In 2026, my blogs on Lawn bowl will be in three groups, New Members (NMem), Advance Members (AMem) and General Information (Info) and will allow readers to choose topics according to their experience. Sometimes, when a reader is moving ahead on a topic for which they are not prepared in experience only confuses them. The second part of this blog will be (AMem) for Advance players and it is suggested that new lawn bowler with a few years experience do not chase to understand this information until your practices or play experience is four or five years.
A major problems in developing club member as quality athletics for a competition level performance; is that beyond the "New Member" coaching in their first year, very few club members get any secondary coaching. This type of extra coaching, must be more than answer to questions but introduce the advance member (2nd year, 3rd etc) to improvements in their delivery, their performance, and bring their game to a different levels.
Today's Blog. "Jack Distance" suggests the need to know method to evaluate the distance of the jack. My first general answer when talking about "Muscle Memory" is often a comment of "Children do very well to throw a baseball without knowing the distance it has to be thrown and achieve the proper distance".
It is true that their "Muscle Memory" develops faster than older individuals who come to a new sport later in life after having experienced several other sports. Actually, such a reply from a coach is often to avoid the question, especially with several new players in the coaching class. The answer actually inserts a "Buzz Word" with the intention of preventing explaining in details what is "Muscle Memory". Although, beyond the intended level of the course being given; the club coach will probably explain that "Muscle Memory" is one's ability to practice and prefect the delivery to the point that it becomes instinctive.
"Muscle Memory" is doing the same actions over and over until the action is being done without thought. Breathing is Muscle Memory as is the quick foot to the brake to stop the car when a child or animal runs out in front of it. In the first year's learning of a lawn bowl's delivery, the coach and their student are concentrating on how to instruct different muscles to do the correct actions which are usually new.
Over time, with practice and game play the student will have developed their own style of delivery which becomes their own "Muscle Memory" introduction. In these first years, the student's thinking, as they learn and develop their Bowl delivery, is to be continually checking that certain muscles are doing as instructed. We are always aware that other muscles are attempting to do actions which may have previously developed in another sports. These old muscle actions will always be interfering with your Delivery until the new movements become the quick and correct method of performing the delivery.
No there is not only one type of "Delivery" but the one new students are taught touch on all the necessary area of performance. Later when a proper delivery has been developed, the student then might make a few changes or fine adjustment. The unique aspect of Lawn Bowls which separates it and the delivery performance of other similar sports where a "Ball Rolls to a Target" is the extreme distance of the target (or jack) from the player. Other sports like Bocci, Petanque, and Curling, all have closer distances of play and their delivery is often to a target which is at a fixed distances or very small different in the acceptable distance. Lawn Bowls closest to farthest distance is 10 meters or over 30 feet.
In Curling the "house" or target, to which the "Stones" are delivered, is always the same distance and the "Release Line" and the center of the house is the same as a Lawn Bowl's legal short Jack distance. (I believe a distance of 21 meters)
In Curling, "Muscle Memory" develops quickly, where in Lawn Bowls, unless the jack is always placed at the same distance; the new 1st year student is always modifying their delivery weight for a different distance. So muscle development of a Lawn Bowler's delivery is seen as always working to repeat the same muscle movements and because of the changing distances also doing modifications to that performance for a new and different distance.
Also, beside the different distance with each new end of play or practice, a player is forced to change direction as they return back up the green from where they came. This new "Jack Distance" which may require modifications to the delivery may now have new problems of the environment like wind or difficult in judging the distance. (A large tree behind the green or club house will force the player to feel as if the jack is closer.
Since game play requires that the "Lead's first bowl be rolled after their preparation and decisions; with every bowl be as well played as possible. When the coach shows the new club member how to play their bowl to that distance; they are taught a preparation which may be called the "Mat Routine" and includes all the right movements and checking for the common mistakes. Wrong Bias, Balance, or even how to increace "Delivery Weight" for this new distance.
In Petanque, the french "bowls" game; the "Cochon" or target (an opponents ball) is between 6 meters and 10 meters. (Rules also allow for it to be up to 20 meters if during the game the "Cochon" has been moved when a ball had been played).
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| Petanque Take-out |
This short distance of 4 meters different distance for a legal start of play as the "cochon" is thrown at the start; is a lot easlier than the 30 meters of Lawn Bowls's legal distance.
And where the Lawn Bowl is rolled your bowl up the green, in the Petanque game often the players are permitted to throw their metal ball of 3" or more at the opponents balls in what is called a "Takeout" shot. To roll to the target or throw for a "Takeout" the distance is likewise important in Petanque as in Lawn bowls' Delivery.
Also in order of play, if the team does not have the closest ball to the "cochon", then they play again until their ball is the closest or they have no more balls. This screen capture of a youtube video shows a mental "Distance Viewing" development of the athlete who is passing instructions to the subconscious mind prior to the "Muscle Memory. Later, this video showing this mental distance evaluation exercise can be seen by World class athletes of Lawn Bowls. A skill developed after many years to instruct the mind of the actual distance to the jack.
In Lawn Bowls a bowl which touches the Jack is marked as a "Toucher" so it can be counted later even if it has gone into the Ditch and would normally be out of play. In Bocci, the Italian similar game, all the balls are marked as well as the target "Pallino" (Jack). Bocci has a bit longer distance then Petanque but no where as far on the short and longest distance as Lawn Bowls. Most important is that international games of Bocci is more of a "Call Shot" sport. Similar to Petanque, the Bocci player rolls or throws their balls but if in the attempt of doing a "take-out" shot, if it is missed then "Boccis" and "Pallino" (Balls and Jack which were marked) which were probably displaced by the failed shot, are replaced to their pre-shot positions.
Of course, where in other throwing sports (horseshoes, Darts, etc) and the distance to the target is also fixed, the player's ability to do a good performance or having developed a "Muscle Memory" of precision is much easlier then in Lawn Bowls. Muscle Memory in Lawn Bowls is always being modified for each new "Jack Distance" between the short (21 meter) jack and the longest possible "Legal" Distance of a full rink length of 33 meters (to the edge of the Back Ditch.
"Muscle Memory" is a performance perfection developed for what we refer to as a "Natural Distance". With all the same movements and effort of a "Delivery Routine", a players can expect all their bowls (three or four) will arrive at the same distance. A Natural Distance for those Delivery perfected actions. A new "Jack Distance" may have or need "Add-on" actions for that extra (or less) distance. Actions such as a longer step or a increase in Delivery weight.
These differences are important to understand because a Lawn Bowls athletic who can draws to within inches of the "Jack", which may be at any distance, up to 31 meters; must be always making many fine adjustments to their bowl's "Delivery Routine" Then depending upon the quality of the green or the affect of the envirorment on the game; the experienced athletic must not only roll to a long jack distance but also adjust to the changing conditions of play. Rain, sunshines and even wind will only increase the game's difficulty by changing the speed at which your bowl will roll up the green to the jack.
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| Blind Distance Markers |
A social games skip will usually tell new bowlers their distance to the jack. However, unless the coach has been using the same distance for the first few lessons of the new club member; the learning to roll the bowl is being learned for consistance delivery performance and not distance. Later, the coach will teach different distances of the Jack to a new lawn Bowler as they now develop more delivery weight for a different jack distance.
Since in a game the jack distance may only be indicate once by the skip as he centers the jack, all players should be listening or watching this indicated distance given to the "Lead" player's first bowl. (or maybe distance signal or action).
As explained by the coach, after Delivery line and Delivery Weight has been learned, there a periiod of preparation before going to the Mat for your delivery. This "Pre-Mat" routine is where most players make decisions on how they will play their bowl when they go to the mat to do their "Delivery Routine". All the various checks on possible errors and proper delivery movements which were explained by the coach up to this point is now placed in this routine. Some athletes seem to not have a Pre-Mat Routine as they step to the mat and do a perfect delivery. However, the delivery is a performance and the Pre-Mat time and routine is the decision and pre-performance actions. When the athlete steps to the mat and then following the instruction of their skip by doing the best delivery they can perform they are in a period of "Muscle Memory" performance.
This routine is one of three parts of a "Delivery Cycle". First a "Pre-Mat", then a "Delivery", and finally a "Post-Mat" as you leave the mat and evaluate your just finished delivery. It is after the delivered bowl has stop that the Post-Mat Routine begins an analysis of the performance, an analysis of any errors, and whether in the calculation of the Jack's distance or the evaluation of the playing surface or conditions there were mistakes.
The Pre-Mat Routine is where decisions on the modification to a delivery for the next bowl occurs, whether a new distance is now to be prepared, before your turn to go to the mat and roll your next bowl. Without the Post-Mat analysis and Pre-Mat preparation, we find new players going to the mat and just doing a Delivery.
Between the Post-Mat analysis and Pre-Mat preparation there should be a period of "Focus" and even "Relaxation". A lawn bowls game is long and unless you forget the previous bad delivery and go to the mat with a clear mind set you will make all the same mistakes again.
The "Lead" player and their first bowl to a just "centered" jack is difference than the delivery actions and changes for the following bowls. The "Lead" has an advantage here on the "Jack Roll" and the "First Bowl Roll" in that it has been said "if a Lead rolls their First bowl within the 15 seconds after the jack was rolled, the mind has a feeling for the Jack distance and they will draw their bowl directly to the jack". A skip, knowing this principle will not waste the time of the Lead with a lot of instructions but allow the Lead to roll their bowl as they wish.
However, with the "Next Bowl" of the Lead, and following decisions of the Pre-Mat about delivery corrections and improvements learned from the last bowl delivery, or even a "Do the same" Pre-Mat decision; the lead should be ready to do a perfect "Delivery Routine".
The exception is when there is a request from the team Skip for a different delivery as he build his game strategy. If this happens and there is a request for a changed delivery listen and understand the new instructions and then step of the mat and redo the "Pre-Mat" routine and verifications before returning and doing the requested delivery.
**It is critical in knowing the actual "Jack Distance" when coming to the mat, because we can make adjustment to our delivery weight with this more precise distance, which is the goal. To place our bowl on the "Jack" and this extra information will help "Muscle Memory" do that.
Problem which exist is that if a player is busy thinking of a precise distance during their delivery, like say "25 meters": these words are seen as a conscious mind thought which expects it to be an actual instruction for changing the muscle's performance rather than letting the "Muscle Memory" delivery happen. With practice an athlete can learn to communicate this important information to the subconscious without causing it to see the thought as an instruction to muscle performance.
For this reason, such thoughts during the performance of the delivery destroys "Muscle Memory" if it has been properly developed. Also, when the learning bowler's progress is delayed because the "Muscle Memory" is not allowed to perform the instinctive delivery; it can take a lot of hard work to re-establish the "Muscle Memory" performance.
One must remember that a subconscious or instinctive performance is performed without the interruption by the conscious mind which always wants to give and control instructions to the muscles. We have to train our "Muscle Memory" to use the data collected before coming to the mat for our instinctive delivery and just quickly think of the change before returning to the "Void" of performance. Yes, the subconscious or instinctive action of delivery will use that suggested information, and with practice not be interrupted when it has been give it.
But to suggest the distance during the actual performance of the delivery, is like someone talking to a typist when they are busy working. The interruption, if too long. will stops the actual work from being continued. If quickly suggested and the following thought is toward the delivery results as a "Focus" it will allow "Muscle Memory" returned to it instinctive delivery.
The interruption of "Muscle Memory" by that thought of a distance during the instinctive performance is like the typist hearing an instruction and saying "so what do you want me to do". The Muscle Memory performance which is the boss of this delivery action must be allowed to perform the delivery.
The second part of this blog will attempt to suggest how to introduce this thought, a distance, quickly during your "Muscle Memory" delivery and let it be passed quickly to the subconscious mind. A good example is breaking the car an instinctive action but with the sight of a ball and not a child running into the street; the drive modifies his braking reaction by not seeing the ball as a danger to life. You have a "Muscle Memory Delivery" which is a routine of actions and after that quick thought it will continues to execute the delivery because the image. or thought was so quick it was like a sound you simple ignore.
Each of your delivery, the first bowl included, should have an expected result as we first establish the distance to the jack and then define what changes you will need to make to your delivery so it will improve your performance for that distance.
The stats (above) of the blog show some similar blogs which might be helpful to thoughts from this blog. Things like "Line of Delivery" and the right Bowl's bias and other Pre-mat actions, are useless if you have been guessing at the distance or feeling that distance
. Lawn bowls student must makes some changes to their delivery for that new jack distance. And I always found that they are thinking on the Delivery Line or (not and) the Delivery Weight. Hard to control and learn both . Best advice is to do one or the other in Practice and apply them as needed when in game play and on the mat..
But, here is the problem. If you are thinking, during your delivery, a number of meters or a distance, which is a conscious thought and you know it will causes the instinctive delivery to be interrupted, then immediately follow it with a "Filler" thought. A thought of a cloud you have just seen, is so meaningless image that does not introduce or suggests a muscle performance instruction.
The reason I explained the other sports above is because the second part of this blog is to help "Advance Members" and then when I explain the problem with "Muscle Memory" interruptions; we will see how depending upon the length of your "Delivery Routine" how hard it is to not interrupt that delivery. Information for the more advance athletes on Jack Distance and Delivery Performance.
What it does do is suggest something but still allows the subconscious (Muscle Memory) to continue it's performance. In time, and with practice, the subconscious will always go and get that image because it has, over time, included it into the other actions of the "Muscle Memory" delivery.
So, in these practice sessions intended to interrupt the Muscle Memory, you do your image (or word if Vocal) and then allow the Muscle Memory to happen. The subconscious will learn through practice, to use that information without you ever thinking about the distance again; because it has always been developed as a part of all the actions. A delivery routine of interrupted "Muscle Memory" is developed during these practice sessions in such a way that the modified delivery routine is reference just prior to active "Muscle Memory" delivery.
In the second part of the Blog, intended for the Advance Players who want their "Muscle Memory" action to collect the Jack distance information; the biggest suggestion is to just do your delivery with a small (microsecond) thought of distance. Not a number or a word just a memory of your calculation from before going to the mat.
If in reading Part 2 it seems complex, just realize that in time and practice that instinctive delivery will happen. You will know when your delivery is at your level of development and to re-visit Part 2 will help make other changes to your delivery without interrupt to the "Muscle Memory".
With hours of practice of inserting a microsecond memory into the delivery performance ("Muscle Memory) the advancing competitive bowler will know that "Feeling" of distance is confidence that Muscle Memory know the distance.
Have tagged as Advance athletic (AMem) that second part of these two blogs because for the athletic with a developed "Muscle Memory" the next step of performance is the most difficult. After long hours of practices to develop the actions of "Muscle Memory", the advance athlete must be able to enter the "void of Thought" needed for the subconscious to perform.
I know that my blog readers who are new to Lawn Bowls and have been seeking several small changes or correction to their Instinctive delivery (Muscle Memory); but to enter this "void of thought" and remain long enough (without conscious thought) also will require practice. (a mental practice) At first the student develop their "Muscle Memory" feels the return from the "void of thought" which is so very short. I expect the new lawn bowls student will find it hard to understand this danger of interrupting your "Muscle Memory" by returning from the "void" too quickly.
In the "shorter distance to target" games like Petanque or Curling the performance is almost immediately followed by seeing the results of your delivery. And all these four games, Lawn Bowls, Bocce, Curling and Petanque have about the same length of time for the delivery. Yes in Bocci the running forward before the delivery is an action but the "Muscle Memory" is the Delivery Performance og which the action is almost the same as Lawn Bowls
The opposite is true for Curling where the Delivery Action of the stone is immediate then the slide to the Release line while waiting for the final movement. The Curling Delivery is almost the same "Muscle Memory" then the player is in what might be call "Finishing Up the Delivery"é But in each delivery (of the 4 sports), the success of "Muscle Memory" depends upon the ability to remain in the "Void" long enough to complete the complete action. In Lawn Bowls, the last part of delivery, the release, has no change on performance if weight and line are correct. While in Petanque the want to see the result of the performance actually forces the athlete to come out of the "Void of Thought" too early.
However, in Petanque with the throwing takeout release any small movement as the athlete comes out of his "void of thought" of his "Muscle Memory" can create a complete miss. The same with curling with the final "Delivery Curl movement" or the Bocci Release after the running delivery.
The difference in Concentration and being in Focus are often confused. Focus is like the focus of a camera for a clear picture and refers to a fine adjustment to better perform. Focus on a small spot or work your mind set (relax or breathing or balance). Concentration is the self-relax peace of mind needed. But it is not the "Void" but knowing the void is important and doing a concentration to accept it is the story.
A complete absence of thought is hard to develop put happens because you are so occupied (concentrating) on your performance or "Muscle Memory". For the duration of the complete delivery cycle you should be in the subconscious mind control. For this raison many Petanque (Curling and Bocci) players work to remain in the "Void" until their release is completed or otherwise see a negative result. The lawn bowler waits for his result as his bowl rolls and being finished of his "void" has no influence over the final result of delivery.
In a youtube video above of the Petanque player doing his takeout, the tell or his toe movement, is showing his thoughts of seeing (or feeling) the distance. This same exercise of pushing the void with a concentration on the vision of the expected shot is a way to extend the length of the void.
In these three sports, the athlete's mind is expecting to see the result immediately and therefore comes out of the "Void" to soon. On the other hand, the long delay between the end of delivery and the final stopping of the Bowl; actually seperates the delivery from the result viewing. In the athletic developing, through practice, a longer "duration of the void", the viewing repeatively of the vision; prevent doing anything in the last microseconds of delivery which influences the finish of the delivery of "takeout" shot.
The newer Lawn Bowler student should read the 2nd part with out expecting it applies to them but as an insight of what the final performance mental development will be after several years... Leave it when finished and return later as experience shows you that you need that advice. Enjoy the blogs and appreciate your club coach who can not always explain these things as they will only confuse your development at the earlier learning stages of development.
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