Lawn bowling tyros, like myself, get to be
skip in occasional club or practice games. When holding shot and with the
second last bowl to play, I am anxious not to disrupt the head and lose our
advantage. In such a situation I am thinking a block shot seems appropriate. It
will not disrupt the head. It will leave us with shot and, if the block is well
placed, it will reduce the options for the opposing skip’s last bowl.
The most effective position to place a block shot is 14 meters in front of the mat. Fourteen meters is the minimum distance that a bowl must move to be a legal bowl. A block is more effective the closer it is to the mat because it appears larger to the opposing bowler and possible routes to the jack cannot accommodate much variation in the initial part of the path.
I have found that the best block shot is delivered from a crouch position with the leg which ordinarily steps forward already a small step in front of the foot on the mat. The bowl is held with the arm hanging vertical. With no backswing and no stepping, the bowl is pushed along the aiming line. The delivery should be inside out. If one is trying to interfere with a draw or run-through shot, the aim line should be one-half a division (a quarter of a lane) off-center towards the opposite side from where you want the bowl positioned. If one anticipates a drive, the line should be the normal one to give a centrally positioned bowl.
Using this method the bowl went 14-18 meters from the mat on a fast artificial surface. There is no weight transfer and no elevation of the bowl to provide energy. Only the arm muscle provides impetus and then only briefly. It is for this reason that the bowl is very short.
A blocking bowl is most effective on a slow surface because there is less flexibility with the delivery angle. On a slow green, however, you will need a different technique to send a bowl 14-18 meters.
The most effective position to place a block shot is 14 meters in front of the mat. Fourteen meters is the minimum distance that a bowl must move to be a legal bowl. A block is more effective the closer it is to the mat because it appears larger to the opposing bowler and possible routes to the jack cannot accommodate much variation in the initial part of the path.
I have found that the best block shot is delivered from a crouch position with the leg which ordinarily steps forward already a small step in front of the foot on the mat. The bowl is held with the arm hanging vertical. With no backswing and no stepping, the bowl is pushed along the aiming line. The delivery should be inside out. If one is trying to interfere with a draw or run-through shot, the aim line should be one-half a division (a quarter of a lane) off-center towards the opposite side from where you want the bowl positioned. If one anticipates a drive, the line should be the normal one to give a centrally positioned bowl.
Using this method the bowl went 14-18 meters from the mat on a fast artificial surface. There is no weight transfer and no elevation of the bowl to provide energy. Only the arm muscle provides impetus and then only briefly. It is for this reason that the bowl is very short.
A blocking bowl is most effective on a slow surface because there is less flexibility with the delivery angle. On a slow green, however, you will need a different technique to send a bowl 14-18 meters.
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