Teaching Delivery Weight

 When in my early days of Coaching I was occupied with new members of our Club and teaching them the finer points of Lawn Bowls and the correct actions of a "Good Delivery"; I discovered that the previous sport they played was important to their rapid learning. A golfer has it easily to understand the Bias of a bowl because of their experience with putting on a green with a small slope. They have a "mind-eye" for the slope and easily now to learn a "mind-eye" for the bias of their bowls. And with the "Mind-eye" of the bias they are getting away from aiming their delivery at an object at the other end. Becoming a good Lawn bowler is using the "Bias Mind-eye" to see the delivery line as the bowl's bias as it rolls and know it will stop where you want it. At least on "Centre Line" or "Jack Line"

 I use to tell  my students that curling happen when Lawn Bowler wanted to practice during the winter months on the frozen lake, and that in the beginning curling must have been like Lawn Bowls as they tried several distances for the "Centre of the House". With all the changes, even today, the distance to the "Centre of the House" is 21 meters from the release line (where the curler releases his stone on his slide). If you are old time Curler, like myself, you will remember that the delivery style in curling was the same pendulum swing that we still use in Lawn Bowls. This week a club member with nearly 10 years bowls experience was changing his Lawn Bowls delivery style to be similar to his release in curling. Probably because of Video from Western Canada that show a similar style being developed.

When asked by a student "In the game of Lawn Bowls what is the most difficult thing to learn or develop ?" I must reply that it is "Weight Control" or better called " Delivery weight".  Why is it so difficult to develop?,  It is difficult to develop because when you hear "Control" you are first going the wrong way.  If we think "Control" we consciously think we can control the force needed to roll your bowl to the jack.  One of the important parts of  "Muscle Memory" is dropping into the "Zone" or "Void of thought" which can be developed with many hours of doing a good delivery. If we are consciously trying to excert the proper  " Delivery weight" and we have develop a method of  calculating the actual "Jack Distance", I believe that without "The Zone" we can not perform a "Controlled Delivery". Yes we can have confidence in  knowing  the "Jack Distance" and our calculation are good but unless that " Delivery weight" is created from "Muscle Memory" while in the Zone; it is impossible.

First, lets look at how we (humans) judge distance. You decide to cross the street and you look up the street and see a car. Your self survival instinct is based upon the mind (subconscious) judging the distance and speed of that car. 

Your subconscious mind will not provide that feeling of security before it has judge the distance and speed of that car. My wife, who is blind in one eye, will often stand and wait for the car to arrive and pass or even go down the street to the nearest Crosswalk  because both eyes are needed to measure the car's distance and movement. If she does not have that security because one eye alone does not give her that information: then she does not feel safe and resorts to another method.

 How does your mind perform this?  The human mind seeks to identify danger and make decisions based upon facts of  that Danger. Remember, since your youth, you have seen a car  at different distances and even seen it coming a different speeds at least 1 million times. This memory over the years is what is called "Survival Memory" as also in Bowls you hear people talk about "Muscle Memory" where the subconscious has memories and can use those memories in decisions. In "Muscle Memory" we know that muscles don't have memory but the subconscious mind's Memory of previous muscle actions which we had performed many times; allow for us to repeat and do things  in the same without thinking. Survival Memory is the use of memory before offering security feeling and permitting us doing an action. Fear while driving, means braking a car because of the  danger, and even  body functions like if we were chocking. Action done without our control.  So why think we can control our Bowl Delivery.

Ok how do we judge " Distance"?  To calculated Distance, the mind is feeling the tension between the muscles of the two eyes as it focusses on that  distance object, (the car or the Jack). A car on the steet is a big object while a Jack is very small but to calculate distance the object size is not important. An exercise for the truth of Survival Memory is that the next time you look up the street at a car, you can feel your eye re-focus on that distance car to know if it is moving. 

 If you are driving your car and you see a child playing with a ball on the side of the road; your mind will identify this as a possible Danger and began sending information (or Data) to your subconscious mind to be analysis and identified. If danger arrives the subconscious mind jumps into action. The ball moves or is kicked a little bit, your foot goes to the brake.  Because there is no danger in a Bowls Game, we don't find the "Subconscious Mind" being involved.  However, for advance Lawn Bowls players, who has trained themselves in the collection  of data has also trained the mind to use this data in the  success of a perfect shot or delivery..

If you think "26 meters" and have used a "Natural Distance" Delivery method your subconscious mind know the weight needed to roll the bowl to that distance. However, every day and every green, we know that the playing surface is a different speed. So, we do a trail bowl roll to know the green speeds. (Trial end or Cross Green Trial). Our "Natural" Relax Delivery may be  "25 meters" for a short jack on this day. So the thinking "26 meters" has the subconscious knowing you must add-on 1 meter to get a good roll to the jack.  In your "Pre-Mat" routine you are making a decision how to put that one meter more into your delivery. You may think "Wrist flick" or "Small step" (where no step would be your shot jack routine). or even "Feel Front Foot".  All tricks for 1 meter more. Your decision tells the subconscious mind your decision and when the delivery is relaxed and "in the zone" your bowl has been delivered.

 In bowls, too often we think that we "feel" the distance to the jack. Yes, with years of experience you do have a "Muscle Memory" feeling, but it is important to always engage your Subconscious mind to judge that distance to the jack. The development of the "pre-mat" routine  by advance bowlers is their learning of how to inform the subconscious mind of decisions like how to calculate that distance.

 This week I start a 4 night "Pickup Triples Games with club players and in the first game, I gave them the distance when the jack was thrown. I indicated "26 meters" and wait then watched if it helps with their delivery. Of course, in a club fun game there was no one doing a green speed check with a Trial Roll and  I have never played with these players before the first game. Because they may have also had to do a Add-on or Take-offl  I indicate the number of feet their bowl was short or over during delivery. Giving this information has forced them to think about their results. Even if  their thinking was to ask "why? ". Such Club Pick-up games are meant to help club member to improve their game. But also some players just come and play and want to have fun.   (A skip must accept both types in the game)

 A blind bowler is told by the individual placing the jack, following the "Jack roll"; the actual distance, which he read exactly from Distance Cards placed on the side boards. This exact distance in meters allow the blind bowler to instruct  the subconscious to roll to that distance.  After years of Delivery, the subconscious mind remembering how much force your muscles need to delivery your bowl to that jack distance. (if you always do a perfect delivery, then any short or long bowls will not be the bowler's error but conditions of the green or envirorment. (wind, rain, Sun drying green)  Without, the Subconscious mind being allowed to be totally involvedL you are attempting to control this muscle performance yourself and you falsely believe you can  give a  muscle force that you think is right for that distance. How often a beginning bowler roll his bowl without communicating  what is the "Jack Distance" because they think they know or feel that distance and that it is easily to roll their bowl to that distance..

The subconscious mind is what you must learn to apply in the Delivery of your Bowl but because there is no danger as you look up the green to the "Jack" your subconscious mind does not automatically  become active. In some of my Blogs I discuss methods of teaching the Subconscious mind. If you are doing something wrong in your delivery and you try to change it; more likely than "not" the minute you relax thinking, the subconscious mind takes control (because of muscle memory) you find that you have return to the old bad habit and even repeated the same old movement you are trying to correct.

 Once, years ago, while fixing a bad delivery and changing my delivery style I took the advice of a Level 4 coach and worked every day all summer on the new release.  Yes it took a whole year (2 seasons) My fight was not doing the action but that very often my mind-control wasthat of letting the subconscious mind do the old (bad) action. I had to fight with  my "Muscle Memory" to do  a new action when I was asked that sort of a shot..

Today we hear a lot about computer AI and we are beginning to understand that artificial intelligence is able to do a lot of things we have lacked as doing with precision.  Our "Mind", although a biologic computer also has “AI”, the subconscious mind. Just for discussion reason and discussion let us say that we are doing an essay on your laptop, computer, and typing away on the keyboard.  As you think and build your document into paragraphs and each paragraph covers a unique topic your fingers are busy putting those words into the computer.

Before the use of the iPhone, and texting when I was typing, I thought of the word and my fingers simply produce the word on the keyboard. For example, if I thought "Action", my hand automatically found the six letters of “A” and “CTION”. Today, as we are texting on our smartphone, we type the “A” and then we look up to the suggested word area  of the screen (above the keyboard of the phone and just pick the word “Action”. "AI" is being discovered every day by Lawn Bowls elite or normal players.

Applying this same idea, to Lawn Bowl and the use of your mind (bionic computer) is the most important development change in Bowls, It is our need to control everything, that hurts our Delivery and it's development  of us into a good Lawn Bowler. When we are thinking and doing what we think, we are in control and imagine what your typing on the computer would be like if you were thinking of where the letters was  on the keyboard and then the next letter.. We know that if we think of the word “Action” to be typed, our finger automatically goes to the several location on the keyboard and puts the word on our screen (desktop or iphone).

In teaching Lawn Bowl, that same principle applies with our development as we are learning the action of delivering a bowl up the Green towards the Jack.In the above example, we don’t think any longer of how to make the finger go and find that letter we wanted to type. This also apply to Lawn Bowls. 

First as a new member at the club usually has played some sports before deciding to try Lawn Bowls. I find it easly to explain Bowl Bias to a previous Golfer because they have seenthat while putting on a small sloped green how the ball must be aimed away from the target and now have a mind-eye view of what the ball rolls  looks like as it go up the slope and back to the cup.  They don't have trouble understanding or developing a mind-eye view of their bowl's bias "eye-view" as it go to the jack.

Some of our new member come to Lawn bowls from curllng and if you are an old time curler like myself, you will know that the previous Delivery style of Curling was that Back-arm pendulum swing movement which is still part of  Lawn bowls.. Curling, is easlier than Bowls because is one distance from the hack to the centre of the house (21 m from the release Release line to the Centre of the House")  Yes in Lawn bowls this is the distance for the shortest “Jack”. However, the distance of  the Jack can be between the hog line (21 meters) and far “Ditch” (33 meters) which places the  “Jack” anywhere from 21 to 31 (the re-spot placement) or a distance of 10 m or 35 feet and you need a distance. How do you get that distance.. Oh.. Just look up the green and try one bowl after another.

So how does this apply to rolling a ball up the green towards the Jack. First it starts with the initial teaching by the Club Coach on how to do a proper Delivery. In my days as Club coach, I had taken the "Curling View" of teaching their delivery because like in curling it is easlier with the object of the delivery (the Jack) always being  at the same distance. I would show them a delivery and after they had done several delivery I established what was  their "Natural distance"  At that point they were not guessing the Jack Distance but just working on their Delivery movements.

Of course, we’re not going to wait for 1 million bowls (like seeing cars coming up the street)  to get a feeling for how far the Jack is from the mat. In Club Coaching it must be work it into their teaching. How do you put on extra weight ?. More Pendulum movement ? and the jack is moved to another distance. Do you do a longer step on your delivery ? then the jack is moved again.  This way the jack distance is a part of the teaching.  So many students are quickly put to the green and expected to reach the Jack.  How discourage it is to learn by mistakes as to learning  something which they find easy.

The two points being made about Bowls is first, that we have to judge the distance from the mat to the Jack before doing our delivery and secondly as the most difficult aspect of Lawn Bowl is judging the distance we start like in Curling with fix distances. I say that I have three natural distance and a delivery style for each. Actually for a shot jack I do no step. for medium I do a regular delivery and long is a lot of effort with all the tricks I have learned.

Very often I will explain to the new student the various problems that the subconscious mind has engaging distance. A  large building will make the Jack look smaller and closer while if it is at the edge of the ditch with  an open field behind it; the Jack will appear to be further then actually. In both cases, if we were judging the distance, like mentioned above with the car, we would have a different perspective on the distance as a small ball and a large car. So our calculations  must be based on real information. I often give a sign to my new bowlers as to the actual distance..

In Lawn Bowls we will hear an expression called "Muscle Memory" and although the example of typing on your smartphone; we realize that our fingers are not developing special muscle development to type; this example shows we develop skills and use the subconscious to perform them afterward. It would seem ridiculous to think that you can look at the distance to the Jack and know how much energy to put into the delivery of that bowl so it will roll up the green and stop near the Jack.

If the hardest part of Lawn Bowl is getting the delivery weight.for a distance to the "Jack"; then we should introduce to the Student to the need to collect data and communicate it to the subconscious mind. By removing  the various aspects of attempting to judge distance and the miscalculation of distance we become confidence in our weight.

In Lawn Bowl Delivery we lose half of our data of Delivery Weight because we stand on the mat and with an an ideas of distance we do a delivery movement and follow  the ball up the green towards the "Jack". And, it isn’t until the bowl  reaches the "Jack", about 10 to 15 seconds later that we are able to define or collect the data of our success. What happen during delivery and was it a good delivery is missed while we wait it to reach the "Jack". 

To the Lawn Bowler with three or four years experience I tell them that the subconscious mind has over the years collected the information and because you were busy thinking  about something that you thinks needs changing the subconscious mind was interrupted and confused with what you tried to do or made. The most common mistake is having to be in control and try to change your distance or delivery based upon a mistake of your last bowl delivery.

If you were running and  there was a person in front of you. You would automatically move to make your way around them as an obstacle. Your mind has adjusted to the condition and in the same way if you thought about what caused your ball to be short or long, your mind will adjust for it.You don't have to do anything different.  Think it, forgot it. do the same as before and watch how the Subconscious mind adjusted for what happen.This is what has made humans unique, and that the subconscious mind is continually adjusting to.data it has received and even waiting to see if that adjustment corrected the problem.

If muscle memory is the subconscious mind remembering the amount of muscle needed to perform an action than an advance Lawn Bowler who is beginning to communicate to the subconscious mind the changes that he wants made on his next delivery; then his confidence as an advance Bowler in his increasing skills. Unlike the beginner who is only interested in learning to do a good delivery and get close to the Jack; he is collecting data and watching how it changes his performance.

Intransigence Attitude in Bowls

Is there an "Intransigence attitude" in our game of Bowls ?  In an recent Politico News reporting by Josh Gerstein  about the different of opinions of the Supreme Courts' justices,  Justice Clarence Thomas and Amy Coney Barrett,  Josh writes "Thomas, famous for his intransigence, might not care about  backlash".  The Cambridge  dictionary defines "Intransigence" as the quality of refusing to change your opinions or behaviour. Which I believes apply to Northern Lawn Bowls attitude.

"Bowls is a Draw, Draw, Draw game" to me is intransigence attitude to game strategy, especially when I read from an local Discussion group a coach saying "Don’t bother telling me that having the last shot in an end is an advantage. It’s not! As a skip, more times than I care to recall, with last bowl in hand, there is so much “shrapnel” in the head, I have no shot!" 

As I approach my 100,000 viewers this year from the last 10 years of 143 blog and regular 2,000 monthly visit of (now 94,996 this week), there has been a lot of changes to Blogger.  To the right a weekly stats of visits  5 years ago. Then I saw countries and each readers choice of blogs; but now such views is no longer available. As my 80 birthday approach, I thank all the regulars  from Australia, Africa, Canada,U.S.A and UK.

As a coach, I know and respect that the ability to draw to the jack is a major aspect of teaching new bowlers the proper action of a good Delivery. However, "If the head is filled with "Shrapnel" after both teams have played all their bowls except for the last two of the skips; it is because there is still the "Bowls is a Draw, Draw, Draw game" attitude. This year we will see World Bowls make many changes like the World Bowls Series with more than 45 world wide events to create a List of our best bowlers. And if Bowls is to survive we too must make change ourself, our club, our national plans.

In my last Inter-Club game the opponent said to me "It is amazing how you got through all those bowls". as I took 4 ends of 1 points in the final ends of play. Believing in the need for change is  the reason, I will use this blog to indicate a more open attitude as we see the importance of knowing your opponent and his game. Not every skip has a "Game Toolbox" of various shots or tricks which will allow then to develop a guaranteed strategy and lead a team toward a  game win.

In a four bowls pairs game which is usually 12 or 14 ends of play, one can break the ends of play into 4 sections of 2 ups and downs.  " 1-Data collection" , " 2- Points building", " 3- Hold or Build" and " 4- Defense/Attack". First 4 ends to collect data on greens, opponent, team ability and make a strategy. Well played if score totals of both sides after 4 ends is 4 to 7 points. Second 4 ends are to work to make a lot of points with either a "Lead control" the head or "Skip recovery" always for several points.Of the 4 sections of 4 ends this is the end of most risk-taking. Good 2nd, if the different is you leading with 5 or more points. Third part of 4 ends is hard because now after 8 ends of play everyone has a good feel for the speed and draw. Your strategy in wanting to gain points is to use the Mat and jack distance constructively. If your are up in points and it is to protect the points you have, be happy with a point or allow only one point to them. The final 4 ends of play should be easily if you are ahead and if not will be a hard fight to finish.. Remember "If down in points, up in the head means points" as skip rolls jack back to collect good amount of points.

First. "What are Free Bowls?" As a game progress and each player attempts to better the shot of his opponent, we have failures and most times the skip see the opportunity to place another pointing bowl into the head.  After two certain points, the next bowl to be played is a "Free Bowl" which can be placed anywhere to the advantage of the expected outcome of this end of play. One would say that the skip is "free" to balance his bowls as to the opponent's bowls or even create an defensive position of play. Bowls right are what we would like to see.

Yes, the skip has a strategy, unless he is pushed hard by the opponent to continually repair previous bowls the opponent has played. But does his teammates know his thinking. The "Do as the skip says" or asks for is an " intransigence in Bowls" because the skip does not believe that the teammates need to know the raison or strategy.

Another " intransigence in Bowls" is pick-up teams. When the same players always play together as a team, for years, they know and agree on strategy and know from the "chessboard gathering of bowls" what the strategy will become. When a pick-up team whom have been playing for a few tournaments or even a year are not developed into a working team, they follows the "Do as the skip says" behaviour.  To not have a post-game discussion with detail opinions from all on what happen and what should have happen; this attitude will not change and the team does not grow as a winning unit.

As club membership evolves and new players develop their skills and older players depart from competitive games; there has to be a systemic flow of skill and knowledge developed and passed. The intransigence separation of Coaches and knowledgeable players can be corrected with Workshops discussion of the recent winning skips in major national or international games.

Recently, while playing a "interclub" game on a Pickup team of 6 players I discovered my Pair's Lead, although a great draw bowler, had no knowledge of "End-game" strategy. Trailing 7- 9 in the last end of play; as I went to the mat with 4 bowls and down a point or 2, I had to get 3 points to win. The "Shrapnel"  of the first 8 bowls (4 bowls pairs) and the opponent's toucher (on 9 o'clock); meant strategy would be to "Re-spot it".  (photo right is an example of what might be called a head full of Shrapnel) How to get those three points depended upon my data collected on the opponent skip. His ability to draw long, his ability to see the need for a back bowl or two and what had happen during previous ends of play.

Another " intransigence in Bowls" is the lack of Communication, (Signals or verbal) and game's continual verbal instructions yelled either from the head or the mat to the team members. Certainly, my error as I could have mention to my lead as we passed in mid-field as I was going to the mat. "3 point Re-spot" verbally or even with a signal. (Three fingers and index finger  moving downward point at the ground (meaning "spot") to show my intentions). 

My first option for the three point need to finish with a win was to move the jack back to the right a few inches into the back toward the lead's bowls at "1 n 2" (o'clock) but  again blocked by the "shrapnel" in front of the head and jack. I would tried a "jack move" with a "light overdraw wick" on a 7 o'clock bowl of mine. (the need to use your lead's bowls is because of the danger of raising it. (don't need to move an opponent's bowls onto the jack). To wick and touch the jack gave me the 3 bowls in counting position to the right of the shot bowl and jack. A high percentage of success exist with the shot, as the opponent's bowl if hit would also send the jack into our bowls and if a bit heavy on the opponent's meant a re-spot as the opponent point would have send the jack out-of bounds to the right. Result.. the wick was good but a few rolls light and did not touch the jack. But the shot placed my bowl as 2nd shot directly in front of the jack  (at 6 o'clock) behind all the "Shrapnel". 

Ok, to win would be the "3 point Re-spot" development but as always when the opponent has no back bowls; with my first "passing bowl" to the re-spot area, the opponent would follow it with a similar "back Bowl". Having learned from the First 4 ends of play about a ridge on the left (going home) side of the green, I felt that as I am left handed and my backhand bowls is not affected by  mid-green raise in our green; I had learned that to the right handed opponent's always "high Ride" of that ridge with his Forehand draw.  This would probably be our lucky information to a win.

Follow the opponent's delivery of another frontal block, I did a nice draw to within a foot or two of the re-spot or so it seem. My lead who was standing behind the 10 bowls in the mid-green head (23 meters) saw this as missing the takeout (he thought I was doing) and as the bowl approached the area of my intended shot; he stop the bowl. (Probably thinking a useless bowl which like an out-of-bound bowl should be removed). After I spoke about not stopping the bowl.. he put it back.. which of course was too late and had to be removed.  

Now Two bowls to collect 3 points meant that now I was to go with the Jack re-spot shot and take the chance that the opponent with 2 bowls could not draw into the new "head" of the re-spotted jack. For my third shot (rather than us finishing with a tie) I could raise one of the three "lead" bowls. Game over and we finished the game 8-9 with only one shot but no win.

So as we look at our own "intransigence attitude" toward our sport we should see what we can improve in our game, in our club's coaching and teaching of team members and although the game will always be a "Draw Draw Draw" game we should always walk away from any game with having learned something new about being less fixed in our ways.

Subconscious actions in Sports

When the "Conscious mind" makes an action or 

 a decision to act; it is our  "Thinking" and those  controlling instructions which activates that action; but when the "Subconscious Mind" activates an action it is usually  done "instinctively" based upon previous experience or training. The body has developed muscles from memory for actions which had occurred, and these action performed instinctively, are finished before we even are aware that they have occured. "Subconscious actions"

 Yes we think the action with the "Conscious" but we do not follow the action step by step when we begin the action we move our thought to instructing the "Subconscious Mind" in controlling the action.

 The image (above) is from Thinkability.com which with the idea that there are auditive and there are visual individuals (or that some people think in words and some people think in images); and they assist their clients on how to develop and use these abilities. 

 Myself, I think in images so in transmitting an instruction to the subconscious during my sport performance, I see the image of what I want to happen and then let the subconscious mind take control to do the action. We must realize that there are two types of thought that are doing the actions which has been perfected and used for international competitions.

In practice for our sport, we are doing the action and telling our body to perform it. This development of muscles to do a unique task is often referred to as "Muscle Memory".

Each time we perform the task of our training, there is a new level of precision  with which it is performed and the memory of this work  is collected in our Subconscious.  We can tell the body to "Jump" from a wall to the ground below, but it is the Subconscious mind that will control how we land and if we feel secure in that decision. The subconscious mind protects the body and will modify how we land so not to injury ourselves. Yes, we thought about it but the subconscious mind uses our memories of previous jumps to help us be secure. If per chance, the subconscious doubts how safe our decision it will began developing protective actions. It has identify our abilities and created an emotion (fear or doubt) and inform us that there is doubt in the decision.

We all know of some action which are done "Instinctive" and we never think that our "Subconscious mind" was involved. To some, this idea of a subconscious (instinctive) actions is new. These actions which occur when we do not have time to think about them just happen. And we probably think, "Thank God, that was close"  This is completely different for the athletic whom after years of training or development of their skill; know that the "Conscious actions"  is to be performed after a bit of "Thinking" and planning. The athletic's encounter with the subconscious mind, is when he realizes that they were in a void or emptiness whon the action happen. Usually because the action happen fast and is then over.

We have seen that when driving a car and a child runs out in front of the car, we don't have the time to tell the mind or our muscles what to do. We "think" the action and before we know it, that action was finished. As if in seeing the "Danger", and thinking "Stop"; the subconscious mind has reacted to our thought  and we "put on the brakes". We, all are  seeing "Instinctive danger" actions performed every day.  This example is interesting  because as we value the life of the child,  we find that the subconscious mind did not give us the possible control and choice of stopping slowly. But what if it had been a dog or a squirrel that cut across our street ?  Maybe because we know that the quick stop would have injured us or the  baby in the "car seat"; the Subconscious made the action needed, but it also remained open to a level of control which would allow for a slower stop even if just to not spilled our coffee. We all remember how hard we put the brakes on when first learning to drive.

The two important aspects of this scenario is that first, the subconscious mind is  performing an reaction done instantaneously without our awareness, but with some small control as it is happening and secondly; that the subconscious mind can be interrupted if it  is necessary to be controlled. Such interruption of the subconscious  is allowed to permit the conscious mind to take a level of control. We find we cannot go too long without the conscious having control.  Bowls delivery has about a split second "Zone".

 In our sport actions, we want the subconscious to follow training and performance developed. We do not want the "Conscious mind" doing actions which we cannot control. We want our developed performance to be totally done in complete absence of the "Thinking". We call this being in the "Zone" as it is a void of thought where our "Conscious mind" hides during the action. 

The above photo is from BrainScan article of  "10 Focus exercises to build your attention"  which explains "because attention and focus are both like a muscle. Unless you build it, you’ll be distracted by every (thing)" and "Getting your brain fit (for studying) is like training for a marathon. You run a bit every day, and the first week or so isn’t that great, but then you get fitter, it becomes fun, and you build the muscles you need". In sports focus is a major part of performance.

In the previous blog I talked about "open" and"close" sports. (Open to actions occuring around us like soccer). When your sport is just you and your performance it is a "Closed Sport" (like Bowls or Archery). This would not seem to have much to do with the subconscious mind but each sport has its own limitation on what the subconscious mind can do. 

We as athletic, too often think that with good  concentration and  a lot of practice we will eventually makes  "a perfect" performance.  In a Closed sport; concentration is more than just an absence of interference.  In an Open sport where avoiding an opponent. on the ice or field; we have less concentration and learn to develop more a reflective reactions. There, our actions are reactions to other actions. Like the child running in front of the car (an action) forced an "Instinctive Reaction" the same as a Boxer would avoid a thrown punch or a hockey player avoid a check or Soccer player avoid the lost of the ball.

At this year world soccer championships, last month, I saw a soccer athlete doing  a "Flip upside down  kick". The soccer ball which was about 3 feet over his head, was send into the net. He’s not only contact with the ball but also send it in the direction of the soccer net.

Shutterstock photo

 Even though we define "Soccer" as an "open sport" and that the athletic`s mind was always watching the opponent and the goaler; his performance or action was also  in accordance with actions that involves his team members. If the goaler had been in a blocking position, the soccer player would  probably have created an alternative offensive play like a pass rather than a Shot on goal.

To have perform this "upside down kick" of a soccer ball towards the net (or a team mate) would’ve required  many hours of continual practise by the athlete. A lot of practice for this rare occurrence. But this practice sessions was to teach the subconscious mind  the actions and it's ability to strike a moving object in this strange position. 

 When I was doing Archery Trick shots and shooting a bouncing tennis ball; I learned to organize the subconscious mind to watch for that moment when the tennis ball had almost stopped moving. (at the top of it's bounce) But I had to practice to look for that moment and then afterward I had to work to coordinate the timing of shooting at the target and analysis the delay between the release of the arrow  and the arrival at the tennis ball. So I was educating the subconscious for shooting where the ball would be when the arrow arrived.  This trick shot was developed in the Victoriaville Archery Shooting Alley when nearby  Tennis were  being played. The two areas were seperated by a protective screen;  and often a tenis ball came into our archery area. 

In sports like archery, because it is just the archer and their equipment; the level of concentration and the time in the "Zone" is very short. The archer simply allows the subconscious mind to perform the actions of  releasing the arrow when his confidence in Aim and Breathing is right. In other sports like Lawn Bowls this Subconscious mind "Zone" can be even greater. 

In a YouTube video of Tiger Wood he says that between the start of his swing and seeing the golf ball in-flight towards the target he has not had any idea what was happening.

 The video calls this "Peak Performance Zone" at which time the athlete is absence from reality or conscious awareness. To quote the trainer's words about Tiger's performance; we must be "Mentally Tough". Most of us are not in the zone but for may be a couple microseconds; but it is enough to allow the subconscious mind to do all its necessary actions for that perfect delivery or shot.

 In all sports we must develop "Defensive Actions" in preparation for that interruption and allow the Subconscious to execute them as necessary.  For example, if concentration is important during your performance, you must develop the ability to abandon your performance when interrupted.

For example,  I  remember once while "in the zone" and in the process of doing a Petanque takeout shot; when I heard a large loud bang and instantly the subconscious mind cancel the shot, as I threw my ball away from the intended target. I had previously defined during my  shot preparation that there was a danger and after starting my shot and being "in the Zone" the noise caused the subconscious mind to react to the (thought of) danger and being unable to stop the performance; the ball was thrown away from the target and it's would-be danger.

Muscle Memory & Adding Mental Images

 Very often in Coaching we must realize that because students do not know what they don't know and  they must be introduced to a way of thinking if they are to advance to thinking beyond the "Throw and Catch" approach to sports. The image (right) is from Thinkability and express that people think in words and also some people think in images.  "Muscle Memory" is such an area of  coaching and a non-spoken topics because it is too difficult to explain.  Not so much because it is complex, but because of the need and understanding of the "Subconscious" mind and it's interaction with muscles. The mind always will be instructing  our bodies and especially our muscles during a "Muscle Memory" action. Also it is important to feel our body signals during these times.

We often believe we are in control of our muscles and what they do. But if a child runs in front of your car; you think.."STOP" and not the word but the image of the car stopping and "Muscle Memory" puts the brake on and even applies the force to prevent the accident.

. No we did not think.. it happen because our body reacted in a preventative moment.  What if I told you that this interrelationship between the mind and your actions can be applied in your sport;  would you work to create the necessary controls.

There are Muscle actions of our body which are "Memories" which we accept as daily life.. Lungs breathing or heart beating. Both are muscles which seem to operate without any personal involvement.  But let yourself become stressed or over think a problem and you will discover how your heart will replies.  Sometime, these extension of your control of your body and "Muscle Memories" can be very dangerous if you are not young and in top physical conditioning. Other times it is the next step to your personal development. Especially if you need to develop a  movement like "Bowls Delivery".

What makes "Muscle Memory" difficult to understand is that as you  study or develop knowledge of the Subconscious Mind's control or instructions to the muscles; you begin realizing that the idea  "If I think it, I can do it", can really be a reality.  Some muscle action during a performance like Delivery are natural action movements.  Like rolling a bowl must be done with force as we do a arm swing or body movement to get the energy into the bowl. So to roll the bowl up the green is easily, but how much energy to use is another story of Muscle development.

However, our mind's mental instruction to the muscles are more difficult, and often misunderstood.  When we look up the green and imagine the line that our bowl is going to take as the bias acts on your delivery; our mind is now moving into the "Memory Recall" and "Memory Evaluation" aspect of our delivery. These images, become the data for instructions which the subconscious mind uses as it begins computing on how to do this. We may find that our previous Deliveries and what we saw (Yes saw, if  we were thinking of what happen) have become the information for the Subconscious to use in doing that performance again with the corrections  we want. A change of Line or a little more weight.

 Why?  The alien who created this computer we call a mind, (or God) in his wisdom; made a great bio-machine which makes us wonder just how much we can do if we really work to develop and use our mind. In our sport there are two major tools. "In the Zone" absence of thinking and "Communication".

Like in today's computer, if we write a document and do not save it after our  long and endless efforts, it can not be retrieved later and is lost. We can watch the bowl roll up the green a thousand times but if we don't mentally record it's roll with thoughts and  some sort of analysis; it becomes an event which is probably lost to  what can be called everyday "event trivia". Forgotten as we just did it and turned away.

Given is  an example of a hitch-hiker, passing the time between rides as he decides at working to remember the license numbers of the last three passing cars. Because when we see something, the retina retained that image for some time after the object has passed, we can search our memory, for what is retained on the eyes' retina. This is a mental exercise of developing memory retrieval of vision. 

He believes, that he can start with three numbers and eventually four.. etc. He is seeing a new number with every passing car and he must use the last  two numbers with this new passing car license and recall them to make his three. This was me 50 years ago, when I was at University and hitchhiking home. This exercise was the start of developing the ability to retain the visual image of my sport after it had been done. Today, the retrieval is more advance as "Pre-Visualization" become a method of using the memory of previous deliveries to know the distance to the Jack. Imagine seeing your bowl go to the jack is "Memory Retrieval" which when correct gives you  the jack distance for Delivery weight. 

 Like watching your Bowl roll to the "Head", the minute I stops seeing, your retrieval and Memory has ended. Like that hitch-hiker seeking the retain image of the license number, a cycle of ("see it") “record it" and  "retrieval of the next” my "Memory search" cycle of three numbers has ended. Likewise, in our Delivery our “mental Work” is a cycle which always repeating itself. From Pre-mat to Feedback.

  ( Fact.. Today, In Canada, Hitch-Hiking is illegal with a fine and court cost up to $2000 and many internet “Ride Sharing” services are offered instead. But this was my training for Memory Retrieval"

 Our Bowl Delivery, done several times during a game is such a cycle. First our "Pre-mat Routine" then "To the Mat Preparation", "Delivery", "Post Delivery Routine", "Bowl Roll Analysis" (above mention), ending in the Bowl's "Final Placement". As we step away from Mat and used our visual observation, we can still see the memory of that bowl roll to " Analysis" the Shot and finally make decisions. as a last part of the cycle,  "Decisions on Correction".  A total mental  cycle which requires a lot of time and wasted or lost as we are busy watching the opponent's bowl. (Yes "Opponent's Bowl Analysis is also a confirmation of our own (previous rolls) performance and may be part of  our "Feedback" or "Bowl Analysis". We are to decide if  the same line but should  be use. In your Pre- Delivery decisions of your next bowl roll the opponent's bowl data should not be used. You must always remember that each bowl rolls differently and the opponent's delivery is different and creates bad data. However, a fall in the green will always be in the same area of the green and your identification of that area can be confirmed by your opponent's bowl.

  Why this example?  Because, a lot of our Bowls delivery are like that passing car and we get lost in thought by watching the bowl rolling. Our watching our bowl roll without thinking or analysis is as if  the hitch-hiker stopped "seeing"  the license plate. ( doing his retrieval from the retina of the information) I believe we become tired of thinking or forcing to think and we let the action happens and  allow ourself to forget it. "It is over, Turn and leave the mat".  Is your delivery like that ?  It happens and then it is over as we step from the mat and wait for our next bowl to be delivered. Then you must build your "Delivery Cycle" with a "Mental Sight" that as you walk from the mat you are still seeing the bowl roll and busy collecting data and making decisions as part of your "Post-Delivery Feedback".

If there was a sudden change in your bowl's roll caused by the playing surface, or increase roll due to a surface incline; it happen and is gone. But you can still remember it and analysis it.  I have even seen a bowler turn as he was walking from the mat and look back up the green to identify the area of the green.

 This example is given to understand not just "Feedback" but the analysis and storage of information and even the retrieval of previous "Feedbacks" and how we relate it to our previous deliveries. If the analysis was done during the delivery of those previous rolls. 

 First, during a game, we can remember the last few deliveries and our visits to the mat at this position where the mat is placed. We finish our team control of the mat and leave to go up the green.  But two ends ago we also did a delivery from this end of the green and maybe this  same mat position (or similar), Like the license plates of passing cars for the hitch-hiker; if we have not collected and memory stored the data (Analysis and Feedback) we can not use it later. As you walk up the green maybe do a review of the major facts of those three bowls (or 4 if pairs game) to know that storage has been done.

 If we just see the bowl roll without remembering those previous deliveries at the same mat position or jack distance;  we do not have data to  create an  expectation of  our next delivery. When it is our turn to deliver the next bowl, then our analysis is finished and decisions made for the Pre-mat Routine. If being positive in this data collection we are not interested  on errors but more on corrective action to be made.

After three or four rolls over that section of the green, we know something is causing your bowl to not follow it's proper Bias as expected.. Too often we just think "Oh I did a bad Delivery".  To know the error, and to correct the error means decisions for your next visit to the mat at that end of the green. The common error of Lawn Bowlers is to simply blame it on having done a "bad delivery". 

 To develop "Muscle Memory" it is necessary to communicate with the Subconscious mind to tell it why you believe the error happen, and let the Subconscious know what is needed to adjust the next delivery. Be Amazed, Talk to your subconscious and see the subconscious mind at work the next time you do you Pre-Mat Routine.

In a previous articles I have write about what athletics call "Being in the Zone". Even Tiger Wood in it explaining with on a Youtube video and  said "Between my start of swing and seeing the ball in flight, I have not memory of what happen" He was in his Zone. This cycle of Feedback is a "Zone cycle" which  may be made up of several parts to complete the physical delivery which required practice and practice until every time you deliver the bowl the same way; and you were reading and analysing that bowl's roll.

 Under a normal "Newie Delivery", you know you have done a good physical delivery when you bowl has stopped near the Jack. You can even feel and hear the excitement of the Subconscious mind; because it was not as you expected. But "Muscle Memory" is more than the Muscles having been developed and the subconscious instructions to doing a good delivery.

 Yes the Subconscious even records that feeling of excitement but immediately the subconscious is beginnign to tell the muscles to do that again. It is making that memory as "Ideal Bowl Memory" and  will be remembering it and the "Muscle Memories" so that you can do the same again.

 Can you tell someone how to do something, like telling your secretary how to do her letter, but if you have not previously done it correctly and also closely watched and analysis how it was done; you can not explain it in words.  Can you mind instruct the muscle of what to do if you have not watched the bowl roll and analysis it every roll ( all rolls, the strange or normal rolls). 

 The mind can repeat what happen if it  has the information of what happen and that information is your "Feedback" data it put into storage; and your analysis  how ever detail it was. This teaching of the subconscious is with images because when you are in the "Zone" and the mind is in total control all the time you have is that image.

Last Summer while playing with members from another club I experience an opinion of Muscle Memory which really surprised me.   I was playing with a Bowler who was being instructed on perfecting her delivery performance by a club coach and this bowler said to me, "Stay on the mat and watch your bowl so you can develop your muscle memory". Interesting because what she was making reference to was "FeedBack" which is not automatic recorded to used in the Pre-Mat Routine or "Delivery Preparation". It does get recorded a bit if after 3 hours you have done the same thing. But we all make small changes thinking we did something wrong and only FeedBack Analysis leads to Muscle Memory.

Take for example. You see a region of your "Bias" Line of the Bowl which remains straight because of the green having a small ridge. You go to the mat and you side step (walking the mat) to the left side of the mat with the idea you delivery line will stay left, just inside of that ridge if you repeat your line and weight. (Not going over the top it will not go straight as trying to come back up over the ridge but instead come down a bit faster). This was a modification of  your delivery for a result.. How do you communicate it to the subconscious ? You visualize the bowl roll not going over the top and coming down faster. Yes just think it or see it as happening before you do your delivery.  Muscle memory will come later when the subconscious  has learned how to make the correct adjustment for that thought.

What adjustment?  well you have step left on the mat but your thought of your coming delivery is a "Result thought". Up to now when you do a delivery (without corrective action) your thought has been where you are wanting the bowl to arrive.. If you change your line, change your weight, change a part of your delivery but still have your "Result Thought" the bowl should go there because your Muscle Memory and Subconscious instruction to the muscles will attempt to give you that result. (if the change is not that big a change).

So now you are still thinking where you want the bowl to arrive, (Result Thought) but because you have change your position you want the subconscious mind to also change  instrucrtions to give you that same "Result". If you just changed your position on the mat by a foot and made no instruction to the subconscious mind then the same delivery would result in  this 2nd bowl  being a foot left of the previous bowl. 

So now when you are  preparing to go into the Zone of your delivery your thought was a visual thought of the bowl not running over the top of the ridge and finishing in the head where you wanted it. And now your "Delivery" is done with an absence of all thought. (in the Zone) Your two visualized thoughts indicated your wanted Bowl roll and now you are letting the subconscious mind perform the "Modified" Delivery. 

 However, as with the physical practice of Delivery to get your regular "Good" Delivery with "Muscle Memory"; you must do this mental practice several time also or the communication of your wishes to your Muscle Memory will not become a habit.  Each time we will see that the subconscious mind will do a response to your visual image and eventually your "Muscle Memory" will have been educated by your visual thought of avoiding that ridge and you will be surprised how your bowl seem to run straight.

 Of course, you bowl might be right of where you wanted it because "FeedBack" analysis will tell you that the bowl run back down the ridge gave it more distance or a change of bias.. But after a few times your subconscious mind know this. Yes you can trick your subconscious mind into the result you want. If you know your bowl is going to be right because of the run down the ridge than choose your wanted "Result" to the left of the jack. I don't suggest you over-think your subconscious control of your Muscle memory because like a friend whom you lie to.. your subconscious mind will not have confidence in your visual image. But for that one time when it is important I often do it and forgot about it (don't see it as FeedBack)

Jet Lag and a Athletic's Performance

 Reading a SPORTS (Science Periodical on Research and Technology in Sport)  pamplete title "Timing Travel and Athletic Performance (Oct 1984) written by Charles M Winget PhD who explains how performance is affected by Jet-Lag when involved in International Competitions.

 Mr. Winget, who died in July 2013, was involved with NASA's biomedical research in Space travel.(Biomedical Research Div of NASA ) and their research on speed with Astronauts health.

At the end of  Mr. Winget article which  was published by the Coaching Association of Canada  in October 1984; we find the following advice.

"As general advice "For the athlete who has not pre-adapted to destination time clues, if possible , avoid important athletic competitions in the morning hours during the initial days after long eastbound flights and last afternoon hours after a west bound flight."

Your internal clock, called a circadian clock, cycles about every 24 hours and "Circadian rhythm disorders", also known as sleep-wake cycle disorders, are problems that occur when your body's internal clock, which tells you when it's time to sleep or  to wake, is out of sync with your environment. (US NHLBI) 

There are several aspect of this science involved in a Coach's intervention in the performance of their athletics. From schedule practice after a competition with the intention to allow for a stressful competition to be surpressed and the athletic rest; to the development of Practice and Preparation to allow the athletic to reach his Performance Peak at the actual time of competition. Or as per the Jet-lag research the influence on a athletic at Peak Performance due to lack of successful recovery.

The Canadian Coaching Association article  by Charles M Winget stated the following 

"Jet lag, the disruption of circadian (daily) rhythms, is a recognized air travel syndrome that athletes, tourists and business executives alike must confront when flying across more than a few time zones.

 The most familiar daily rhythm is sleep and wakefulness. But the body has many biological clocks, some daily, some on other schedules.  Most biological functions are rhythmic in character, increasing and decreasing at constant rates. Under normal conditions, all of these rhythms operate in specific phase relationships to one another. The smooth functioning of the body , as a system depending on the maintenance of these timing relationships. So the physiological rhythms noticeably lower at night are heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature. Kidney functions is also low at night but high during the day.  Metabolism is highest at noon. Adrenal rhythms are highest during the early sleeping hours and during peaks in the last evenings."

"Disturbing physiological rhythm relationships, jet lag can have far-reaching effects on performance. These effects can range from fatigue and irritability to serious sleep disorders, headache, and acute intestinal upset.  The particular symptoms experienced and their severity vary from individual to individual. If you add these internal troubles to the external stress of facing a tough opponent and the stage is set for ineffective performance"

"Thus the competitive athlete who understands circadian 

(from the Latin circa and dien - about a day) rhythms will be able to perform more effectively. The coach will also be in a better position to improve team performance because relatively small, individual decrements in performance can add up to larger team performance decrements."

Further, after a short history on jet lag the articles states

"The very speed of travel is, however, accompanied by exposure to certain transent distrubances in physiological functions. These changes occur whenever we quickly move from the time zone in which we normally live to a new time zone where local time is several hours different. Thus , we experience disorientation in time when we fly west or east but no disorientation in flying north or south."

"The symptoms of Jet lag, usually felt soon after disembarking from a long Jet flight are disorientation, confusion, distortion of the senses of time and distance, fatigue, upset stomach, constipation or diarrhea, decrements of physical and mental efficiency, and disturbances in sleep habits. The nature of this malady is actually a state of disarray in the body's physiological cycles or biological clocks. Body cycles either out of synchrony with each other or with environmental cycles are in a condition scientist call dysrhythmia. The symptoms of dysrhythmia, following transmeridian flights, are commonly referred to as jet lag. The body cannot reset its biological clock with the same ease that we adjust our watches to a new time zone. In fact, it has been suggested the peak decline in psychomotor performance to to jet lag alone corresponds in young humans to the decline in performance which results from the 0.1 percent blood level." 

Virtually unknown 30 years ago dysrhythmia today is perhaps the most frequently experienced peril of the jet travelling athlete." The article gave an example of "a Boston based runner who planned to go to a race in Hawaii", but was called to Paris on Business.  "After 10 days in Europe, he returnedafter eating breakfast in Paris, With another breakfast in New York (Paris time 5pm), then Lunch in San Francisco with friends; he then, the next day, flew to Hawaii. Only to find that he was tired, irritable, mentally disoriented and suffering acute indigestion"

"Biological or circadian rhythms are not to be confused with the discredited, so called biorhythms of 23-days physical cycle, a 28 day emotional cycle and a 33 day intellectual cycle"

Dr. Daniel C Holley, professor of physiology at San Jose State University reviewed with his colleagues the literature dealing with internal and external factors which induce modification of performance rhythms. Among the factors investigated were motivation and sleep deprivation. Motivation or extra effort is able to improve physical performance for a limited time. Extended sleep (e.g. 12 hours) following a long jet flight can make up for sleep lost. However, a night's rest is not enough to bring the physiologic clock into phase with local time. This adjustment is gradual and usually takes one day for each time zone crossed."

After discussion the sleeping problems like "Micro-sleep episodes" which can cause car accidents because of short micro second falling asleep; Dr. Winget explains how the electroencephalogram brain waves frequency change (alpha waves) and their micro voltage (delta waves). Dr Winget went on to explain how during sleep, the body shuts down all muscles while activating organs like kidneys.  This was summized as

 " It is important for the athlete to keep in mind the significance of the circadian variation in circulatory system dynamics, which influences delivery of oxygen, glucose and hormones to the various organs , including the brain."

"There are circadian rhythms in a variety of neuromuscular functions which affect athletic performance. These include reaction time, grip strength and Achilles tendon reflex, elbow flexion strength, nerve condition velocity and resting forearm blood flow. 

The Achilles tendon reflex is highly correlated with a person's metabolic state and thus is an indication of the general state of activity." The function state of skeletal muscle is an important measure of the overall strength and efficiency of a trained athlete during the course of a day. Maximal voluntary contractions have been observed to change with a circadian pattern. Unfortunately, the physiological measurement of maximal strength is almost complicated by psychological factors such as motivation and emotional state."

In Conclusion - " An athlete's hours of peak performance on tasks requiring muscle coordination, will coincide with the time of highest body temperature in the late afternoon and early evening" (time zone corrected). The worst performance period for both males and females will occur at the time of lowest body temperature in the early morning."

"Concerning the Body's cycle and performance, the presence of circadian rhythm in performance has been well documented. In general, the range of circadian oscillation is greatest in physiological tasks than for psychological tasks. However, the circadian rhythm is a major source of variability in performance (e.g. 10-30 percent of the 24-hour mean) and the range of oscillation (amplitude) increases with increasing task complexity."

"Research has been conducted to determine the specific effects of Jet lag and circadian rhythmicity on athletic performance and significant results have been found . The findings of Keneko suggest athletic events depends upon short duration physical power (e.g. weightlifting and some gymnastics events) are significant affected by the timing (i.e. the circadian rhythm) of blood flow to the muscle. Any disruption of this timing by Jet lag or desynchronosis would subsequently affect an athlete's performance.

Some strange facts are also explained in the article like "Significant performance declines are found only in the eastbound Direction" or "The athlete should reset his or her physiological clock to be in correct environmental timing with the place of destination".  

The International "Competition" Athletic's Coach there is much research published such as "The role of circadian rhythm on sports performance, hormonal regulation, immune system function, and injury prevention in athletes" (Heliyon, 9 2023 e19636) of which the Objectives is defined as: "This study was a narrative review of the importance of circadian rhythm (CR), describes the underlying mechanisms of CR in sports performance".

For the Profession athletics Medical Staff the reader might find interest from. Chronobiology  International which writes on recent research  in it Online Journal. which suggests:

 " Strength coaches and medical staff of professional teams should strongly consider actigraphy as a practical and powerful tool to monitor RARs,( rest-activity circadian rhythms), sleep behavior, and the activity levels of their athletes; highlighting potential circadian disruptions through actigraphy could be helpful to prevent musculoskeletal (involving both musculature and skeleton) injuries".