide the athlete but in order for the athlete to achieve the desired result(s) they must put in the work on their own. He encourages athletes to approach their individual practices sessions with clear goals in mind, rather than simply bowling for fun or socializing. Specific skill drills to improve footwork, timing, release timing, or a particular skill that the athlete and coach are working on at the time should be done during an athlete’s individual practice sessions. Coach uses the CoachNow digital coaching and communication platform for video analysis, personalized feedback and progress tracking. This platform allows him to create individualized videos for athletes and individual pages for each student where videos can be uploaded and shared by students and the coach. He has worked with beginners, league bowlers, 200+ average bowlers, one-handed, two-handed bowlers and bowlers in all age groups. He has assisted many bowlers to improve their averages by over 20 points.

Coach Ken is a retired physical education teacher, who taught for 25+ years with the New York City Department of Education. He has earned a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science Degrees in the teaching of physical education. He holds permanent New York State teaching certification and is a USBC certified coach. During his teaching career he coached high school bowling, boys’ basketball and girls’ basketball. That training gives him the ability to break down movements into their fundamental components, and to tailor his coaching techniques to each bowler’s unique style and skill level. Coach Ken says “The better people get at bowling, the more they enjoy it and, that’s why we bowlers bowl – to have fun and enjoy the game. I’m looking forward to working with you to help you to become more skilled and get more enjoyment from our sport.”