In a sixteen-end triples match recently, the opposing lead bowler four times delivered the jack out of bounds and once put it into the forward ditch. Although apparently he didn’t think much of it, his team was trying to play long jacks while our side wanted short ones. These errors led substantially to our win and their defeat.
Too many casual bowlers just chuck the jack down the rink when it should be delivered with exactly the same delivery motion as a bowl. The privilege to deliver the jack and almost immediately follow it with the first bowl of the end provides a lead with an enormous assist in getting the correct weight from their very first bowl.
It is shocking how many beginner and even more experienced players can deliver a bowl reasonably well but frequently mess up delivering the jack.
Perhaps coaches should begin by teaching the delivery with that small white ball and only when the correct form is mastered move on to rolling a bowl with bias.
