Strategy & Tactics in Lawn Bowls

Strategy

What is the difference between strategy and tactics? Are there such things in lawn bowling?

In Webster’s Encyclopedic Dictionary of the English Language the entry for strategy reads:

1. Generalship; the science or art of combining and employing the means of war in planning and directing large military movements and operations. 

2. The use or an instance of using this science or art 

3. Skillful use of a stratagem

4. A plan, method, or series of maneuvers or stratagems for   obtaining a specific goal or result

Are tactic different then? Are there tactics in lawn bowling?  Tactic can also be defined again in a military context that can be applied to any contest:

1. A plan, scheme, or trick for surprising or deceiving the enemy. 

2. Any artifice, ruse, or trick devised or used to attain a goal or achieve an advantage over an adversary. 

The word stratagem is used in the definitions. It in turn, therefore, needs to be defined:

1. A plan, scheme, or trick for surprising or deceiving the enemy.

2. Any artifice, ruse, or trick devised or used to attain a goal or achieve an advantage over an adversary. 

Thus we can see that stratagem at least pertains to misinforming or hiding useful information from the opponents. It is practiced by the chief planner, who in the case of lawn bowls, is the skip. Strategy refers to overall principles of operation that are characterized in that they can be established by your side before the contest or 'battle' begins.

Deciding who will be lead etc. is a matter of strategy. The decision to start off choosing shorter or longer ends can be initiated as a strategic decision. A decision to move the mat position regularly when the opportunity arises can be made before play begins and can be part of a strategy. A standard decision to ask the opponents, in the first end, to bowl first if the toss is won can be made before the start of the game and is thus strategic. A decision to take an inordinate but not illegal time preparing to bowl in order to upset the opposition can be a strategic decision made before the game even begins. A decision to throw long jacks because one of the opponents is more frail than your team members is a general plan that can be made at the outset. The edict: change tactics when losing, is a strategy. It can be decided in advance and has a general character. Thus, strategy does exist in lawn bowling.

Tactics

Once we have clear definitions, the role of tactics in lawn bowling is much more obvious than that of strategy. Note a key difference between tactics and strategy. A strategy consists of general principles of action that can be established in advance of the contest. One does not have to have any particular strategy or it can be as simple as, “Let’s go out there and do our best.” Tactics, unlike strategy, cannot be decided in advance. It depends upon the situation and is affected not just by the fate of one’s own bowls by the opponent’s shots and their maneuvering. Tactics are decided during the contest and change according to the situation. Lawn bowling is luck, skill, and tactics with the latter two increasing in importance as we improve. The skip requests team members to attempt particular shots based on the situation in the head, the score, and the ‘end’ being played (beginning, middle or end of the match).

Choosing between forehand and backhand; choosing to draw to the jack or to a different target; choosing to block, to drive, to mildly disrupt the head; these are all tactical choices made in the heat of the contest, just before the shot is taken.

How important are tactical choices? There is no end to discussions of what tactical choice has more merit in a particular situation. To me, it seems the best shot the skip can request is the one that has the highest proportion of beneficial outcomes along with the fewest disastrous ones, taking into account all the likely outcomes and their probabilities and based on a knowledge of the particular bowler’s abilities. That is- when a skip has gone to the effort to assemble a team, the skip, who is the team’s tactician, needs to take into account the bowlers’ competencies to an even greater extent than the particular arrangement at the head or score in the game. If all a tyro bowler has been taught is to draw, it makes no sense to ask for anything else, no matter how strongly the game situation on the rink might call for a more sophisticated shot. This of course is not applicable to pick-up games with the teams chosen by the draw-master. In this situation skips cannot be expected, except in the most general way, to know and take into account the level of skills of teammates.

In most instances, except at the highest levels, there is more luck than skill in any individual shot outcome. The better team wins not because of a particular, single, properly-executed shot, but because, taking into account all its shots in a match, luck averages out and that small integrated difference in skill then tips the outcome. 

I think this insight leads to a sound strategic principle. In club level competitions or in any game against players you feel you should defeat, even when seriously behind in the score, you should not try shots beyond your ability in an effort to come back. Rather, play steadily and let statistics work for you even as the end of the match approaches. A big recovery end is more likely to be the result of your opponents’ mistakes than your own miraculous shots. Steady play, right to the end, is the best chance to win. 

The team holding shot has the following options it can attempt: 

1. Adding another shot

2. Blocking an opponent’s preferred approach to the head

3. Placing a back bowl in anticipation of rearward movement  of the jack

4. Dislodging one or more of an opponent’s shot saving      bowls.

5. Nudging the jack into a less exposed position

Drawing to add another shot is the simplest choice and usually has good prospects. A second shot provides insurance in case the opponents move the shot bowl; however, it may have little value in a close jack high position or if it creates a cluster of shots presenting a large, easy target particularly with a short jack.

The nuisance effect of short bowls is common. The blocking of a bowler’s preferred approach into the head has more psychological effect than real consequence. In a physical sense, a block only tempts an opponent to adjust aiming line or delivery speed, or both, or to switch hands. The psychological impact is greatest on the new bowler even though the chance of the new bowler hitting the block is even smaller than for a skilled person. The opponent can easily miss his stare point by taking a quick glance at the blocking bowl. Psychologically, a defensive and highly visible block astride the delivery line tends to make opponents apprehensive. They tend to become distracted from good preparation for their delivery.

It would be interesting to test in practice how often a block is hit when multiple bowls are delivered. Unless the opposing bowl would be promoted to count if it were hit a blocking bowl can actually be disregarded. Blocks tend to be more effective on slow or medium-paced greens. On these slower greens, delivery angles are narrower and vary less with delivery speeds, so that the bowl paths are, or at least seem, narrower. Blocks are effective only when an opponent has few options. Teams holding shot should normally cover strength with receiving bowls beyond the jack before adopting blocking tactics. Remember, the positioning of blocks has less margin for error than positioning of back bowls. Skips should use their most accurate draw shot bowlers for positioning them.

When holding one or more shots, skips should continually assess the likelihood of attacking play by opponents. Competent opponents could attack at an early stage in the development of the head. The more shots a team holds, the greater the likelihood of attacking play by opponents. The holding team should try to neutralize the benefit to opponents of disturbing the jack. Consider the merit of having the best back bowl, which commands not only the ditch, but often several square meters of the rink next to it. If opponents have bowls at the back of the head, a good defensive tactic is to match them. The more bowls that opponents have at the back of the head, the greater the likelihood they will attack.

A good back bowl is never more than 6 feet behind the present position of the jack unless the game has (a) re-spot position(s).

The team not holding shot has the following options that it could attempt:

1.    Drawing for shot or to save

2.    Wresting bowls out of the count

3.    Moving the jack to save or score

4.    Killing the end

5.    Setting up the head for a conversion shot

Like their opponents, the team not holding shot can also use gentle wicks, rests, and run through shots in the process of drawing for shot or to save. If the jack is in the ditch and a team is one shot down, it should favor drawing for shot. If the bowl runs into the ditch, the position is no worse. If the team is several shots down, it should favor drawing to save. A team saves nothing if the bowl runs to the ditch.

The team not holding shot can also play firmer attacking bowls. However, if not holding shot, they should at least have bowls in the head that restrict the opponents scoring margin. The trail shot is a common way of moving the jack. The attacking bowl forces the jack away from opposing bowls and follows a similar path before coming to rest. Faster versions of the shot can follow or trail the jack into the ditch.

Making Tactical Decisions

The skip makes the tactical decisions. In a social game the skip does not have a refined understanding of the capabilities of his team members. Decisions can be made more on the basis of the state of the head and the score in the game. In social games the bowler himself probably has a better idea of what can be realistically expected. The skip may just suggest what may work but qualify it with, “Do what you feel comfortable with.”

Teams should evaluate their opportunities using the SWOT procedure (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats).

What is our shot advantage at the moment? What are the strengths of the bowlers who are to follow?

What is our present deficiency of shots? What are the identified weaknesses of each team?

What opportunities or potential rewards does the head offer?

What are the threats or risks entailed with each option?

Attacking play is not always a sound option of a team that is down one or two shots. Loss of an occasional end by a shot or two should not cost a team the game. Misfortunes during attacking play can make matters worse. If a team has only one shot saving bowl in the head, displacement of that bowl could increase the shot count disadvantage. If opponents have numerous receiving bowls behind the jack, disturbance of the jack may give an even larger count of shots. However, if they are deficient in bowls behind, a team could exploit that oversight.

Skips should carefully evaluate risks. The possibility of loss of an end by only a shot or two does not necessarily warrant risk-taking. When well-positioned to win a game, the team should consider leaving risk-taking to the opposition.

An isolated jack or bowl presents a narrow target. The wider a target, the greater the chance of successful attacking shots. The nearer the target, the wider is its relative size, therefore attacking shots are more successful in shorter ends.