When do You Need to Change the Distance of the Jack in Lawn Bowls?

The simplest tactical rule is: change things when you are losing and keep things the same when you are winning. Most game players judge winning or losing by the score, but I think this is simplistic and leads to poorer as often as to better tactical decisions. If we look at any run of three or four consecutive ends in a lawn bowling match, luck as much as anything else may determine the difference in points scored because you do not score anything unless you have the shot bowl. Perhaps a more revealing indication of whether you are bowling better or worse than an opponent is what proportion of the best four bowls in each end of the series are yours! Even if the opponents score shot, if for example you have the second, third, and fourth shots you are doing very well and with any reasonable luck will eventually outscore your opponents.
Shifting to the opposite perspective, just because you have had the shot in each of three consecutive ends, the opposition could have had eight of the twelve closest bowls in those ends. If so, you are being out-bowled and ought to change tactics. I would not want to bet on you  winning the match if things continue as they are going in this situation. As things stand when your luck changes’ those opponents are going to have some multi-point ends. It is good tactics to try to improve your chances now by changing some combination of mat placement and jack length, trying to disrupt your opponents’ good bowling consistency before it leads to a scoring spree.   

When is a Lead’s Bowl Short?

There is a maxim addressed to leads at lawn bowls that says, “When you are down shot, don’t be short.” Other sources instruct leads more simply; just don’t bowl short at all. When the opposition has shot very close to the jack, it makes sense not to blockade your teammates’ path to removing it.

But what actually constitutes a short bowl?  Is a bowl one foot immediately in front of the jack short? How about two feet or three feet directly in front? Where does short start? Does it depend on how wide of the jack that bowl is?  It seems to me that a resting bowl should not be a problem if it is close enough to the jack that it can be easily promoted. In that case, wouldn’t 'short' depend upon the surface, because that would control how much a stationary bowl could be rolled up?

If the offending ‘short’ bowl is a meter or more to one side or the other of the jack, I can see that it is a problem, no matter what distance in front of the jack, but in this situation it is not so much the problem of an opponent potentially wicking off it (my side can use the same opportunity), it is simply that, if the jack gets moved backwards during the subsequent play, that bowl will become increasingly irrelevant to the count.

Why not bowl ‘around the clock’ on fast synthetic surfaces?

I often play as lead on a team with a more experienced player, who because of a slight physical handicap, prefers to bowl on the forehand. He is right handed. I am left handed. Although I do not have a preference respecting hands, would it be advantageous for him if I also bowled ‘around the clock’ on my forehand? This would tend, perhaps, to keep his forehand side of the rink less cluttered.

What exactly is the rationale for the rule against bowling ‘around the clock’? Some coaching sources say that it gives a better control of length; but length changes each end as the jack and mat positions change. Some sources say it is so the speed of the green doesn’t vary as much or the path length from mat to jack remains more constant.  The former reason would really apply more to slow natural grass surfaces and not hardly at all to homogeneous synthetic ones. The latter reason would only apply when a standard length is being bowled end after end. I can understand the prescription not to change hands during a particular end but cannot understand why a change between ends should be a problem.  

The Benefits of the Skip Delivering a Block Shot

Because the better bowlers deliver their bowls later in an end and because the jack is often moved during the end, the bowls of the early players are less frequently involved in the count. The junior members of a team are keenly aware when their bowls are involved and particularly when one of their bowls is shot. In a social game, when the skip goes to bowl and his inexperienced lead's bowl is shot , I think consideration should be given to trying to protect that shot rather than adding to the score. Nothing is more disheartening to a beginning player than to have his own skip err and displace ‘his’ shot bowl with the side’s last bowl. Perhaps if the skip  bowls so as not to disturb a winning position, s(he) should consider playing a block to protect, or at least make more challenging, the opposing skip’s attempt to displace that shot, disrupt the head, or blank the end. This action like no other would inspire and motivate a novice teammate.

Delivering a Short Block Shot

Lawn bowling tyros, like myself, get to be skip in occasional club or practice games. When holding shot and with the second last bowl to play, I am anxious not to disrupt the head and lose our advantage. In such a situation I am thinking a block shot seems appropriate. It will not disrupt the head. It will leave us with shot and, if the block is well placed, it will reduce the options for the opposing skip’s last bowl.

The most effective position to place a block shot is 14 meters in front of the mat. Fourteen meters is the minimum distance that a bowl must move to be a legal bowl. A block  is more effective the closer it is to the mat because it appears larger to the opposing bowler and possible routes to the jack cannot accommodate much variation in the initial part of the path.

I have found that the best block shot is delivered from a crouch position with the leg which ordinarily steps forward already a small step in front of the foot on the mat. The bowl is held with the arm hanging  vertical. With no backswing and no stepping, the bowl is pushed along the aiming line. The delivery  should be inside out. If one is trying to interfere with a draw or run-through shot, the aim line should be one-half a division (a quarter of a lane) off-center towards the opposite side from where you want the bowl positioned. If one anticipates a drive, the line should be the normal one to give a centrally positioned bowl.  

Using this method the bowl went 14-18 meters from the mat on a fast artificial surface. There is no weight transfer and no elevation of the bowl to provide energy. Only the arm muscle provides impetus and then only briefly. It is for this reason that the bowl is very short.

A blocking bowl is most effective on a slow surface because there is less flexibility with the delivery angle. On a slow green, however, you will need a different technique to send a bowl 14-18 meters. 

Local Cultural Aspects of Lawn Bowling

As a novice first-year bowler with aspirations, I notice how regular club players bowl and still have some knowledge of the practices of champion bowlers. My club has many novice bowlers and a solid contingent of rather experienced substantially older bowlers.

There is a big difference between common practices and best practices. In an entire summer of social and tournament bowling on only a handful of occasions have I seen a skip call for the lead to move the mat from a standard position 6 feet from the rear ditch. Also, there is a stormy, dark, silent displeasure displayed towards anyone who drives to break up a head or blank an end. In fact, in the province of Ontario in Canada where I bowl, there is a regional rule that a team can only blank one end. There is a one-shot penalty for every repeat. If you blank an end on a hot day, the reaction is not silent. Finally, foot faulting is ignored even at the club tournament level. When I mentioned chronic foot faulting to my skip I was cautioned that it would be poor form to even mention it.

Strategy & Tactics in Lawn Bowls

Strategy

What is the difference between strategy and tactics? Are there such things in lawn bowling?

In Webster’s Encyclopedic Dictionary of the English Language the entry for strategy reads:

1. Generalship; the science or art of combining and employing the means of war in planning and directing large military movements and operations. 

2. The use or an instance of using this science or art 

3. Skillful use of a stratagem

4. A plan, method, or series of maneuvers or stratagems for   obtaining a specific goal or result

Are tactic different then? Are there tactics in lawn bowling?  Tactic can also be defined again in a military context that can be applied to any contest:

1. A plan, scheme, or trick for surprising or deceiving the enemy. 

2. Any artifice, ruse, or trick devised or used to attain a goal or achieve an advantage over an adversary. 

The word stratagem is used in the definitions. It in turn, therefore, needs to be defined:

1. A plan, scheme, or trick for surprising or deceiving the enemy.

2. Any artifice, ruse, or trick devised or used to attain a goal or achieve an advantage over an adversary. 

Thus we can see that stratagem at least pertains to misinforming or hiding useful information from the opponents. It is practiced by the chief planner, who in the case of lawn bowls, is the skip. Strategy refers to overall principles of operation that are characterized in that they can be established by your side before the contest or 'battle' begins.

Deciding who will be lead etc. is a matter of strategy. The decision to start off choosing shorter or longer ends can be initiated as a strategic decision. A decision to move the mat position regularly when the opportunity arises can be made before play begins and can be part of a strategy. A standard decision to ask the opponents, in the first end, to bowl first if the toss is won can be made before the start of the game and is thus strategic. A decision to take an inordinate but not illegal time preparing to bowl in order to upset the opposition can be a strategic decision made before the game even begins. A decision to throw long jacks because one of the opponents is more frail than your team members is a general plan that can be made at the outset. The edict: change tactics when losing, is a strategy. It can be decided in advance and has a general character. Thus, strategy does exist in lawn bowling.

Tactics

Once we have clear definitions, the role of tactics in lawn bowling is much more obvious than that of strategy. Note a key difference between tactics and strategy. A strategy consists of general principles of action that can be established in advance of the contest. One does not have to have any particular strategy or it can be as simple as, “Let’s go out there and do our best.” Tactics, unlike strategy, cannot be decided in advance. It depends upon the situation and is affected not just by the fate of one’s own bowls by the opponent’s shots and their maneuvering. Tactics are decided during the contest and change according to the situation. Lawn bowling is luck, skill, and tactics with the latter two increasing in importance as we improve. The skip requests team members to attempt particular shots based on the situation in the head, the score, and the ‘end’ being played (beginning, middle or end of the match).

Choosing between forehand and backhand; choosing to draw to the jack or to a different target; choosing to block, to drive, to mildly disrupt the head; these are all tactical choices made in the heat of the contest, just before the shot is taken.

How important are tactical choices? There is no end to discussions of what tactical choice has more merit in a particular situation. To me, it seems the best shot the skip can request is the one that has the highest proportion of beneficial outcomes along with the fewest disastrous ones, taking into account all the likely outcomes and their probabilities and based on a knowledge of the particular bowler’s abilities. That is- when a skip has gone to the effort to assemble a team, the skip, who is the team’s tactician, needs to take into account the bowlers’ competencies to an even greater extent than the particular arrangement at the head or score in the game. If all a tyro bowler has been taught is to draw, it makes no sense to ask for anything else, no matter how strongly the game situation on the rink might call for a more sophisticated shot. This of course is not applicable to pick-up games with the teams chosen by the draw-master. In this situation skips cannot be expected, except in the most general way, to know and take into account the level of skills of teammates.

In most instances, except at the highest levels, there is more luck than skill in any individual shot outcome. The better team wins not because of a particular, single, properly-executed shot, but because, taking into account all its shots in a match, luck averages out and that small integrated difference in skill then tips the outcome. 

I think this insight leads to a sound strategic principle. In club level competitions or in any game against players you feel you should defeat, even when seriously behind in the score, you should not try shots beyond your ability in an effort to come back. Rather, play steadily and let statistics work for you even as the end of the match approaches. A big recovery end is more likely to be the result of your opponents’ mistakes than your own miraculous shots. Steady play, right to the end, is the best chance to win. 

The team holding shot has the following options it can attempt: 

1. Adding another shot

2. Blocking an opponent’s preferred approach to the head

3. Placing a back bowl in anticipation of rearward movement  of the jack

4. Dislodging one or more of an opponent’s shot saving      bowls.

5. Nudging the jack into a less exposed position

Drawing to add another shot is the simplest choice and usually has good prospects. A second shot provides insurance in case the opponents move the shot bowl; however, it may have little value in a close jack high position or if it creates a cluster of shots presenting a large, easy target particularly with a short jack.

The nuisance effect of short bowls is common. The blocking of a bowler’s preferred approach into the head has more psychological effect than real consequence. In a physical sense, a block only tempts an opponent to adjust aiming line or delivery speed, or both, or to switch hands. The psychological impact is greatest on the new bowler even though the chance of the new bowler hitting the block is even smaller than for a skilled person. The opponent can easily miss his stare point by taking a quick glance at the blocking bowl. Psychologically, a defensive and highly visible block astride the delivery line tends to make opponents apprehensive. They tend to become distracted from good preparation for their delivery.

It would be interesting to test in practice how often a block is hit when multiple bowls are delivered. Unless the opposing bowl would be promoted to count if it were hit a blocking bowl can actually be disregarded. Blocks tend to be more effective on slow or medium-paced greens. On these slower greens, delivery angles are narrower and vary less with delivery speeds, so that the bowl paths are, or at least seem, narrower. Blocks are effective only when an opponent has few options. Teams holding shot should normally cover strength with receiving bowls beyond the jack before adopting blocking tactics. Remember, the positioning of blocks has less margin for error than positioning of back bowls. Skips should use their most accurate draw shot bowlers for positioning them.

When holding one or more shots, skips should continually assess the likelihood of attacking play by opponents. Competent opponents could attack at an early stage in the development of the head. The more shots a team holds, the greater the likelihood of attacking play by opponents. The holding team should try to neutralize the benefit to opponents of disturbing the jack. Consider the merit of having the best back bowl, which commands not only the ditch, but often several square meters of the rink next to it. If opponents have bowls at the back of the head, a good defensive tactic is to match them. The more bowls that opponents have at the back of the head, the greater the likelihood they will attack.

A good back bowl is never more than 6 feet behind the present position of the jack unless the game has (a) re-spot position(s).

The team not holding shot has the following options that it could attempt:

1.    Drawing for shot or to save

2.    Wresting bowls out of the count

3.    Moving the jack to save or score

4.    Killing the end

5.    Setting up the head for a conversion shot

Like their opponents, the team not holding shot can also use gentle wicks, rests, and run through shots in the process of drawing for shot or to save. If the jack is in the ditch and a team is one shot down, it should favor drawing for shot. If the bowl runs into the ditch, the position is no worse. If the team is several shots down, it should favor drawing to save. A team saves nothing if the bowl runs to the ditch.

The team not holding shot can also play firmer attacking bowls. However, if not holding shot, they should at least have bowls in the head that restrict the opponents scoring margin. The trail shot is a common way of moving the jack. The attacking bowl forces the jack away from opposing bowls and follows a similar path before coming to rest. Faster versions of the shot can follow or trail the jack into the ditch.

Making Tactical Decisions

The skip makes the tactical decisions. In a social game the skip does not have a refined understanding of the capabilities of his team members. Decisions can be made more on the basis of the state of the head and the score in the game. In social games the bowler himself probably has a better idea of what can be realistically expected. The skip may just suggest what may work but qualify it with, “Do what you feel comfortable with.”

Teams should evaluate their opportunities using the SWOT procedure (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats).

What is our shot advantage at the moment? What are the strengths of the bowlers who are to follow?

What is our present deficiency of shots? What are the identified weaknesses of each team?

What opportunities or potential rewards does the head offer?

What are the threats or risks entailed with each option?

Attacking play is not always a sound option of a team that is down one or two shots. Loss of an occasional end by a shot or two should not cost a team the game. Misfortunes during attacking play can make matters worse. If a team has only one shot saving bowl in the head, displacement of that bowl could increase the shot count disadvantage. If opponents have numerous receiving bowls behind the jack, disturbance of the jack may give an even larger count of shots. However, if they are deficient in bowls behind, a team could exploit that oversight.

Skips should carefully evaluate risks. The possibility of loss of an end by only a shot or two does not necessarily warrant risk-taking. When well-positioned to win a game, the team should consider leaving risk-taking to the opposition.

An isolated jack or bowl presents a narrow target. The wider a target, the greater the chance of successful attacking shots. The nearer the target, the wider is its relative size, therefore attacking shots are more successful in shorter ends.

Choosing the Bias of Lawn Bowls based on your Bowling Activity

At my home lawn bowling club in Canada there is a trend for new bowlers to use narrower, less-biased bowls. These bowls are thinner through than older bowls; they turn less; and have a more gradual curl rather than a hockey stick hook when they slow down.

My home club, James Gardens in Toronto , has only a single green. It is a compressed sand-packed synthetic plastic material about 10 years old. The club  has no natural grass green. Our surface is regarded as the fastest in Canada and most comparable to the grass in much of Australia. I most often bowl at James Gardens because it is within a three-minute drive or a 15-minute walk from my condo apartment. My coach encouraged me to try different bowls borrowed from the club at first but I didn’t make much use of the opportunity. I have large enough hands to easily encircle a number 4 bowl: thumb tip to thumb tip and index finger to index finger as introductory books advise. I took the heaviest bowl I could easily handle because I didn’t want my bowls to be knocked about by the opposition more than could be avoided. Actually (as I found out later) the weight of bowls doesn't contribute as much to keeping them from being moved as whether the bowl is tipped over or not.

Because my home green is so fast one must take a lot of grass. I found that when I used more biased bowls my aim-point on the front ditch would be on another rink. Consequently, when the green was busy, as in a tournament, people walking about or changing ends distracted me or blocked my aim-point. Also, with more biased bowls there is more risk of a collision with bowls on an adjacent rink during simultaneous deliveries and although such an occurrence is rare, close calls are more frequent and can upset one's concentration. For these reasons, I chose narrow-biased bowls, Taylor Vector VS, in my case.

 My coach also offered the justification that, since I would be a novice for the next four years and would play lead in competitions, there would be not much need to go around anything on my way to the jack. In any case, I am a left-handed bowler and it seems that I will be less likely to be blocked by short bowls thrown right-handed since the release points are likely to differ. The lead bowler in a team has relatively unimpeded draw shots towards the jack. The average number of bowls that are present at this point in the end is 4, with fewer at the beginning of the end and more at the finish. Bowls that finish behind the jack do not block later shots. Bowls that end up shorter than the jack can block access only to a meager extent when there are still few of them. Because they are narrower in profile and tend to stand up on edge more often they do block less but narrow bowls standing on edge present less of a target to hit. 

Nevertheless, I must say, wider bias bowls give more of a thrill. It can never be mundane to see that bigger curl coming into the head! My coach incidentally warned me that when I started playing matches on slower surfaces, some opponents would consider that I was somehow cheating because of the reduced bias.

Because I have decided to play regularly in tournaments I have subsequently also joined a club that has two grass greens as well as a different type of synthetic surface. I found it necessary to have unrestricted access for practice on a slower, grass surface. These are still the most common greens in Canada. I typically needed only one-half the ‘grass’ that was necessary at James Gardens LBC. 

So far I haven’t had any opponent complain about the narrowness of my bowls but I guess that only happens when you win!