The 2016 World Bowls (Christchurch New Zealand) now underway, as I start these two Blog on Muscle Memory. Part 2 texted and being edited but time for blog writing or editing during the World Bowls is hard to find. After the games maybe, or in a few more weeks I will finish the Second part. I hope to have the blog mix the idea of "Muscle Memory" with the styles of Delivery of a couple of World Bowls Finalists. You will find it interesting on how these great athletics, New Zealand Lead Angela Boyd and Wales lead Laura Daniels prepare their delivery before putting themself into a "Zen Delivery" Zone.
Now that I have finished watching the December 11th Women`s Pairs Finals of World Bowls (Streaming); and being a Canadian, I can`t miss the Ryan Bester effort to capture the Singles Gold. Another great Bowls Video which one day maybe I will blog about.
As a Coach of Bowls it is the Women’s Pairs Final between New Zealand and Wales which is of most instructive to bowlers and for me a coach; to blog. Watching the two very different style of delivery of these leads, I find the rare opportunity to show how each finalist have all the same aspects of a "Muscle Memory" delivery and in two different ways both athletics show their delivery as they move into a proper "Zen Zone Delivery". In this Zen delivery they are in a void of thought as their subconscious mind uses memories of training to do a perfect delivery. (Like one brakes their car when a child runs into the street. An instinctive action with no thinking involved but performed by the subconscious mind to save a life.)
March 27 2024 "The Right Line" Podcast Episode 86, which is the official Australia Bowls podcast; has an interesting "In the Zone" comment from Dawn Hayman when discussing her team in the World Bowls Fours game against Scotland in 2023. She was asked about the influence of a Sport Psychologist in her game and she replied "It is super important (staying mentally strong), obviously all of us girls have had that sort of training. In the particular game we were down quite a lot but, you know, we stuck to our guns; and we were mentally "in the Zone", which I think it helped us over the line at the end. This week past Dawn dominated the New South Wales State Championship at Club Dubbo as she won four golds. (singles, pairs, mixed pairs (with hubby) and triples).We don't hear much about "in the Zone" but to be in the world top performers it is a part of the mental game. And Lawn Bowls require a strong mental state for the performance needed to qualify and win at International Competitions. (Updated 04/01)
First, I hope that in no way does this blog get seen as a criticism of the delivery styles of Angela Boyd or Laura Daniels as both are great athletics and performed exceptional. With the internet and "Live Streaming" our sport gets great coverage. But often non elite lawnbowlers who are watching the game get an uneducated view of Bowls from comments made by announcers whom, like Sky Sports Presenter Jordan Vandermade can not be expected to know all the fine detail and hard work for an athletic during the development of their style of delivery.
All night, I have been questioning if I should build a blog around these two different styles as they clearly show an athletic`s development as they progress in prefection and are moving from Muscle Memory (conscious memory of Delivery) to being in the Zone (subconscious control delivery). From the photo (left) we see both players at the point of "In the Zone" and neither is looking up the green.
Ofcourse, it is hard to suggest to my blog readers to watch a great World Bowls video of Women`s Pairs final for Gold; when the announders jokes ( Jordan and Terry Scott) are about the multi swinging delivery of New Zealand lead Angela Boyd. The comments seem to suggest Angela has a bad style of delivery; when in reality she would never have reached the Women`s Pair Final if her style was bad.
I decided that my readers which are some of the best Lawnbowlers in the world are more educated then these announcers and the other blog readers who are still learning; will clearly understand and value the subject matter of "Muscle Memory" performance when one is "Being in the Zone".
To better define the term "Pre-visualization" it should be better called "Visualization pre-performance" where distance is calculated by looking at the target (Jack or Cochon in Petanque) and after a few mental visualization of seeing the bowl (or petanque ball) going to the target; the subconscious mind always adjusting and using a memory of previous performance; has the distance and with an unconscious performance does what is wanted by the athletic. Briefly, pre performance visualization is seeing what is expected to happen and by visually seeing the memory of a previous shot going all the way to the target, two or three time if necessary; the subconscious mind now knows that distance. This "Memory" give the athletic the Bowl delivery weight needed to roll a bowl to the jack or in Petanque gives the player a memory of his distance that he must throw his takeout shot to hit the 3 1/2 inch ball directly.
We who have been "in the Zone" during performance, knows how it works and all we can do is overlook opinions of others on the style of delivery. To me Angela Boyd is still developing her "Pre-visualization" as she starts with her arm swing (with a memory of previous weight) and eventually has a total mental "Pre-visualization". This same pre-delivery movement which is only a light bouncing of the Bowl in the hand of Laura Daniels gives the athletic the "Pre-visualization" from memory to find the weight to roll to the jack.
Basketball coaches tell their elite athletics to mentally practice their basket shooting when sitting on the bus. Of course, you don`t see them doing their arm movement; because they are using their memory of previous shots they made and to see again their actions. So I ask you to please understand that those doing televised comments can not know the minute detail about all the sports they cover or the hard work and coaching that goes into a well seasoned athletic. It is hard work to reach the level of World elite and even harder to get that perfect "Bowl roll" to the jack, or that long Petanque takeout shot.
I thank both Angela Boyd and Laura Daniels for allowing me to write about their styles. (I assume they will contact me if they object). I am sure that they understand that this is a unique opportunity to comparing two different delivery style, while helping me in teaching to our future lawn bowls athletics about how to develop and use "Muscle Memory". How to slowly create their movement while moving into the "Zen Zone". (Clearification note: This "Zen Zone" is when after doing a movement over and over, the muscles have developed a memory of how to perform that action. At one point in a Bowls Delivery the conscious thought and instructions, we do to correct our errors; become to the muscles a transfer of control to the subconscious mind which knows how to perform the action. At this point the athletic is in a "Non thinking" Zone as we experience an emptiness of thought for a partial second.)
Before writing about these two styles I must ask the reader to do a small physical exercise. This is important as later in this blog, the memory of this exercise will be a major part of your mental study and movement of the mind (thought) from muscle memory to the zone. If you do not do this 30 second exercise then it is better to stop reading now; because later you will not have any memory of the exercise to recall and collect from for your subconscious mind. Of course, you can also read this blog a second time while then doing the exercise but knowing what to expect will not be the same teaching on the 2nd reading and of course the mood will change.
Exercise. Look at a distance object, as you sit where you are and are read this, (plse do this exercise). Much the same, as you would look up the green at the jack, Now pick some distance object to look at.(out the window or across the room) Place your index finger at the side of your face under your eye. With the opposite eye closed, move the finger out from your eye toward the object until you are covering the object with your finger. Much as if you are pointing at the object. Do this three times. (Yes, please do it even if it seems foolish) Thank you. You have now developed a mental memory of this action. (finger moving from eye to a distance object)
There is such a difference in the two styles of delivery of Angela Boyd and Laura Daniels but both have all the same aspects of mental (muscle) communication and muscle memory. First, lets discuss New Zealand Angela Boyd's, with her 8 swings of preparation and the body movement of a light forward and back sway as she taps her foot. It is almost as if she is delivering the bowl and watching it go to the jack."Opps, not enough weight.. try again" she thinks.. until she feel she has reached her needed weight.
Watching the video closely, you see various aspects of this action. This is called the Pre-delivery routine and a part of every good lawn bowls Delivery. All players has some sort of action, the do to preparing themselves. Probably after her physcial swing of the bowl she is seeing in her mind the memory of another time when her bowl was going up the green. With each arm swing she is showing the subconscious mind the distance to the jack. How ? As you will see later; the mental memory of the complete movement (delivery of the Bowl to Jack) is very quick in your memory. More quick than the actual action. As you see the memory of delivery to the jack; you are sort of showing the subconscious mind the distance. If your mental thought of the roll does not go all the way to the jack; then by doing it several times and pushing that thought to the correct distance; the subconscious re-adjusts that distance is all the way to the jack. Angela`s pre-visualization is done until finally she feels she has the distance and now does a final delivery with the proper weight for that jack distance. She has lets the subconscious mind do the Muscle Memory and has places herself in the Zone of non-thought.
Of interest here, is a similar action in the French game of Petanque. In Petanque the player is allow to walk to the jack as can be seen on Youtube games; and of course when the player is walking, the mind is feeling the distance. Some players actually go half ways to the jack (or cochon) because half way is easlier to see the rest of the distance. No matter how you do it, the subconscious mind needs to know the distance to the Jack and Angela`s swings and delay is giving the subconscious mind a feel for that distance.
Of interest here, is a similar action in the French game of Petanque. In Petanque the player is allow to walk to the jack as can be seen on Youtube games; and of course when the player is walking, the mind is feeling the distance. Some players actually go half ways to the jack (or cochon) because half way is easlier to see the rest of the distance. No matter how you do it, the subconscious mind needs to know the distance to the Jack and Angela`s swings and delay is giving the subconscious mind a feel for that distance.
This is an important communication between the athletic`s intentions and finally giving control to the subconscious mind. It is important to not be consciously telling the muscles what to do but letting "Muscle Memory" or the subconscious do the shot.
As we can see in the Petanque video of Mark Wildeboer where he stops his toe tapping (his tell of pre-visualizations ) in the video to his actual action of his takeout shot. At the time of his shooting he is in a "Void of thought" and we say he is "In the Zen Zone".
One would ask if these first few delivery swings of Angela are to define her delivery weight, and maybe she is following the un-released bowl to the jack in an memory of a previous delivery. But her delay before starting her next swing is too quick for actually thought of following a bowl; so she is using her memory of the bowl rolling up the green. (When you do, at the end of this blog; the finger exercise done above; you realize the memory is faster than the actual event).
Later in these blogs I will show the reader how to have the subconscious mind know and judge the distance with only the memory of the doing the distance mentually in the Pre-delivery routine. What you see in the delivery of Laura Daniels is her pre-visualization of memories done prior to her delivery and now all that is in her mind is one last pre-visualization.
That is all the subconscious mind needs before her Muscle Memory and delivery happen as now the subconscious knows the distance and weight to reach the jack. This, transfer control to the subconscious seems obvious as we see in the final swing that Angela's eyes are nolonger looking toward the jack as she has established the distance and is confidence of her delivery weight.
We notice that Angela Boyd has lowers her eyes, its her way of mentally remembering the distance; she will soon look up and see her bowl rolling up the green. This same thing happens to Tigar Wood as he explains on youtube, ( Sports Psychology - Want to visualize like Tiger? - YouTube ) Tiger, the great golfer; says "between beginning my swing and seeing the ball in flight up the fairway, I have no memory of what happen ". And if asked, Angela also has no memory from when she started her final delivery swing and then a microsecond later sees the bowl rolling up the green.
This is an important part of our communication with the subconscious mind as it is just her and her memory of another time when the jack was at that same distance. This memory retreival has helped her subconscous mind to know how to do the delivery right to the jack.
The rules of Silence when on the mat, which is in the rule book; are there because in any delivery, like Angela who is now into her delivery void of thought (seen by her body movement as she sway forward and back) is a control harmony which is her mind and body movement is the next swing. This is also part of the communication with the subconscious; as this body movement is the final steps of her delivery. Even this small sway is sufficient forward body movement to defines the small extra body movement to be either adding on or taking off the "delivery weight". It is also a constant movement to remind the body (subconscious) that there will be nothing changed.
Up to this point it is memory to remaind the mind and identifying how much weight was used last time at this distance and for the subconscious to remember from the previous delivery. (just performed minutes before or month earlier). At this point and just after the last practice swing and before the delivery Angela Boyd seems to do two small wrist flick. WHY ?? as coach of others I believe this is her mental void entry moment. Often we need something else to think about which is not part of the delivery to not think about the delivery and enter the Zone.
In every delivery where a bowler enter the zone (zen zone where there is a complete absence of thought) there must be a pre-visualization of the delivery.
I know that some people use a wrist flick to add on weight, but it is my opinion that this movement would be in the pre-delivery routine and not at this pre-visualization period of delivery. So not only has angela told her body the amount of muscle movement that is needed for the delivery swing but also she has established that her pre-visualization is finished. The reason that this flick can not be pre-visualization is that at this movement it would confuse the subconscious mind with another thought and the subconscious mind would apply something else as an instruction.
Before looking at the rest of delivery of Angela Boyd let look at the style of Wales’s Laura Daniels which seem to be a step to the mat and do a very quick delivery. But, be sure that all the same pre-delivery checks are done in the style of Laura Daniels; else her delivery would not be constant if she did not have a pre-visualization and a transfer of control to the subconscious as she entered her Void.
First, the delivery swings off Laura Daniels is mental and not physically visable, With the small bounce of the bowl in her palm she mentally remembers and establishes the memory of the delivery swing and movement. It is interesting if such a trick would mean a different bounce of the bowl in the hand for a longer jack. (worth asking this of such an athletic) You know this is a pre-visualization action like the arm swing of Angela and the mental thought of the a memory of previously having rolled to this distance because her eyes are on the jack as the bowl is bounced. Like Angela, she is travelling her mind to the jack so the subconscious can establish the distance of the jack.
First, the delivery swings off Laura Daniels is mental and not physically visable, With the small bounce of the bowl in her palm she mentally remembers and establishes the memory of the delivery swing and movement. It is interesting if such a trick would mean a different bounce of the bowl in the hand for a longer jack. (worth asking this of such an athletic) You know this is a pre-visualization action like the arm swing of Angela and the mental thought of the a memory of previously having rolled to this distance because her eyes are on the jack as the bowl is bounced. Like Angela, she is travelling her mind to the jack so the subconscious can establish the distance of the jack.
So both have done their pre-delivery routines and communicated to the mind the distance of the jack, and the amount of delivery weight and swing that is needed to arrive at the jack. Also through practice of each their style, both have communicated to the mind their want and need to control the body movement.
At this point both Laura and Angela have their mind ready to do the delivery and transfer all thought to their subconscious for a "Zone Delivery"
At this point both Laura and Angela have their mind ready to do the delivery and transfer all thought to their subconscious for a "Zone Delivery"
Do you remember the exercise with the finger at the eye you did earlier in this blog. Take a minute and close your eyes and remember that muscle memory of that movement. Can you see your finger Do you see your finger going from your eye toward the distance object you pointed at. This is data stored by the mind for use by the subconscious. After a month or even a year of a repeated movement this data is what the subconscious uses when given total control of the delivery.
This viewing of the memory is a previsualization of that movement you did earlier and it is the most important aspect of the subconscious`s transfer of thought from conscious thought (muscle movement and memory) to the subconscious mind. You only did your finger movement once.. imagine an action like delivery which has been done several hundred times. This is why in a absence of thought the mind using muscle memory does the percise performance of the delivery.
This viewing of the memory is a previsualization of that movement you did earlier and it is the most important aspect of the subconscious`s transfer of thought from conscious thought (muscle movement and memory) to the subconscious mind. You only did your finger movement once.. imagine an action like delivery which has been done several hundred times. This is why in a absence of thought the mind using muscle memory does the percise performance of the delivery.
Although Wales Laura Daniels’s delivery seems fast, she has taken a second and has seen a similar projection or previsualization of her bowl rolling to the jack; before she began her delivery.. It is fast in her style because it does not take more than a microsecond of time but in this short time when the mind is occupied with that previsualization thought, you have given the subconscious mind control of your delivery.
In the void of thinking of the previsualization movement, like you seeing your finger going to the object that you were looking at: simularly the subconscious mind has performed all the pre-delivery muscle memory preparation of the bowls delivery and now left uninterrupted (in a void) will do the delivery you wanted.
(Yes Angela Boyd routine is more longer but one day soon Angela will reach the detail and quick delivery that Laura Daniels does. Both women did the same mental checklist) Both bowl delivery was done while their mind was occupied (previsualize or something else) and they only now see the bowl on route to the jack ( they missed the memory of their delivery because they were in that Zen Zone or the void)
Yes, You will know you have entered the zone because you will not remember doing your delivery. You will see your bowl several feet in front of you as it is rolling up the green. but don t expect it tomorrow... start as Angela does now and one day you will be a Laura Daniels. Just it is very hard to go into the void.
Yes, You will know you have entered the zone because you will not remember doing your delivery. You will see your bowl several feet in front of you as it is rolling up the green. but don t expect it tomorrow... start as Angela does now and one day you will be a Laura Daniels. Just it is very hard to go into the void.
It is very important that you allowed your subconscious mind to do all the things you had checked and communicated that you want in the pre-delivery movements. Whether this pre-delivery checklist is a short like a double bounce of the bowl in hand like Laura Daniels or eight practice swings, with a body sway and toe tapping like Angela Boyd; all the information was presented to the subconscious mind and maybe Laura when stepping to the mat began her communication with the subconscious mind... so now on the mat with the delivery to do.. not else is needed.
Sorry as this blog may seen to indicate a attitude of "know it all" but I only wanting to explain this transfer of Muscle Memory of one’s delivery to the actual delivery movement; I did not always see the Mental Void of mind (zone) entry in Angela Boyd’s and Laura Daniels' style and know that even at this level of development various distractions caused the delivery to be "a conscious delivery" . The conscious delivery is a bowler's actual control of the delivery as to letting the subconscious do the delivery.
Only you the bowler, or these athletics them self, know if you had a void when you gave control to the subconscious mind. And many times you will be controlling your delivery in such fine detail that you know you did a "conscious" bowl delivery.
Only you the bowler, or these athletics them self, know if you had a void when you gave control to the subconscious mind. And many times you will be controlling your delivery in such fine detail that you know you did a "conscious" bowl delivery.
If in your delivery, your void of mind is missing, try to think of the finger to object image which your visualized above. This completely different thought removes any conscious control of your delivery and does the transfer of control to the subconscious mind. There is not difference in seeing your finger go to the object and seeing the bowl going to the jack. And Laura Daniels show us how quick this thought can be completed with her style. So seek out your absence of delivery thought during the movement of delivery. Let your Muscle Memory and Zen do your delivery.
In my other sport "Petanque" during the throwing of a takeout shot, I find this thought is as quick as if I have closed my eyes. so if you want to know how strong this Zone is?? Close your eyes during your delivery and see your result. Yes closed eyes is a certain type of void as you are always occupied to see what is happening.. But it is more important to use the previsualization image and certainly not the closed eyes technique. Although, in my club I have an athletic who has gone to several International Petanque World Competition and who`s style of delivery is such she is not looking at her target ball during her shooting. The close your eyes is only suggested to help you to know and realize the power of the your subconscious mind when you are in the zone.
In my other sport "Petanque" during the throwing of a takeout shot, I find this thought is as quick as if I have closed my eyes. so if you want to know how strong this Zone is?? Close your eyes during your delivery and see your result. Yes closed eyes is a certain type of void as you are always occupied to see what is happening.. But it is more important to use the previsualization image and certainly not the closed eyes technique. Although, in my club I have an athletic who has gone to several International Petanque World Competition and who`s style of delivery is such she is not looking at her target ball during her shooting. The close your eyes is only suggested to help you to know and realize the power of the your subconscious mind when you are in the zone.
Thank you Laura Daniels and Angela Boyd for two so different styles, It was a great game to watch. I hope this blog has shown the readers, the aspects of Muscle Memory and the Zone which lawn bowls delivery contains.( edit note Jan 30 2023 - As my series of Blogs on Subconscious communication progress now in 2023, I hope that the athletic working on his development; will know their path to Zen performance) Some readers of this blog will improve their delivery, others will like the streaming video commentator find it a big joke. The only joke is Angela got to the World Bowls Championship as the best in the world and early in her career. It is not what looks good or even understood by the commentator; but Angela's multi-swings, says "What matter to me is "Results" from a good delivery".
And the propose of this blog is to help see the two delivery styles of Angela Boyd and Laura Daniels from the video on Youtube Live Streaming 2016 World Bowls Game video. and as I look now (here in 2023 as I am editing) I see that this video is still available.
And the propose of this blog is to help see the two delivery styles of Angela Boyd and Laura Daniels from the video on Youtube Live Streaming 2016 World Bowls Game video. and as I look now (here in 2023 as I am editing) I see that this video is still available.
** Note added Jan 30 2023 - Previsualization as to Visualization A recent Petanque student replied when asked if he did Previsualization said " Yes, I looked at where I wanted my Petanque takeout shot ball to hit the target ball". Previsualization is an action done before (pre) visualization. What this student was doing was visualizing his shot. Previsualization is action done before as seen by Angela movement which is putting into memory a required result from the intended delivery result for the subconscious to know and perform.
JS - " Angela's eyes are no longer looking toward the jack" Why not go all in and look at the jack while you bowl. The smaller you make the target, the more the subconscious mind knows exactly what you want to achieve..... In darts, also a 2 dimensional sport like bowls, I was more successful if I aimed at the (1mm) wire between 2 numbers when throwing a double than aiming at the body of the double which was many times larger ( but still small).... why trust your memory when your subconscious could have up to the split second feedback of what your aim is?
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