About 20 years ago when I was coaching the Blind in Lawn Bowls I crossed a common problem of the 90s where coaches believed that there was only one way "Method" to holding and the delivery of the bowl up the green to the Jack. My first blind student had been instructed by a National athlete who was also a coach. Many individual with a visual handcap also has other physical difficulties and I was surprise to find that this blind student had been build a wrist strap to keep her delivery hand straight.
If it had been a weak muscle problem and this leather wrist band was created to offer a muscle support, it would have been easy to accept; but it was more a "keep your fingers straight" instruction of the coach device. Yes the way the bowl is held in the had make for a good and natural delivery. My self, having come to lawn bowls from archery and over the 15 years developed my archery shot release. Although I won gold at Nationals competitions, the Arrow release grip had resulted in a 45 degree wrist muscle change. My lawn bowl delivery wrist and hold of the Bowl is more like a common United Kingdom bowl grip and delivery.
The common mistake, this coach made, is to try to change the natural delivery of the student to what the coach would call " the perfect textbook delivery grip". This what the coach had done to that blind student with a leather wrist strap, instead of find a proper delivery with the physical but natural wrist. Very often as we encounter problems on the green we attempt to change what is wrong instead of understanding it and creating a performance which accepts or uses that strange problem.
Back to the topic of this blog. " Bias and Off-Bias Delivery". One of the most common problems in a delivery performance is a "Ridge" or "Slope" which seems to pull the bowl quickly off line or across our normal "Delivery Line". In other blog I explained "Line of Delivery is the direction you aim your delivery while "Delivery Line is the direction your bowl actually rolls up the green as it leaves your hand.
With a Ridge or Slope area of the green in your "Delivery Line" we can sometimes "Walking the Mat" that few inches to have our bowl pass just inside (our outside) of the problem area of the green. Also bring the mat up from the "Mat Line" a few feet will not change the "Line of Delivery" for the same Jack position. But sometimes that "Ridge" or "Slope" can not be avoided. And for me it does not help being a left-handed bowler. My delivery is more than two feet farther left then my fellow right-hander (or vise versa). At these few times, there is nothing as simple as using the mat as you try to walk it or move it to avoid the effect of the "Ridge" or "Slope" on your rolling bowl.
Then again, I love my old 1960's Hensilite Classics with their wide bias (#3) so over the years I have developed an "Off-Bias Draw" Delivery.Although some months I never need to use it, last weekend the greens were so bad I was using it more than normal.
This Delivery type allows my bowl run Straight for 2/3 the distance to the jack before it has slowed enough to begin the bowl's Normal Bias to the jack. This delivery type has allowed me to work and play around rises and falls of the greens in early spring. Often referred to as "Ridge" or "Slope", the normal bias of a bowl .other than "Straight Bias Bowls" will need at least a three foot off the jack line . In an earlier blog I show how to "Finger Jack" my line to know if the new jack position creates a line which must run through a "Ridge" or "Slope" .
This is not for beginners who want to know their line of delivery. It allows a method of knowing the "Delivery Line" to that new "Jack " position, and would the roll to that jack create a problem with what was previous a "Ridge" or "Slope" " area of the green in previous deliveries. I would want to know that my bowl would pass below the "Ridge" or remain off the "Slope". I would have visualize where the bowl's bias takes the "belly" of the Bias. (The belly is the first start to swing and most affected by wind , rain, or badly cut greens.) A bowl which runs along the top of a ridge is staying straight because the "Bias" is not strong enough or speed slow enough to pull the Bowl onto it actual Bias Line. This trick to see the new line, if done properly will not be seen by others but will allow you to know how your bowl will run with that line you are expected to use. Otherwise, roll a bowl as a "Trial End Bowl" and see what happens. (A wasted bowl as most problems can be thought-out and adjustment made.
I would want the Bowl Delivery Line to show that my bowl will actually pass that "Ridge" or "Slope" before the bowls speed becomes slows enough to work the Belly or Shoulder of the Bowl's Bias. (Using the Off-Bias delivery, you would want to have your bowl stay straight until it has passed the ridge or slope which means about 2/3 of the distance to the jack. Also because the off-bias draw will wobble with a 2/3 "Off-Bias", this lose of speed due to the bowl's wobble, must have been added so the bowl (after wobble) reaches the jack. This is a lesson to be learn on the Practice green as to know how much more weight is needed to still reach the jack with your off-bias draw) The most common way to know the new line after the jack has been oved is the line of delivery is the same distance (added or removed) form delivery line.
Some times the "Walking the Mat" will give relief. but than if I do a "Off-Bias" Draw I am sure my bias starts after passing the "Ridge" or "Slope". Each bowler must find their own line. Myself, I go from halfway between thumb and kunkles and the bend of last joint. Someone else might use upper wrist or tip of finger. ( Because it is just a reference of the new line, you don't need to hold your hand up but just in front of you as you look down at the green and follow your line up the green)
The purpose is to see the straight line the Delivery line will first take and know where it passes on the green. After the jack has been moved and a few end of play and now knowing where not to pass your bowl this is just a quick reference without wasting a bowl to avoid a ridge or slope.
It is a trick which maybe will be used only one or twice a season, but to waste a bowl guessing that it will not be affected bu the "Ridge" or "Slope" you are wanting to avoid know how your new delivery line will pass a problem area of the green.. For the beginner wanting to understand "Bowls Bias", I suggest the Colemans Hatch Bowling Club web page from which I took the following Bias Chart and removed several bowls to explain Bias. For the Youtuber there is also a "Everything you want to know about Bias.
I have not seperated them into Outdoor and Indoor Bowls bias although the straighter bowls may be consider indoor carpet bowls. The last time I had to use the Off-Bias Draw was on a boundry green. Normally with my wide bias Hensilite Classic I had to go from mat-line to the out-of boundry line for the bowl's bias. But on this competition my bowl after approaching the Out-of-bound Line would swing back, cross center line and even go out-of-bound on the other side. My only choice was to use my Off=Bias Draw and after moving as far right (lefthanded me) as possible on the mat I check if my line stayed inside the top of the ridge. The inside side of the rink was often blocked as it was used to attempt to get a bowl near the jack.
When you arrive to start a game, you should take the time to know the bowls of your teammates and the Opponent. Most all manufactures make three types of their bowl's Bias. Although certain manufactures have a bias with less Finish or Shoulder the principle is the same. Narrow Bias bowls of the Name type are usually with very little shoulder or finish and intended for fast greens or indoor bowls. The bowls Bias Chart will show the "Medium" bias of their bowl and may even be marked with MB in the "Stamp". The "Wide" bias bowls are seen to have a good shoulder and finish and if you find a older bowl (Henslite) of the 60s you may even see a "Candy Cane" type bias which swings more then today's Bowls.
As per the photo of the bowls (right) we see three different bowl's Bias and two Manufacture. (white Aero and Black Henslite). The Narrow Bias bowl (white) will have some bend but only about 4 to 6 inches and not finish. This bowl of Aero is usually a good bowl for a lead as no bowls are yet on the green to prevent a direct line to the jack. The brown bowl (top) with two lines is a Medium Bias and if you look at a Bias chart for the manufacture this bowl's line will be what is shown. It has some finish. The Black bowls (bottom) with three "Bias Lines" show a more wider swing as the shoulder swings almost a foot to 18 inches of the center line. Also with a green of good speed (16-10) or an indoor carpet it will have a good finish curve as it stops.
Below is photo of my grip which is not standard because of muscle changes from Archery over many years. The white lines drawn on the photos is to indicate the bowl is in it correct line of delivery. The edges of the bowl or the nipples or sides of the bowl should be such they parallel the sides of the arm. The photo below show the delivery grip I had to adapt and use for a smooth delivery. It is to indicate that without changing everything in a student or new members delivery style; a good delivery is possible.
Also a photo of my 1/3 off- bias delivery grip. The 1/3 makes reference to what part of the bias which is being removed by the delivery. One third of the total length to the jack is not much of an "off-bias" and the bowl will roll of the mat with very little wrobble. But there is still some bias in the "Straight" of the bias.
Where the wobble and action of the "Off-Bias" Draw is noticable is on a 2/3 Off-Bias draw (not shown). Here you will see the wrobble more as the bowl rolls up the green. A 1/3 off-bias would be used for a shorter jack, and a 2/3 Bias Draw for a longer distance to the jack. The greater the noticable wobble the more delivery weight that will be lost. You will see the bowl roll almost straight and then take the last two parts of the Bias after nearing the jack.. A full off-bias delivery (3/3 of the distance is all the way to the "Jack"; and is usually used for "Runners" and very heavy takeout shots. Remember, the bowls Bias starts at a very slow speed and with a runner it will spend all it green time attempting to re-dress to the standing Bias position.
No comments:
Post a Comment