Why Whether the Opponent’s Bowl is Above or Behind the Jack Matters

 

Observing from the mat, a bowler often cannot be sure whether an opposition bowl that has finished to the side of the jack is partially in front of the jack or is distinctly behind it.  You will often hear top bowlers asking the marker about this.

Why is it important? The questioner wants to know whether his bowl, if it finishes resting squarely against that opposing bowl, will be the closer of the two. If the opposition bowl is partially short of the jack, it will be better so long as it isn’t pushed back. If the target bowl is behind jack level and the delivered bowl comes to rest against it (or moves it further back) the delivered bowl will be closer.

So if the marker responds that the opponent’s bowl is short of the jack, the questioner is more likely to bowl the other hand. If the competitor’s bowl is reported to be behind the jack, bowling on the same hand as where the opposing bowl rests has advantages, mutatis mutandis.

Notice that this is one situation where being a tiny bit short of jack-high is better than finishing behind the jack!

Lawn Bowling Tactics: Removing Opponent’s Best Bowl

 

At Valverde LBC the other day, I was watching a pairs match and a tactical situation arose where repeatedly the skip bowler of an experienced team played what seemed a lower probability shot when something significantly better was available. 

The side that missed the opportunities was lying one; they had a bowl close up to the jack- within a few centimeters. The opponents held the second shot about a bowl in front of the jack but about 12 inches to the right.  What made the situation special was that the side holding shot also had the 3rd and 4th best bowls located about 18 and 24 inches behind the jack and 18 and 24 inches to the left.

There were other shorter bowls blocking approaches down the center of the rink. 

The skip of the side holding shot delivered two bowls down the right side trying to add a second shot. There was a path to the jack but in my opinion, both bowls should have been delivered down the left side trying to push out the opponent’s best bowl because if it were removed they would have scored 3 or 4 depending upon whether the delivered bowl remained in the count. The path leading to the opponent’s best bowl was equally open.

Other good outcomes that would have been possible coming from the left side would be a jack trail back to those waiting 3rd and 4th catchers on the right and a dead draw to the jack. 

The only negative would have been to knock the opposing bowl in for shot but considering how close the shot bowl was to the jack, this would have been unlikely. 

The lesson: Even if your side already holds shot, consider the contribution to the score if the opponent’s best bowl gets removed.  

Take a Big Enough Backswing so your Subconscious has a Smooth Choice

By the time you have at least 6 full years of lawn bowling experience, your subconscious can be given responsibility for controlling the weight in your lawn bowling delivery. As David Bryant suggests in a useful video tutorial: you choose an aim line to bowl down; you take a stare point on that line; and then you look back and forth between this stare point and the target position (usually the jack) until you feel comfortable with the visualized trajectory. Then you let your mind go blank and send the bowl over your stare point.

Now, even though I have been bowling for 13 years, I have been playing rubbish bowls for the first few weeks since coming to Valverde LBC in Almancil Portugal, where I am spending the winter months.

What was going wrong? Usually, the most common error I make is failing to get my stepping foot planted before my arm swing delivers my bowl.

No— that wasn’t the problem. Maybe I wasn’t careful and methodical enough drawing my bowling arm back along the extension of the aim line behind the mat. No— checking that didn’t solve things.

Analyzing my bowl results suggested that the problem was related mostly to weight. For too many shots I found myself pushing out the bowl and applying too much energy at the end.

Well, I have now found the answer. Often, my backswing wasn’t high enough to smoothly propel my bowl the required distance and my subconscious was trying to compensate for this by over-accelerating my swing somewhat, trying to ‘steer’ the bowl and destroying smoothness from the motion.

In contrast, my subconscious had no difficulty slowing my arm motion down when bowling to a short jack even though my higher backswing would have permitted me to easily deliver to jacks at any length.

P.S. When you have less than 6 years of experience playing lawn bowls I have found you need to consciously control those elements of your swing that affect length (backswing length, crouch degree, step length, etc.) because your subconscious does not have a big enough ‘training set’ to do it itself. 

Bowling Into Danger: Ezra R. Wyeth

I wanted to write a blog article about 'bowling into danger' but in searching for what had already been written I found this article by Ezra R. Wyeth from 1966. It is my pleasure to reproduce it here where such good advice can be found more easily!  

https://www.bowlsusa.us/uploads/7/5/9/0/75903269/1966-02.pdf

I find two important differences between bowling in the U.S.A. and elsewhere, and they both amount to the same thing - an unbelievable waste of bowls by many of our players. The first is the use of the block and the second is the attempt to match a catcher. I have never consciously played a block and only in dire extremity have I tried the other-both for the same reasons. Firstly, they require more skill than I possess; secondly, there are usually easier and more productive shots available. If you will be patient for a while, I will try to explain about matching the catcher. 

Let me start with a head like this. 

Playing the forehand, the lead has drawn a jack-high bowl, slightly wide, six inches from the jack. His opponent has followed with a bowl a foot behind and to the left. It is a safe bet that in 99 cases out of 100, the player by choice ( or at the direction of his skip ) will change his hand. He does this for three reasons. He believes the jack will be shifted; he can anticipate the direction it will go; and lastly; he thinks he can draw to a spot on the green. If he is completely honest he would admit to himself that he has little right to believe any of these reasons. If, on the other hand, he is stubborn and refuses to face the facts he will just have to count the number of times during a game that his beliefs are proved true. 

Only a superman could do what hundreds of players try to do each time they play. For any player the choice is simple. Either he plays like a superman or he assumes human status and plays an easier shot. The thing to do in the situation described above is to play the shot his opponent must play. His opponent has the choice of three shots:

 

• draw the shot anywhere within a twelve-inch circle 
• play to reach the shot with enough strength to take its place or to turn in off it 
• try to trail the jack 

The second is by far the best shot to play as it offers a greater margin for error. Our player, therefore, tries to play just that shot-  and for about seven good reasons. 

Examine all the possible outcomes. If he is short he can draw a second shot in a semi-circle, 24 inches in diameter. If shorter, he can well finish on a line that appears to be in his opponent's draw. If he gets his objective, he will have two shots. If he manages to turn his own bowl in or to wick off it, he will have an excellent position. If he has the right weight, or slightly less, and misses his first bowl he can draw a shot in a position to the right or left of his opponent's bowl. 

If his weight is right and he trails the jack he may lose the shot. Even so, he still has two bowls close to the shot, and his chances of losing more than one shot are reduced. There are other possibilities. If he is heavy he can take his other bowl out or shift the jack, or he can have a bowl behind the jack. If you are one of the stubborn ones and feel that in this last paragraph, I have undermined my position, please remember that these things can and do happen if a player changes his hand. 

Before you dismiss everything I have said, let me offer the most important reason of all. One of the delights of playing lead or singles is that a player can usually play the better side of the rink. The greens we play on rarely draw the same on both sides and one side is often faster than the other. It is usually much easier to play either the wide side or the narrow side consistently. A change of side means a change of green and a change of pace with a consequent increase in the chance of error. If you want more convincing proof than my arguments, you'll find it on the green. Borrow two bowls and place them in the positions shown above and try all the shots you like. The results will amaze you.