Sunday, November 23, 2014

Prefection of your Draw Ability

So you are a Good Draw Bowler ? It is nice to be able to draw three of four bowls to within inches of each other during a practice, but a Practice is only as good as your expectation of yourself. "Practice makes perfect" but truth is that "Improving something by Practice, makes Perfect your Practice"

The Draw Shot
  The perfection of the delivery movement to allow the proper weight and line to result in the bowl arriving at the desired position. Drawing to the "Jack" or a position in the "House" around the Jack should be the same effort.  Yes, that big white thing is a great aiming ,"draw to me" incentives, but a position around the jack should be just as easily and also possible for you to do ( Photo from YouTube Delivery 101)

The Pointing Clock

In Blind Bowls (Link NSW Blind Sports Assoc) the athletic is given the results of his delivery by a Point Clock which is the "Jack" being the center and 12 o'clock behind the jack.  "You bowl came to rest at 18 inches and 7 o'clock"

the coach instructs the Blind bowler as his bowls comes to rest. In Visual bowls the Pointing clock can be also used as an indication of the size of the diameter of positions which will still allow your bowls to be shot. A 12 inch frontal bowl allows a "Pointing Clock/ of that size.  If you have already played two bowls and they are both sitting behind the jack at 11 o'clock, your ability to trail the jack should be to play for a point at less than 12 inches behind the jack at 11 o'clock. (left side behind the "Jack".

Why ?  Because you have 22 inches of the Point clock to arrive and make the point.  If you enter the head at 5 o'clock (right front) at 11 inches, you have shot and if you are heavy a bit; you can still get the point at 11 o'clock.  However, if you do enter at 5 o'clock and heavy you will "Trail the Jack" because such a shot will pass through the center of the "Point Clock"

Weight should be within the 22 inches which give you the point, however, if you line is off a bit and you enter the "House" at 4:30, you will pass near the jack but still have the point. Where this is of value to you is when you are attempting to stop at a precise position in the house.  "Back Bowls" are more valuable than "Frontal Bowls" unless you are rolling a "Block".

Your Perfection Distance

We all have a "Jack Distance" which is our Perfect Draw Distance. If our style of "Delivery" is such that we "Add on" or "Take Off" weight for various distances; Than our "Perfect Draw Distance" is where we neither "Add on" or "Take Off", but just roll a good "Delivery"

This "Perfect Draw Distance" is defined in your "Trail Ends".  If at home on your green you "Relax" and do a "Delivery" which stops at  23 meters (Here in Canada the HogLine is 21) or 2 meter over a short Jack; this is your "Perfect Draw Distance".  If during a "Visiting Club Game" and in your "Trail Ends", you have done this type of "Delivery" and the bowl stopped at 24.5 meters; than the "Visiting Club" has a Faster Green than at home. You must always evaluate you "Add on" or "Take off" from the 24.5 meter.

I was watching the Indoor Bowls Tournament (YouTube) and always the Marker- Umpire was giving the Distance. "29 Meters".  In Blind Bowls this always happens and the bowler knows the distance less the difference of the moved Mat. If the mat had been moved ahead by 2.5 meters and your "Skip" said "28" either by a sign or verbally, you know that the jack is at 25.5 meters and you must add-on 1 meter for a "Jack Hight" Draw.

If you and your skip have agreed on the value of your "Trail Ends" and he knows you were bowling your Forehand and that your Perfect Draw Distance was now 24.5 meters, than he may indicate this 1 meter "Add on" by Standing behind the jack 1 meter. Watch his steps and count them as he walks back.

Jack Distance Indicators

If no-one is going to give you the jack distance than it will be your calculations which will decide on the actual "Jack Distance".  You may have a "Long Jack" and by watching your Skip or the Opponent Skip walking from the Back of the Green to the Jack indicate the actual distance of the jack from the "Ditch" or "Mat Line". Most people walk a two and a half step meter, sor 5 steps would be approximate 2 meters.

Objects on the side of the green, whether a clubhouse window or a Bench should be your distance indicators.  Watch your opponents as they walk up the green, especially during the "Trial Ends".  If they are looking at the left and right sides of the greens they are probably identifying their Distance Markers. Sometimes a change in the Greens conditions can be your Distance Indicator.

ForeHand and Back Hand

Now to make the "Perfect Jack Distance" even more difficult, you must be aware that everyone has a different "ForeHand" and "BackHand"  natural Distance.  In some coaching manuals it will suggest that you start a student with the Backhand draw instructions first because this is a easier "Line" to teach. Also because of the "Step into the Line" instructions, this usually give a better delivery and therefore a longer Draw Distance for you "Natural Delivery".  KNOW YOU DISTANCES  for each Delivery style

Extra or Second Distance

If you "Perfection Delivery Distance" was 24.5 meters and you had to add on for 28 meters, or 3.5 meters extra, it is not simply a change in you delivery step or your "Back Swing".  Most of us will do what is call an "Extra Effort Delivery" which will create a Second Distance for the Natural Delivery Distance.  This extra effort may be a Long Step or a Faster Body Movement and you should know your ForeHand and BackHand Delivery Distance for this Extra Effort Delivery