In videos of the legendary David Bryant, we see him squatting on the mat, unlit pipe between his teeth, picking out his line.
I also had a tendency to bend over from the waist to bring my eyes closer to the ground when taking my line and stare point. Then I would stand up straight and begin my bowl delivery. After being defeated 24-3 in an open singles encounter at the Willowdale Lawn Bowling Club, my talented and experienced opponent volunteered (after I agreed that I wanted advice) that I should stop this wasteful and time-consuming practice. With a bit of experience, I was advised, just as good a stare point can be achieved from a fully erect posture.
This is not the first time, I have been thus advised. My Canadian coach has been after me about it and a helpful opposing skip at the Turramurra LBC also suggested that I bowl within seven seconds of taking my line, because he said that the longer one tries to hold a stare point the more it will be distorted.
My resistance to this advice came because I was convinced that at least I must focus on something that I can see very distinctly and so that object cannot be more than 5 meters in front of the mat. Following this, selecting that point and making sure it was on my aim line could not be an instantaneous reflex judgment.
Since adopting the shooters’ stance no special aids are needed to pick out the correct line because having your eye directly over the aim line makes it easier. This is just another benefit of the amazing shooters’ stance.
It's 2023, seven years later I have found that squatting on the mat to select my stare point and then keeping it in my view and rising and delivering my bowl does improve my selection of line, contrary to what I wrote then. If one can actually find a discontinuity in the playing surface as one's stare point it is easier to hold the correct spot.
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