2014 Atllantic Bowls in PEI

2014 Atlantic Bowls weekend

2014 Atlantic bowls in Charlottetown PEI

Last  weekend, we the Maritime Competitive Bowlers, all  gathered together with the Quebec delegates for the 2014 Atlantic Bowls Championship at the Sherwood LBC in Charlottetown PEI..

Although the flag of Newfoundland flies with the other provinces on the edge of the Sherwood LBC green in the above photo, it is been quite a few years since a Newfoundland team has presented or participated.  Transportation is probably the cause, as the boat ferry from Newfoundland to Nova Scotia can be several hundred dollars to travel by car. (and that is just one way) But until the province withdraws officially it will still be waited upon for a team.

It was the provincial  Lawn Bowls Assoc of Prince Edward Island turn this year to  hosted the 42th Annual Atlantic Bowls, and everything was perfect.  Greens, organization and Weather all as planned.   Video of the 2013 games in Montreal is available on youtube. and although I did not see video cameras I hope that something of theses games appears online.

Quebec entry into 2013 Atlantic (video Youtube)

Of the four provinces participating, Quebec is the continual gold medalist and they are often followed by  Nova Scotia. These two provinces have multi clubs in their major city (Montreal and Halifax) area and therefore a great interclub system to build strong competitions.

New Brunswick enters behind Flag Bearer

While New Brunswick has four clubs at different levels of skill development with Fredericton the strongest, the remaining two provinces, PEI and Newfoundland has had for years had only  one club.(Although I am told the Peter Pan Club in Newfoundland has (or is about to) close. )

   New Brunswick, my home province has three areas of club development and during the last few years we have seen club

Our team for this years 2104 Atlantic

memberships decrease in most clubs. In the Moncton area where until last year there were three clubs it is now down to Centennial with their double green and Riverview which is a small (less than 20 members) club across the Pedicatcodia River.The third club in Shediac lost it greens and clubhouse to the municipality. The other two cities of New Brunswick, Fredericton and Saint John each have their one green clubs.Fredericton has done well with membership and fees while all the other NB clubs are struggling.

The province of Nova Scotia has all its clubs except one (Bridgetown)  in the Halifax area. This allows for much inter club competition and quality player development. 

2011 atlantics in Bridgetown

Bridgetown  which hosted the 39th Competition in 2011, has been struggling for the past years with low membership and high club maintance cost, but has accepted to again host this competition in 2015.

New Brunswick has about 40 players from the 4 active clubs gathering every second Wednesday to play intercity clubs games.which  build strong team.  Although with the exception of the Trites Team most interclub change every year. So is not unexpected that Quebec and Nova Scotia, who have 5 LBC clubs in their downtown area continue to have strong teams.. 

Over the next three blobs I will discuss various aspects of this year's competition.  First, " skipping from the mat " is becoming more common and as teams realize the value of a lead building the head. 

Blogging stats reveal a lot

As I approach my 5000 pageview over the last 4 years of Blogs on Lawn Bowls, I am surprise of where the views and stats come throughout the world.
Recently, at the Atlantic Bowls Tournament in Charlottetown PEI, I discovered a Commemorate Bowl and posted a photo on my Twitter. As I follower bowls news from about 500 bowls clubs and individual throughout the world, I have 120 followers which are mostly lawn bowls elite and clubs.

Twitter acct of Springhiler

Recent tweets were about this bowl which commemorate the 1906 Canadian Tour and I would have thought that a lot of English followers would have been interested in it. The bowl was given to a George Cousin from the Illoa Lawn Club when Mr. Cousin returned from Canada.  The bowl was brought to Canada by his great great great grandson who had recently visited England and discovered it had been left to him a Canadian family member . One would have thought that the British readers of my twitter would be interest in the article of the 1906 Tour of Canadian Clubs.  Not so... The volume of readers for that 3 days were Canadian and Australian.

The viewers of the blog usually are generated from having read on twitter.  But not necessary.  As people search for specific items of interest it happens that they read the blog.  An example was when viewers from Russia were very active. It was because the blog about the 1905 Bowls tour had pictures and history facts about the RSM Empress of Ireland and the SS Drottningholm renamed from the SS Virginian.  These two vessels may have been the reason for blog viewers from Russia... I doubt if Lawn bowls is a popular sport there.

The stats of last month (August) show a recent development of interest in Spain and France.It may be the Cabrera LBC in Cabrera Spain which is the only bowls in Spain or it may be that some of my blog information about Petanque drew this interest from France
.  However, the articles of interest is in several  blogs on the subconscious ability in sports.

Blogging is more an attempt to share information and after 50 years of sports there is a lot that can be shared. Next Blog will be about the Atlantic Bowls Competition and a recent development of Skipping from the mat. (rather than the skip being in the head)  At least the Canadian Curling has been doing team captain or Skip from the third position for many years.

Lead's Role and Fours Game

Of all the games played in Lawn Bowls I believe that the bowls game of "Fours" can be the most instructive for new bowlers getting into serious Bowls. 

 After having learned the basics of bowls from a qualified instructor, the new bowler usually ventures into social games of a triples or pairs and seldom gets an opportunity to learn about the value of a "Lead".   I remember thinking I was "Lead" because I was new and could do no damage with a bad bowl.

 

Actually,Leads can learn a lot by playing as 1st or 2nd in a  " Fours" game. The game of "fours" can be considered as the 4 bowls of the Pair's Lead rolled by two players.  The great advantage of these bowls being bowled by two players is that they complement each other.  They talk about the bowls,  they help with the read of the surface and what the skip is asking of them.


The use of two Players for these four bowls  also indicate that the Lead has two basic roles. Point tight to the jack, giving the team a good start for points and creating a "head" which is the start of the end's strategy. Of course, with the guidance of the skip.

Here in New Brunswick, where very few fours games of Lawn Bowls is played, I believe that new bowlers do not get the opportunity to learn the value of being a lead.  I read recently where an international bowler stated that he often played as skip at the club level but during international play he preferred the position of lead. Why?  Because the lead makes a head which can be the total possibility or difficulty which he wants for the opponent.


In pairs where each player has four Bowls,  the value of the lead is recognize by the skip, in building the house.  If we get away from the Roll and accept the result attitude of lawn bowls, we will see that the lead can establish difficulties for the opponent. These first placed bowls make it difficult for the opponent  to develop or collect points.

In the title of the second part of this Blog,  " Lead as Chess Master ", the game of chess is compared to Bowls because we all understand that one move in chest leads to another and they're only so many opening moves that the chess player can begin his game.  In reality there is just so many possibilities of the 6 bowls (both leads) in the head after the lead finishes their delivery.

 

One of the first complaints one hears about the game off fours is how very slow the player finds the game.  And having only two Bowls, the  players often complain that there's a great deal of time waiting for your turn to Bowl.  This time can be to learn a lot about the opponents play and weakness.

 

A skip in the head often has very little time to collect data and information which will indicate the weakness of the opponent's or the best strategy to defeating the opponents. Why? Because, the skip often is busy thinking of repairing the damage done by the last opponent's bowl or recovering from a badly delivered team bowl, as he directs the next bowl to be played. 

 

In fours, after delivering the to Bowls, the lead has plenty of time collect valuable information.  Of course, information requested by his skip, In great "fours" teams, and through training at team's lead end,  the importance of various aspects of developing a head of  each end can be learned. 

 

Remember, all bowlers have a preference of their delivery, either forehand or backhand, and expressed confidence in their ability for pointing tight to the jack. If a short point bowl, blocks that option for the opponent, the game will change greatly.   Also, all greens, or alleys of play, has unique characteristics which force the pointer to do a narrow draw or a wide draw.  A similar short point, will control that narrow and easily to draw approach to the jack for the opponent.  Remember, you never worry about raising your own bowl to the jack.

 

Often the skip will collect this information in the first three of four ends of play, and this is when the leads of "fours " give suggestions to their skip. Whether the opponent is using the forehand or the backhand.  And this is when the skip or mate will instruct the lead to attempt to force the opponents away from their preference of delivery style.   Any time you waste an opponents bowl with increased difficult to the jack, it is a free bowl for the skip to build the head and capture points. 

 

Simple things like the "Trial End" Bowls  of a serious competition bowler, can indicate a great deal of information.  However, as often is the case, most "Trial End" players see these bowls as a way of  showing how close they can draw to the jack. Of course, there are only two trial ends and often the jack arrives at only two distances.  So how do you learn more about the green and the opponents ability? 

 

Because bowlers attempt to draw to the jack during trial ends, the skip is able to see the natural distance of a bowler and those distances which may be the difficulty.  A natural distance, that which the bowl rolls with the relaxed delivery, is the building blocks of adding on are taking off distance to the jack.  As skips choice of the jack location often is based on the distances the opponent lead has difficulty in reaching the jack. 


In the next couple of weeks I will be playing in the Atlantic Bowls as lead and wanted to get this blog onto my twitter site before going. It is written in two parts because of what the lead can do if given the liberty to build the head with knowledge.  As captain of the team and having another skip the game, I expect we will do good as we bowl against the best of Nova Scotia , P.E.I and Quebec.
The second part of this blog will discuss how the building of the head by the leads bowls is like a chess game and only so many possible ways to start the head.. Will attempt to update this blog with photos soon.  ty

 

Bowls is a Draw game of Patience.

Bowls is a Draw game and a played with a lot of Patience.


Fort Beauséjour was taken possession by the English at 7:30 p.m. in the evening of 16 June, 1755 However, the British Flottia arrived almost two weeks earlier.

This french fort which is only a few miles from Moncton,where I lawn bowl, is an example of offensive Attack with patience.  The British Fort Lawance which was only a few miles away was supplied with troops and slowly over two weeks the british moved to the hill overlooking the fort and patiencely went about winning the battle. 

Sometimes we are confronted by a extremely strong opponent and the more we study their game play the less time we have to find that weakness which will give us an advantage and even allow a win. How do we play them ?


Offensive play is Go Go Go... Play hard and don"t let up.. But that does not mean to drop the defence of reading the head and keeping the lost to one or two points. Defensive play can still be offensive if we  go slow with an attitude of Prevention.  


I have heard said " The best Offensive is a good Defensive attack"


If your play is aggressive and being patience and making good shots with few errors,  you are playing defensive. Of course, Beginning of the game and  your strategy in the endgame must be different. Where in the first 4 or 6 ends you are reading the opponent and the green looking for advantages, you will reach a point about mid-game where it is necessary to go 100 percent offensive.
  
How can the best defensive move be to be offensive ?


When we commit our self and  the games requires that we attack, we can also allow for the development of a defensive approach. I know this sound strange, but consider the idea.  Attacking hard leave no leeway for error  (offensive) even if you play the percentage (defensive) of work to control an approach to the jack (narrow greens, opponents choice, etc)


  When we are going to play a team,or an individual, whom, we know is stronger or better and we want to win... Defensive play starts with the first bowl and trial-ends. Match bowls in the head is an defensive strategy although a better shot bowl is being offensive.

  Often the bowls seem to always need another end to get that point.  Know the ability of your players and don t waste bowls trying to draw the impossible.  Yes, you might get lucky but also you might run out of ends to play.    If we like thess british troop capturing Fort Beauséjour we work to advance and in our game are digging in, but still advancing (even by one point)  it is consider as defensive / offensive strategy.

But they are also  analysis the strength of the position and the weakness of the opponent.

 Like wise when a decision come up to play a shot in Bowls, we are offensive because of the strength of the opponent or are we just continually working at our attack. We may be making our decisions on preventing damage if the delivery is not perfect.


 If we are maintaining our own strong position and waiting for the opponent's mistake, are we defensive or offensive ?. One thing is sure.  In the last bowls of the skip, it is his decision and he may turn offensive and attack strong to gain or keep the points.



   

Lawn Bowls Skills - "Open" or "Close"

Where some sports require a physical development of the body in Lawn Bowls the "Perfection of the delivery technique" is the major  skill that you will spend your career to develop and prefect. WHY ?

Skills that best develop
under the club Coach

   There is very little physical force which is need to roll your Bowls to its desired placement on a fast green, so your most physical commitment will be the walking to the head. This 12 trips up the 30 meter green is probably why many seniors are so involved in Lawn Bowls at the Social level. 
 What of that smooth and well developed  move ment as you do your delivery. This continual fine performance of the same action during each visit to the mat, is it not physical ? No it is a mental perfection and development.

Where, in other sports, the athletes and coaches perceive  the needed skills as a perfection and development of a physical ability, in Lawn Bowls all our efforts are directed toward the psychological skills needed to   "develop " and "perfect" a consistence bowl delivery.  Of course, physical development and ability is a major aspect of your development of a good delivery but it means good balance and coordination of movements.

As in sports requiring a Physical skill we find that the Psychological skill can be either a "Open Skill " or "Closed Skill". Lawn bowls, like the sports of golf, archery and shooting requires that you develop a closed psychological skill.  What this means is that when you are totally committed, fully involved and active in your delivery, your mind (conscious and subconscious) are totally closed to everything happening around you.

For each sport we play, one will be occupied in the development of different psychological skill. In sports like Hockey, Football or Basketball the athletic may be busy developing and perfecting open skills. Always aware of fellow players and their location in preparation for a possible coming pass or  physical contact. Playing the game with an " Open" ability in both physical and Intellectually developed skills.

However, when one is concentrating or using closed skills they are "busy developing their subconscious abilities". In a precision  sports such as    archery or rifle shooting, (and even Lawn Bowls), this sport is called a "Closed Psychological Skill Sport ", because of the closed mental activity. If you allow your mind to wander your performance will indicate this interruption and provide a bad result.

An " open skill " Sport like baseball, basketball, football requires an "open" mental awareness of your surroundings, environment and distractions. Your success and best performance is according to the data or feedback received from players and the surroundings during your actions.

In Lawn Bowls, your psychological development of concentration and having a mental control is important. In  a "Open" sport  like basketball you are open to immediate physical and environment changes (the opponent player's contact) which you will than alter your physical actions.
 Running with the football with a tackle  coming up behind you, mentally you will perform physical and mental actions and suddenly change direction to the left or right. Or, for a basketball player to hear footsteps or see an opponent to their left, his physical and mental skills will require his actions be modified. Not just physically change but mentally also perceive the basketball throw and actions of a good delivery.

If in Lawn Bowls, and in the middle of your delivery you hear someone talking behind you, which of course they shouldn't be doing, you must be able to close your mind to that distraction. You should have developed a "closed mental awareness" towards these distractions and changes. This increased concentration is a trick of hearing and closing the listening aspect of your mind until it has been completely ignored.  (Some coaches develop this in their athletics by having intended distractions created as they practice.

However, if you have not developed  this “Closed Psychological Skills” your mind instead of closing up, now thinks of that distraction and maybe several other things like the players on the neighbouring green and your bowl will be delivered badly.

Yes, in Lawn Bowls the environment is important . A strong wind blows across your green while you're doing your delivery is an environment  change. No it will not affect your bowl as it rolls but the distraction is important. Do you feel the lost of balance as you move forward to lay down the bowl?

Having this Psychological skill and the action and awareness which you can apply to the unexpected changes in sound, environment or thought  is what is important.

 In a "Closed Psychological Skill" you are not going to change your routine or mental abilities because these skills have been developed. That reaction to a bad delivery will change your reaction and next delivery if a skill to buried that thought did not become part of your developed psychological ability.

 Your mental delivery routine (Pre-mat, during delivery, followup) all stayed the same throughout the game, but these undeveloped and uncontrolled distractions skills will show in your performance.

Maybe in the week following that game which was so important and you chocked in the finally delivery; you and coach do an evaluation and physical and psychological feedback study.
You don t need to think about making a change to your routine but working on a better developed mental skills. Exercises for this skill development may be applied in off-the-green activities like walking on a busy street. Did that speaking, that car horn, that bang.. catch your attention.  Did you closed it as it began to appear in your path.

 I do not use the term  "Delivery Routine" because your routine may be everything from the arrival at the competition until the final bowl is rolled. How does the greeting of friends and teammates involve in your game.

  Your Delivery Routine is probably  psychological  and physically “closed” from the Pre-mat to the Post delivery Analysis phases. However how is your development of  the distraction “Closed psychological skill”. If your coach asked you about your recently job change at work it is because he is always  concern about distractions.

Probably, you have developed the ability that for an distraction or interruption, your delivery routine is such that you  step off the mat and re-do your Bowl's  pre-mat delivery  routine. Putting your mind and Psychological abilities back in its proper resting place.

When do you consider modifying your line of delivery, bias or delivery? When ?? In your regular routine and your delivery there is part of your performance where this is done.  And only at that place of your Closed Skill. (physical and Psychological)

When you have developed a "closed Psychological skill"  it will be part of your delivery routine. You will still need to be aware of all the other environment changes, but each in their proper place.  Whether, Dew in the morning  when you arrive and as you play with the green changing speed as the dew is burned off by the sun.

Or as the skips request  the forehand line, these are all conditions or changes you will feed into your mental routine and each as part of your closed state of performance.

Management of your psychological development in a "closed skilled" sport is the responsibility of your coach and they know how much of it is still based upon the need for a personal overall management model of
 1) assessment or Evaluation,

 2) goal setting or planning and

 3) development or implementation.

Developed during practice and implementation during competition.

 If you have produced short bowls. Thinking, maybe they will be useful as a blocks, and  even evaluate their involvement during the final bowls of the end, are all positive approaches to a closed psychological attitude where "Positive thinking"  is a closed skill tool and also these types of reason is a False self-evaluation. (Instead of  the feedback evaluate of "why short" ?)

A positive mental attitude is part of the need to maintain a good psychological health. (thoughts that are foods such positive thinking) . The bowls, you tell yourself, will be delivered correctly at the completion of your delivery routine; is also your ability to creating a self-conversation which is always part of the delivery feedback. It is also building your mental reinforcement of the closed skill because you are occupied 100 percent and it will help.

In a " Closed skill " psychological development you have trained to keep your concentration and close your mind to distractions that affect your performance.  Practice on days of distractions or even plan as mental training to take a game with that loud ,never stop talking, club member.

There are many methods to improving psychological skills.

    During your regular practice, you have practiced in many changed  game situation's or condition of play and chosen to even practice in different environment. (Rain, Wind and Heavy Greens)’ there by creating different psychological models.

Talk to your coach about the Open or “Closed psychological skill” and how to develop them. Ask your skip what are his tricks or his developed routines and how he sees “Closed psychological skill.

Trial Ends and Lessons (part 2)

When teaching the Blind to Bowl, you give them the physical instructions of how to do a good delivery and then tell them to just relax. Why ?? Not too much instruction at first ? No .

photo tradgames.org.uk

  I find that it is easier to explaining that everyone has a distance which if they relax and do a  good (not necessary a perfect delivery); that their bowls will stop within a foot each time.   This, I explain, is your "natural distance".
When building your abilities in a sport there is a need for a common starting point upon which to build your abilities. Then the coach will teach you how to add a few feet or yards onto this "Natural" distance.

 I believe most people have two natural distances, one, when relaxed, your natural delivery, and  a  second natural distance, when they are forcing. like making a long step delivery. In drills, or when teaching the new bowlers I often attempt to put the jack at the individuals "natural distance". "Practice makes perfect" we hear, but more exactly it is "Good practice makes perfect"   And "Good practice" for a beginner is to have the jack at the distance which will give a consistency of delivery.,

  Every green will give you a different "Natural " distance, at which your bowl will roll with that great finish. However, there is a catch, Catch-22, (that old war movie.."You can't be send home unless your crazy, and if your request to be send home your not crazy") What you learn in the trail ends  can also be seen as being told to your opponents. (If you bowl natural weight, your opponent will avoid to put the jack at that distance when they can)

    --- If  every one was to use the trial ends to see their natural distance on this new club's greens, then the opponent skip (if watching) has this information, So on a trail end you are, sort of,  prevented from just bowling naturally. Yes you should attempt to draw to the jack and learn from the results of your bowls.

Use the trail ends to know the bowls

If your style of delivery is to adding onto your "natural distances"; then analyze your Bowls to jack distance  of the jack on the trial end, and bowl to the jack.  You will know the speed of the green and your "natural distance" delivery effort  for that green.  One big mistake of skips in the trail end is to ask their bowler to do a forehand or backhand.  Yes, your skip wants you to know which delivery  of  the green is best, forehand side or back hand side; but he should let the player learn from their trial ends.. 
 

Of course if you're a skip, one of the information you will receive from the trial ends is the danger of your opponents.  Each opponent will have a strength "Jack distance" and will be best bowling at this certain distance. First learning of trail ends.... where not to put the jack in the first ends of play Team members should share information, and because certain positions of play give that player a different insight; a good skip will delegate collection of information.
 

Since there are only two trial ends, up and back, and the opponent throws the jack on one of these occasions, you may want (as mate) to bowl a long "draw to the ditch" shot. Your raison may be  to read more accurately the green, make sure your skip knows. Let each player of a team develop their own information in the trial ends; and also expect them to collect some information which is needed by the team.
 

In a game of fours each team player may be requested to learn a different lesson  in the trial ends. Example, the lead should be able to Bowl to the jack at any distance, and should fine tune this skill, however the second and third, may actually disregard the jack position and bowl short (on a long trial end jack) or long to read the variations in the green when a ditch jack is to be presented in the coming game. If the trial ends are to know the green; this can be a necessary information which will be useful later.
 

  Sometimes during trial ends we will see the skip practice their runner or over draw shot. This to me would indicate he is comfortable with all the other knowledge of green speed and  players' ability' as well as the opponent's ability to draw to the jack. When I see these runners in trail ends, I think of the head game to be played and this is to tell the opponent, "I can throw runners".
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Certainly when the team members pass each other in the center of the green a lot of information should be shared as well as other  positive communications.
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When the Blind bowlers rolls the jack , they are always given the jacks distance from the mat. Every bowlers should have a way to judge the jack distance.  One year, I had a 3rd year bowler tell me. " How do I know the distance if the mat is moved out."? This was their  argument for not moving the mat of the "mat line"  Remember, strategy is using all the weakness of the opponents.  If the opponent can not find their line unless the mat is on the mat line, this weakness will result in the mat being moved.

If the natural distance  of the bowler is 25 meter they must know and calculate that distances up their green.  If the jack arrives at 27 meter they should know from green signs (board marks or greens spots ) that it is beyond their natural distance by two meters. (even if the mat is not on the mat line) 

After having bowled to the jack in the first roll of the trial end; and walking to the opposite end of the green one should have notice various distance markers. For example a burnt spot on the green, might be at 28 meters (from the mat line), or an object on the sideline a 26 meters. When the mat is moved 2 meters out these markers will help you to know the jack distance. You should always be able to find a spot which indicates a certain distance in meters and then compare how the jack is in relation to that spot.

Sometime, it will mean watching the skips walk from the scorecard to the jack and counting their steps. (green is 33 meters, he did 10 steps or 10 meters walking,  and score card is 3 meters behind the ditch) so the jack is 7 meters from the ditch.  Yes, calculations.. but also being aware of what is happening on the green or with the skips

Sometimes it skip will have a signal to a player to indicate the actual  jack distance in relation to where the mat has been placed if it is out from the mat line.

For example, myself I sometimes use the forearm in an vertical line to indicate the distance.  (I use the elbow as Hog line distance and the wrist as  the  ditch or maximum distance). Of course if the mat is moved out I calculate the distance from the mat. With my open hand I show what I know as the distance to the jack.
If 28 meters (touching my wrist) or half ways (26 meters) attaching the middle of my forearm, should allow the bowler to incorporate this information into their own analysis .

Sometimes there can be unique things about a club's greens.  Most greens are 30 to 33 meters long,However, once we won an advantage, during  a inter provincial competition by knowing that the greens were shorter in one direction

This was because of a large embankment  on the limit of the club's land and it  prevented more green construction. There fore. the long jack was  probably less then 28 meters. (the green  in that direction was about 30 meters)

Another advantage before the game starts and during the trial end is to verify the last foot of green before the ditch;  because the skip may have to draw to the ditch the information is best known before that end of play

. One trick was that I as the mate would do a small foot roll of the bowls behind the mat line toward the ditch. After the Bowls the been collected, I would look at the skip and then flip a bowl with my foot to see how the green  rolled very close to the ditch. ( of course your bowl... don.t send an opponents bowl into the ditch and find it covered with sand, especially after them putting grippo on their bowls or in the morning with the dew still on the green and bowls are all wet)

Anther trick during the trial ends  -  Doing the coin Toss for start.  Sometimes in a competition game you would like to be able to match your player against an opponent player. You may know that Richard can out bowl the opponent Keith and would like them to play the same position. With the flip of the coin, if you were to win and give away the jack, this will  allows you the winner, to  tell Richard to take the same position as Keith. If Keith leads in the trial ends, Richard will follow, If Keith goes second, like wise.

However, Warning... Because  I have yet to see a rule which says the order of play depends on the order of the trial ends; I believe the rules do permit a team to Bowl a different order of players than those presented in the trial ends. Again, to switch after the trial end have been rolled will give away any advantage of this trick.  (if the opponent has changed his players order after the trial end, you are aware they know this trick and likewise change your order if you had given away the mat)  

I remember one game where the opponent skip had changed his players order and I changed it back, as we went to the mat, and he said to me " you definitely want Richard and Keith to bowl the same position ". Of course we laughed. 

 

Trial ends and Green Speeds

The tournament is about to start and everyone is on the Green 10 to 15 minutes early for trial ends. "I guess this is a chance to see how close I can roll to the jack". This used to be my thought on trial ends. (In this photo is the greens fast or slow ?) Hint.. photo has been squeezed to help you see the speed of green)

Or I thought "one of the reasons for the trial ends is to show you how your Bowls performs on this clubs green". Today I think differently, although we all know that the club bowlers have an advantage on their greens.

When I was 21, now going on 70, I was working for the newspaper and studying photography. A mentor told me, " there are some professions where secrets are your bread and butter ". "In news photography there are many tricks to making a great photograph, and unless someone tells you their tricks, your photographs are like everyone else's photos" he said " become friends with the better photographers and learn the tricks". Trail Ends are bit like photography. Learn the tricks.
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In our provinciall tournaments, Jeff, from out of town, can always be seen on the Green rolling Bowls in the opposite direction of play before the trial ends. If trial ends are just to know the speed of the green, and anyone can do these practice rolls before the game, then  what is the purpose of trial ends?

OK, imagine that you have three sets of bowls which roll differently and have a different biased. In this Blogs I will convince you that every green causes your Bowls to have a different bias. ( and every green will appear to have a different speed). If you have to choose one of the three sets of bowls for this competition, why not choose the Bowls which you are most comfortable with.

After having bowled your Bowls several hundred times you have a visual image of the line of delivery needed and you know the final finishing curve of your bowl's bias. However, consider this............ 

If the faster green changes your regular bowls' bias and by choosing another set, maybe yournset number two Bowls, you may find that they perform with what seems to be the same bias as your regular Bowls back on your home green. Certainly you will be bowling a better bowl if the competition green performs like your home club green. The bowl choice will do this for you.
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I don't know if the rules allow you to change your Bowls following the trial ends but before the game starts you can roll all your bowls (two or three sets) in the opposite to competition direction. By doing these pre-trial ends rolls of your bowls, you can actually find the best bowl and when you come to the mat for the trail nds,  you have changed your Bowls  to the best performance.
 

You doubt this...?? ? In the clubhouse on the wooden floor roll your Bowls very slowly and you will discover, if the floor is flat, that it will make a complete circle of about 10 to 15 inches.  YES, they will return to the start. why?

Instructional books on lawn bowling will explain that the biased or curved of your Bowls only takes effect in a few seconds before stopping. Much like how a car tire will stay upright while rolling fast and begin to fall when rolling slow.  The photo above, has all the bowls standing (see the sticker on the side)  indicates a very slow green and your bowl stops very quickly.

However, if the greens are fast, this slow roll will last longer and because before stopping the bowl wants to fall over and  like on the fast hardwood floor ( or fast greens ) allows it to continue to roll there is an "extended bias"

  Don't just read these Blogs and think maybe, get out on the green or in the clubhouse and try what is suggested.

The faster the green, and the slower you must roll your Bowls, the longer the bowl will roll as it is finishing its delivery, at the "bias curve roll", and the more it will seem to turn into the jack. Your Bowls will seem to remain at the slower speed (bias curve ) longer. I had a set of bowls which seemed to turn around and come back before stopping, much like a candy cane. 

  Of course, the greens were prepared by Scott and were rather fast. Hint.. also, the faster the green, the more likely your Bowls will fall over rather than stand up straight. 

In teaching Lawn Bowls to a beginner this will not be discussed but to you the competition bowler this can be very important. 
Do you have a different delivery with very heavy and slow green.  Look at the British bowlers with their two steps after delivery. We often teach and think that the delivery should end with one step. But when we have a very slow green we may need more body movement forward and be required to do two finishing steps in order to stop your movement after the delivery.

The YouTube video "Lawn Bowls: Tony Alcock 16 Time World Champion Coaching " suggest this is the " Scottish runner " style of delivery because Scotland having slow green, required such force that it requires two steps

or more. Will these bowls have a big swing or Bias?? NO
because they will not spend a great deal of time during the last few seconds or it'sfinish and  will appeared to have stopped very quickly without having a finish or curve.  Like the photo above, you will probably notice the bowl is often in the standing (running) position after it has stopped.

There are many other factors which could affect your bias. 

The way that the greens are cut (cross, up/down or crisscross). These will change the delivery speed and therefore the bias. Of course, as we bowl and are going up the alley the green speeds will change from our walking.  Also you may discovery that one way maybe faster than coming back, as you roll with a cut of the green and against a cut of the green. You may also notice that during the morning with the dew it is quicker..

These will cause what seems like a change in speed and the finish of your Bowls.

If the three sections of the bowl's roll are the Straight (line) the Middle curve, and the finish, what are the effects of green speed and green cut height to the Straight and Middle curve of your bowl ?

Next blogs will discuss how your natural distances of delivery should be evaluated during trial ends.