The preeminent name Shahbaz Choudhry is promptly becoming a global force in the world of fast bowling. His name first came to prominence as the man behind the world’s largest fast bowling resource, Pace Journal, working alongside international superstar, Tymal Mills. Attributing credit to the success of Pace Journal, Shahbaz points out certain points such as incredible design, captivating writing, and exclusive timeless content. All of these, he says, have equally contributed to the success of Pace Journal.
Shahbaz's sagacity has always made him seem effortless be it on-field or off-field.
His stirring passion and insightful knowledge on the art of fast bowling have been recognized by hundreds of thousands of cricketers and coaches around the world who invest their precious time in avidly consuming the content produced by the brand.
'Knowledge is handy whereas wisdom is rare.' Shahbaz belongs to such a rare community and thus holds great value in his respective field. The heap of information and the boundless wisdom that he has in fast bowling steered him to becoming the author of his first book, "The Book of Pace" published in late 2020. The book drew him closer to the world of coaching, where Shahbaz could get hands-on experience and fine-tune his craft by working with aspiring fast bowlers of all ages and abilities.
Shahbaz being a dynamo and a go-getter always attracts tasks worth his time. Lately, he was ordained as the lead technical fast bowling coach for Pace Clinic in the United Kingdom alongside colleague, Tymal Mills, Punjab Kings Batting Coach, Julian Wood, and the Lead Strength & Conditioning Coach of the England National Team, Rob Ahmun.
His unprecedented approach stems from the experiences he endured in his journey. The way he accepts the situations and bounces back tells all about his potential. He allows himself to make mistakes but also remembers to never repeat them and move on with a positive lesson.
He's the honest and straightforward alignment of facts and his opinions that are rooted in his experiences are enough to enlighten any soul that has a passion to absorb real knowledge and wisdom in the world of fast bowling:
“As a coach, you might be tricked into thinking that your role is to make changes all the time. I have a different approach. Before making changes, I look at whether the bowler can operate at their maximum intensity first. During my youth, I made the fatal error of obsessing over technique - this led me to completely lose my ability to bowl, and subsequently, I lost my professional contract.”
“After founding Pace Journal and interacting with thousands of fast bowlers, I realized that we are all the same and have a burning desire to do whatever it takes to improve. I think that the majority of my time spent with bowlers is in protecting them from allowing their curiosities to ruin them.”
“Don’t get me wrong, there are absolutely times where making changes is necessary. But you also have to train to express yourself maximally. I’ve found that bowlers focus too much of their attention on making changes and because of that, they don’t get to reach their full potential at all because they’ve spent the majority of their time chopping, changing, thinking, ruining, rebuilding, and once again, changing their bowling action again and again. You get trapped in this cycle which is extremely hard to break out of”
“Ever wondered how some bowlers produce speeds over 140kph when their technique goes completely against science? The answer is in their ability to operate at THEIR maximum potential. This isn’t something that you are born with, it’s an ability that you must develop.”
'A person who has been through the lowest of times can teach you how to reach the highest of all.' Shahbaz's journey and experience are at par with other prominent fast bowling coaches who have seen huge success at the highest level. Although new to the world coaching, Shahbaz’s work has already seen bowlers increase their speed by up to 15mph.
Jock Campbell, former Strength & Conditioning Coach of Australia during 2000 - 2005, who is best known as the coach that helped Brett Lee reach the magical 160kph mark mentioned that “Shahbaz’s passion for the art of fast bowling is unparalleled. He has experienced the highs and lows both physically and mentally of what it is to be a fast bowler, which even the greatest ones go through.”
