Be Confident You can do it

Confidence... an abstract idea.  How do we know we have it and how much. If  I was to say "It cold" and leave it at that.  Each of us would put a different value as to what is cold. Discussion in Degrees, freezing, chilly what ever.

In the Quest to Perfection Confidence is the anchor which measure your ability. Confidence in others is easier than self confidence so Blind Lawn Bowls got to show you confidence in others and what you can do. We saw how teaching by the coach in  Blind Lawn Bowls build confidence. The poster by Cyber-nation.com says "With Confidence you can reach truly amazing heights; Without confidence even the simplest accomplishments is beyond your grasp. Jim Loehr".
 In Bowls do we teach for confidence.? Not really, although some skill developing drills by Australia bowls is approaching it.
But is teaching for results building Self Confidence. ? "No".  We learn from good  results that we can do the shot... but without transfer of this knowledge to the subconscious mind; we cannot let the total action be done.  We will stay in control and adjusting errors we made to regain "Confidence"  I've done it and I can do it again.  In the Zone,  the mind know how to do it.. you believe in yourself and let it happen.

Where does Confidence apply in a sport... Before starting the action ??  During the Action?? After the results are seen ?? Being visual Impaired the Blind Lawn Bowls student must have confidence in themselves, in their Coach, in their love of the sport and the freedom it allows them.. the previous blog said it all where words could not.   Asking yourself,  do I have confidence in what I can do. (if I was blind ??)

Here we will see Confidence building. That fine difference of  "I can do it" to "Oh my God, I did it". Being amazed is the food feeding the subconscious mind's  confidence.. Gosh I remember today, 40 years later amazing things I did with confidence. In the petanque video below... I was doing those shots with my eyes closed... Developing subconscious control transfer.  Amazed top world athletics to the point of asking my advice and help in their training.

First,  "Practice make perfect"."Results  makes confidence"... but most important " Perfect Practice make Perfect Confidence". In the example of Archery and the subconscious mind taking control of a small micro-second action for 144 repeat performances and has only 50 near misses (9 instead of 10 where 10 is the center of the target)

   How long does it take to achieve this level of perfection. Would you believe that in just two years after joining the sport,  "Danelle Wentzel (left) from South Africa, becomes the first woman on the African continent to join the International 1400 Club, and one of the few who have achieved this score(over 1400 points) in the world".
  In Archery competition, a FITA 1440 is 144 arrows with 10 points for centre shot at 4 distances and most top scores are 1380 or more. To date, three world archer hold the high score possible, 1419  Danelle was coached by 1400 archer and world record holder Seppie Cilliers. How important is good practice ?? Is it also a good coach. But also confidence in "relax and do it" teaching.

Next we will look at Petanque.  Why.?? because, if Practice is what makes confidence and a good defined practice is important watch this video. Mark is setting up the same shot and going back and trying it  over and over.
First let understand the practice.  When it becomes time to do the shot, the practice is to transfer control to the subconscious mind. Like a baseball player throwing a baseball the Petanque player doing his takeout action has no interference. Just a ball through the air to a target.  Mark is not an elite... just a player like you and me.. What this video does not show, is.that Mark each time before shooting again, sets up the same shot and walked back to try again.
As a petanque player I know 100 times, 200 times is common in a practice.
. What is Mark's objective in practice a takeout shot...(one part of petanque, like a drive in Bowls)  There is in this video clearly. 2 objectives..
1 - A carre... and to  not hit the cochon (jack).Like in Bowls,  what good is it to remove the bowl with a drive,  if you also reposition the jack.
Carre... which you see in the photo, is a term in french for a takeout shot which when performed, the shot ball remains in the other ball position.( no rebound after the point of contact). This stop action photo shows the shooter ball (shiny) staying in the location of the takeout ball, which  is flying away. Petanque players will tell you this is 1 in 20 or 40 shots.  Like the archer they try to get it's occurrence to almost every shot.

2 -   In the stop action photo (right) we see the shot  ball being removed and the cochon (yellow) still there. This youtube video shows Mark's  practice as being  4 different shooter skills..  Takeout  of point ball with a Carre, takeout ball without touching the cochon (jack). Takeout ball located  between other of his  points balls and finally take out the cochon ( jack).. ( I watch one American Challenge game in Montreal where at 19 - 19 (single game finises at 21 like bowls) the cochon (jack) was removed 4 times in a row rather than give up the point..
      What is important at this point is... each time Mark made a shot at the ball for a takeout...he released control to the subconscious mind. His success gave the subconscious mind confidence and confirmation that that was what was wanted.over and over the mind is learning.. Can you imagine such a Bowls Practice such precision and development of a  unique ability.
Like the Petanque player who starts being able to do the take out.. (just hitting the ball) then  advance to precise hitting  "Carre".  The practice is not to roll the bowl to a spot.. It is to allow the subconscious mind to roll the bowl to a spot.   When you feel this happen without your being aware of it you have started to see.

      Well, in the follow video of Crown Lawn Bowls we see instinctive or total relax delivery to the jack.  Remember the green of Crown Bowls is not flat... Sort of a small hill in the middle  and games are played along the side of that slope.  Now I am not saying this is how bowls should be played.. Just  how to relax.

In this Youtube  video we see a natural "let it go" delivery.  developed over years. Like the petanque Player throwing his ball... just think the shot and make the shot  happen.  Confidence.
Summary... We have seen in 2 years a new member of a sport reach the top world players in her sport. Perfect Practice.  Then we have moved to a different, closer to Bowls sport which shows a practice of repeat repeat and repeat.  This is necessary for the mind to have control.. But not totally.. Here in Crown Bowls we see a style a bit like Ryan Bester. On the mat, roll and do the shot.
In the next two blogs with this base of understand, I will attempt to show how to let the subconscious mind take control.
The previous blog explained how the Conscious mind controls everything we do.  Yes at times we do allow instinctive or the sub-conscious to take control.   And d a great performance without our control.
 Tiger Wood  on Youtube.com " Visualization in his Golf Game "  tells how sometimes he is without knowledge of what happen from beginning the shot until it was finished. " "I have black out moments", I remember  starting but "I know I was there,  but I don t remember actually performing the golf shot".  This will happen to you too... I hope you believe it could be that easly.
In Archery, Let the arrow and target be one in you mind.  Go to the target, (when the mind lets the sub conscious take control) and draw the arrow to the point you want. Been at the target (in my mind) when the arrow hit was a strange feeling the first time.. sort of like it was hitting me.  Yes, out of body, unaware of what i was doing.. maybe just so concentrated on the idea of being at the target that the sound of the arrow brought my mind to reality.
    However, the practice was to be busy while the mind send the arrow to the target..When I started, my mind would go a short distance and often coming back as I released the arrow. Finally it went all the way.
In petanque, if you check competition shooters on you tube. you can see that previsionalization action and know they are doing the same mine to target;  before letting the sub conscious take control to throw the ball.. Yes it is a moment of absence of mind but also part of the training and practice in confidence..

Confidence and Blind Lawn Bowls

The 2nd half of this 6 blog group on Previsualization deals with Mind set. Being in the Zone, Confidence, Concentration and other aspects of theuse of your  Subconscious.mind.

The Blind Lawn Bowls FaceBook Page came up this summer and it shows another interesting part of our sport of Lawn Bowls. Imagine bowls without your vision, would you bowl if you could not seeing the bowls. The header page is how a lot of visually impaired Lawn Bowler players (B3 and B4) see the head while the insert photo is an example of a coach having a blind Lawn Bowls player roll his shot.
I tackle this aspect of Lawn Bowls here because of the need for "confidence" by a visually impaired player.

If you do not read further but watch this video I have influenced your thinking. See This youtube video. PLSE.
How would you perform if you decided to blindfold your eyes and bowl a few ends.  Really..would it be bad ?? You have the techniques down pat and with the exception of line you should really do quite well.

There is a story about Kitchener Ontario Blind Lawn Bowls champion who  was doing a promotion for Blind Lawn Bowls and the sponsor offer $100 for each bowl hitting the jack in an end.  She was suppose to have done 3 out of 4.. Yes totally Blind. I asked her, she laughed and replied..."Not really "

 Photo (left) is President of Canadian Blind Lawn Bowls Association Vivian Berkeley with her Coach standing behind her..As a totally Blind (B1) Lawn bowlers Vivian has won GOLD for years..
     . If you have not watched a Blind Lawn Bowls National competition, you owe yourself, your sport one game. They are great athletics and it will certainly change your ideas..

 While talking to a club (visual) member I hear her say "Oh, I have only been bowling for 4 or 5 years, I am not that good" .  After a complete  12 lessons of  "New members Club Coaching"  and a year of social lawn Bowls; every individual  should have confidence in their shot. In my "Introduce to Bowl Coaching", a three hour teaching for interested individuals,  my last end, and teaching,  is to place a jack and without  any comments; allow tis  first time player to bowl.  Often they are surprised as to what they can do.

    Social Lawn Bowls is a gathering on the greens as the sun sets and  like Darts or Archery is simply the  fun to see how close you can get. ( to the jack)  Nothing wrong with that, but forYOU, (if your reading this, and have read the previous 5 blogs); you want more than just "FUN"  You want to prefect you delivery and also the  to have the confidence with each shot..
    Photo on right of Blind student receiving bowl or instruction from Coach (who is coach and who is bowler??) (from www.briarsatgreenlees.com.au)
       Talking about confidence, concentration,  and vision of the bowls performance, and thinking of Blind Lawn Bowls; we see the "Visually Impaired individuals" whom  may not have an idea of things like color, distance and scenery.
Distance - For feeling the distance we walk them, on the green, up to the ditch, to know the 35 meters and talk about  the bowl delivery to the jack .This way we creates an impression of the distance to the hog line, which is identified as we pass it, to the jack, and what distance it can be and how they will know the distance;  and ofcourse the ditch. where heavy bowls end up.

Bias   -Walking back down the Green we do the line of the bias of the bowl roll  with the new blind bowler while explaining the distance from centre line..Here we must teach difference those players with different degree of visual disability. (example B3 and B4 who can see a bit of white for a distance. (like in the photo above) may have a second coach in white walking the centre line to show them  the distance that the bias will take the bowl from centre line and back to the jack..

Line of Delivery.-. A centre Line of nylon is used and bending down and feeling at the edge of the mat they know here the jack is located. a Blind Lawn Bowls player know where the jack is in distance because when it is spotted by the jack coach the distance is told to them (identified by distance markers on the side lines).  After  position on the mat and adjusting  his feet according to the delivery type. (forehand or Back Hand) he receives his bowl from his coach.  Their Assistance coach stands in front (above Photo) or behind and is watching the arm movement of practice swings to establish line and for a proper and straight delivery "OK" is said and the bowl goes.  Confidence in the coach's ability to see their line in their arm swing..
Bowl Speed - In the same manner,during the delivery and to show  the delay of bowl rolling to the jack; the athletic coach's describes the roll of the bowl to the jack. Over time they learn and develop their mind set of what the bowl will do and how the game will be played.

photo (left) from  qld.gvt.au is tiled "thelma-and-john" Here the coach is in front, (above the coach was behind the student).In this case, the visually impaired has some vision, and he may use things like the coach (white) foot as his line of delivery.
The coach is the eyes of the Blind Lawn Bowler. Standing within feet of the Blind Lawn bowler, As the bowl leave his hand; the coach is heard to say.
   "Good delivery, nice roll, you got the line.  Bowl has no wobble is rolling good.(Assurance of performance) "Now half way (to hogline,) it is beginning to turn, still  18 inches (from centre line).  About 3/4 (to hogline), now cutting across centre line, missing the front bowls". "Going through "jack area" it is just a little heavy"  His personal coach stops.. all is silence. the Blind Lawn Bowler still on the mat is waiting to see where his bowl has stopped.  Yes see ??  He hears   the Jack coach say from the head " 3 feet at 10 o'clock."   The clock system being where 12 o'clock is behind the jack,  6 o"clock in front and 9 and 3 left and right.  As the bowlers private coach, escorts him/her from the mat, we hear  the coach doing confidence building. ." Very nice delivery. nice location, just behind the jack, Good to catch the jack, if rolled."  Once the new bowler is on the mat all is quite except for that blind Lawn Bowls coach who repeats their inter-relationship of bowls,
Now, think of your own bowls.. do you talk to yourself and build confidence. Positive thoughts.  Do you see it as not what you would have liked and step away from the mat upset or disappointed.
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Each Blind Lawn Bowls player has a coach at their side to direct the line of their delivery.  The blind student develops confidence in their coach.  Is there any reason for that student to not believe that the coach has given the proper information. Confidence.  Without confidence the next time on the mat this Blind Lawn Bowls player would not accept the coach's  guidance as he prepare him for his line and delivery.  Do you encourage yourself before going to the mat. Once on the mat... forgot and just do the proper bowl roll.

The Blind Lawn bowls coach will always be heard as leading his partner to the mat. "Last time you were a little in on your line, I am going to give more line. Same delivery and everything will be good." Yes Partner, like in Pairs, only one is the bowl delivery and the other is the eyes and guidance.  A lot of retired Lawn bowls members accept to guide a Blind Lawn Bowls athletic to nationals bowls competitions.  Travelling the world where they had gone many times before in their career.  Now with a young but visually impaired Lawn Bowls athletic.
  This summer, 2013, VIBE welcome International Blind Lawn Bowler to Worthing  England.and  Bowls England is calling on clubs, counties and individuals to help raise funds for the World Blind Bowls Championships being held in Worthing in 2013

I wish more countries could accept and apply Blind Lawn Bowls like Australia and England has done.

Relax Let it happen

Now this is the hardest part of the story of Previsualization... Hardest to explain and hardest to do.Think of our brain is like two sister in a family. Each a bit different.. One sister is always in control (probably the oldest one) and the other sister who is very smart, is also a bit shy and waiting to be asked to do something..                      
   We all live our lives in the conscious "Control side" of our brain; with occasions of being so good at doing something; we  relax and let it happen instinctively (Second sister "Subconscious).  Even during driving a car or throwing a baseball we are always in control but sometime we just let the subconscious brain do it's thing.
      Permit me to place Archery and  it's Performance into this blog at this point, because this sport is more easily to explains. Zen says "Be the arrow, find the target" but the coach says  "Relax let it happen". The zen idea is a subconscious direction while the coach's instruction  is to you for your conscious mind.

Both, Archery and Lawn Bowls, require a lot of preparation to do well, but actual precision is only done at the release, In archery, a few micro-seconds while in bowls a bit longer.  In Archery like bowls everything is prepared.beforehand.. The position on the floor (mat) the loading of energy into the bow and alignment of our body and prepare of aiming  (line of delivery) are all preparation.. The precision is, in archery. " to release without error, the bowstring and let the arrow fly" or "roll the bowl". Throughout the preparation and the delivery of the object (arrow in archery and bowl in Lawn bowls) the conscious mind is in total control.
The archer is told "relax your hand.. let the bowstring be pulled out of your fingers"  In Visualization  the archer is taught to occupied his mind with something else and to say "ok now"  as he aims his arrow.  THEN  the subconscious mind relaxes the hand and fingers and the bowstring is released. the archer hears "PLOOMP" as the arrow hits the target, A perfect release, a perfect arrow.
  .However, where the archer has a split second  to not make a mistake and get a good result,  the lawn bowler has about 5 to 6 seconds from starting the back swing until the release of his bowl  Easy for the archer, you say, no, because the problem is the same in both sports.. "Not wanting to give control of the action to the subconscious mind"  Staying in control..
  .So for those 5 to 6 seconds of a bowl release we need something to keep the conscious mind occupied. This has been the Previsualization exercise.. an extension of previous thought as we become so involved with see the imaginary bowl roll that  we are too occupied to realize that the subconscious has done the delivery.

Concentration.. If in the middle of the delivery we feel a breeze on our face,  OPPS we feel it, we think it, and the conscious mind wants to be back in control. Concentration is therefore finding a mind-set which allows for this  multi-second absence of thought.(In archery a micro-second )  This is as hard as a swimmer wanting to exercise a muscle to develop it. So, we use the visual image of the bowl rolling up the green as an exercise in staying in the Zone..(subconscious mind set) Look at the Concentration in the photo. It was found on Justsports.com.au and now I got to discover who this Canadian bowler is. (shows one does not always know everything and always something new to learn)

     Now I must take issue with our teaching of Lawn Bowls and our limited perspective of our sport..  It is good to break down the delivery to several steps for a beginner to check everything is done right..  Great for a beginner in Lawn Bowls, to know all they should do and how to do it right.  But some where after the first year we got to leave the techniques and move toward instinctive rolling the bowl. I had a club bowler who said "I have only been bowling 5 years so I am not that good"

      Like a baseball player throwing the ball to someone..  "Think it and do it"  in the split second of the thought. Bowls can be the same.  They say.Ryan Bester  is fast on the mat and in doing his delivery. Maybe he has moved in development to the mind set of the baseball player..Wanting it.. and doing it.. a total subconscious delivery.
So there is now two things... Previsualization which is an exercise of switching from Conscious involvement to Subconscious actions ' and being "In the Zone" .  Being able to let the subconscious do it thing. An ability or action while occupying the conscious mind.

.  Earlier blog, I showed the bowl preparation of Val Smith NZ. which is important routine to correct everything. but it is also a confidence everything is right before we  let the Subconscious take control.
The best archery athletes attempts to do one 10 (center of target )  after the other, 144 times in a row  for a FITA 1440 (1440 points) and the winning score often is  near 1350 points. With the microsecond "in the Zone"  and still not  always perfect.
     In Lawn Bowls we hope for maybe to have 10 or 15 perfect bowls in an end of  54 bowls. (3 18 ends).Yes the time of action is longer in the delivery of a bowl, but is it any longer than a baseball players throwing a ball, or a basketball players shooting basket. Confidence, and Total concentration  is the truth. Again I mention that basketball coaches has the player do previsualization to exercise his "Give Control to the Subconscious" Be-in-the-zone ability.
   In the next blog  we will look at the lack of confidence as  why we revert back to the slow motion , stop action, analysis of our technique rather than continue along the development of  Lawn Bowl's  "In the Zone" Performance development.  Allowing ourself  to  becomes blocked by lack of confidence
. .   Imagine Golf and Tiger Wood having  90 strokes to do in a game and trying to get 70 or 80 perfect strokes. And he is not alone...all the great Golfers know this is the next step to their Performance.I am sure in Australia, this is the mind set.. like golf.. it can be a high percentage of perfection.  However, I have not seen muchof this detail prefection in North America.  Or maybe it doesn t get down to the club level.

Tools for Visualization

Putting it together Physically and Emotionally require the Lawn bowler know his game and his own performance. Using Visualization to roll and win at Bowls require that all the tools which allow a bowler to win  without visualization be well developed and in his tool box.

 In the video of Tiger Wood  on Youtube.com " Previsualization in his Golf Game ", on which these blog are based we hear Tiger talk about his coach saying." he was very instrumental in teaching me how to control my creative mind"  or Tiger saying "I get so entrenched on the moment, I guess my subconscious takes over"  In order for your subconscious to take over your routine you have had the delivery and game analysis completed.  And when we talk about  "the athletic is in the here and now, uncluttered mind, relaxed ".  We are not concern with those thoughts.. we  left our delivery to the subconscious mind.
1 - Good Style and a Constant repeated controlled movement in every delivery. Visualization is seeing the bowl doing what you can do.  If you need more practice to draw tight to the kitty then visualization may not do it until you do it.The photo below from World Bowls 2012 video during the Women's Semi Final seem like a little routine.. but how much of is relaxing the mind, body.. starting the routine free of doubts.

Learning to Bowl, my coach had a routine of 12 steps from getting to the mat until the bowl was released. Val Smith NZ top Women's Single show Step 3  "Preparing your Grip" which I have not seen much of during the years I bowled.
  If you have your routine, you won't throw a wrong bias and if you visualize the bowl to a position it will happen because all of your routine of delivery are always the same. Your subconscious know how to do it.

2 - Instructional Choices must have been decided. If you have wind behind you and your though is  "I need to take of 14 inches". This means nothing to the Mind (your subconscious mind) if you can not physically and mentally decide on how take of that 14 inches.  And just as bad is if you have 3 way to do it and you never use always the same unless special conditions.  (ex: If you do a shorter step, lay down the bowl roll or think it back it all must always be your way for you. If you do a off-cant as a special condition (cross wind) then that method must be only on that day.)  Yes you prepare for the game with decisions which after the first few ends are a regular part of your routine.  Myself.. with win like these girls had.. 44 km behind and in face, I would be doing mentally positioned jack . (visualize the jack as being 3 meter short or 3 meters further)

3 - Constructive Analysis of the shot.  In previous blog I showed choices of what percentage of Success with a situation in the head.  Decide these shots before going to the mat.. Not while on the mat. The subconscious mind must have a "take control place" let it be somewhere at the beginning of your routine. (Above photo of Val Smith may be giving the mind that control when she is preparing her bowl in hand) All the analysis must be there before letting the mind take total control of your delivery. Then when you go into a Previsualization view of the bowl rolling to the jack; you are giving instructions not hoping on a result.

4 -Concentration  If you are hearing the crowd or the PA system in the middle of your delivery it is not the conditions of play that are wrong... You must go get more shut-out techniques of concentration. Put yourself inside a bubble. Got Bubble video and think if you could bowl in that noise.
 Seems strange to think the mind is going to take control but  what are you going to thinking.   Listen to this video on you tube and the noise.. Could you  bowl with that noise.

In the first Blog I spoke of a Swimmer in training and wanting to develop a certain muscle condition. Bowls we don t have that so I knew it would be strange to the reader. But sometime these idea of Total Immersion in Thought and perfection is strange.  If we were to follow that muscular development we would have to learn every aspect of that muscle building and control we know nothing about.

Look at other sports. Baseball or Basketball. the muscle movement of a throw or basket shot are totally in control of the mind.  I want it there and I do it there.  So a basketball coach has his athletic do mental shot. Why? To know his routine and his ability to transfer total control to the mind. In Instinctive Archery we say "Become the arrow .. follow it to the target.. One movement.. Throw the arrow with your mind.  So you are going to learn to Roll the bowl with your mind.. NO.. Your mind know how to Bowl  you are going to go into your bubble and let your mind (subconscious ) do it thing.

Seeing the Shot. Visualization

These blogs were updated June 2017 and again in 2024. The six blogs on instinctive and previsualization have been expended on in late 2014.  If you are still here; reading 12 year old blogs, your interest in the subject is as an athletic in the final stages of prefection of your ability. . In writing this blog I always hope the reader see their possibilities and undeerstand the idea of being in the "Zone". The coach of Tiger (in 2012 video) calls it "the athletic in the Peak performance Zone" and you are now begins a   movement of training to a different level of personal development. If these ideas seem strange it may because you have ot yet experience this level of your sport, but the knowledge of "Being in the Zone" is a reflection of the future.

.  All the sports have a level of perfection which involves "Being in the Zone" and this means more than concentration. Tiger's coach calls it "Creativity" but it is "knowing you can do it". and eventually being so relax that your body simple does it. (Sometime refer to as "Muscle Memory".

 Tiger Wood  on Youtube.com " Sport Psychology - Want to visualize like Tiger", the base of this blog, we hear Tiger coach saying."the athletic is in the here and now, uncluttered mind,  & relaxed " which is where these  blogs will lead you if you  are patience and take time and follow them.  Also with the task of previsualization you are so mentally attached and relaxed that as Tiger says.. "I have black out moments", " I remember  starting but I know I was there,,,  but I don t remember actually performing the golf shot"  How can this be??  Hopefully, later we will see that like a great novel writer (master) sitting at a desk, working hard on his masterpiece, he is writing an idea. His creativity is to start over as he throws the written idea away; does another and another and another until only the final finished works are available. Tiger's mind is so busy creating scenario of shot types, force, angle etc that the final memory ( the finished and learn and kept finish shot) is created after many scenario. ( a search of his choice and decision until totally satified).  It is attempted and finally made after it has been totally completed in his mind following much practice and indecision xxx.

    This blog... and the outline of the remaining six Blogs. are
    Visualize 1 -  Using Visualization to get it together physically   "the Mental Tools of the Zone"
    Visualize 2 - Confidence and   relax, Blackout or total relaxation. ..how it works and how you do it.
    Visualize 3 - Mistakes the mind  make in  such a strong visualization and  how it affect you and  your performance
    Sub conscious -Does your mind have control.  How to remove youe conscious control of actions
    Creativity -   Your  body knowing it has performed well as you return to reality from subconscious
    All in One.  - How to move from reality (conscious) to Visualization (unconscious) performance.
 

Imagine this Lawn bowls situation.. it happen, and the photo is the bowls as setup in a mid end of the Lief Selby game against Scotland in the World Bowls 2012 Singles semi-finals.  The bowler on the mat  have three possible views of play 1 - Play Percentage 2 - Best HAND shot and 3- Absolute Genius shot.
 In 500 champion bowlers, we find about 450 are doing a percentage shot. Yes they require a skill but might misss so play the percentage.
The great Lawn Bowlers know they have the skill  and like Lief,  knows  he will do what he is thinking.
But at the end of these blogs, you will decide if you want to work toward  being a great champion of one of the three types (above). When in a  similar situation, will you play it as Percentage or  decide and than make the "Best shot"  As for the  Absolute Genius, like  Tiger Wood; if he does 90 golf strokes per game and then over a 3 day tournment, he does 5 games with the this continual success but also he is not only is he doing his best but sometime even attempting the impossible shot; he is becoming a  Genus in his sport.

Certainly to obtain this level of performance he has  developed an extremely long absence mind times. When we are  in the Zone (mind control zone) most people experience only  a fraction second of absence of mind. while after a lot of development can reach a periond of several seconds absences.

When I started Archery, it was only the fraction of a second of releasing the arrow. In time, after several years it became about the time of the arrow flight (a second) but I was absence of mind from release until the arrow struck the target.
When talking about these three types of  shots (listed above), I  must refer to continue time afte time.  Like a Basketball Player..somewhere on the court..thinks the shot, then up and shoot and succeeds. He was probably aware he wanted to do the shot but absence of mind from the start of the jump to the release of the ball toward the basket.  No calculate of distance , arm force or method of shot.

Maybe . Lief in the video might have played percentage and because of continual success came out looking like a  Genius.  Or maybe he took the Lower Percentage of success and did what was the Best, and always knew he could do that near miss shot and still be successful. He may have previously tried and made the shot and now sees it in his mind as possible. How many players do not only thinking about hitting the jack but more precisely hitting it at a slight angle  to give it the wanted movement.  Moving into the Best class if they are doing it time and time again.

Percentage is based on how many bowls width you can miss or make the shot and still come out looking good. Here we have 4 bowls percentage of success.  In this example 1 rolls the shot bowl out if not caught up on the back bowl. the outside of possibility.  2  is still a  takeout but  Obviously Best results come with 3 and 4. Here a draw or bit over on your wight, on a draw to jack, will roll the jack toward his own bowl.. Also in using Percentage decisions, it  also means the best percentage.. Example it is better to go two Bowl percentage on this forehand, where if you are over weight or line with bowl  shot (2 and 3); it still give the takeout of the blue or roll the jack. rather than the 4th or 1st  bowl percentage a bit dangerous.

Now Best shot is hard to agree on as "the best".. but if you can refuse the four precentage choice Ù(above) and know you are good enough with the back hand (lief is right handed)and make it happen, GREAT. Pass the shot (blue) bowl with confidence and draw to the jack. You are becoming a member of a small group of  "the best",  Luck is with you if heavy and rolls the jack toward your bowls. If your weight is a bit too heavy  you got two shots. Analyis of it has all been view, studied and a creative result expected..
    Bowl percentage is only 2 bowls and the "1 bowl shot" would be what is being tired.  Imagine your mind racing, will I  be heavy and should I do this as a takeout shot.. Control of emotions. Score is only 11-15 .

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I seem to have  a visual memory of this shot and the bowl played was heavy and continued straight ahead after it kicked the jack between the bowls to the position in the next photo.  We all agree the Leif is amoung the best or else he would not be trying this shot.  Maybe it was really an overrweight shot intended to remove the shot bowl (blue) and luck of the draw was a miss and still a near catch  on the side of the jack.

These three examples are examples to show visualization of your shot and how fine a shot you take with confidence. when you are overconfident you sometimes even surprise your self.(the subconscious has done the shot). A personal example of this.   I once told a friend, with whom  I was practicing shots on the green; that I would draw up.. tap his bowl back and fall onto the jack.Overconfidence and little show off.
    . I was in my first year of Lawn bowls. and did the shot.  Scott who had bowled for many years, was amazed  but I had  already been Visualizing shots in Archery for years. Having out-of-body development concentration, and during the last 4 years before starting bowls; I had been working at visualization  Zone in Petanque...However,  the point .. it was just was a moment of doing what I though to do.  At this point I doubt if I had rolled more than 50 bowls. But I got caught and 5 years later  Bowls it still is.

This shot is from a Genius point of view, if the mind has so much control that a small percentage of success is not important. The individual when on the mat and so in the ZONE will try a draw, or a jack roll from the forehand.   Like Tiger Wood's  creative idea in golf, you know this can be done...  The percentage (bowl Percentage )for draw to shot  is less than one bowl error (half bowl on either side of the jack) and weight perfect. As for intending to do a roll of the jack  which  now becomes a difference in weights (of a foot or 18 inches) and you are doing an either/or shot. Think of the wind and how hard such a shot would have been at WB2012 and noone would believes in his shot. (except a Genius in Bowls which we don t have these days)



This is an attempt to use an example and show your mind's ability and your visualization of that successful shot.  You may see the shot visually but can your abilities to do the shot show the mind' eye that it is possible. Wind, the thought arrives and mind's eye say "no way". It will never happen if the concentration and mind over matter is not there. Not total in the Zone. As you practice shots, the mind's eye learn what you can do and then how to tells the body to do it.  But we all must play the percentage of success.  Be confidence of your shot and play a high percentage of success or be  in the Zone, visualize the shot, and be good. Become the Best dont bother to try the " Gennuis"  for one shot.   Know your limits.  Good luck.

Instinctive and Previsualization

The previous Blog mention the Video of Tigar Wood  on Youtube.com "Sport Psychology - Want  to Visualize like Tiger " and I will reference it from Blog to Blog.

Have you seen this scenero:  Bowl was rolled up the green and bowler returning to the mat for the delivery the next bowl,  calls up the green to asks the marker or skip "How much short am I ?" This often heard question can defines the player as being  "technical orientated" in their bowls development. If the bowler remains here in this stage of development he is stuck without opportunity of improvement. Yes, he will get better in his delivery or game strategy but up to a point. (blocked from advancing). 

 When we start our sport a  good technique is necessary. The photo left from Bowls Australia Video where a great teaching of  technique is shown but in "previsualization" we pu all the importance on  letting the mind and body do our deliveery.  Best said in the video where Tiger Wood's coach says   "Letting the performance happen rather than thinking or helping the performance to happen"

When teaching a new bowler to add on distance various techniques are suggested. a wrist flick, maybe a larger step, some even try with a longer swing  or other types body movement;  all  will give the extra footage that is needed. As with any sport, we all begin by techniques which develop a great performance. But once we have master the techniques we are like the pre-schooler who has stop thinking about how to drive the bicycle and just enjoy the ride. This is where visualization and mind make our sport really a joy.
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 You think, "ok just a little more"  and delivery the bowl without thinking how you have done that extra and discovers that some how the extra was added.  This is INSTINCTIVE. .After you have rolled  so many bowls  over the years you don't think any more like a new bowler with "ok a longer step". The mind know how to do it.. you just tell it what you want.  Previsulation is a bit more more than that. ( Can you believe that you will concentration to the point of not thinking at all)

  Now to understand Previsualization; imagine you are doing a "add-on practice". The objective is to roll a bowl, then the next 18 inches further and then the 3rd another 18 inches further. (a skill exercise for adding on a foot or more)
    If you throw the first one as a natural distance you have automaticly began to direct your practice toward technique you learned because you know how to build a foot onto your natural roll distance. That is ok.. except  the problem is you have choosen the starting distance.

  Now, lets try something a bit more difficult; with only a distance in your mind, Thinking "26 meters" or a random distance; now instinctively you go and roll the bowls like you want.  them to another distance until you finish this practice.. Your body knows and  will adjust each shot and if you miss you will analysis your mistake and what you should have done.(Hopefully, you will correct your communication with your mind).

 But this exercise has many parts all which require Think.. Think.. and more thinking. For example your pre-mat routine of how to get to that distance is telling your subconscious what you want. You may even remember a trick how you do it. But at one point you stop thinking, and just tell yourself (your mind) what to do and just let the body do the shot.  Or should say " Just let the mind do the shot"

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 When thinking all the time, there is so much baggage in your thoughts and you only fight with your unconscious mind on what you want to be done. Think of your conscious mind as you the boss in the office. Your body and unconscious mind want to do the job but   your thinking and control is like a boss which come back to watch you do the job. You can hear him saying "No not that way... do this or do that."  eventually you have not idea what you should do.  Like wise your body and unconscious mind is lost

 Previsualization is the instruction to the unconscious mind and then letting it do its work, and made up of two parts.. "One seeing the shot" and then "Doing the shot." But the mind doing the shot without your constant control of each movement. Sort of the Boss going away and letting the person do the job the way they know how to do it.
       Previsualization is seen everyday  in the sport baseball when a outfielder throws the bowl to the 2nd baseman or short stop.  He never thinks I got to take two steps and bring my arm back a long way.. He simply see that he is throwing the ball and at the same time or near it has been let fly.  Most important, he did not think ..now I will throw the ball.  He simply WANTED it and did it. In some sports  like Basketball it can be so used  in practice that the athletics do mental baskets for a set time before starting their practice.

A practice exercise to do on the green and understand the difference between Instinctive and Previsualization is to try this the next time you are on the green..
               Instinctive..  Roll the bowls so they arrive in the 18 inches apart. do it up and back
               Previsualization   Before rolling the bowl  see the bowl rolling in your mind.. see  its bias ..even see it falling over on the spot where you want it.. maybe do  1, 2, 3  where 3 is the actual delivery of the bowl and 1 and 2 are the eyes following the imaginary bowl up the green..
           Actually, Karan Murphy the Australian Gold Medal World Bowls 2012 winner does a sort of practice swing in her delivery.You can not know what she is thinking but you will see her do two or three arm swings before her delivery.. is she visually seeing her intended bowl roll??
            Feel the difference.  (by the way this is not previsualization yet) it is just the visual training exercise for it)
Quickly... and to yet  come.in thes blogs.. Previsualization is combined with concentration..The ability to remove the conscious thoughts of helping the bowl and letting the unconscious mind simple do what it knows.

Webster Dictionary defines Conscious as "With a degree of controlled thought" and "marked by thought"  means we are consciously talking our bowl , in our mind , to their position. we are thinking the changes that we need to do to have our bowl  performed.  Yes we need  to use our knowledge of changing weight techniques, or correction of faults but once we have made the changes we send the job to be done to the unconscious mind and let it happen.
. In the video of Tiger Wood the important statement of " Letting the performance happen rather than thinking or helping the performance to happen" means removing the Conscious control..

Your Mind, The head's computer

Up to now, "Using the Head" has dealt with  aspects of Lawn Bowls,and the game's head or area surrounding the jack. The following blogs over the next month will deal with the Power of the "Mind"  and using your Head's computer in Lawn Bowls Performance...
  This week the world's lawn bowlers were watching the World Bowls 2012 from Adelaide Australia. Some views are watching the medals however, many non Australian Lawn Bowler viewers are happy to be able to follow the Australia Bowls Streaming Video.

     If you watched the  the Singles Final for Gold between Canada and Australia  you will have remarked that  Ryan Bester (of Canada) seems to be rather fast on the mat and even faster with  the actual delivery. Some, like myself, will say this quick mat time, showed  a style of Bowls delivery which is instinctive.

 In several of these blogs about  Lawn Bowling it has discussed how some athletics seem to have
 mastered the seeing of the shot wanted, and then letting the subsconscious take control of the bowl delivery.  Allowing the delivery to be performed totally in his Mind.



In a different sport, Golf, a Twitter member makes reference to a Youtube.com video  where Tiger Wood explains  " Previsualization in his Golf Game " has leading him  to a type of creativity.‏"@bowlsbook

I liked a YouTube video from  http://youtu.be/NjZE4sOzvco?a  Tiger Woods - REVEALS WHAT HAPPENS TO HIM IN PEAK STATE" 

The blogs, to follow, will discuss Lawn Bowls from the athletics concentration and mind control aspects. In a sport, like Archery, unlike Lawn bowls, there is no question of a delivery weight. Because the bow and arrow combination gives the same weight or delivery force to every arrow.  Or in the game ofPetanque, a french game similar to Bowls or Bocce, where the attempt or shooting of a Jack as a takeout, requires a total concentration.  Also, in Tiger Wood's video of his Golf addresses to the ball has many possible variables which have been decided and changed. ( from club types, club blade angle, style of swing), However, through previsualization of his shot and actual expected shot, he has found that he has become creative with his shot..

WE all have computers, and click START or Power ON and let our desktop or Laptop prepare our computer for the work we wish to do. (boot up the system) We have in our head the most amazing Biological computer. "The Mind"  and during the following weeks I will show you how to turn on this computer, our mind, and even di-mystic the ability to use previsializiation in Lawn Bowls Performance or other sports.

Without professing an knowledge of physoanalysis of professing to be aspecial sports advisers, I am sure that my  30 years of various aspects of coaching qualifies me to speak knowingly.  From the individual discussions with athletics in archery, petanque, or Bowls; to the teaching / coaching of Blind Lawn Bowls; I have been able to  assists elite students in  their concentration training,

  If you  were a swimmer and asking about body building requirements of the sport, your knowledge of certain muscles and their need to improve my overall swimming; you will probably look at health, exercise, muscle building and even scientific advances in the sport, like material of swim suits. But as a Lawn Bowler athletic, you have the simple task of  rolling a bowl up a flat lawn and with just the right force to have it stop at the jack.

For a start "What is previsualization"...
 Think  WRONG BIAS ..........  In thinking of the words what do you see in your mind.  Do you not see an image of a bowl going out of bounds because of your bias error.  WHY ??  Your mind has generated this image of what has happen during a wrong bias?.
This a post visualization of something you have experience. The mind has recalled it and placed it on yoour computer  memory, like your computer has placed a photo on your computer screen.  In the same way you saw the Wrong Bias image aas iff you had done a search and got a Google  video or youtube playback. 
You probably should say that you actually sew in you mind's eye the bowl going up the green with the wrong bias and turning  the wrong way. Do your remember all of it...from release to finish ?
 What has taken the mind a micro-second to create and show you has not only been accoumpied by the video image, but if you noticed it ... you have also the feeling of disappointment which you now can actually feel. This same feeling often occur whenever you think of it. All this just from hearing or thinking of the words "Wrong Bias".

You have experienced post visualization (the bowl rolling) Post emotional (the feelings) and  if you have a  favorite expression like "Oh I hate that"  you may even have heard the audio words saiding itr in your mind.

NOW FOR THE POINT OF THIS BLOG. The opposite is possible.. You can actually by seeing an action in your mind, before it has happens , create the mind to generate results of performance.  This is previsualization. It is as easy as the experience of "Wrong Bias".  But the experiences must be builded into you actual Bowl delivery.  You remember all those parts of "Wrong Bias" because you have from birth generated memories and listen or play them as an  experienced event.
. However, Time is such that  we can see the past but not the future... But previsualization of events allow us to suggest that events we have seen happen several time before; can be a memory to the mind of how to perform that action.  Yes.  Even the Bowl Delivery action.

  As babies before we learned to speak we were , some will say, like animals which saw thing in our mind as images.. As we learned to speak, we slowed down that image processing and took time to form words to express the images.  We did not lose the ability to see images, but simply stop using and processing them.. With these blogs, maybe, we will learn to have the mind eye.  that computer we use everyday, tosee the images which we want to preform and if we relax, and unconsciously let the mind perform the images we want.   Putting our selves into the ZONE.  Like a Blind Lawn Bowler, who does not see the jack or the distance or the movement of the bowl,  we will simple bowl to the jack..


edited Dec 10,2013