More Comprehensive Lawn Bowls Signals Can Produce Better Game Results

Most novices know no more about signals than those indicating which hand to bowl on. This is because the single objective for beginner leads is to place at least one bowl close to the jack, and preferably it should become the shot bowl. Leads are actually only rarely asked to change hands, and niggling to obtain shot is frowned upon. (Niggling is trying to knock away the other lead’s bowls.) They should leave the takeout for the more experienced team members. When the opposing lead has clearly delivered a bowl that will almost certainly be shot, your skip is most likely to ask you to place receiving bowls or ‘catchers’. Your bowls should not be short, where they will obstruct your team’s effort to change the head. The saying is “when down be up.”

All team members should be able to read a variety of signs from the skip. Before stepping onto the mat, each person about to bowl should stand behind the mat and look down at the skip to receive signalled messages. The bowler can also signal questions for the skip, such as, “Are we up or down?” “Which hand do you recommend?”

Stop

At first, your skip will need to start every communication with this signal. Otherwise, the person on the mat may deliver a bowl before information is exchanged. The skip places both hands in front of his/her chest, palms facing towards the boiler on the mat. Like a traffic cop, the message is STOP.

Catcher Bowls

A proposal for a signal to place receiving bowls and make a sustained effort not to be short could be cupped hands. The hand on which the bowl should be grassed can also be indicated, or the lead can signal to be advised about the best side to bowl. Usually, the skip will not ask for a change in hand when asking for a catcher bowl.

Put the Bowl in this Spot

Sometimes the skip will want to signal that a bowl should be delivered to a particular spot. The skip may be worried that the jack could be knocked in among a group of opposing bowls. This can be signalled by pointing the index finger towards the ground at the desired spot and rotating in an inward spiral motion.

Put another Bowl in the Head

This signal must be delivered without fanfare. Unlike other signals, the object is to hide from the opponents what is being signalled. If the skip is concerned that a big count against is possible, if one of his team’s bowls is knocked out, the call will be for another close bowl in the head. The signal is to place the index finger on the side of the head as if scratching. The bowler should aim to draw to the jack, but not close to that single potential counter. In particular, the bowler should be especially cautious not to drive out that important bowl himself!

Cover the Back

A lead is unlikely to need to receive this instruction, but if the opposing lead delivers two or three bowls that are all good receiving bowls, a skip might call for these to be ‘covered’ by placing a bowl in their midst to prevent the opposition from trailing the jack into the cluster. The signal for a covering bowl could be both hands cupped over the head like a hat. Most often, covering will be required by the vice. Another form of cover asks for what is termed the ‘backest bowl’. This is the bowl closest to the ditch that is still in play. If the respot rule is in effect, the cover may be indicating a respotting location. The signal has a special meaning when playing under conditions where there are no dead ends and the jack is respotted. Covering in this situation requires bowling to one of the re-spotting locations in anticipation of an on-shot or drive to break up the head.

Jack or Bowl

When a bowl is jack high and there are 6 inches or less between the bowl and the jack, the pair presents a most enticing target. A skip may want to go after this target early, before the opponents can nudge either the jack or the bowl into a more protected orientation. The skip would signal jack or bowl, meaning that a controlled weight shot should be directed at the head, where hitting either the jack or the close sitting bowl would produce a great result. A possible signal for this would be for the skip to stand up close and directly behind the pair with both hands pointing down and with both palms away from the mat and alternately raise and lower each hand in turn while maintaining the palms open, hidden from the mat.

Run-On through X Meters

Signalling this tactic is very frequently encountered by players who are vice skips. What is being requested is that the bowler should deliver a shot that will pass through the head and continue on for several meters after making contact. The skip points with his index finger at the side of his head and then indicates, by raising some fingers, how much more weight should be placed on the bowl. A run through can also be called from the lead or second if one of the team’s bowls can be promoted onto the jack. If the bowl misses, it becomes a good catcher for future tries.
 

Drive or Up-Shot

Disrupting the head with sufficient force that the end is often killed or the jack respotted is the most frequent purpose of the drive shot. The drive is almost always played by the skip. Very occasionally, when the vice is a better driver, a skip may call for a drive from him or her. When a drive is called for, it is important that the opponents also know what is coming because the bowls on nearby rinks need to be protected, and there can be a danger of the jack flying through the air. When a signal is needed, it can be the person at the head holding an imaginary bowl with a straight arm above the head as high as he can reach. Everyone in the head must recognize that a runner is coming. Since most drives are delivered by the skip, signalling is rarely needed, but the signal is used as a warning. The skip makes this decision.

Block

When a novice is playing skip, there will be many occasions when he has the second last bowl still to deliver, but the best course is not to go near the head but take one’s chance that the opponent cannot convert it to their advantage with their single remaining bowl. In this situation, the novice skip may be called on to place a block shot to challenge the last bowler even more severely. This can be done by placing a short bowl that would interfere with either a drive or a run-through shot that could disrupt the head, whichever is most likely. A signal calling for a block shot could be tracing a square figure in the air with the index fingers of both hands used simultaneously.

A block will be most effective if one hand and the center drive are completely blocked by rather short bowls that cannot be promoted. Then, a very short blocker at about 14 meters in the path of the remaining draw shot would be most effective. It should be delivered inside out to keep it off the neighbouring rinks.

Do Not

Sometimes the skip wants to signal what (s)he does not want the bowler to do. The signal is forearms crossed in an X in front of the face. This signal, for best effect, should be preceded by the ‘stop’ signal because otherwise the partner on the mat may not give it the attention required.

STOP

The stop signal is sent by the skip waving two arms to get attention and then extending both arms horizontally in front, fingers together and palms facing the mat as if his/her hands were a traffic stop sign. The very important signal then follows once attention has been gained.

I would love….

Skip places hands one on top of the other over his/her heart. What follows this signal conveys what the skip wants the bowler to try. For example. I would love… followed by the sign for a blocker. Then followed by the signal Bowl to here. 

Bowl to here

This signal is used by the skip to ask the bowler to place his bowl as close as possible to a particular spot that is different from trying to bowl to the jack.. This signal is used for placing a blocker, placing a catching bowl, or bowling to a ‘false jack’. The skip hangs his bowling towel down over the spot (s)he wants the bowl to stop.

Chop & Lie on this Bowl

Sometimes your side would like to move an opposing bowl and take its position. This is called chop & Lie. The particular opposing bowl is the target and a little extra weight is needed. The skip can point close over the target and then make a repetitive sharp chopping motion with both hands.

If you regularly play with the same teammates, use these ortogether devise your own signals for what your team most often wants to communicate. 

Delivering a Useful Back Bowl is at least Five Times Easier than a Useful Blocker

Recently I wrote a Greenbowler blog article on the subject of making block shots easier. Afterward, in some practice sessions applying this advice, wherein I assessed whether these attempts actually provided the protection sought, I discovered that only a small percentage of the blocking bowls I tried delivering were effective.

On the other hand, putting in strategically placed back bowls was at least five times easier than bowling a successful block shot.

Covering the respotting position ( on the center line two meters out from the forward ditch )seemed to be the action of choice if the opposition otherwise would have the closest bowl there.

In addition, I found an unexpected advantage in delivering any back bowls that were aimed to finish midway between the centre line and one of the boundaries. When delivering these, I sometimes found that the draw needed to reach these locations was quite different from what I would have guessed. This information would prove useful in playing to displaced jacks later in a match!

Block Shots Made Easier

Delivering an effective block shot is one of the most difficult skills in playing lawn bowls. One reason: the target is not a real visible object. One is trying to place a bowl onto an opponent’s bowling path which is an approximate and imaginary curve. There are two ways to make delivering a block shot a bit easier.

Skip/Vice Stand at the Target Location

The Laws of the Sport of Bowls do state that placing an object onto the green to guide a bowler’s delivery is not allowed (Section 34) but this does not mean that the person directing the head cannot stand anywhere he/she wants on the rink (Section 12.1.3). It is only required that once the bowl has been released that person must immediately withdraw to a position behind the head. Therefore, the Greenbowler recommends that the person directing play should first visualize the path that the expected opposition bowl is likely to take when it attacks the head and then stand, with heels together and toes apart as pictured above, at the exact spot the block is needed, as a target for the bowler at the mat. Then, when the bowl is released the person directing the play should immediately and directly move back behind the head. In this way delivering a block shot becomes no more difficult than drawing to a displaced jack because the target spot has been made visible!

Place Your Blocker to One or the Other of Just Two Lengths

A blocking shot can be effective at any position along the opponent’s bowling arc from mat to head; however, the shot is easier to deliver if it is delivered with a weight that is as reproducible as possible. Furthermore, a blocking shot is more obtrusive the closer it is to the mat, but to still be a live bowl, a bowl must travel a minimum of 14 meters “from the center of the mat line” ( Section 17.1.3 ).

The Greenbowler recommends that the first distance that should be attempted is just a bit over 14 meters. This distance is reproducibly achieved on many Canadian rinks by taking a stance with the feet positioned as they would be after stepping in a normal draw shot and then pushing the bowl firmly forward but with no backswing. That is to say with neither any stepping forward nor elevation of the bowl to accelerate it. The only momentum delivered to the bowl will be the arm push. With only that one element contributing to the velocity, consistency is easier and the required length can be achieved.

The second distance the Greenbowler recommends for a blocking shot is 21 meters, which is the distance to the hog line in Canada. In other countries, the hog line may be at 23 meters and then that should be the target distance.

The person directing the head should stand, heels together and toes apart as illustrated, at the spot where the imagined path of the opponent’s bowl and the hog line intersect. The bowler on the mat should visualize a path (usually choosing the inside-out path) from the mat to where the person directing the head is standing and then bowl with the same weight as for a jack at the minimum distance. Once the bowl is released the person directing the head must promptly move back behind the head.

Who and When

It is the skip or the person directing the head who must decide, first, that a block shot should be played, and second which delivery, forehand or backhand, draw, running shot, or drive the block shot should be attempting to thwart. A block shot should not be considered unless it is pretty clear what the opponent is likely to do. 

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.