Muscle Memory, the Lawn Bowls Computer (AMem)

 To understand the use of "Muscle Memory" in Lawn Bowls by an athlete who has created a performance with precision, we must compare the athlete's Brain

to our understanding of the Home Computer. Like a action requested on the home Computer to go get your "Email" by the click of a mouse. The computer program executes all the necessary actions and we wait for the mail to appear on the screen.

Also, if the Lawn Bowls Student after much practice has creates an action of a delivery of their bowl to the "Jack"; it is activates when the individual thinks of the expected performance. Instead of a click of the mouse, the "Lawn Bowl Athlete"simply imagines their bowl beside the "Jack" and allow the brain's Instinctive mind to perform the action need. This is "Muscle Memory"

Have you ever been watching a Lawn Bowls Competition and the "Lead" in throwing the jack to start the end of play, threw it badly and it went out of bounds. So the opponent received procession of the jack and placed it at their distance. But this continues to happen in the next two or three ends as they win the points and procession of the jack again.

The game has been started and you can not change the position of the Players to have a new "Lead". (In the french game of Petanque it is permitted to change the Lead) All you can do is continue as is and hope to win the points and jack each new end of play. 

.However, afterward I certainly hope that the skip works with the "Lead" to help fix the problem. It is a common problem as several years ago when I started my Lawn Bowls at the club we had a Husband and Wife who went to the Canadian Nationals almost every year and He could not throw a straight jack. As he got older and no longer a club skip he tried a game or two as a lead but with their age both stop playing and we have not seen them for years. 

So, with this player of many years (maybe 10) who can't throw a straight jack is a great club skip but what can be done to correct this problem. The solution is the same as you would do with your home computer. You reload the program and fix what is causing it to not perform as expected. Yes, you reprogram their Delivery "Muscle Memory". First, understand what is wrong and Second to reprogram what the Brain is expected to do.

I would like to do this blog in two parts as this problem is an "Advance Member" (AMem) problem. So as a second blog (part 2). I will address the important of teaching correctly new member to throw the jack in another blog.

Understand the problem. As this individual learned to do their delivery, they developed a routine of going to the mat, looking up the green at the "Jack" and after some sort of "Distance identification" simply perfromed a consistance Bowl delivery. Unsually to within inches of the jack and at several distances.

When this incident listed above happen in the third two hour game, the skip was heard to yell down the green "Did you have wine to drink during the break ?".With everyone laughing.. a serious tournament but a fun moment of sharing a mistake in the game.

 Yes, the 'Team Lead " who in the previous two game has maintained a good focus on her game and her delivery; was now relax (because of the wine) and  was now allowing the "Muscle Memory" or instinctive delivery to do what appears to be a "Bowl Delivery" of the jack. Yes this can  happen and shows how much power "Muscle Memory" has. In many of the bowls which  this lead played in the previous games, the bowls often finished within inches of the jack.

However, when it came to the start of the next end of play and throwing the jack, she simply looked up the green and saw where she wanted the jack and threw it.  In the same manner, her communication with the Muscle Memory was to look at the jack and imagine her bowl beside the jack.  The muscle memory did with the jack throw the same it does with the Bowl delivery. 

The "Muscle Memory" took the needed line of delivery needed for her bowls to go to the center line position of the jack, calculated the distance to the jack position and did a "Delivery". (as if it was a bowl's delivery). The jack was thrown on the actual Delivery line and out of bounds. The brain saw the request as a Bowl delivery and did all the necessary corrections for a bowl to arrive at the jack on center line.  (happens to a lot of players)

Now knowing the problem how do you fix it. First, the brain has to be trained to not think that because you are on the mat, that it only apply to a Bowl Delivery. A different routine when on the mat will indicate what is coming. The following exercise of 20 minutes performed for four or five sessions will reprogram the brain because it has different action nodes. (looking at the jack, looking at the foot of the skip).

Lets look at this from the Home computer example. The mouse clicked "Gmail" and the computer went and got the program and all the mail in the storage website of Gmail. A differemt mail like Yahoo Mail would be the same example as the Bowls / Jack problem, How then would you go about be create and access the mail of Yahoo Mail.  You would register as a user with Yahoo. (with the brain you would identify the jack and bowl differently) Yahoo Mail registered you now open your mailbox and created a "Link" on your favorate line for "Yahoo Mail" (with the brain you create routine and habits so when the jack is to be thrown the "Muscle Memory" does a different routine)

The following exercise is done with 4 or 5 jacks for four different distances (up and down the green) for about 20 minutes.  It is important to rest after the exercise for 10 or 15 minutes as with the Yahoo you had to wait for Yahoo Mail to register and identify you; so also the brain stores your training. Part of this problem is also the fault of the skip as most often the raison for the wrong thrown jack is when the skip does not indicate a wanted distance. (often the skip lets the lead choose their jack distance,)

In the photo (right) the skip is not indicating where he wants the jack (white spot drawn in) and it is important for the jack throwing player to aim at the shoe of the skip. (otherwise they are imagining where the jack should be) and seeing the jack for a bowl delivery and seeing an (imaginary) image of a jack are the same to the subconscious mind, So in the exercise the lead will practice throwing the jack to a shoe on the green.

In the second part of this blog for the teaching of the Jack roll to new members it will indicate the important of the Pre-mat routine for the Jack as it would suggest teaching the new member a Pre-mat routine for Bowl delivery.

Exercise: (seems stupid but it works)

A mat, 5 jacks,a timer (20 min) and a bowling shoe. If a coach is offering assistance, Then the shoe can be on the foot of the coach standing where the jack is to be thrown.

Logic of Exercise: Because the communication of the player to their Muscle Memory during a "Delivery" is her (his) image of their bowl at the jack; it is necessary to build another image which tells the "Muscle Memory that it is a "Jack roll". Since a new member learning to bowl would be shown the skip standing with their foot sideways where the jack is to be delivered; part of this problem is a club which does not teach new members about the start of an end. (mat placement, jack roll, skip instructions, etc.( For the lead, the seeing of a foot on the green is the image (with the jack in hand) which becomes the visual image for Muscle Memory to work with in practice.

First 5 jacks exercise - The practice should be to hit the shoe (of the skip or lone shoe on the green). This distance should be only a few meters at the start of each practice. (The jack distance from the mat.)  Finish your 5 jacks, take the mat and go to the shoe and pick up the jacks. turn the shoe for the return direction and go place the mat at double the distance that you just practice.  Roll the jack to the shoe for this longer distance.

 Each time you roll a jack you look at the jack in your hand, you look at the shoe on the green and like a bowl roll you do a false jack roll swing of your arm and then do a actual jack roll to the shoe (or skips foot)

Important - You are building an image of the shoe as object to hit

This exercise will creat over a week of practice an image for a jack roll which when on the mat and you look at the jack in your hand and aim up the green at the skips foot your "Muscle Memory" will use all it information which is used with a Bowl Delivery like actual distance and arm energy needed for that distance.  Both these images must be kept seperate. (example don"t attempt to throw the jack to touch a bowl on the green)