Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Lead, Mate, Skip Views

These short blogs of the Head Usage are often views as "not for me" information. Yes as a lead, you will say that is more advance than a Lead's need-to-know.  It is not intended to teach you more than the skip or mate; but the ideas may help you understand what they might be thinking.
   "I have been bowling for 25 years, I don t need someone telling me what I should do" is a comment skips hear when they try to develop a team into competition status.  Often, the reply from the skip is " And I know I can t teach you, if in 25 years you have not been interested in knowing more.
   On the other hand, remember that as a skip develops a team, it becomes necessary to know the limitations of each members.  If a lead can only bowl forehand and has no draw or line on the back hand, as Skip, you may decided a tactic which develops around that restriction of your lead.  Tactics, are usually defined as the method of reaching a goal by following a plan. 
   If as a lead, or mate you wish to better understand your game, and eventually become a powerful (tactic wise) skip; than ideas of what happens or can be done can be your building blocks of learning. 
As as example:  Lead building a head.  Yes the skip decides each bowl depending upon each bowl of the opponent.  But where do you put the first bowl, the second, the third. and even 4th if playing pairs or singles. 
   Lawn Bowls can be like Archery or Darts in that you throw toward the target and attempt to be near the center or at a position.  But certainly if your 2nd bowl is not better than the first, you are not helping your team.  You should learn from that previous bowl... or previous two bowls.  Also as you switch ends and return in the opposite direction.. do you remember what you learned the last time you bowled this direction. Yes, the jack is at a different position. The mat may be at a different placement. The bowls in the head may be different.. But, from bowl to bowl and end to end the team should improve and learn more about the green and bowls.
      Last week, in a raining game, I watch a triple team throw the first bowl 4 to 5 meters short on the first bowl,  then two to three meters short on the 2nd bowl and then finally within a foot of the jack on the last bowl.  In reality, this team had only three good bowls.. the third bowl of the lead, the third of the mate and the skips.  They did not learn from their opponents bowls or their team mate bowls.  If your lead can bowl to the jack when it is 25 meters  (their natural heavy) and they are short 3 meters; then you know the greens are restricting their bowl by 3 meters.  Your first bowl should be heavy by 2 meters and accept maybe even be in front by a few feet.  Learn from the other players.

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