Under Development April 13, 2026
In Lawn bowls and Petanque there are two parts to the performance. The physical development where practice and training develops a physical presentation and a Psychologic or Mental Development where emotional strength permit a consistence physical performance. Golf was included in the first part because I believe it is the most demanding of these sports and I wanted to introduce the mental problems of spectators and some of the personal development tricks of the greatest athletes.
All of our physical performance within any sport will require some sort of mental discipline to protect the athlete's state of perfection and performance. When we talk about Sport Psychology we must realize that we are concern with the various mental restriction which emotions or fears can have on the athlete's physical performance. If mental stability could be switched to an on/off position the athlete would only be required to perform a consistance physical performance; but with no "on/off" for emotions and feelings we must attempt to control and manage it with Sport Psychology skills. We are lucky to have the internet for information because in sport coaching we only find Sport psychologist in the major clubs or sports.
In all games there are rules designed for what is considered as a distraction when the athlete is in their stable mental state and performing their physical (trained) presentation. In Lawn Bowls and Petanque the individual performing their delivery or performance are given as much support against distraction as possible by the Rules of the game. Players and spectators are expected to not create any distractions and the rules require opponents or nearby players to also prevent actions which could be a distraction to other.
Recently, when Stephen came to the club he was asked by a few members his opinion. One such question was "What is the most important ability an athlete should have?". He replied "An athlete should be able to maintain their focus and have a flareless performance", Good advice but as a coach I avoid use of words which create confusion as to their meaning. "Focus" and its meaning is like "money". There are so many different currencies maybe one for each country of the world. A word like "focus" also has many meanings.
In a course for first or second year (new) students to Lawn Bowls a student or spectator will not find "Muscle Memory" or "Concentration" in my volcabulary because it is hard to define what these words mean and only confuse the new student who is learning to develop their skill of Delivery and game.
Focus is a common word used in Photography because a camera lens need to be adjusted for a clear picture. So I use it as an example and explain that as the photographer turns the lens ring and focus his camera; he is really making small changes until the best possible picture is obtained. In development of a sport this should be the meaning of physical practice as we make small adjustments to our performance until we have what is the best we can expect.
Secondly, the camera explanation is good because the focus in photography distance objective can never be in focus unless the focus is at it distance setting. Closer objects can be in focus with a larger f-stop; and of course both Lawn Bowls and Petanque require a precision based upon their distance to the target. In the Lawn Bowls delivery we add more weight to the delivery force as we roll our bowl farther up the green. If not enough weight, we attempt in the following delivery to adjust and add more.
In petanque, the same principle applies but instead of a roll the pêtanque player doing a delivery for a point (and also for a take-out) throw will need to have their ball thrown a different distance. In Pointing it is usually half way to the "Cochon" (target) and allow it to roll the remainder of the distance.
If the Petanque player is doing what is called a "Take-out" shot, he is throwing his petanque ball the complete distance to the target with the attempt to knock it out of the playing area. Like in Golf, the Petanque take-out efforts can not handle any small distraction or any emotional or mental problems. causes a failure or bad result and the player is expected to return immediately and do another performance.
However, Stephen was not referring to focus in that sense but in a false meaning of what is better called "Concentration". Concentration is also the wrong word but approaches the expressed meaning of have your total attention on your objective and performance. But both words will help in the introduction of Sport psychology because of the mental problems of any sport is where they both must apply.
In the physical analysis of the direction of a student's improvement to be their practice and developed, "Focus" must be seen like the meaning of a camera being focus. The turning of the "len ring" of a camera, when doing a "Focus" can be turned too far and must then turned back to get a better focus. In the student's practice, where the objective of practice of a delivery needs clear objectives and our abilities as the goal. if we want our practice in focus, we must continue making corrections until we are getting the results wanted.
As to the mental focus of our skill, we do the same thing as in the physical development, practice the skills; except as we often have to discover our emotions and even discover how our feeling like anxiety affect our performance. To know our feelings is not done quickly and even to make any changes will promote a stable state of mental stability. We realize that we can never be completely in control of our emotions or feelings, but we can seek a stable place for our psychologic influence to our performance perfection. Like the physical practice, the mental practice of psychologic skills is always a need to keep working as a practice toward a the point of development where we immediately return to calm feelings.
To take a minute here where a New and developing players who may not know these similar sports; let me do a few (maybe several) paragraph to under the differents of these sports and the important of focus of development and the need for mental stability.
Delivery of the Bowl in Lawn Bowls is a presentation to the "Mat", the players placement when doing their delivery; and a single arm swing and step as the bowl is rolled up the green toward the "Jack" or target. The distance to the Jack can be anywhere between 21 meters and 31 meters with two meters from the "Out-of-Bounds ditch being the "Mat Line" and the Legal "Respot".
In Curling it is quite a bit similar and the old style of delivery was the excate same physical movement as Lawn Bowls as the player swung from the foot grips (hack) and slide their granite stone up the ice to the Target "Circle" (House). The stone must be released before the 21 meter distance from the house at a marked "Release Line".
The distance to the Curling "House" is therefore a fixed distance and the set of painted circles on the ice allow for a quick opinion of who has shot. In both Bowls and Curling the decision who has the point must wait for the last delivery. In petanque, because if the playing team does not have the point, they must play again the measuring can be done any time and as often as needed..
In Petanque , the french game of Bowl or ball roll to a target ("Cochon" and the balls are metal of about 2.5 to 3 inches and the major physical performances are the Shooter's Take-out shot and the Pointer's roll to the "cochon" Pointing. Both shots requires the player to throw through the air his ball and after landing roll to the target or throw the complete distance of the the opponent's ball which is hit and remove d. A "Point Circle" is the location required for the feet during the performance and the "Cochon" (Jack) is a legal distance between 6 meters and 10 meters.
Unlike Bowls and Curling where players play consectively, one after the other, until there remains no more deliveries for the player and then the next team member will perform; in Petanque, the player if in his performance does gain the point; (his team have the closest ball to the "Cochon" (jack)) must continue to play until they capture the point. For this reason a shooter doing a Take-out shot will be required to do another take-out in the following one minute if their performance has not gained them their team's ball as the closest ball.
In Bowls, Curling, Petanque and Bocci (the similar Italian game) the teams can be of two, three and even four players with each player having two three balls (bowls) with the exception of a game of one-on-one where each player has 4 bowls. In all these four games the physical performance is a development of an instinctive action referred to as "Muscle Memory". Muscles don't have memory so mental memory is an mental memory of the physical performance developed in practice where the needed muscles movement are learned from practice and repeated as an instinctive performance.
The team of these sports usually has two delegated position of play with one player throwing the target object (cochon) to a legal distance and then presenting a rolling Petanque ball (bowl, stone, or bocci) to become as close as possible to the target. With the exception of Petanque and Bocci, the sequence of play of the teams is always the same order as the players have started. In this case, the next player can be any player of the team depending upon their skill whether the "Pointer" who roll the ball to the target or a "Take-out (shooter) who does a throwing performance.
All these games have a team Captain or "Skip" which delegates the game and the expected performance of the players on their team. In build a competition team the different members may different skills which may lead to the team Captain or Coach assigning them to the team's order of play. and may have different task through out the game play like measurement or preparation for the next end of play.
To continue, we now clearly realize that any performance in sport is the combination of a Physical Training to a level of "Muscle Memory" performance and a Mental state of Focus or concentration which if always the same will allow for the best results.
As a "Blind Bowls" Coach, I was taught many years ago that sometimes we have to adjust our "Physical Focus". With three National Gold medals of Instinctive Archery I had learned that one must accept conditions over which we do not have control. Where sport Psychology attempts to address the mental aspect, I have learned that sometime a simple adjustment of our physical performance, our "Physical Focus"; is an easier correction of the new conditions.
In a Lawn Bowl's delivery by a "Blind" athlete, the line of delivery is given by their assistance (voice or white shoes) for their bowl, because they do not have an visual sighting which is taught as a "Point of Line"for delivery. The blind lawn bowler is seeing an mental image of the green and the game and they have as much confidence in this image as we do when we are looking up the green. The "Blind" student is taught that when their body and muscle performance are both properly aligned, they only need the proper delivery weight to draw directly to the jack.
I was shown by a "Blind" bowls student that every day our body is some how a little difference than what we call normal. Sometimes several differences for several days, so the Blind student simple made a physical corrections for that difference of today. They live a life where something changes and they react quickly to that change.
In Petanque when I am practicing my ability to perform a "Take-out" shot I often perform a "Body Awareness" near the beginning of my practice. Today, my biggest problem with age, now over 80, is my balance and a bad knee and my body's survival instinct may has changed something. Of course to perform with a difference body will not give me the results I expect.
"Body Awareness" is a test which I do in Petanque practice when I discover that my "Take-out shot is not what it should be. I know that in a "Blind Shooting" effort that my "Muscle Memory" will perform and show me what has changed. So having prepared myself, I close my eyes and like the "Blind Lawn Bowler" I use the mental image as my target. After my takeout performance and "Muscle Memory Void" is finished. I open my eyes to see the result of my performance.
If all with my eyes closed the thrown Petanque ball has landed at 3 O'clock and about 5 inches from the target after two or three times then I know my body is not in alignment for some reason. I adjust my feet for that 5 inches to a false target at 9 o'clock. Yes this helps and even today when deciding my mental changes or physical changes I will adjust physical before attempting a psychology skill. Although I certainly find myself quick to do Positive Self Talk.
Knowing our performance in both physical and mental performance may require us to make some adjustments so that the two influences (physical and emotion) do not influence our performanceé Both must work together for the result we want or expect. So where a Focus, like adjusting a camera focus, is really the physical progress, through psychologic skills, that the skilled athlete need to be attempted; we must also know what is a relax calm performance for us. An athlete should always practice and improve their performance, physical and emotion, by controlling all the influences caused by feelings.
This is why I feel the idea of "Focus" as a camera "Focus" is important. In lawn bowls if your body feel a wind on the left side of your face your "Muscle Memory" of the body's Balance will adjust your balance for that wind. Will this affect your doing a step forward as your Bowl's delivery is instinctive or will your balance be also adjusted by your "Muscle Memory" ? You may see the answer to this by a "Body Awareness" test during a practice. Your knowledge of a change in the conditions of play should be information gathered during a practice. Yes we practice for better performance but now with the wind, you should feel your movement of your feet as your body adjusts your balance.
This is not mental or psychological but simple a body adjustment which has been made for some reason. Age is my reason that this would happen, but it might be anything like muscle pain, too tight clothing or maybe even a thought like the wind is going to move my bowls of delivery line.
Petanque athletes know that during their take-out shot a thought or distraction to their left side of play, will result in a miss to the left of target because their mind heard the distraction and thought about it. The sport psychologist would tell you to adjust your focus or concentration to not hear that distraction. I have suggested to an athlete that they change your body position a small amount to the left because of the spectator's area and the music coming from there. Try a test with one of your practice session. With some music to your left and decide how you will work to ignore it. Now instead of working on the mental solution (ignoring the sound) place your body direction a bit (half a shoe maybe) to the right and let this confidence in your solution. Did your starting position for this test practice change anything?. What did you learn ? How can you use this correction in a game.
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| What is Focus ??? |
This is what Practice should be. Know your objective and the result of your changes and make the adjustments until you are satified or it not successful and you know you can abandon the idea. Because each time you come to play in a game you should not make these changes unless you know the results. To be playing bowl after bowl or ball after ball (in petanque) to a problem will only lead to emotional feelings. If something occurs during a game it is best the student or athlete make notes, mental or a notebook (like the golfer).
When starting your first delivery of a game, your "Focus" should be to perform from a learned and well developed performance and any adjustment or mental skills only be applied when you have lost that performance. Self-talk with positive objectives may be placed as a calm producing effort to relax and play the game which is identified as your best.
Realizing how important this starting point is to a successful and clean performance, and Lawn bowls rules allow for "Trial end" to help the player read the conditions of the green in speed and influence with their bowls. In petanque the rules allow for the player to choose their place of contact and even tap it to judge its reaction when the ball falls there. In this sense, the new bowler should learn that focus is a part of their physical performance as they will always need to do an adjustment as practice improves.
As you guess, sport psychology has no aspect in this type of physical focus. Today with the internet and "AI" (photo) a clear question like "What is Focus in Sport Pshchology" will give very good and helpful information to apply.
We see that Sport Psychology has defined specific types of focus such as "Present Moment Focus" and "Selective" application of Focus in the sport. With a bit of wisdom a lot can be obtained from the Google Search answer. Why did focus in "Selective Focus" get changed to "Selective Attention"? Much for the same raison that "Focus" and "Concentration" got intermixed also "Focus" and "Attention" become intermixed. Maybe "Pay attention" and Focus on your Objective" is a good example of the differences.
With these questions of "Intermixed" meanings of words let us now look at the meaning of "Distractions". First, mental skills must be developed and practiced in the same way that physical skills were developed. Some coaches will tell you that it will take almost the same amount of time of practice mental skills and your performance perfection took of practice .
Talking to a Curling Coach I heard him say "Muscle Memory takes about 1000 hours of practice"; and I replied "Maybe 500 hours of "Perfect Practice". Our discussion then moved into what was a "Perfect Practice". Then the topic changed the subject to "Maybe we should teach mental evaluations of Physical Practices such as "How did you feel as you completed that delivery?". If feelings are a psychologic cause for problems which sport psychology address there is maybe the need for athletes to remain is a "Good Feeling" zone. Team communication is a major part of keeping a emotionally weak team player in their peak performance.
In lawn bowls there is about 14 to 18 seconds (the speed of the green) after each delivery, before the athlete knows the result of their performance. Also, the two to three minute delay while the opponent player performs, does not gives the disappointed player enough time to recompose his feelings and execute his "Reset" routine. Without this return to a calm emotion state, before he return to do another delivery the athlete will only find more disappointment in his performance. In come team management coaching the suggestion that the other members of the team must. and can, influence this mental state of the athlete. Communication, delays within respect of the rules, and even to accept the mistakes with positive team actions.
However, in the game of Petanque, there is probably not a second between the finish of the athlete's performance of a thrown takeout shot and the athlete seeing and knowing his performance's success or failure. If successful, the opponent will have two minutes to perform his Post-Performance routine before be requeste to play again. Of course, the excitement or disappointment is always the Petanque athlete feelings; the same as the golfer. But with the Petanque player not have the time to re-discover their calm state of self; their next performance will be difficult.
But unlike Shane Lowey who now has a long walk up the fairway to recompose his feelings and return to a mental state of maximun performance;the petanque athlete will be expected to play again within one minute if unsuccessful. And disappointment after doing a unsuccessful takeout shot is more difficult to ignore. Also, because the athlete know immediately his result, very often we find that the athlete actually is interrupting his "Muscle Memory" performance with the want to see his successful performance. The conscious mind take control back with a thought of "was it successful? ", (This blog assumes you know and have developed a "Muscle Memory")
Google AI defines "Muscle Memory" as "Muscle memory is a form of procedural memory where the brain and nervous system consolidate motor tasks through repetition, allowing actions to become automatic, such as riding a bike or playing an instrument." In simple term it is memory of practice of muscle movement which when started will be performed instinctive. Breathing, Braking your car, throwing a ball are done instinctive because it has become "Muscle Memory"
In several of my blogs on Muscle Memory I speak of the subconscious mind taking control and performing a memory of a routine. This routine starts with a Trigger or action and finishes with a feeling as the conscious mind regains control. Simply put Tiger Wood in the Youtube video "Tiger Woods Mental Focus" said about when he is in the "Peak Performance Zone" (muscle memory working instinctive) "I tend to have blackouts, I know I was there but I don't remember performing the golf shot" (2.2m/6.3 video) and " I remember preparing for the shot" but "I don't remember (anything) until I see the ball leave" (3.30m/6.3 m video) . Muscle memory is doing the swing and return his conscious thought when seeing the ball in flight out in front of him.
In the three part of performance, Preparation, Action, and Result, I will start with the Action Routine because after the Routine Trigger the total performance is instinctive and the other two part are preparation and evaluation. In discussion with an well developed athlete this week about his "Reset Routine" he said that "Performance has a lot of "Mental Discipline" which is true but must be always the same mental activities otherwise the performance will be interrupted and broken.
In Golf, the picking of the golf club, the analysis of the intended shot, the ball placement on the tee and even the placement of the tee and it height are all preparation routines. The performance is the swing and Strike force and after ward all thoughts are the Evaluation and Recovery routine.
In Lawn Bowls, the placement of the bowl in hand with bias and other effects of delivery (feet placement, balance, etc) are the preparation while the action is the delivery of the Lawn Bowl to the green. After release of the bowl as it rolls up the green everything following is Feedback and Correction.
In Petanque, the performance may have more mental actions incorporated with the action because the individual's learning has usually been self taught and the mental actions are more discipline of thoughts and feelings. However once the athlete is in the "shooting circle" and the trigger action initiated the action is total instinctive.
Trigger action is something which is done by the athlete to begin the Muscle Memory action and can be the practice swings of the feet placement. In petanque, I have seen the foot smoothing the surface in the circle while in Bowls it is to me my foot placement pointing up the green.
Once the Trigger action is performed the Performance should be all the same movements. If practice swings are done they should always be the same number of swings before final action is performed. If a lawn Bowls athlete does one swing or three the mind will expect to do it delivery after the last swing. The raison for this consistance is if mental skills have been developed they will fit into the routine in the same place during the action.
As an example, the need to judge the distance for the performance may be a hand in front before the swing starts (Bowls and Petanque) or a visual place on the fairway (golf). In the same way if self-confidence is a feeling or thought it is also in it proper place and can be memory of a great performance or memory of a correction of delivery which builds confidence. In the Preparation Routine the decisions are made from information collected and reviewed in the Post performance.
In all three sports, when the athlete is in the stance position and the trigger action performed the mind stops thinking or instructing the muscles and the instinctive action is allowed to be performed. In Petanque, the athlete "Shoot" or "Point" thought. In Lawn Bowls the stepping action into delivery and in golf the full back swing action. All the Muscle Action is in control start actions.
As the country singer Chad Brownlee's song "Forever got to start somewhere" so also in sports Muscle Memory must always start at the same "Trigger Action" If it is when you step into your shooting circle (petanque) or onto the Bowls Mat; it must always start there. If something interrupts you action then you leave the mat and return. In petanque the announcement of teams to playing surface area may be an interruption of your action. If you have not developed a "Rapid Reset" mental action and that game announcement is an interruption you stop your performance. After such interruptions the athlete returns to his start position and trigger action to initialize a new performance.
In Sport psychology several correction actions are suggested to athlete for mental problems of Stress, anxiety, fear or lost confidence and these emotional controls are processed in the Pre-Performance and evaluated in the Post-Performance. Although not a part of the Performance they can seem as part of it if the time span of the three sections of performance is extremely short like the few seconds of Petanque performance and seeing the result of the take-out shot.
In Lawn Bowls the 14 or more seconds until the bowl stops it roll actually allow the learning athlete to develop actions and evaluate routines during that waiting time. Ex: where weather conditions like wind and rain can effect the bowls performance, the lawn bowl athlete may be evaluating how much wind or rain is involved as they wait for the bowl to stop rolling and show the result of the performance. I assume the golfer is likewise watch the conditions of weather as he ball is in flight.
