The Five Psyschologic Parts of Delivery

 

Being Developed Patience plse

It is 5am and because of a medical problem in the family, I was not able to sleep last night; so I am here where my mind gets occupied and rid of worries. Writing a Blog about the lastest occurence of something of interest to my readers. 

  Last weekend, as watching the Provincial Pairs Competition I was asked advice from a fellow club member and the problem is of interest on how sometimes we develop our "Delivery" but we still have not completed all the steps of development.

The question from Sharon was " There is something I don't understand. What is your explanation of it ?' Louise just finished a delivery and being a bit heavy she rolled the jack back several feet. However, with the next bowl she was about 5 or 6 feet short. What do I do to help her?  What is happening ?"

The title says "The Five Psychological parts of a Delivery" and the problem here suggested is that Louise has developed only her  "Muscle Memory" Delivery. The Delivery, which is the third or mid-point of the Muscle Memory Performance is where the Subconscious does an instinctive delivery. However, we must realize that at this point of an athlete's development there are many psychologic aspects which need development and like the physical

We all should know about the need for a Pre-Mat Routine before going to the Mat. where we can do the physical preparation and the performance of a "Muscle Memory" Delivery still has a lot of mental performance if the delivery is to be what we expected. As previously explained, "Muscle Memory" is done in absence of "Conscious Thought". When learning we found the conscious mind instructing the musclea and after much practice the delivery became like breathing and walking; an instinctive performance. At this point of our development there is a lot of psychologic events which may happen. So lets look at Louise's problem as to the thinking behind her inability to repeat her performance.

Ok, to the problem of Louise with her "trail of the jack" and then a "very short bowl".  And to help understand this, I will repeat what I expect was the self-talk of Louise. Self-talk is a psychological self-evaluation and effort to explain the feelings of an athlete lack of satification.

"Oh crap, too heavy" as she see the bowl rolling the jack back a few feet. "The jack is not as far as I thought". "I know I can do better". My skip is not going to be happy with that". I wonder if I gave them the shot". "Maybe it is our bowl there behind". If you are watching the body language of Louise as she walks away from the mat you can see her turn a couple of time to look back at the skip for his reaction.

How long Louise keeps this feeling is important. Hopefully, as the opponent is rolling their bowl, Louise is occupied with these thoughts and using her Pre-Mat to forgot and prepare for a good delivery. However, like all of us, Louise is probably  watching  the opponent's delivery or the opponent skip indication of what the head and points are now after that "Jack Roll". If her skip has not told her the new situration now as she learns from the opponent skip, her "Self-talk" starts again and she goes back to the mat without doing psychologic recovery. 

"Oh, they got shot, what did I do ?" "How close is their shot ?" etc. etc. all occupy her mind and feelings. Even guilt gets drawn into this as she thinks "I can expect the team to tell me how stupid that was of me"  "Opps, my turn to bowl again" as the opponent steps off the mat. With all this psychologic damage, Louise goes to the mat with no Pre-Mat Routine decision of how she will bowl. She is still in a self-talk saying " Ok that was too heavy, I got to do a good delivery this time with the right weight", as Louise steps to the mat. Maybe, she even forgot to check her bias with all that baggage of guild and self-talk thoughts"

Louise goes into her regular delivery routine and what happens.. She bowls light because she told herself she was heavy last delivery. but she is now rolling her bowl to a jack which is several feet farther than before but she is bowling light to the position the jack was before it was moved. Even if she did bowl the proper distance for the jack position as it was before, her bowl is now nowhere near the jack which is now several feet farther than before. Yes Louise bowled to the old position of the jack, not the new position.

Let look at what is missing in Louise's Post-mat routine, her Pre-mat Routine and her psychological baggage she is carrying and will maybe carry for several bowls and in some cases for the remainder of the game. If Louise has figured out what happen to make that bowl so very very short she may be make a Post-Mat Decision to fix the mistake as she looks at the Jack. "It new position"

The instruction of new member delivery is usually advising them to stand behind the mat, maybe even while the opponent is doing their delivery. We are with our Bowl in hand and preparing the bowl with some this is a physical actions.  

After the Bowl has left our hand and is rolling up the green we probably stay on the mat and watch the roll until it has stopped. This is the fifth aspect of our delivery and probably the most psychological thinking during our delivery as we study every movement of the bowl as it rolls that 14 seconds before stopping.

the first, third, and fifth psychological parts of Louise's delivery needs a study but  more likely they only have the physical parts of the delivery performance. Once the " Muscle Memory Delivery is finished and the bowl stop Louise probably steps from the mat. What we have just seen is the physical part of the delivery. But in these three parts we often have psychological action with the exception of teh Muscle Memory (the third); which should just be instinctive physical performance.

Yes you are doing a lot of thinking before going to the mat and after the delivery is finished but these actions and thoughts are all part of the Delivery without too detail of any psychological problems or habits. If you communicate with the Subconscious before your muscle memory this is a "Pre-delivery" and likewise if you want your bowl roll and analysis the perfromance we have a Post- Delivery. So the five pshchological parts of the Delivery are 

1- Pre Mat Routine to prepare the bowl and ourself before our Muscle Memory Delivery

2- Pre-Delivery thoughts or images as communication of what is expected from the "Muscle Memory". This may also have "Tags" which are physical actions which do not affect the performance but remainds the subconscious of something. An example is holding the bowl up infront of you and placing the image of the bowl and Jack (up the green) together. Intention of where the bowls should finish it roll.

3 - Muscle Memory Delivery where you move your mind into an emptiness of thought and allow the instinctive delivery to happen. There should be not thoughts or images once the physical action of the delivery has started.

4- Post-Delivery as you watch the bowl roll of your fingers to the green and began it part or line up the green. This is an important time as you come out of the empty void of muscle memory and begin thinking. If you address your thoughts to what you feel you will know many of the mistakes you may have made. You can feel your balance, your correct delivery movements and as you watch the bowl roll you are collecting data for the subconscious to use late when you return to the mat for another bowls roll

5- Post-Mat Routine should not be a hurry departure from the mat so the opposition can begin to bowl. you eyes should be doing quick data collection of the information from the skip in the head, the body language of the opponent and your feelings. As you step from the mat let all these psychological thoughts or images become a total closure of the performance.

All of us have the four aspects (before and after) of delivery in a period  of being  developed as practice and game play uses data collected  and used as instruction to the subconscious  mind for the best performance.The only difference is the Pre-Delivery thought or images are easily to be too long or detail and invite the conscious mind to come and do a muscle performance. The Muscle Memory (third aspect) is performance unique without thought. The Pre-Mat and Pre-Delivery are decisions and how-to images or thoughts on the best performance. The Post-Delivery is a hard part as your feelings and expectations become a part of your performance. The objective here should be to check and remove destructive self-talk or feelings competely.

The cleaning of the Bowl. Removal of moisture or dirt, sand or other debris as well as the chalk from being a "Toucher". The hand's hold on the bowl with our choice of grip. The balance of the bowl's weight in hand as if sort of becoming one with the bowl as you bounce it in your palm.

There waiting for the opponent to finish their delivery, you should be gathering the information from your previous bowl roll and your evaluation of the Delivery and the results. Finally, the opponent is finish and you step to the mat and look up the green toward the skip indicating to the opponent you have taken possession of the mat.  The skip begins with some communication of your last bowl, or the last bowl of the team member before you.

You step back from the mat as you are now preparing your bowl for delivery with the request of the skip, your opinion of that request and how you will perform it. If you know your skip he has his body language or movements to give you the needed information. The last bowl played (by the opponent) and it distance from the jack and whether point or not. Or maybe, like many skips, gives no information and goes immediately into their request of your Delivery.

Ok, you know what is requested and your performance last and going this way up the green. You verify your bias for what is requested and begin your step to the mat, placing your feet in the routine position. Of if in your opinion of the skips request you decided to "Walk the mat" because of your fear for a bowl which seems to be in your path. Many bowls which seem to be a fear of touching are more a psychological aspect of your Pre-Mat Routine.  The first aspect of your five psychological parts of Delivery is complete.

Before talking about the other four parts of Delivery, it is best to go back to the basic coaching we had as a new member because unless what will be discussed here is already the complete Delivery you perform; you have developed a delivery of the physical habits of rolling the bowl up the green and being finished you are then turning around and leaving the mat with your "Post-Mat Routine" (fifth aspect)

So the beginner the "Post-Mat Routine is to walk away to make room for the opponent but as you have practice you have over time developed a feeling of your delivery at this point. Happy with your performance, Dissatified, Angry all the various psychological feelings which make us love (or hate) our efforts at a good delivery.

What should your Post-Mat Routine be ?. You have watched your bowl roll up the green and come to a stop. You have evaluated the skip's satification with your bowl and your expectation and results. As you walk back from the mat it may be the start of "Self-talk" of psychological  feelings and even an "evil demons talk" you hear. How long you bath in this glory or dissatification before you pick up your next bowl and start you Pre-Mat Routine is how strong is your Psychological development.

Through out several blogs I have spoken of "Muscle Memory" where our subconscious mind has performed our delivery in a sort of absence of thought, where we feel a void  as we  return to thinking. Thinking, the conscious mind receiving thoughts and deciding what you are wanting it to do. Walk away from the mat, bend and pick up the next bowl.

Only two of the five psychological aspects of Delivery mention and already 2 pages long blog. 

Two Big Mistakes. Pre-Mat Routine did not have a "Jack Distance" instruction to the "Muscle Memory". A feeling or method of identifing the new jack position. The skip is partly to blame because without a few signs of communication before the bowl of Louise finally stopped, he has left her with her self-talk and baggage. Second mistake is Post-Mat Routine did not see the result and evaluate the good or bad and then moved on to do an preparation for when next you go to the mat.

In several blogs I discuss communication with the subconscious mind before and after the "Muscle Memory" performance. These are shot thoughts or images or else the conscious mind will see them as instruction and make muscle control action. The second aspect of Delivery is the remainder to the Subconscious mind you expected "Delivery Results". If you just rolled and wait to see you have made not expectation. If in the Pre-Mat you decided to "Walk the mat" you probably watch your bowl until it approached that bowl which you thought was in your path. This Pre-Delivery Routine is before Delivery or Muscle Memory Delivery and are psychological strengths. As your bowl roll needs physical efforts so also your delivery need psychological efforts. With that baggage and self-talk of the last minute you will never roll a good bowl until "Focus" is restored and your Peace is fixed in that quiet place of a good delivery.

These three aspects of the delivery.. Pre-Muscle Memory Delivery", Muscle Memory Delivery, and Post-Muscle Memory Delivery are all needed for your pefromance. When the bowl leaves your hand and begins to roll up the green is when your Post-Delivery Routine starts. You now have all kinds of different feelings you can feel if you want to identify them. Your balance, your delivery movemeht as to how it is your perfect delivery, your bowl roll as a nice roll or not. All these feelings are there if you want to feel them. And with those feelings you will decide where and how your bowl will roll and finish.

Or maybe you just stand there for the 14 seconds while the bowl rolls and wait to see where it stops.  Last week I needed a tap on my team's bowl on the jack to get the 3 points for a tie and even that 4th point for a win. In my pre-Delivery Routine I saw (visual image) the location where I wanted the jack to move to. I saw the little weight to just touch the bowl on the jack. I saw the action of my performance (a finger flip). All quick thoughts before I let Muscle memory do it performance.

As the bowl left my hand I had a good feeling about the delivery and the line. I actally saw the contact I wanted. yes again everything was ok as another second of the roll passed. Then I saw the line of the bowl stay straight for about a foot or 18 inches.. I saw my contact point change.. I knew my shot would be a miss. The bias came back and now I was sure of a hit but maybe not as I expected. As my bowl make contact and my team's bowl on the jack move a few inches right I knew my weight was good but "Did the jack roll enough for that fourth point" as I saw my bowl stay there beside the touched bowl.

Focus is all this time thinking and knowing and doing an evaluation for when nexrt you go to the mat.  Guess I wll find time this month to do the Pre-Delivery (2nd aspect) and Post-Delivery (4 aspect) and the psychological performance needed for a perfect delivery with Muscle Memory.

If you think your physical delivery is hard to perfect, think how hard the psychological part of this is as if you think too long on something the conscious mind will see your thought as a request for muscle performance and  began to do that physical perfromance.  This is why if you think of a "Bowl Tap" it is better to think of "Bowl Touch" because if you think (image or thought) "Bowl Tap" you must also think "How Much" and by now the Conscious mind is preparing to do the muscle performance instruction.

Now almost 7am so guess I can go sleep. So I will publish these 3 pages to tease the reader of what is coming.but I don't know when I will get time but will eventually get back here or die on the bowls green... Lmao.. .

 Tomorrow I have a 3 game pairs competition and then mext week.  I will start 4 nights of Singles before the weekend  Finals. Hell, at 80+ guess i will sleep good all next week.  Enjoy but be patience. I will put photos and correction before attempting to indicate some of the thoughts and problems with Pre-Delivery and Post-Delivery

Simple Bowls Line and Weight

 Since we can not have two thoughts actively controlling our muscles, we must decide on Line or Weight and let the Muscle Memory do that performance. There are various consistences in each and each has to have their adjustment for those Jack distances or locations which are not consistence.

Line - Since we must keep one foot on or over the mat during delivery, we must step forward wtth the other foot. Right handers will bowl from the right side and step forward from the left and vise versa for Left handers. Unless you have changed your bowls your line will always be the same as you have been practicing. Looking at a Bowls Bias chart we see the wider the bowl's bias the more the angle off center line our line of Delivery will be.

That chart show several manufacters and some like Aero make very narrow Bias Bowls while others like Henslite are very wide bias and may finish as wide as 90 degree as the bowls stops at the jack.. So now your body is in line for a delivery with that bowl and it's bias.

Your weight is all that your Muscle memory is going to be concern with. So lets find the point of consistence weights.  If we do a relax (no effort) swing and delivery the bowl will always roll the same distance and finish on center line. (If you are standing right and do a smooth correct delivery).

This distance that the bowl rolls before stopping with this relax (no effort) delivery is called the "Natural Distance" and although you may know the actual number of meters it is for you and your bowl; it may change because of various changes in environmental conditional or Quality of the playing surface. So you must have the jack at that distance for a no-effort Natural Distance Delivery. This means you must be able to throw the jack to that distance or know when the bowl is at that distance. Otherwise you must add on delivery weight or take off delivery weight for this (first) Natural Distance.

What happens if we change something in our Delivery routine. Lets say your relax no-effort Delivery is without a step forward and now you take a small step forward during your delivery. Of course the bowl will go farther and if you always take the same distance step then you have a second Natural Distance Delivery. Let say your no-effort Delivery is a back swing to about 6:30 (clock hands) and now you go to 7:30 you of course have another natural distance and you should know that distance in meters. At this point you have three distances of consistence bowl roll and you know those distance in meters. (lets say 22, 24.5, 26 meters.

Everyone is unique in their mental abilities and most are classified as either Visual or Audio in their reflection. The reason this is mention is that in communication with the subconscious for Muscle Memory a visual individual will see an image and an audio with think a thought (audio). A thought of an image or word is quick enough that the conscious mind does not see it as a muscle instruction. See a bowl roll pass a point is an image while following that bowl along it bias path is like a video and the subconscious mind is distracted from it's Muscle Memory. 

Above we noticed three Natural distance created by small changes in our delivery but the  22, 24.5, 26 meters only cover half the distance of the possible jack distance allowed in a jack roll. What do we do next.  First we must divide the 10 meters from the Hogline to the Respot distance into 4 zones and identify them by some method of observation. It would be nice if the skip who is up the green was to tell you.  But telling you would also be telling the opponent unless you have a system of communication. (4 fingers meaning 24 meters). Also in singles it will be you that must find those distances. It may be surround objects like benches or buildings or it may be discolor of the green which you can see as you walk your first 2 or three end of the game. Also the jack will never be at your exact Natural distance but if you are "Feeling" the distance and rolling to see how close you are it is like a trial end and a wasted bowl. A 10 end game is 10 points missed if bowls are used to know the distance. All information plus your perfect delivery at a natural distance mean another point on the score board.

Practice is doing your add-on and take-off delivery weights on your natural distance. How you do the add-on is the thought and increased weight you use with your muscle memory. Three things effect the distance a bowl will roll. Your Swing delivery, Your body movement as your step forward and the equipment and condition of play. A bigger bowl will roll farther a slower green will give your natural distance a shorter distance. A 24 Natural distance may be 24.5 into the sun and 23.5 away from the sun as rolling over grass bent toward the sun is faster. Same if the greens are cut close (July) as to May/June when the greenkeepers wants a good root system greens.

So if your feet are correct the bowl will stop on center line and if you weight is correct the bowl will stop on the jack if your delivery was well done. Yes practice to get that perfect delivery. But thoughts to the Muscle Memory is also important as a remainder of what you want to do. And your evaluation afterward too. is feedback to the subconscious mind. Like a boss advice to the typist. Think before and after Muscle Memory but not during.

Bowls Bias and Off-Bias Delivery (AMem)

About 20 years ago when I was coaching the Blind in Lawn Bowls I crossed a common problem  of the 90s where coaches believed that there was only one way "Method" to holding and the delivery of the bowl up the green to the Jack.  My first blind student had been instructed by a National athlete who was also a coach. Many individual with a visual handcap also has other physical difficulties and I was surprise to find that this blind student had been build a wrist strap to keep her delivery hand straight.

If it had been a weak muscle problem and this leather wrist band was created to offer a muscle support, it would have been easy to accept; but it was more a "keep your fingers straight" instruction of the coach device. Yes the way the bowl is held in the had make for a good and natural delivery. My self, having come to lawn bowls from archery and over the 15 years developed my archery  shot release. Although I won gold at Nationals competitions, the Arrow release grip had resulted in a 45 degree wrist  muscle change. My lawn bowl delivery wrist and hold of the Bowl is more like a common United Kingdom bowl grip and delivery.

The common mistake, this coach made, is to try to change the natural delivery of the student to what the coach would call " the perfect textbook delivery grip". This what the coach had done to that blind student with a leather wrist strap, instead of find a proper delivery with the physical but natural wrist.  Very often as we encounter problems on the green we attempt to change what is wrong instead of understanding it and creating a performance which accepts or uses that strange problem.

Back to the topic of this blog. " Bias and Off-Bias Delivery".  One of the most common problems in a delivery performance is a "Ridge" or "Slope" which seems to  pull the bowl quickly off line or across our normal "Delivery Line". In other blog I explained "Line of Delivery is the direction you aim your delivery while "Delivery Line is the direction your bowl actually rolls up the green as it leaves your hand.

With a Ridge or Slope area of the green in your "Delivery Line" we can sometimes "Walking the Mat" that few inches to have our bowl pass just inside (our outside) of the problem area of the green.  Also bring the mat up from the "Mat Line"  a few feet will not change the "Line of Delivery" for the same Jack position. But sometimes that  "Ridge" or "Slope" can not be avoided. And for me it does not help being a left-handed bowler. My delivery is more than two feet farther left then my fellow right-hander (or vise versa). At these few times, there is nothing as simple  as  using the mat as you try to walk it or move it to avoid the effect of the "Ridge" or "Slope" on your rolling bowl.

Then again, I love my old 1960's Hensilite Classics with their wide bias (#3) so over the years I have developed an "Off-Bias Draw" Delivery.Although some months I never need to use it, last weekend the greens were so bad I was using it more than normal.

This Delivery type allows my bowl run Straight for 2/3 the distance to the jack before it has slowed enough to begin the bowl's Normal Bias to the jack. This delivery type has allowed me to work and play around rises and falls of the greens in early spring. Often referred to as  "Ridge" or "Slope", the normal bias of a bowl .other than "Straight Bias Bowls" will need at least a three foot off the jack line . In an earlier blog I show how to "Finger Jack" my line to know if the new jack position creates a line which must run through a  "Ridge" or "Slope" .

This is not for beginners who want to know their line of delivery. It allows a method of knowing the "Delivery Line" to that new "Jack " position, and would the roll to that jack  create a problem with what was previous a  "Ridge" or "Slope" " area of the green in previous deliveries.  I would want to know that my bowl would pass below the "Ridge" or remain off the "Slope". I would have visualize where the bowl's bias takes the "belly" of the Bias. (The belly is the first start to swing and most affected by wind , rain, or badly cut greens.)  A bowl which runs along the top of a ridge is staying straight because the "Bias" is not strong enough or speed slow enough to pull the Bowl onto it actual Bias Line. This trick to see the new line, if done properly will not be seen by others but will allow you to know how your bowl will run with that line you are expected to use. Otherwise, roll a bowl as a "Trial End Bowl" and see what happens. (A wasted bowl as most problems can be thought-out and adjustment made.

I would want the Bowl Delivery Line to show that my bowl will actually pass that  "Ridge" or "Slope" before the bowls speed becomes slows enough to work the Belly or Shoulder of the Bowl's Bias. (Using the Off-Bias delivery, you would want to have your bowl stay straight until it has passed the ridge or slope which means about 2/3 of the distance to the jack.  Also because the off-bias draw will wobble with a 2/3 "Off-Bias", this  lose of  speed due to the bowl's wobble, must have been added so the bowl (after wobble) reaches the jack. This  is a lesson to be learn on the Practice green as to know how much more weight is needed to still reach the jack with your off-bias draw) The most common way to know the new line after the jack has been oved is the line of delivery is the same distance (added or removed) form delivery line.

Some times the "Walking the Mat" will  give relief. but than if I do a "Off-Bias" Draw I am sure my bias starts after passing the  "Ridge" or "Slope". Each bowler must find their own line. Myself, I go from halfway between thumb and kunkles and the bend of last joint. Someone else might use upper wrist or tip of finger. ( Because it is just a reference of the new line, you don't need to hold your hand up but just in front of you as you look down at the green and follow your line up the green)

 The purpose is to see the straight line the Delivery line will first take and know where it passes on the green. After the jack has been moved and a few end of play and now knowing where not to pass your bowl this is just a quick reference without wasting a bowl to avoid a ridge or slope.

It is a trick which maybe will be used only one or twice a season, but to waste a bowl guessing that it will not be affected bu the  "Ridge" or "Slope" you are wanting to avoid know how your new delivery line will pass a problem area of the green.. For the beginner wanting to understand "Bowls Bias",  I suggest the Colemans Hatch Bowling Club web page from which I took the following Bias Chart and removed several bowls to explain Bias. For the Youtuber there is also a "Everything you want to know about Bias. 

helpful. The Bias Chart (right) has be modified with a 2nd chart showing the three bias of bowls. On the older bowls this could be seen by the circle lines on the side of the bowl but newer bowls are now appearing without these lines. 

I have not seperated them into Outdoor and Indoor Bowls bias although the straighter bowls may be consider indoor carpet bowls. The last time I had to use the Off-Bias Draw was on a boundry green. Normally with my wide bias Hensilite Classic I had to go from mat-line to the out-of boundry line for the bowl's bias. But on this competition my bowl after approaching the Out-of-bound Line would swing back, cross center line and even go out-of-bound on the other side.  My only choice was to use my Off=Bias Draw and after moving as far right (lefthanded me) as possible on the mat I check if my line stayed inside the top of the ridge. The inside side of the rink was often blocked as it was used to attempt to get a bowl near the jack.

When you arrive to start a game, you should take the time to know the bowls of your teammates and the Opponent. Most all manufactures make three types of their bowl's Bias. Although certain manufactures have a bias with less Finish or Shoulder the principle is the same. Narrow Bias bowls of the Name type are usually with very little shoulder or finish and intended for fast greens or indoor bowls. The bowls Bias Chart will show the "Medium" bias of their bowl and may even be marked with MB in the "Stamp". The "Wide" bias bowls are seen to have a good shoulder and finish and if you find a older bowl (Henslite) of the 60s you may even see a "Candy Cane" type bias which swings more then today's Bowls.

As per the photo of the bowls (right) we see three different bowl's Bias and two Manufacture. (white Aero and Black Henslite). The Narrow Bias bowl (white) will have some bend but only about 4 to 6 inches and not finish. This bowl of Aero is usually a good bowl for a lead as no bowls are yet on the green to prevent a direct line to the jack. The brown bowl (top) with two lines is a Medium Bias and if you look at a Bias chart for the manufacture this bowl's line will be what is shown. It has some finish. The Black bowls (bottom) with three "Bias Lines" show a more wider swing as the shoulder swings almost a foot to 18 inches of the center line. Also with a green of good speed (16-10) or an indoor carpet it will have a good finish curve as it stops.

Below is photo of my grip which is not standard because of muscle changes from Archery over many years. The white lines drawn on the photos is to indicate the bowl is in it correct line of delivery.  The edges of the bowl or the nipples or sides of the bowl should be such they parallel the sides of the arm. The photo below show the delivery grip I had to adapt and use for a smooth delivery. It is to indicate that without changing everything in a student or new members delivery style; a good delivery is possible.

 Also a photo of my 1/3 off- bias delivery grip. The 1/3 makes reference to what part of the bias which is being removed by the delivery. One third of the total length to the jack is not much of an "off-bias" and the bowl will roll of the mat with very little wrobble. But there is still some bias in the "Straight" of the bias.  

Where  the wobble and action of the "Off-Bias" Draw is noticable is on a 2/3 Off-Bias draw (not shown). Here you will see the wrobble more as the bowl rolls up the green. A 1/3 off-bias would be used for a shorter jack, and a 2/3 Bias Draw for a longer distance to the jack. The greater the noticable wobble the more delivery weight that will be lost. You will see the bowl  roll almost straight and then take the last two parts of the Bias after nearing the jack.. A full off-bias delivery (3/3 of the distance is all the way to the "Jack"; and is usually used for "Runners" and very heavy takeout shots. Remember, the bowls Bias starts at a very slow speed and with a runner it will spend all it green time attempting to re-dress to the standing Bias position. 

In Video of "Heavy Over-Draws" you will often hear the expression of "Let your Bowl Work the Bias" which is very important in planning a "Off-Bias Draw". It is certain in times of slow greens (spring, Rain, Dew,etc) the "Finish of the Bowl" will be very little as a good "Finish need time to work"  which will only happen on a fast green. Bowls is a "Draw, Draw Game" and these once in a difficult time performance skills are there when you find that everything else has failed. A good smooth roll delivery is always the best results to be expected.

 Very Strange stats yesterday.. Glad someone is asking the right questions.

Beginners' Youtube Learning (NMem)_

 For the Bowls Season 2026 I will attempt to do shorter blogs addressing one theme or principle. Today, the new lawn bowler can find almost any instruction of Lawn Bowls on Youtube by very knowledgeable coaches. Over the last 10 years my blogs have captured many of the un-taught skills that you can develop. 

The blog stats this last week show a one day visit of over 800 readers and the topics they found of interest. Such selected items are usually because a club coach has suggested that their members check out that particular blog.

Last "Thursday Practice" after the game play I told Jim that I was impressed to see his performance and that I expected he would learn fast. He replied that his "Off-the-Mat" Preparation was from a YouTube video he had viewed and that his "Down Low" Delivery was easy because of his winter  sport of Curling. For several years I have suggested to club executives and here in blogs that new members needed more than two or three session of coaching. The future of Bowls and the life of the club depends upon these new members who are interesting in Lawn Bowls.

The four blogs listed above are a reference to the type reader, The "Tina Meter" is a blog about the green speed changing 3 times over an hour and of interest to skilled athletic who are seeking a trick to save a bowl rolled badly and corrected afterward. The second blog "Measuring which bowl is shot" looks at various tricks vice (Mate) can use to decide which bowl is shot. The other two blogs are an opinion of a "Timeout Rule" which in a time game where the umpire has wasted time and it has prevented the team from getting that extra end of play completed. The "Successful Percentage" is being able to read the head and seeing an almost impossible to miss play.  Of the 180 blogs almost everything is covered and discussed. (sometimes too long)

In the past 10 years. I have seen club coaching of new members move from a "Detail Course" to a "All in Three" Course.  When I took my Coaching Instructor Course we were shown what was a "Detail Coaching" Course. At that time, in the late 90's, new coaches were given the layout of a 10 session introduction of Blowls for a new member. Everything from the delivery performance to the local and National Sport organizations. It was usually about 5 weeks and probably 2 sessions a week with each session having a guided practice session.

The guided practice session started with warm-up exercises and one-on-one coaching using club volunteers. Now, here in Canada East we find more of a  "All in Three"  Course given to new members. No way, in my opinion,will three short 2 hour sessions build within that new member a love of bowls which will prepare them for a meanful first year experience. Every spring, we recruit new members but it is only this one chance to created a life time Bowler and member.  Our sport can only survive with a 75 percent long-time membership and 15 percent new members learning Bowls and returning the next few years. Also all clubs have a 10 percent visiting membership as activities and facilities draw from other clubs.  

Yes, there is "Support Coaching" during practice or Game play, for many years club games had forbidden coaching during play. A new type of "Game Practice" has in recent years developed where "Team Coaching" is part of the game.  The objective may have switched from detail teaching of the basic to a  "Get them to the Green" with "Team Coaching" now offering new members the needed help while learning from actual play. The problem with this structure is now everyone with more than a few years experience is an expert and advising on the mistakes made by the new members. The old method was.. "Schooling" and "Play" as to now the whole two hours of game play is all the time having someone telling you what you are doing wrong. Not much fun if you have experience such a game.

 Is this a better coaching ?  No, I don't believe so because as an athlete advances to another level of ability they need qualified coaches for that type of support.  I still see Coaches I know who were certified and even one or two "Level 2" coaches but for the other three level of coaches they are rare in local clubs here in Eastern Canada.

 When Coach.ca, the Canadian multi-sport federation for coaching needs an instructor for a Level 2 or Level 3 instruction seminar they go to Soccer, Hockey, or Baseball to find their Level 4 instructors. (Level 2 is Correction Coach, Level 3 is Competitive Coach while Level 4 is International Coach, they are the most knowledgeable. A Level 5 coach or Sport Psychologist working with the Medical support staff exist in Australia and United Kingdom but certainly does not exist in Camadian Lawn Bowls. Actually, a few years back Bowls Canada brough from Australia their best coach Steve Glassor for the Canadian team training.

The life of our clubs which now are seldom able to celebrate a 50th year of Activity because they have lost the municipal control of their facilities and slowly  move  closer to the club's last year, The allociation of sport facilities end up being allocated to a new sports. These last few years the introduction and fast pace of advancement of "Pickle Ball" has been hard on Lawn bowls membership and Tennis courts are now being changed to  municipal  Pickle Ball courts and their membership are our often our lost Lawn Bowls members.

This new "All in Three" Coaching structure is actually more an "Item Teaching" where bowl grip or Delivery Line was an item explained in light detail with suggestion to check certain Youtube videos.. Today, often my blog have  the coach will suggest that there are good YouTube videos and may even give a list to the new member.

 In watching recebt "curling Videos", I was surprise to hear talk about "Muscle Memory" as part of "Introductory to Curling" to new members . Point being made ?... YouTube has become the Level 2 coach of clubs of several sports and most of the teaching  to new members is left for the finer points to be explained online.

In the previous blog I suggested that clubs had to consider a "Post Novice" program of coaching to keep the second or third year member interested in their development. Yes, a learning club member can find good instruction video on Youtube but it is that one-on-one coaching that is missing with video learning. The major problem with game coaching is the quality of how to explain an error or fault by a volunteer coach may develop a bad delivery which will stay with the Lawn Bowler for many years to come.

Post Novice Course and Coaching

Session one - Day one Gathering of participants and Description of the Course. Becaise these students have been playing for several years, this first session should awaken a taste for all that they don't know. There is an expression "Because you don't know what there is to know you don't ask to be taugth it". The things mention below are just to catch their interest. If time permits I will lay out the 4 other sessions.

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

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

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

as the Mat stays always in the same place

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

June 10,2026 - Now into my first month of summer Lawn Bowls I don't have the time to Blog. I will attempt a few 3 or 4 page blogs on AMem subject. Last Month (stats above after 2 weeks) went to 10,000 read visit and the last blog on Off-Bias Draws had a 3,455 visit/read a few days later.  It probably was because a strong country like Australia or United Kingdom having a coach read something and mention to others. It is of great satification to know it is appreciated.  Take care as at my age I think this will be my last year to do this level of competition I expect.  Enjoy.

What and Why a Post Novice Course

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Day2 3, and Day 4-with each day, will be covering in detail one of the three basic knowledges of  which has an influences on the Lawn Bowl Performance. First Day is the Novice's  Performance and Variables like Getting Weight, or Line when the jack has just been moved. Various tricks like "Finger Line",can be explaineD. Although  a seldom seen tricks ri kicate kube after tge hack is moved; for each individual it is important to your your pointing line. "A" or  "A2" can be different for each person.  *t 8s a tr8ci t9 find the new line. The jack is moved and do you waste one or two bowls to find the line or do you "Finger Line" and know your line. (because you practice it).

 Practice using the "Finger Line" and know your point of line A to B or A2 to B, or something else; depending on their bias or style of delivery. But rather then guess at the new  change of location of the jack this trick helps get a close line of ami (if you are still using a line of aim); saving a wasted bowl of gussing where the line is. All little tricks learned or seen over the years which will help a Novice improve their Physical Performance, 

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

Lawn Bowl Club on Waterfront

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

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

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

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

Muscle Memory Correction 2/3 (AMem)

Under development May 12, 2026 will be finished soon

Thank you for your patience

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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