Post Novice Course 1/5 Coaching

Session one - Day one Gathering of participants and Description of the Course.

 Because over the years my experience in several Lawn Bowls' Clubs; I believe there are many clubs throughout the world that are much like those we have here in Eastern Canada, New members come to learn the sport and because of lack of qualified (Certified) coaches we all use volunteer coaches to teach bowls to these new members. And with club volunteers  also being paid members and wanting to participate, these new members are quickly abandon to learn the rest by them self.

These Novices, or New Members,  receive a few courses  2 or 3 hours teaching before being pushed into club games; and during the remaining of their first year, if  they are lucky, they may find their instructors watching and suggesting mistakes they are making. With limit time, the volunteer instructor is busy in end of Bowls season competition and too occupied with the new members. 

Come the e 2nd or 3rd year  these members as novice are now being guided by comments from the club members who as  experience players believe they are helping them. How long would you remain as a paying club member with this experience where the suggestion  of improvement come from people whom have their own opinion on how to bowl. The Novice is doing the best they can but without a Post-Novice Cource they will continue learning wrong advice. When 20 years ago we were educated as coachs, we were told that teaching was not how to do it but the information of why to do it that way. Many clubs loses thes members.

as the Mat stays always in the same place

First, we, the coaches or volunteer instructors should realize that what the new club member gets in basic instructions is usually limited by the want of their instructor to get them on the green as quick as possible. 

Often The older club members and executives (green keeper) are more concern with mistakes which damage the greens than mistakes the Novice will carry for the next three or four years. If we believe that the new member has join the club to play bowls we should also conclude they want to learn enough to be satifity with their abilities. We as club exectives or coaches also should want to see them coming back every year and become a contributing member of the club..

. However, like a toddler learning to walk, the new member is allowed to fall (fail in their attempts) as club coaches and volunteer instructors believe it is by making mistakes we learn.  So we see the toddler of two years walking with their security blanket and maybe even in their mouth the Pacifier, and our new member is also with is security item (a point of aim on the bank) and his Pacifier (guessing at the jack distance).

In looking for the proper spelling of "Pacifier" I hit upon the dictionary description of "Purificatory"  which is really what this course attempts to do. Purificatory is defined as " A Purificatory practices remove bad thoughts and feelings from someone so they become pure (= morally good)".

 Hopefully these few sessions will remove incorrect information and feelings (of failure or success) which prevent a Novice from advancing beyond the "Basic How to Bowl" ideas and begin developing their own "Pure (good) Delivery". 

The idea of a delivery being an exercise in "find the right line and weight for the jack distance" is a false pacifier (keeping the new member quite for a while). The Introductory course when dealing with their physical performance like delivery; should have introduce the new idea of "Get your body position on the mat right and do a delivery with proper weight for the jack distance .  In this way, thinking only of one thing and your security blanket will be replaced by what all athletes know as "Muscle Memory" (explained in Session 2) and a sport psychologic term called "Self-Talk" (explained in Session 3).

After which the Post-Novice course moves into the third  and final session of how the equipment and Lawn Bowl rules influence their delivery performance. You, the Novice or the instructor, will begin to see the purificatiory ideas will build a performance which is smooth and with body balance. Ideas like "if our body position is correct on the mat. no matter how much delivery weight we use our bowl will come back to "Center Line".

 If not then something other than a mistake occured which made the bowl perform like it did. Maybe it was an envirormental condition. w equipment, or even mental like tired that caused the change. You will learn what the writing and symbols on your bowls mean as it indicates your bowls's bias, size and weight. However, every manufacturer mades a different type of bowl but all bowls perform the same way. The bowl goes straight until it's speed slows to a point where it's weight and bias cause it to swing to the jack. You will learn about wind, rain, sunshine, or even the conditions of grass cuts, only a few of many other influence on your bowl.

This knowledge is more to remove from the new bowler (novice), the idea that did something  wrong and  they must now make a  change. ( your line, your weight, your balance, your attitude). The photo right show the five bowls made by the manufacturer " AERO", but each bowl has three types of Bias, four or five largeness and three (sometime) weights- In a similar nature there are such a Bias Chart for each of the 5 major Bowlmanufacturers..  You will over time and practice know what happen when your bowl does not perform as you though and this course is to give you facts on how to know or analysis such errors and make necessary adjustments in performance or equipment..

 Somethings like "Walking the mat" or "Changing your bowl Bias" are individual skills which you decide to use or not. There are many tricks all athletes use at certain times and some are very complex and take year to develop and other is just knowing the real facts. Last month, I heard a athlete who had done several Canadian national Competition tell a visitor "The bowl has a weight on one side which makes it fall and curve inward" (very false).

The fifth and last session will answers and show how the game can be very interesting in strategy, mental development, and psychological skills. Your confidence and ability to "Focus"; must be build upon having that knowledge to analysis and apply changes during the right time. Changes will lead to the success you want to achieve whether in that delivery, in that game or over the next year. No development is quick as like the practice you have done, so many skills worth perfecting take time to be developed them from knowing what to do and actually doing it corectly. The ideas will be given and you will often think back or research how you progress to the point you wish your bowl career to go. Club champion or Provincial or even international.  Myself, to day when I see a great bowler I just can wait to match play them to see what are their weakness and if I give them a good game or even outperform them. We learn everytime we play someone better than us. 

This introduction of the course should finish with a Question and Answer time where the instructor question what the particpant want to obtain from the course and the Novice reflecting on the difficult they have and how the five session will help them progress in a path to what they expect from Lawn Bowls.

Because the Post-Novice Course should be a part of every club's support to new Members; it should be given evey second or third year. For this reason the course should be open to all club members who are involved in helping new members so when this years course instructor is not available they have an understand of the contents. No two instructors will give the same information but the important fact is that there is advance information being given after the "New Member Introduction " course.

What and Why a Post Novice Course

 I open my desktop computer to do a blog on why Lawn Bowls Clubs should do Post-Novice Courses and the beautiful Screen photo of my Login was Purcell Mounrains.

I know my country but never saw that view of Canada so I looked up it location. Just west of Lethbridge Alberta. I had visited Lethbridge when my sister-in-law lived there and surely saw the montains but not from the view of that photo.. Why, this subject??. That is whom I am, "Learn something new and do a bit of research to better understand it.". Each person is unique in their character and likewise has their own raison for joining the club and trying Lawn Bowls.

The Post-Novice Course must promote the unique raison why the new member of a year or two ago joined the club and  if done properly the instructor will find that the new member ends up becoming a long time club member and eventually an executive or president. Yes this Post-Novice is to help the new member make correction to their physcial performance or knowledge. It will also supply the club executive knowledge of new member's satification. If their decision and expectation were not as they thought; very likely they will not register next year.

. Maybe social structure. or maybe their interest in our sport  was like me wtth the photo(above), they just want to know "What is Lawn Bowls". Just talked with a Novice this evening and her work is extremely detailed so she joined Lawn bowls because; she said about her satification of her game, "I think of nothing when I am lawn bowling, it is so relaxing".

The first lesson of the course is always to define and layout the material to be taught or discussed and it is important to not think every new member wants to be the next Canadian Lawn Bowls champion. The Post-Novice course is to complete the teaching of the sport but each person has a different level of interest in the prefection of the game. The Post-Novice course should be a place to ask questions and learn about the sport, the club, the work of lawn bowls organization and the people whom are old club members and may have even been a Canadian Team members. If a new member finds their expectations of the sport or activities at the club were what they expected then  they will return each year; if "NOT", we have lost them to another club or another sport next spring.

Course layout - After the welcome and greeting those present, the instructor can explain the international structure of coachs and world wide Lawn Bowls organizations. The course should explain what was just written (above). A summary statement of the Course objective might be "It is hoped that after the 5 weeks of a session ever Tuesday afternoon, you have  received suggestion on where you can improve and develop in your Lawn Bowls abilities. Maybe this year maybe over the next few years. And if  you had a different expectation, maybe your suggestions will help us make our club more of the  interest to members that it should be. It should be a place you come to relax and meet friends and your  level of Lawn bowls abilities can be developed to what you wanted."

 For this reason the Post Novice course should not be a fee course but a "Question and Answer" course where members and club both learn what is needed to improve the sport and the club. Some novice will only want to improve their abilities to the point of playing club games, others, who may  have a winter sport of a similar nature, may wants the similar and common logic and strategy of both sports. But the instructor should make it clear that no one is expected to want to become an world class champion or an elite player. Each has their own expectation of the club and the executives. But we will always find in the new member, those who develop their love of the sport and eventually become more caught up in their performance. It is the members who build and save the future of the club and it is the new members who has to define to the club where to grow."

Why a Post Novice course - The Club coach normally, who is teaching new members is doing an introduction to the game and although attempting to not introduce mistakes into their performance; there will always be disappointment and dissatification by new members to learn fast enough. These evaluation of the club can only lead to the new member not returning the following year. It is the time to listen and act. Yes, maybe slowly but they must have hope in the club.

 But there is always a problem at all sport clubs where new members do not return the following year. It is to capture and hold as many as possible while they are with us. Maybe, some older members have to accept a place for these new members. All clubs have a problem with having enough coaches or them having the with time needed to teaching and still look to the needs of Novices. A lot of clubs don't do Post-Novice courses. That is why I think this blog is important to define what should be offered to Novice who after a few years of practice and games, still wants to improve their performance. As we welcome change we also guild a future for the club. Every year, like in many sport clubs we see after the members have gone so also goes the club..

Bowl given to a scotish player (in photo)
 was found in P.E.I. (with his great-grand son)

In the March 2013 blog on the Diary of the "1906 British Tour of Canada"  which was re-published by me in August 2024; the players and their families who came to Canada in the summer of 1906, visited a  Lawn Bowls Club in Valleyfield Que. (just outside of Montreal); But today this club does not exist. The following Diary extract from the Archive.org  gives a description of that Lawn Bowls club they visited; a club that was build for the  Valleyfield Cotton Co  employees  ( extract Page 89 of the Diary) 

"The clubhouse contains a library, six billiard tables, and a skating rink, in addition to the bowling green. The Britishers were not only very well pleased, but somewhat astonished at its commodious and well- furnished appearance."

Yes, This club is gone. Build for the 3000 employees of a small cotton mill town (Valleyfield) in a town of maybe only 10,000 residence (1906) at the companies expense.  So many great clubs like this are of the past and even today Lawn Bowls all over the world fight to stay strong and not be added to the long list of Clubs which have been lost. 

Many the long time members of lost clubs, like myself, are still doing competition at a new and different club. My old club in New Brunswick (Photo right), I believe was destroyed to build a 2nd skating/ Hockey rink when membership dropped below 20 members. Our club and green was just across the street from the Riverview arena. 

We get those new members and if we don't work to keep them their departure means the lost of our club too. Yes some members who only want a Lawn Bowls service and we hear them say " I pay to play and that is all I want to do"; are still important to the future of the sport and our present clubs.

Course Layout - A five session course of 2 to 3 hours with a week seperation to allow the participants to practice and try what was taught. Nothing is going to be perfected in the month and half course but it says to the Novices that we are interested in their opinion and progress. The course is more than a "Do it this way" course but if instructor shows a sincere interest most likely the participants will be back the following year. If the club has a Level 3  Coach, teaching techniques and correction for those wanting to begin competitions; even better.

 Also the instructeur should know that their role is not to perfect the coaching of the first year coaching but also to accept some new members will never go father than draw bowling at the club or interclub games.  There are members for the fun and if one day a Level 3 Coach give a detail course on competition play and these members show that they are not interested; all is good.

Day 1 - Introduction to the 5 basic sessions.  To expand on the Beginning Course and maybe help correct some errors which were not addressed. The beginning course was to teach enough to get the new member into playing and having fun.This first session should mention a lot of unknown facts which draw the interest of the Novice. What is Walking the mat, What is tricks to put on extra weight. What was that competiton that was played last summer between several countries. More a evening of "What did you always wanted to know but did not know it could be taugth. We don't know what we don"t know so we don' t ask.

Day2 3, and Day 4-with each day, will be covering in detail one of the three basic knowledges of  which has an influences on the Lawn Bowl Performance. First Day is the Novice's  Performance and Variables like Getting Weight, or Line when the jack has just been moved. Various tricks like "Finger Line", a seldom seen tricks which help recover fast and save a wasted bowl of gussing. All little tricks learned or seen over the years which will help a Novice improve their Physical Performance, 

   Day 2 (being developed) is on the Conditions of play like Rain and Wind and even how to know if the green speed has changed. A blog on a Montreal Lawn Bowl Club showed that in early spring the green speed had changed three times in only four ends because of the end of day temperature change. ( Photo below or See how once can measure changing green speed in blog My Tina Meter on Changing Green speeds)   the effect on the game from the equipment like your bowls, the greens conditions, the conditions of play and even the rules.

Lawn Bowl Club on Waterfront

This year World Bowls is introducing three 3 jack positions and 3 Mat positions for the Commonwealth Games in 2028;  how it will change bowls at a club level.  Or what difference does changing your bowls make with bias, bowls size, bowl weight to a Performance..

 And Day 3 -  Questions and knowledgeable answers. Like "I was told, that I should take a mark on the green for my line because the back board is far away" or "Should I change bowls because the Bias does not do for me what I want?"  I wss surprise to hear a fellow competition player who had been at the Canadian Nationals several times tell a visitor that the "Bowls have a weight inside which make them fall to one side"

All the 5 days should have been structure with 10 minutes instruction, 10 minute practice or correction of a fault and 10 minute rest and discussion. (all new players shold be taught that too long a practice in to good and destroys what could have been learned The fifth day should be a Look at the future and example of what quality coaching (level 3 and Level 4 (Competition Coach) even sport psychology and problems like fears or stress or selftalk. Not to teach it but to let the particants know that level of development is there in the future if they decide to become the next club Top Player..

 The firth session which is a summary and  some correvtion of material missed in the other four days; it should be structure for.Question like "What is the best bowl for a lead" or "What strategy is used in Singles ?" should have instructive videos to teach how some of the greats play or answer those questionsé The instructor must understand that each course participant is not going to go to the same level of development. Some will learn about the problem but not make any change, other will attempt to make corrections but will always be asking advice and other participants will make a plan and decide certain traits of their performance will be what they work on for improvement.

Muscle Memory Correction 2/3 (AMem)

Under development May 12, 2026 will be finished soon

Thank you for your patience

The first part of this three part blog explained what is "Muscle Memory" in a sport performance with a warning of different meanings. In some sports, like curling, new students are explained how to develop "Muscle Memory" while in others like Lawn Bowls the athlete learn about it themself. Eventually all athletes reach the personal development of where their physical and psychological development are the next steps.

Once we have developed an instinctive performance (Muscle Memory) our future  progress  is to make changes without allowing the conscious mind to interrupt our instinctive performance. Here I will attempt to show how we can build step by step changes to our "Muscle Memory Performance" by allowing with practice the subconscious mind to correct the errors which often occur because of changes in our condition of play or our body's tiredness or laziness. 

 Yes, the experience of having things go wrong can be a teacher but first  we must understand why certain set-back in our performance progress occur and teach our subconscious mind how to correct them. In a blog about petanque, where I was assisting an international elite prepare for a World competition I show him that the subconscious mind was able to see his performance with the precision of millimeters at his distance of 7.5 meters ( almost 25 feet) and afterward indicate a result because of that precision. And if you think of how small a muscle tension of the eyes is when we judge speed of a on-coming car over 50 meters away by the eye muscle's tension (re-focus on the car's movement): you can understand how detail we can development instinctive performance by just thinking of them during our delivery procedures.  Yes, there is mental skills which require practice the same as a physical skill but by knowing our direction of progress we will advance faster and give us more satification in our progress.

The first part also gave a couple of examples of changes which were required and how "Tags" were used to communicate to the "Muscle Memory" so as not to interrupt the subconscious mind's instinctive performance. The sport of Petanque was used because there we find the biggest problem of a "Muscle Memory" interruption. The athlete actually performs a missed take-out shot because the  short duration of time between his performance and seeing his result success or failure very often prevents their "Muscle Memory" from finishing because they think of seeing their success. The instruction for the eyes to see the shot actually creates a  incompleted performance. 

The basic principle of using the Muscle Memory "Tags" (memory thoughts) is to make a change or improvement rather than do hours after hours of physical practice which would be required from performance experience. This method will  develop a communication of your intention of expected change to the subconscious mind who will practice will automaticly make that change. 

If I was watching a Youtube video and something was said which I wanted to type into my blog; I would not be able to complete remember the sentence before I finished typing it. Because I am visual and if my Muscle Memory is "touch typing" my vocal memory of what I had heard is lost because I am visual in my natural processing abilities. My daughter is vocal or audio in her nature and if she is doing something with need of concentration she must have earplugs with music or her instinctive performance is interrupted. So some people are visual and other audio and the choice of a "Tag" must reflect that nature else it will create an interruption.  

So "Visual Tag" or "Auditory Tag" are needed to use. A coach in suggesting a "Tag" as a remainder to muscle memory, must first define the type of memory nature of that individual. As there are two type of individuals: "Visual Aware" individuals and  "Auditory Aware" individual. Myself, if I am building a "Tag" it must be visual if mental. However, any "Tag" which is physical and does not interfer with the muscles of the performance will work well with out creating a "Muscle Memory" interruption. 

 In seeing a memory of a previous lawn bowl rolling up the green in our "Mind's Eye, which is a visual image we are remembering as it happen when I was playing at that distance, I can compare it with the jack distance and maybe even change it for another memory. This is used just prior to the start of "Muscle Memory" to communicate to my subconscious mind information like the actual Jack distance. 

Now don't read this and not look at the two videos (below) for the first couple of minutes because if you don't watch and see what is common in these two videos (petanque and Lawn Bowls) you will not understand what "Muscle Memory'' can do. Remember, the mind is working by its self when "Muscle Memory" is doing it instinctive performance. In both these videos have the athlete is  communicating to the subconscious the distance to the target. Below the Youtube Petanque video of Mark  Watch the video of Petanque (Mark Wildeboer) below after the lawn bowls   Youtube video of the 2016  World Bowls Pairs Gold Medal Championship Game  where New Zealand lead, Angela Boyd who seems to do far too many arm swings before her delivery of the bowl up the green. Because the announcer does not know what is happening as Angela perfect her Delivery Style by "Telling the Muscle Memory the distance to the Jack" We hear the game announcer say "

 ILikewise in the Petanque  "Takeout" practice  the Youtube  video we see "Mark Wildeboer Petanque Shooting" )  with that toe-tapping "Tag" of communication to his "Muscle Memory" as to the "target ball" distance. Now that you have looked at both video's beginning what to you see that is common. "The toe Tapping" which is a "Tag" of repeated actions until the distance is known by the individual's mind.  Like you feel the void of "Muscle Memory" so also you feel the correct distance and know to do you performance.

Actually what both Angela and Mark are doing is seeing their bowl roll up the green or in Mark's case, his ball flying toward the target. In their remembering the mental image and memory of the shot; they are both giving the "Muscle Memory a measure of the distance. Mark is seeing his ball fly to the target and Angela is looking a one memory image and as she watches it, realize it is not the correct image for the jack distance and changing it for an memory image of a bowl rolling to a farther jack.  In both cases when they feel, or see the proper distance they allow the Muscle Memory to begin it's performance.

In Petanque there is such a short distance to the target that the time elapse between the "Finish of "Muscle Memory", (his ball throw release) and the ball's striking  the target ball; (2nd screen shot); that Mark needs to allow his muscle memory to finish it Performance. The problem with many Petanque players  is that if they think about "the result of their shot", then the conscious mind see it as a request to look at the target and "Looking" means taking control of the "Muscle Memory Performance" before it has finished.  

 In wanting to see the result of the take-out shot Mark must not see the action but hear the balls hitting. (Easy for a audive individual) and Angela has to see her bowl roll all the way to the jack. (Easy for a Visual individual) For Mark, the thought of wanting to see if he is successful will interrupted his "Muscle Memory Performance" caused the athlete to  miss the shot. The opposite is so with Angela who if her concentration is off and she hears a sound distraction she will not have the distance. In both the tag is a "Toe Tapping" but where Marc probably has to do his shot after a set number of projection, (my self it is 4) Angela must do her projections until she is confidence of her distance is right.

 Angela is doing a memory viewing and is likewise showing the distance but she has 15 seconds before her bowl arrives in the head and she see the result. (15 seconds because of the slow wet green speed).  If Mark is not listening for that sound, which means his  subconscious mind has preformed his instinctive shot. Mark will probably feel the "Muscle Memory" Void and hear the sound of his performance's success.

We  see that Mark is an "Auditory individual" and use for his takeout performance a "Tag" as a auditory thought, or the sound of the petanque balls's making contact. We saw that Angela had to maintain concentration so sound did not destroy her "Muscle Memory  and that Mark in doing a  Petanque take=out must not allow a lack of patience to seek out the image of the successful shot if he wants to keep his auditive "Tag". This impatience is a major part of Petanque athletes failure at shots. 

A "Tag" was introduced (the toe tapping) to allow the Muscle Memory to finish it "Muscle Memory Performance". The "Muscle Memory" Lawn Bowl athlete must h collect a thought or memory action (as an image) where they are viewing the memory of a previous performance. The raison for the  toe-tapping is still there is that it was a "Tag"  and it has now stayed a a control In thinking or physicially doing the toe-tapping, the Muscle Memory is not yet started. The same with Petanque, (Mark will be counting his toe taps) and when he has reached his count he will release his Takeout shot. (For me the count is 4 projection of distance.) while Angela likewise is thinking of her toe- Tapping until she has visualize is to her satification and then allows Muscle Memory to complete the performance. 

These actions in the two videos are called "Tells" like the Poker player sees "Tells" in his fellow player; and are an indication of their thought. A very common tell in both sports is "Body Language" Tells. If the individual (any sport) is psychologic down his body is also clearly "down" with his head low and their body bend forward. Time for a coach's sign of "Get it together" as they execute the "Muscle Memory" to completion. 

In Curling I am told the coach tells students it takes about 300 hours of practice for Muscle Memory to be developed. A few year of play. The same applies to Mental Exercise or practice of "Muscle Memory" Correction or Changes. Above I have show with the two videos the final result an athlete could expect of this Muscle Memory Mental change practice. It is by continually doing the mental change that it becomes a fixed Muscle Memory action; but like a physical practice it is not overnight or a single season that  such perfection is developed. 

Muscle Memory Correction 1/3 (AMem)

 With "AI" as part of most internet browsers today, any information can be requested and a reasonable explanation supplied to the viewer. However, as we have seen with "AI" there is a need to be careful and research the supplied answer to any search. This is an example of such missed or confusing information supplied by that search and  the AI collection information supplied..

  Asked "What is Muscle Memory in Sport Performance ?" and the following google AI reply was given as 

"Muscle Memory" is defined as "the ability to automatically execute complex movements after repeated practice (motor learning) and the capacity (of the brain) to rapidly regain lost muscle strength and mass after a period of inactivity (physiological memory).

However, there are two parts to this supplied reply and we are concerned only with the first part of the answer. ("the ability to automatically execute complex movements after repeated practice (motor learning). As a Sport athlete of a "Precision Performance" sport, our concern with "Muscle Memory" is a concern with "Memory". To our sport,  the important factor of what is called "Muscle Memory" is maybe understanding how we develop and use physical stored performances.

The second part of the AI reply refers more to Body building or weight lifting activities where muscle cells which have been developed can be easily rebuild as muscle mass, (physiological memory) after a period of not being continually worked. The Journal of Physiology" explains thist muscle memory as the "‘Effects of training, detraining, and retraining on strength, hypertrophy, and myonuclear number in human skeletal muscle’. In simple words these muscle's cellular neurons allow the muscle to recreate the previous strength of a previous training (weight lifting) of recreate a previous muscle mass (body building). Yes, in sport performance, it is good to know that after a winter of no performance or practices, that our muscles will regain their  previous strength. We are more concern with the return of our "Precision Performance" memory of how to re-use those detail abilities. 

The above diagram is from "Science for Sports" and their website offers a very detail explanation of Muscle Memory. However, as Closed sport athletes we are concern with the instinctive performance of our deliveries, whether a Bowl's Roll, a Tennis swing or a Soccer player's unique goal kicking precision.  A Closed sport is where we are closed to the actions of other players during our performance. As a Lawn Bowler on the mat doing a within inches draw to the jack or the Goal Kicking performance of a Soccer athlete; we see "Muscle Memory" as our "Gold Standard". However, remember that although Soccer is an "Open Sport" during which most of the team performance are where each players adapts and avoids the opponent players; as the ball is moved up the field. However to each skilled team player his performance is a "Closed Sport" requiring his unique skills and performance abilities. 

AI Deep Dive

The screen capture (right) show how we must walk softly on new information offered by the internet. Also as we are building our performance from  practice sessions of your sport: so also over time information on "Muscle Memory" performance and adjustments are slowly developed and will reach the required point eventually.

 The photo right is the same question asked of Google of which the "AI"  found over 6,200 results and of course this detail information is really too very detail for our needs. But if you are interested in a "Deep Dive" you can become buried in all the various detail aspects of "Muscle Memory".

 The First search reply also had the following " It is a combination of neurological, long-term, procedural memory that makes skills automatic" which we will discuss here as "Muscle Memory" (in quote because it is our wanted subject of the blog". In Curling, a similar "Delivery Movement" to our Lawn Bowls Delivery, the coaches tell new players and students that "Muscle Memory" takes about 300 hours of practice. In Lawn Bowls "Muscle Memory" unless found online or elite discussions of their performance; is seldom mention at the Club Coaching level. It is assumed that when the Bowls atlhete is ready for it they will seek it out themself.

Because the Conscious mind attempts to process all thoughts of muscle actions; the athlete must be careful of attempts to Change their Muscle Memory. In a March 3, 2025 blog on "Communication with the Subconscious" , it was shown how Muscle Memory performance has "Tells" similar to the "Poker player Tell" because during the time of performance of our "Muscle Memory Performance" the athlete experience  a particular moment of "Zen Void" or absence of thought. All elite athlete know and experience this period when the subconscious mind does it's instinctive performance without any interruption from the conscious mind telling the muscles how to perform.

Tiger Wood

Tiger Wood in a Youtube Video "Visualize like Tiger" which is about him being in the "Zone" (sometimes called Zen Zone because of the void or absence of thought). During this time in his performance perfection he says "Between my back swing and seeing the ball in flight up the fairway, I have no memory of what happen" .

 During this "Absence of thought", which all elite athletes with a developed "Muscle Memory" experience, the subconscious mind performs instinctively the action. In daily life this is the same instinctive "Muscle Memory" action that occur when we must do a quick braking of the car in time of danger. We are not thinking (consciously) what to do but because of our driving experience and our conscious mind going into panic mode these  actions are performed. If we have a coffee in hand or a baby in a car seat behind us our "Muscle Memory" may be adjusted by the thought of those things and we balance the very fast stop to a more control stop. This is what this blog reflects on. "The ability to provide a thought during or prior to "Muscle Memory" which will make a small alterations to the performance" . The difficult part is how do we do this without destroying our established "Muscle Memory" or interrupt it before it is finished.

Two raison why you would want to change "Muscle Memory" First is as we improve our performance with Muscle Memory we often make a decision that the old performance does not apply with our new skills. And secondly, "Incomplete Performances" which can and do often happen because we are thinking about something else like the success or failure of our action. Whenever we have a thought the conscious mind takes charge and attempts to perform the muscles for that action. "Muscle Memory", on the other hand is the conscious mind releasing control to a subconscious mind and allowing it to perform instinctive performances created from practice and training of performance muscles.

The problem is as simple as two children each wanting to play with the same toy. The "conscious" mind wants to instruct the muscle of what to do while the "subconscious" mind, knows what to do and wants to not be interrupted. Since we are thinking all the time and a thought is an instruction for conscious action a muscle performance; we have to be careful because a too long a thought will cancel the instinctive "Muscle Memory" performance. A passing thought will just suggest to the subconscious mind of a possible change or modification.

 A "Tag" is used in sport "Muscle Memory" training to insert a thought into the "Pre-Performance" of the Muscle Memory and as such to not interrupt the actual performance. In the car breaking example, if we reacted to the coffee we were holding or think about the child in the car seat; we would have interupt the "Muscle Memory". 

 But a remainder thought, which is like a speeding car, is not identified by the conscious mind as a "call to action" and will not change the "Muscle Memory" action. This is why in working with an athlete in Muscle Memory changes it is important that the athlete know and feels the "Void" of Muscle Memory end of performance. Otherwise, if the athlete does not feel the "void" then the decision of action was send as a muscle control to the conscious mind. 

 Pre-Performance thoughts reconize that when Muscle Memory has started it performance; we are without thought of what is happening until it has finished. It is in this total 'Void of thought" that the athlete feels their mind return control by the Conscious mind. So we learn to insert a "TAG" into the "Muscle Memory" as a thought or image just prior to its execution of our muscles and let that thought influence the "Muscle Memory Performance". In part two of this blog topic, the individual's visual or audio nature identifies the "Tag" as a sound, word or phrase while if Visual it is an image.

I have yet to find any other method of change to a subconscious instinctive action. However, like your physcial practice takes several occurances of the action; so also does the Mental practice of inserting a thought and allowing Muscle Memory to progress. Otherwise the control of the muscle action will be return back to the conscious mind. In order for our performance to be uninterrupted and allow to finished we must not let the thought pass in our mind to a request for action. 

 With practice of having these "Tags" or quick thoughts during our performance, the muscle memory is developing a change without destroying what it has already learned. Eventually, that thought will not be needed and it is soon be forgot as part of the Pre-Performance Routine. Sometimes we do keep the "Tag" because we can continue to use the "Tag" as we expand on the change which it was used to initiated. 

For example we start with a memory of "A following the bowl to the jack" image which we watch as a memory; and we learn we can also change this memory image to one for a farther jack and add an similar action to verify or know the jack distance. In the same way that our eyes develop the feeling of muscle tension as it views a moving object and then modify the action in preparation to catch that object. We must learn to allow the Subconscious mind to begin working on another wanted change by the "Muscle Memory".

Why use a "Tag"..?? Like a clothing shopping client who has just found what they would like to buy and now looks at the "Price Tag" to know if it is worth the expenditure; similarly, the "Muscle Memory Tag" also allows the decision of whether the thought will be the cause of the interruption of the performance. In changing the Muscle Memory Performance by a muscle performance by your conscious mind, also has started a change of the sequence of events of your Muscle Memory. The "Tag" because it does not involve a muscle action but a thought will only first show you the duration of the thought is too long because you lose your "Void". (The Muscle Memory does not complete the sequence) The only damage is that it causes doubt but you can remove the "Tag" and within days your Muscle Memory is back to it expert performance.

. A simple thing like tapping your foot before starting you "Muscle Memory Performance"  as a "Tag" does nothing to interrupt the performance but still allow you to discover if your new change is better or not. In a "Lawn Bowls Change", like changing your "Line of Delivery" from the far bank "marker" to a visual location "spot"on the green in front of you; such a "Tag" could be to repeat a couple times "Look at the spot then the marker" and then final finish by looking at the bank "Marker". This will not change your "Muscle Memory" because your looking at the marker is your normal action as you start your Muscle Action. changes nothing. And you have that "Post Performance" point of reference of the mark on the green to see how your bowl left your delivery in line.

To the shopping client (above) if the price was too expensive they simply leave the item; so also if the thought duration is too long the subconscious leave control of the muscle to the conscious mind. But with that "Tag" you can still walk away from the attempted "Muscle Memory Change" and return to your original "Line of Delivery" reference point. 

 The interruption of the "Muscle Memory Performance" often will give us a bad result as we will see later in the sport of Petanque. Simply said. Think of the muscle action or a thought of something you want to know (like your successful takeout shot (petanque) and the conscious mind will stop your "Muscle Memory" and take control of your performance. But it is a thought in which you can stop thinking about it (a quick thought); then you let Muscle Memory finish it's original performance. 

 Important is to understand in Muscle Memory changes or recovery it is only 15 minutes practice sessions and then take a 15 minute rest and never more than 2 practice session at a time; because you don't want that playing with Muscle Memory to become a new Muscle Memory action until you know it is what you wanted. One summer it took me all of the summer to regain my muscle memory after I tried to change something which was causing me pain in my ankle.

What tag to use or suggest to use. Andrew is a winter curler and the common error of curlers coming to lawn bowls is the need for a "Tag" because the curling ''Muscle Memory" which has a wrist movement during the curling delivery. Especially as the new season of Lawn Bowls gets start and the individual who has just left a week or so ago their Curling season. Two problems exist here. Is the change by Andrew to soon. Should he allow a couple of week practice to see if his Lawn Bowls experience allows his new sport and Muscle Memory to re-connect. And second problem is why Andrew wants this change. Did someone suggest that a closer point of reference  on a Line of Delivery was better?, Or is Andrew moving into "Post Delivery Routine where he is checking where his bowl rolls over the green in front of him; and in evaluating it path to the head is preparing his Post-Mat evaluation.

In the 2nd part of this blog I will explain some of the self-education a coach will be required to do as they help an athlete make changes or correction to their Muscle Memory and some of the dangers of the athlete changing their "Muscle Memory".

If "Tags" are to be used then the student or athlete to-be must be instructed in the introduction of "Tags". The coach must know whether the individual is Visual or Audio aware as the "Tag" should be chosen from their mental strength and their sport experience. It would be better for an athlete to simply prefect their delivery and make no "Muscle Memory Changes then to made an attempt to improve their delivery with a Muscle Memory change and interrupt their muscle memory performance. As previous mention, a major change in the delivery can sometime take a year or two before the "Muscle Memory" performance is back to what it was.      Stats the week of May 1st as this blog is written.