Bowls, Golf, Curling n Petanque 2/5

Golfer allow only 14 clubs. What Bowls tools
do you carry into the game of  Play ?

In Golf the player is only permitted 14 clubs which he chooses as to his needs and the game to be played. In Bowls, how many tools or method of play do you have in your bag.
     We know you can do a forehand and a backhand, but is it a tool which you can use and adjust.
       Bowls performance is build on known abilities. When you relax and do a forehand what is your Natural Distance. In building a house you put down a good foundation and build upward from it.  In bowls, there are certain elements which are the foundations of a  great  performance.  You have chosen a bowl which is the size of your hand (tool). You play from a certain position on the mat as your start your delivery. You have  four Natural distances.  A short (relax and Bowl) distance, and a Long (long step and heavy bowls). And most bowlers have a different distance for their forehand and back hand (Four Tools)  Do you know their distances and can you identify that distance when looking up the green at the jack location.
  In Golf, the player know that his 5 iron gives him 150 yards with a relax swing and if forced maybe 180 yards.  He judges the distance to be played and chooses his club. if 5 is too long a drive distance, he will switch to a more wedge club. (I do not say 6 because he may not have a 6 in his bag 14 clubs) Do you decide on how to add weight, how to change line.. before stepping to the mat and going into your routine?

In bowls, too often it is like Archery or Darts.(photo www.topnews.in)  Throw the bowl up the green, like a dart player throws his dart and wait to see if you get close to the center (jack) At least the archer has a method of aiming and accurate force. You should know the distance (natural) of your forehand BOWL and like the golfer be able to add on a few feet with a longer step, a wrist flick or a pendulum (clock) swing.  Also, your Backhand will be another distance.  Yes, most of us have rolled the bowl with forehand and backhand without thinking of the distance. (natural).

 Club House as Measure tool - This Clubhouse (photo below) , is a special distance noting distance(tool) because the clubhouse is placed toward one side of the green. If playing that direction, across the green direction,  the clubhouse balcony studs become a accurate greens measure tool. If you have discovered a jack distance which is a weakness of the opponent you can, as skip, stand at that stud distance,If you want to move the mat forward you simple move to the next   post of the balcony for the exact jack distances. Have you ever seen a skip who after the mat is moved.. walks backward to receive the jack at it distance. Is he walking back the same number of paces that the mat was moved forward ?  Thus giving the same distance.for the jack (tool)

 In a recent Competition of four provinces (states) I had paced off the back green we were to bowl on that afternoon and discovered it was short as to greens standard. (It was a maximum of 31meters).
    As most greens are 33 to 35 by regulation and here in Canada; I knew this short green could be used to an advantage.  As lead, and with skip and vice who enjoyed long jacks;
    I often threw a ditch edge jack which was spotted out the two meters.  I left the mat at the mat line and for 4 ends we collected points as the opponent ditched bowls.  They were thinking a 34 meter green and therefore a 30 meter jack,(two meters on each end) which was only 28 meters or less. Of course, our team play was such that as lead I made jack length distance based on the skips game strategy..
    Communication is important.If he wanted to change the choice of Jack, I as lead played, he came forth to receive the jack and indicate the wanted distance (a tool signal) The tools here was I verified the distance and passed information to my team members. Do you check the edge of the ditch to see the fall? (tool) Do you notice various discolouration of the green and identify the distance from the mat line (tool). Once you know that the clubhouse window is the limit of a short jack when the mat is 6 meters out; you can throw that short jack with certainly it is within the proper measure.
  Next Blog.. Curling.. A fixed jack distance played game. Walking the mat, and Mat movement.