Thoughts about Blockers at Lawn Bowls

Just because a bowl is short doesn’t make it a blocker. Usually, short bowls are wasted bowls. “When your side is down you need to be up” is a saying that means when the other side is shot it complicates your difficulties if your bowl finishes short of the jack.

Block shots are defensive shots, only contemplated when you have a favorable head to protect. A favorable head comprises a close shot bowl and at least another counter. Remember that if the opposition gains the shot after your short bowl, your blocker will block you!

When your side is up by two or more in the head and ahead in the game, and it is the latter part of the match, a skip can consider trying to block against either a draw or a drive. The usual trade-off is between trying a blocker and putting a ‘catcher’ bowl behind the jack. Choosing between these is a function of

• the skill of your opposing skip
• The closeness of your counting bowls in the head
• The length of the end
• Whether the opposing skip has tested the line on both sides of the rink
• Whether the opposing skip has back bowls
• Whether the target is wide but you need a high score

How does the skill of the opposing skip factor into this decision?  A perfect block shot confounds the perfect draw or drive line to the jack (but not both). If the opposing skip isn’t going to deliver that perfect bowl, there is no point in a block.

Blocking the Second Chance

 If the opposing skip has already tried an aggressive shot and can be expected to try again with his next bowl, a block shot is particularly recommended. Even a bowler who is just ‘good’ can often make a shot if given a second try. Attempting to ‘change things’ by placing something close to the line has a better chance of avoiding loss in such a situation.

How does the closeness of your counting bowls in the head enter into the choice between a ‘blocker’ and a ’catcher’? The word ‘close’ is relative. If it is unsurprising for the opposing skip to bowl within two mat lengths of the jack, ‘close’ is perhaps one mat length. If his average bowl is just one mat length from the jack, a ‘close’ bowl is, say, 9 inches. 

 If your side has only one bowl in the head, you should not try to block. You need another bowl in the head in case your ‘close’ bowl is driven out resulting in a big score against you.

Second  Last Bowl in a Promising Multiple-Win End

If you have a ‘close’ shot bowl and several others counting but which the opposing skip can probably beat, a block shot with your last bowl can really put pressure on the other side’s skip. The reason- if that block works and is hit, the bowl being delivered is unlikely to reach the head and your side stands to make a big count.  The alternative, putting in a ‘catcher’ bowl, does nothing to prevent the opposing skip from drawing to save so he would only go down one. Even a poor blocker in this situation may convince the opposing skip to accept the risk of changing hands just because hitting on it would be so devastating. 

How does the length of the end enter into the choice between a ‘block’ and a ‘catcher’ bowl? The shorter the end, the more likely an on-shot will succeed in disrupting the head or causing the re-spotting of the jack. Do not block against a skip who never drives! Don’t try to block against a short drive. The opposing skip has too little problem visualizing whether your intended block is actually in the way. Draw to the jack again. Or put in a catcher at the back. I estimate it is about five times as easy to deliver a useful catcher bowl as a useful blocker. When re-spotting is in effect, cover the re-spot position. It is an easy bowl to deliver and won’t disrupt the head.

Why should it matter whether the opposing skip has tested the line on both sides of the rink in deciding whether to block or set a catcher? A blocker can convince an opposing skip to change hands, even if your blocker is not perfect; moreover, changing hands is particularly prone to errors if the line on the less familiar side of the rink has to be guessed. It is a good idea for a skip to keep track of how many bowls his/her opposite delivers on each side of the rink in each of the directions. If you can cause a change to a less tested side, it will be to your greater advantage.

Why would it matter whether the opposition has a back bowl? A good skip will not drive if his side does not have back bowls. The chance of ending up in an even worse predicament will deter him. In such a situation an overweight delivery can be expected but not one where the skip would expect to lose his bowl out of bounds or in the ditch. Since no drive is tactically sensible there is no point in setting a block against it. Blocking an over-weight shot is impossible because its path to the jack depends upon velocity. Besides, it is the hardest shot to deliver, so invite your opposition to try it! The best shot is to add to the count with a bowl just beyond the head.

If you are going to try to block a draw shot, set your block just 14-16 meters in front of the mat in the draw path. The closer the bowl is to the mat the more different paths it blocks. A block shot is more likely to succeed on a slow rink. Watch to see whether your opposite moves on the mat to avoid short bowls.

A ‘catcher’ bowl cannot reduce the chance of an opposing drive hitting its target. If the target is hit usually at least one shot will be lost. A blocker can save the entire head because the blocked drive usually careens away without damage.  A blocker can convince the other side to try a draw to save shots.

Although pairs, triples, and fours are team games, a lead bowler new to the game often keeps count of how many of the points scored arise from his/her bowls. If a skip plays a block that successfully protects his lead bowler’s counter it gives a psychological morale boost, particularly if the lead is a less experienced bowler. It’s worth considering.

When you are trying to block a draw and the path is otherwise unobstructed your block should be short to cover different paths to the jack; if there is only one portal try to get your blocker into its entry. If you are trying to block a short drive your bowl should be 14-16 meters out on the center line.

If you are skipping and your side is ahead well into the game but your opponent will be presented with the chance to trail the jack into a cluster, don’t try to block. Rather play his shot. If you trail the jack your own bowl is likely to trail with it and remove the danger. It is the big score you are protecting against. 

Considering a Block Shot

 

A good block shot is hard to deliver. Even when the bowl seems to have ended up in its best location, it often proves ineffective when the opposing skip understands how to ‘use the mat’ to get around that interfering bowl. Usually placing a bowl instead close to where the jack is most likely to be moved to is the best percentage play; however, I think a block needs to be considered, if only for its psychological impact,

When:

yours is the next-to-last bowl (penultimate) and a few of the following conditions coexist:

•  You have one shot within a foot of the jack and a close second. 
•  The back (particularly re-spot) is already covered.
•  It would be very demoralizing if your side disturbed the head.
•  The opposing skip has an excellent drive.  
•  The target presented is large and/or close.
•  The rules permit ends can be burnt. 
• There is really only one hand that affords a realistic approach to the head. 
•  The opposing skip has recent experience with only one particular hand in this direction. 
•  You are in the last 1-2 ends and you are ahead.
•  You absolutely need the opponent to miss because you need the full count.
•  There is a funnel configuration leading into the jack.
• There are two or three enemy bowls in front but not counting.

 

Caution: You do not want to attempt a block shot before the penultimate shot (next to last), because you would not want to block yourself if the situation in the head changed in the opponent's favor after your block.

Where:  

Against either a Run-through or Drive

A blocking shot directed against either a run-through shot or a drive is thrown just over 14 meters and placed in the anticipated bowl’s path. This is accomplished by aiming at a point midway between the center and the edge of the rink. Advance the stepping foot completely along the aim line and place it at an angle of 45 degrees to the line. This is the stance of a push bowler. No weight is transferred forward during the swing. From a completely vertical position with the bowling arm just hanging down the bowl is pushed out with the arm only and set rotating with the fingers. With this impetus, the bowl should travel about 14 meters.

Against a Run-Through via a Port
 

Where you want to close a port through which the opponent is likely to direct a run-through shot, bowl the opponent’s shot but be light and very slightly wide.

Against a Drive

To block both a forehand and backhand drive the blocking bowl needs to be past the hog line and close to the center line. About 3 meters in front of the head is good so that if it is hit it won’t disturb the head itself unless it is struck in the absolute center.

Adding a bowl at the back is the correct play if the opposition can score a multiple if the jack is sent backward. Placing a bowl behind, among opposing bowls, is much easier than placing a good block.

Some opponents never drive. Some only draw, others may also try a shot through the head. It is useful to know the particular style of your opponents. There is no point in countering a shot that is never going to be contemplated!

Tactical Shots at Lawn Bowls

 

Turramurra LBC

There are four distinguishable tactical shots in lawn bowls. The draw shot has as its target its final ending place.… that is, the shot is successful if your bowl finishes precisely where you are aiming it to go. Both the yard-on shot and the running shot,  in contrast, are successful if they don’t reach the spot the bowler is aiming for. Their purpose is to hit something in the head as they pass through it toward their target destination. The drive is distinguished in that if it fails to hit its target it will always finish in the ditch or out of bounds.

The Draw Shot

A Draw Shot is the most frequent shot and it is really what the game is all about. For this shot, the player attempts to play with the exact weight and line required to finish closest to the jack.  Less frequent tactics may require drawing close to some other location on the rink often to protect against the jack being subsequently displaced backward or to block the path opponents may use to get bowls into the head. Mastering this shot is considered to be the most essential in all bowls.

 The Yard On Shot

The "Yard On" shot is a bowl that is played with enough weight to carry it, if unobstructed, a yard or two past the target but the line that is supposed to be taken causes it to pass through the head near the jack. The objective of this shot is usually to drag the jack away from opposing bowls, hopefully towards your own, or to push a bowl out of the "head" and take its place. In Scotland, this is often referred to as a "chop and lie" shot. The shot is more often successful on heavier greens where bowls express less of their bias. With ‘swingy’ bowls on a fast surface, the yard-on shot that misses its target often ends up well out of the head and is most often no longer a factor in play. 

The Running Shot or Ditch Length Shot

The Running Shot is one that uses more weight than the yard-on. The object of this shot is to remove the opponents’ bowls from the head, to move the jack to the ditch, or to seek some other result that requires the bowl to be played with weight. The difference between it and the drive is that the running shot has a greater chance of avoiding the ditch itself even if it misses its target. This is important when your side has no back bowls or when the jack is required to be respotted if the jack is driven out of bounds. This can be a difficult shot to play as the line (bias) required for hitting the target changes with different weights. The weight should be constant with the line adjusted to allow your bowl to pass through the head. The ditch length shot is less useful on fast greens because a bowl that misses the head is likely to finish out-of-bounds because of the greater curling of a bowl on a fast surface.

The Drive

The drive shot is a bowl that is played with the highest weight that one can muster without sacrificing accuracy of line. Striking the target, usually the head, with full force is the desired result. The tactical objective of this shot may be to completely remove the opponent's bowls from the head or from the rink or to drive the jack into the ditch or out of play. It is most often used when a player has at least several shots against him and they are mostly closer to the jack than he is likely able to draw. In this case, the object is to destroy the head by driving the jack out of the rink. When successful this results either in getting the end replayed (traditionally) or causing the jack to be repotted (recently) which may be advantageous. This can be a very effective and intimidating shot to have in your armory but many players have difficulty controlling their direction when concentrating their efforts on so much weight. With the respotting rule more frequently practiced today, less velocity and more accuracy are more likely to produce an advantage. When delivering the drive it is very important to release the bowl no more than six inches in advance of the forward foot since holding your bowl longer is likely to cause narrow bowling.  

Lawn Bowling Skills Development Exercises

For the last two summers, I have run a clinic at Etobicoke LBC in Toronto Canada for lawn bowlers who are no longer beginners but still want to accelerate improvement in their bowling skills using some drills. I call it the Skills Development Challenge. I do not coach attendees although I remain on the green to answer questions or to help any new bowlers who show up.

 I set up 8 rinks each arranged to test a skill that if mastered can improve their game. I tell participants that it is a playground. They can start on any rink using their own bowls. They can try all or whichever challenges they want. They should just move from low rink numbers towards higher ones so they don’t collide with other participants. Each person gets a handout explaining what is going on at each rink site. In this blog, I attach the handouts for each of the four weekends. In my case, the green is open Sunday morning from 10:30am-12:01pm. 

SKILLS DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGE  2019 (1)

Rink 1 Deliver two jacks, one after the other, to between 21 and 23 meters (short jacks)

Then deliver two consecutive jacks to within 4 meters of the front ditch (long jacks).

Control of jack length is one of the two tools your side has to stay ahead. What is the other?

IMPORTANT FOR LEADS AND SINGLES BOWLERS_____________________________________

Rink 2 Deliver 4 bowls with the same weight over a single stare point marked with a beer coaster;

See whether you can pick up ALL 4  of your bowls from the green afterward without moving your feet from one place. The correct weight is 90% of the game; line is only 10%.

IMPORTANT FOR ALL BOWLERS______________________________________________________

Rink 3 Your opponent(s) have a very close shot bowl. Bowl 4 bowls so each of your 4 bowls finishes either within one mat length of the jack or ends up behind the jack; don’t be short. [When you’re down (in the head) be up!]

IMPORTANT FOR ALL BOWLERS______________________________________________________

Rink 4 Add or subtract length. Deliver your first 2 bowls trying to reach the length of your skip’s shoe, which is placed 1 meter beyond the jack; With your next two bowls try to subtract a meter.

The object is to avoid bowling short by first getting behind the jack and then correcting to get to the jack; avoid short bowls!

IMPORTANT FOR ALL BOWLERS_____________________________________________________

Rink 5 Draw around bowls to reach the jack; change where you stand on the mat if necessary. It isn’t necessary to change hands to avoid bowls in your line.

IMPORTANT FOR ALL BOWLERS _____________________________________________________

Rink 6 Remove a  single opposition bowl. Hit the shot bowl and move it back. Quite often the best way to score is to knock out an opposition bowl. Hitting a bowl is much easier than hitting a jack.

IMPORTANT FOR SKIPS ______________________________________________________________

Rink 7 Bowl between the two smaller markers with the weight to reach the large marker behind.

You can try with each of your bowls but don’t be short and block yourself.

IMPORTANT FOR VICES AND SKIPS ___________________________________________________

Rink 8 Draw to within 2 meters of the front ditch aiming towards a ditched jack. 

IMPORTANT FOR SKIPS ______________________________________________________________

SKILLS DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGE  2019 (2)

Rink 1 Deliver a jack and then immediately follow with a bowl delivering with the same rhythm speed. Rhythm speed is the combined swing of your arm and length of your step. Repeat- first jack then bowl. Delivering the jack first is one of the best ways for the lead to get the proper length.

IMPORTANT FOR LEADS AND SINGLES BOWLERS_____________________________________

Rink 2 Deliver 4 bowls with the same weight over a single stare point marked with a beer coaster;

See whether you can pick up ALL 4  of your bowls from the green afterward without moving your feet from one place. The correct weight is 90% of the game; line is only 10%.

IMPORTANT FOR ALL BOWLERS______________________________________________________

Rink 3 Your opponent(s) have a very close shot bowl. Bowl 4 bowls so each of your 4 bowls finishes either within one mat length of the jack or ends up behind the jack; don’t be short. [When you’re down (in the head) be up!]

IMPORTANT FOR ALL BOWLERS______________________________________________________

Rink 4 Deliver one bowl to each of four lengths marked by tennis balls. The correct weight is 90% of the game; line is only 10%.

IMPORTANT FOR ALL BOWLERS_____________________________________________________

Rink 5 On-shot through your team’s bowls in front of the jack. Promote your team’s short bowls.

IMPORTANT FOR VICES AND SKIPS________________________________________________

Rink 6 Remove a  single opposition bowl. Hit the shot bowl and move it back. Quite often the best way to score is to knock out an opposition bowl. Hitting a bowl is much easier than hitting a jack.

IMPORTANT FOR SKIPS ______________________________________________________________

Rink 7 Bowl between the two smaller markers with ‘ditch’ weight. You may need to break up a head when you are badly down. No more power is required than ‘ditch weight’. Extra power gives up accuracy.

IMPORTANT FOR VICES AND SKIPS ___________________________________________________

Rink 8 Push up one of your team’s short bowls.  A standing bowl is easier to move.

IMPORTANT FOR VICES & SKIPS ______________________________________________________

SKILLS DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGE  2019 (3)

Rink 1 Deliver a jack and then immediately follow with a bowl delivering with the same rhythm speed. Rhythm speed is the combined swing of your arm and length of your step. Repeat- first jack then bowl. Delivering the jack is one of the best ways for the lead to get proper length.

IMPORTANT FOR LEADS AND SINGLES BOWLERS_____________________________________

Rink 2 Deliver 4 bowls with the same weight over a single stare point marked with a beer coaster;

See whether you can pick up ALL 4  of your bowls from the green afterward without moving your feet from one place. The correct weight is 90% of the game; line is only 10%.

IMPORTANT FOR ALL BOWLERS______________________________________________________

Rink 3 Add or subtract length. Deliver your first 2 bowls trying to reach the length of your skip’s shoe, which is placed 1 meter beyond the jack; With your next two bowls try to subtract a meter.

The object is to avoid bowling short by first getting behind the jack and then correcting to get to the jack; avoid short bowls!

IMPORTANT FOR ALL BOWLERS_____________________________________________________

Rink 4 There are two jacks and two mats on this rink. Deliver 4 bowls from the back mat aiming to reach the jack at the hog line. Then deliver your 4 bowls from the forward mat to the jack at two meters from the front ditch. Does your aim change with the different mat positions? Does your weight change?

IMPORTANT FOR ALL BOWLERS_____________________________________________________

Rink 5 Remove both opposing bowls with a single delivery. This is one of the biggest easiest targets you will ever be given.

IMPORTANT FOR VICES AND SKIPS________________________________________________

Rink 6 Remove a  single opposition bowl. Hit the shot bowl and move it back. Quite often the best way to score is to knock out an opposition bowl. Hitting a bowl is much easier than hitting a jack.

IMPORTANT FOR SKIPS ______________________________________________________________

Rink 7 Deliver two blockers- one to protect against a forehand draw and the second to protect against a backhand draw. With your next two bowls deliver one forehand draw and then one backhand draw. Are your blockers effective? The best blockers against draw shots are just 14 meters from the mat.

IMPORTANT FOR VICES AND SKIPS ___________________________________________________

Rink 8 Draw to within 2 meters of the front ditch aiming towards a ditched jack. 

IMPORTANT FOR SKIPS ______________________________________________________________

SKILLS DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGE  2019 (4)

Rink 1 Deliver two bowls on your forehand and then two bowls on your backhand. Decide which is the more playable hand for you going in this direction. Now bowl two bowls on your forehand and two on your backhand coming back in the opposite direction. Again, for you, what is the more playable hand? Often , particularly on rinks that are not completely flat, one side is more forgiving of errors in line than the other and it is usually, but not always, the narrower side. Lead bowlers can often tell teammates the more playable side. 

IMPORTANT FOR LEADS AND SINGLES BOWLERS_____________________________________

Rink 2 The opposition has delivered a very close shot with their first bowl. Draw your side’s first bowl. Follow with three more good bowls.  It is even more important not to be short when the opposition has a very good shot bowl. As lead it is not your role to remove it. Try to deliver a good second best bowl; close but more importantly- behind the jack.

IMPORTANT FOR LEADS  AND SINGLES BOWLERS_____________________________________

Rink 3 Your side has delivered a very close bowl (6 inches).  Bowl 4 bowls so each of your bowls ends up behind the jack. Particularly, try not to bowl narrow; you do not want to separate your close bowl from the jack. The opposition will attack. The jack is very likely to move backward. 

IMPORTANT FOR ALL BOWLERS______________________________________________________

Rink 4 There are two jacks and two mats on this rink. Deliver 4 bowls from the back mat aiming to reach the jack at the hog line. Then deliver your 4 bowls from the forward mat to the jack at two meters from the front ditch. Does your aim change with the different mat positions? Does your weight change?

IMPORTANT FOR ALL BOWLERS_____________________________________________________

Rink 5 This is a test of measuring. Don’t bowl. Look at the head set-up. What do you measure? How many points does yellow score? Hint- After removing the uncontested bowls decide which is the best contesting bowl of the side that does not hold shot.

IMPORTANT FOR VICES AND SINGLES BOWLERS_______________________________________

Rink 6  Bowl to an off-center jack. This presents two problems: the possibility of ending out of bounds and estimating line & length over new grass.

IMPORTANT FOR ALL BOWLERS ______________________________________________________

Rink 7 Bowl your 4 bowls into this head and then count your score versus the bowls already behind the jack. Hint- If you touch the jack you can get in real trouble. If you bowl short you may block yourself. Try to rest your bowls on the opposing bowls behind or wick in off your own side bowls.

IMPORTANT FOR ALL BOWLERS ___________________________________________________

Rink 8 Bowl within two meters of the ditch because the jack is in the ditch. Be daring. The last two meters of grass is longer and the edge of the rink may have a small rise.

IMPORTANT FOR VICES & SKIPS______________________________________________________

You will notice that some challenges are repeated in different weeks while others appear only once. I emphasize that there is no need to come every week and no week is a prerequisite for later weeks.

The Bowls Shot You Can Only Make on Slow Greens

Suppose you want to set a blocker against a normal draw shot. The minimum length you must deliver a bowl is 14 meters measured from the center front of the mat to the bowls location. The closer an intended blocker is to that 14 meters the more space it effectively protects; therefore, you most preferably want to deliver a block shot the minimum distance but still in the normal path of the opponent’s anticipated shot. At the same time, you do not want to risk sending your intended blocker out of bounds.

When the mat is set at two meters from the back ditch on a fast green you probably need an aim point at least as wide as the number on the adjacent rink, then  the optimal position for a blocker is very close to the side boundary and so it is too risky to attempt. (See the red line in the picture.)

In contrast, when the mat is set at two meters from the back ditch on a slow green where you need to choose an aim point no wider than the front side boundary marker, then there is little risk in delivering a bowl that is about 14 meters out and still in the path of your opponent’s anticipated draw shot (the green line).

This consideration does not apply to defending heavier run-through shots or drives. Because these aggressive shots are delivered with much narrower lines there is much less risk in setting short blockers against them. 

Lawn Bowls Tactics: When Not to Bowl to Get Shot

There are four tactical situations in lawn bowls. The opponents will

(a) hold one or more shots or

(b) they will not

and your skipper can respond by trying to

(i) get a bowl in the count or

(ii) not get a bowl in the count.

Trying to get shot or add another shot is the standard tactical action. Some skips almost always try to get or add a shot with every bowl whether they direct it or play it themselves; so (a)(i) and (b)(i) can be regarded as really the default choices. This article treats situations where the best tactic may well be not to try to get or add a shot.

First I will address the situation where the team does hold shot and the skipper should not try to get another shot.

Situation One- If the team does not have a bowl at the back and the opposition could change from shots down to shots up if they moved the jack back, drawing another bowl on the head may not be the best strategy.

Situation Two- Sometimes when the score for the team or the side is such that a second shot will give the team no advantage whatsoever, the skip should look for and protect against any tactic that would give the opposition a useful number of bowls.

 Situation Three- Play a block. Without moving the jack back, decrease the probability that the opposition can reduce the number of shots held byyour team by seeking to obtain one or more shots blocking the path of the likely opposition bowl that will have that undesirable result.

My second section considers situations where the team does not hold shot and the skipper should not try to get shot.

 Situation Four –Sometimes the opposition holds a shot very close to, or touching, the jack. To move off this shot bowl, the played bowl will need weight that could carry it past the shot bowl. Such bowls - if they miss –commonly leave a head that will make it easier for the opposition to score several shots. Your team will risk less if it tries for second shot and delays trying for shot bowl - until later.

Situation Five - The opposition holds one shot, your team holds several second shots and it is a high percentage shot to obtain shot by pushing out the present shot bowl; however, once this happens the opposition will try to obtain the shot again. If your skip “allows” the opposition to continue to hold shot, the opposition may choose to try for a position bowl or accidentally remove its own shot bowl or fail to add additional counters. That is to say, sometimes it will be better tactically to add close bowls and delay pushing out the shot bowl until the opposition has only one or no bowls left to play. This assumes that skip is quite confident that (s)he will only require one bowl to remove the present shot and this task won’t be made too much more difficult by upcoming opposing bowls.

Situation Six- The opposition holds one shot and your team has only one or two bowls in the head. The team could try a run-through shot to push out the shot bowl; sometimes that heavier shot will result in shot bowl but sometimes it changes the head unfavourably by knocking out your own best bowls. Even though a draw shot has less chance of pushing out the shot bowl, it has a still lower probability of producing a less-favourable position. Thus, it may prove better to try to draw another bowl on the head rather than try the run-through. Because the opposition still holds shot it may become complacent. You can build the head and wait for a later opportunity to remove their shot for a good count.

Situation Seven- Sometimes it will prove better for a player to play a second or later bowl on the same hand and obtain a close bowl rather than changing the player’s hand just because the position of bowls allows the player a better chance to get shot after the change. This is particularly true with lead bowlers.

Situation Eight- Sometimes it will prove better to go one down rather than risk going for shot because an error with an overweight bowl will mean more than one down. The loss of an end by one rarely losses a match! 

The 14 Meter Block Shot at Lawn Bowls

I have read that 90% of the natural lawn bowling greens in Canada run below 12 seconds. On such slow grass, the aiming angle for a draw shot is tight. With most bowls, one is aiming close to the boundary marker at the front ditch. A bowl that is sitting in the normal draw just 14 meters in front of the mat can block many shots intended to disrupt the head.  Surprisingly in four years of bowling, I had never seen this intentionally attempted.

Last Thursday night at the Etobicoke LBC I was skipping a triples team and when I arrived at the mat for my deliveries my side was holding three close shots with a few other bowls out front, blocking one of the approaches to the head. My opponent had last bowl. Three times I delivered very short bowls just over 14 meters out from the mat. (Any bowl that does not travel at least 14 meters is dead and must be removed from the rink.) The first two of my bowls may have caused the opposing skip to miss his takeout shots. His third bowl hit one of my blockers. The result:-+3 for my side! Furthermore, I didn’t risk damaging the head with my own bowls.

To deliver a bowl just over 14 meters I have found that I simply let my bowling arm hang vertically at my side, place my advancing foot in its normal forward position and then push out the bowl on its intended line without moving either foot. If your normal aim point is the boundary marker, the aim line should be slightly off-center and away from the side of the rink where you want your bowl to finish.

One of the unexpected advantages of such a short blocker is that for many bowlers the blocker is in their field of vision as they look down the rink to their aim point and is an annoying distraction even if the blocker is somewhat misplaced away from the actual draw line.

This tactic only has a chance to work on slow greens where both it is difficult to ’use the mat’ to get around a short bowl and when one side of the rink is already risky for the opposing skip. When these two conditions are not present it is a better play to put your bowls behind the head as ‘catchers’ or cover the respotting position(s).

Avoiding a Short Blocking Bowl while Obeying the Skip

It’s happened to all of us. Skip calls for a draw shot on a particular hand but there is a bowl sitting on what you recognize as your path to the jack. You comply. You hit the blocking bowl. Was there no help for it? Actually you can comply with your skip’s order without feeling powerless to avoid that collision. It is called ‘using the mat’.

I am called a ‘center line bowler’. That means whether on forehand or backhand I release my bowl along an aim line that passes through the front midpoint of the mat. If I anticipate a collision with a short bowl, I can move that release point six inches either to the left or the right but keep this new aim line parallel to the old one. My bowl should pass that blocker six inches to the left or right according to my adjustment. Geometry predicts the final resting position of my bowl will only be changed by six inches, much less than my normal bowling error.

 If there is a collision it is my misjudgment, but I am in charge of my own fate. At the same time I have complied with a directive and maintained team discipline.

Note that the technique of ‘using the mat’ is much more flexible since the foot fault rule was changed in the Crystal Mark Third Edition. Now, because only a portion of a foot needs to be on the mat or over the mat, there is much more room to maneuver.