In Lawn Bowls we hear instructors or skips saying "Take your line" of Delivery and do a "Good delivery". Because the various bowls manufacturers over the years having created differ "Bias Width"; the student or athletic began his Lawn Bowls introduction and learning to perform a good Deliivery with no two players on the Lawn Bowl Green having similar Bowls. Each will therefore takes some sort of reference as to their "Line" direction and do their best delivery.
Below, is this weeks Viewer Stats. Probably increased because Australia one of the most active Lawn Bowls Countries are again entering Spring and the new 2023-2024 Season.
Defination of these two terms.
Delivery Line - The direction of delivery which is used as an "point of aim" to send the Lawn Bowl to the Jack allowing for the unique characteristic of the Bowl's Bias. Advance level Bowlers usually base this line on their Mental Image of their Bowl's Bias and the placement of their feet on the mat.
Bowl's Line of Delivery - A visual track of the Bowl as it rolls from the Bowler's hand up the green toward the Jack. Easlier seen in Morning dew or on unused greens and used as a tool of Analysis in Post-Mat Routine.
This short blog will confront a confusing learning problem of new Lawn Bowlers where the instructor in showing the newbie how to roll a bowl and how to find his "Line of Delivery" before his performance; The Instructor often in good intentions suggest that the student use the out-of-bound marker or some other location on the "Back Ditch" as the direction that they aim their bowl. I have seen instructors suggest the student try to roll his bowl across a chalk mark on the green or on the protective screens (which have been used a lot here in Canada since CoVid) as their direction of Delivery.
Problem that occurs is eventually that serious student sees the "track of his bowl which he just delivered" or the "Bowl Delivery Line" in front of him and decides to use this line as he begans to learn to roll a bowl. Then the student finally began to use this "Line of Delivery" to create a "Delivery Line". Think about it. These are two different Lines because one is the direction to send your bowl and the other is the result of your grip, your movement and finally your step and delivery. Certainly different .
This is not bad if it is a point of reference but what happens is that this "Bowl Track" or "Bowl Delivery Line" sometimes become the "Delivery Line. I explain to the student that this "Bowl Track" on the green is very valueable in his analysis of his performance because after the bowler has done one good delivery to the "Jack"; the bowler can compare the line of his just delivered bowl to the good "Bowl Delivery Line" which goes right to the Jack; and analysis his delivery with the "Good Delivery" which he see as the "Bowl Delivery Line".
As I began coaching teams or 2nd and 3rd year bowlers, the need to know their progress in "finding their Line"as it could becomes a serious problem. After a year or two of Bowling the newbie now, with bad habits in "Line and Delivery"; will find it is hard to correct or change their method. I often teach them what is in this blog and let them decide how they use it. If they change their habit of finding a "Line of Delivery" or if they use the "Bowl Delivery Line" as part of their Delivery "Post Mat" analysis; it is their choice.
First, what is the best or proper method of having a "Delivery Line". After a year or two of bowl rolls, the serious athletic will eventually develop a mental image of their bowl's bias (a mark easily seen on the green) and use this mental image to see their "Line of Delivery". This Bowl roll mark or track on the green is sometime called "the Bowl Roll Line" or "Bowl Delivery Line" and is best not mention as it is more confusing for the newbie. If they asked "Why not use that mark as Line ?" I suggest that they be told that later they will learn that in a delivery there is "Pre-Mat routine" the "Delivery Routine" and a "Post-Mat Routine" and this line is used in the "Post-Mat Routine" to analysis and improve their delivery.
Also what is confusing to the newbie, is the habit of the instructors or the skip during a game; while standing in the head and trying to give the "Bowler on the Mat" his line with his foot or waving a towel. Remember there are Lawn Bowl Rules which exist which suggest that the "Bowler on the Mat" should not be distracted by conversation or other things. Wanting to allow them to do their best "Delivery". Especially the distraction of a skip yelling from the head or waving a towel.
In the end, each individual bowler develops a natural ability to roll their bowl on "their delivery line" and go to the mat and with the position of feet on the mat being in the direction of their "Delivery Line" they perform a good Delivery which with success does an accurate draw to the jack or expected bowl location in the "Head".
Myself a "Left-handed Bowler", I have long ago abandon the suggestion of the skip in the head giving "Line"and use his suggestion as his expectation of where he (she) would like to have my bowl finish. Last tournment I did, I had a skip always giving his "Forehand" line and I have played a 3 game tournment of 14 ends to later discover that the skip did not know the difference betweeen a "Left Handed Bowler's Line" and his own line. Today, my style (which was developed many, many years ago) is to stand with my foot pointing at the jack and then placing the other foot in a balance position (and at an angle to the center line) on the mat. An observator will notice that my "right foot" points to the jack on a "Left-handed Forehand" Delivery and my "left foot" points toward the jack on a "Left-handed Backhand". Ofcourse, my right foot is always the "Step forward" as my "Left side Delivery" movement does my "Pendium swing Delivery". I seldom look up at the head during delivery as this method creates the stance on the mat and the "Delivery Line" and my concern is to do a Perfect Roll.
On a early morning lawn bowl green with the collection of dew we can see clearly the line made by or bowl as it rolls up the green. This visuable mark or path of the bowl in the morning dew is the bowl's "Delivery Line". Most instructors will not mention this line to the new "Lawn Bowls" student because their bowl will only "always" have this same "Delivery Line" after years of actual Deliveries which have been the same. For the Newbie, each student's delivery will have something different or wrong and therefore give their bowl's roll a different Line or Weight. With practice the Bowl delivery is the same.
And, of course it would be very easy for the student to attempt to roll his bowl over the "Lawn Bowl's Delivery Line", which will only be always the save after many years of practice and perfect Delivery. Also useless, is to use this line when there is no longer an early morning dew or there are 30 or 40 different similar lines going from the mat up the green toward the jack. Remember, no two bowls have the same bias or no two bowlers have the same delivery movement; certainly don't follow another bowler's Bias to the jack.. it wouldn't happen even if you both have the same manufacter bowls types.
An instructor of advance Lawn Bowlers will instruct his student on using this "Delivery Line" during the "Post Mat" Routine. (A mat routine consists of three parts, Pre-Mat, Delivery, and Post-Mat) As the bowl rolls from our delivery onto the green we can see this first contact with the green and compare it with our previous delivery prior to that delivery. In the Post-Mat Routine you are beginning to collect information about your delivery, the roll of your bowl, the effect of various elements on your bowl and it final resting place near the jack or in the head.
Too many "Lawn Bowler" students only see the final position of the bowl in the head as their result of their delivey and began to analyis the WHY of their bowl and the errors of their "Delivery". This is too late as it is an analysis without data. Your only data, at this late point, is the location of the bowl to the jack and does not contain any other information from your delivery. By using this "Bowl Delivery Line you can collect data between the release of the bowl from your hand until it has stopped in the head.
As the bowl leaves your hand and touches the green (or protective screen used with newbies) you have a lot of feelings from your delivery. Your balance ? Do you feel well balanced or fighting to control your forward movement of the delivery? Your delivery feeling are still there this early after delivery. Did the bowl roll of your hand smoothly?. Your weight. Did you feel your weight or gather your "Delivery Weight" feeling. (Discussed in another Blog). All of these feelings are available as your bowl rolls from your hand. And your visual image of that bowl's relationship to your privious "Bowl Delivery Line".
As you see the relationship of the new "Delivery Line" and you collect your feelings of your delivery; you can actually decide what to expect of the bowl when it stops in the head. Of course, you are still watching the bowl as it rolls to the head and analysis it's movement caused by the green or your delivery. (If your grip was not correct, you may see a wobble or cante on your bowl) As you bowl stops in the head and you step back from the mat; all your data should be fresh in you mind. Think about how you felt as you saw the bowl drop from your hand, this memory is clear. The ability to remember and store data will be a major part of your development as a great Bowler. Today, I can still see various bowls delivered many years ago and even from last night's game. This data is your Post-Mat data use it to improve your next delivery as you stand waiting for the opponent to roll their bowl and your turn.
Sometimes, this data will be used during discussions with your team coach or during a learning session you will recall your feelings at the mat or your view of your bowl's roll. Using a "Post-Mat" Routine in preparation for your next delivery, your concern should only be what improvements you feel you need or your satification (on doing something right) because when you come back to the mat and get your instructions from your skip for your next delivery; you have already prepared for your delivery. (before going to the mat) (I instruct my students to first "take possision of the Mat" and then step off the mat as they receive instructions from the skip and decide what delivery will be used and what corrections)
As a coach of competition bowlers I have often told student trying to find the new "Line" of a moved jack; to mentally see th delivery line of their bowl and imagine the of bowl-roll- line to this new position of the jack. See the mental image of your bowl's bias in all its part, even the "finish" right to the new Jack. Then by looking backward to the mat you will see your "Delivery Line".
Beginners often use a point of reference beyond the head or a mark on the green directly in front of them to learn their line-of-delivery but eventually they will see their mental Bowl's Bias. Good Bowls
