Head Reading at Bowls: The Re-Spot Position Motif

Usually the more counting bowls your side has in the head, the wider the target that these bowls make. Also, the shorter the distance between jack and mat the more likely your opposition is to attack the head with weight. Heavy weight increases the likelihood that the jack will be driven out of bounds. In the 'old' tradition, such dead ends were completely replayed but increasingly in play today  the end continues with the jack placed in the appropriate re-spot position.  The most common re-spot position for club play is located on the center line two meters from the front ditch. 

When the head position  strongly suggests that your  opponent may drive and succeed in breaking up the head, you have two main choices:

(1) try to position a short blocking bowl or 
(2) deliver a back bowl close to the re-spot position. 

If your side is sitting with more than two shot bowls, the blocker has the best chance if you need to save them all. Otherwise, drawing for cover to the re-spot position is easier and more likely to effect the outcome. This latter tactic has the added advantage that you are unlikely to accidentally disrupt the head yourself.

Thinking about covering should be triggered whenever your side has two close shot bowls.