Slow Greens and Bias changes

 Was asked an interesting question from an seasoned player.. "When the green is not recently cut does the grass growth effect your bowl's Bias ?" A answer for the beginner is "NO" unless you are referring to the "green Speed" but how much you see, read and expect from your bowl can be of enough important to have a  "Yes" reply  for the trophy player to see deeply into such a deep question.

Just a minute.. Lets get a little laugh in here.  Lawn Bowls for Dogs is a blog of 2015 from Russia.  Rolling the bowl with their nose..  and good for their health.. really true facts. Yes, the 2015 blog is "Lawn bowls for Dogs"

So the Russian site says "Dog Lawn Bowl - It is known that dogs often too quickly absorb the food, just lashing out at it, and swallowing it all at one sitting. Because of this, the animal can  create health problems.  To help the four-legged friend to eat normally, experts have proposed a new device that approaches the normal course of  feeding.  It is a bowl that has a special design. . It is a unique model of what looks like lawn where the grass grows high. . The total surface 43 "stalk" of a height from 5 to 10 cm, which are arranged at small distances from each other.  In between these interstices (between the "grass") one serves and pour the food which will not be available as freely as in a conventional bowl. . The creators estimate that the time it will take for a dog to get the food out of a bowl, will be almost 20 minutes". (after translation and grammer correction)

Now you looked up that blog and laughed.. so now that question.

The small details of this question are not really important. Unless you’re drawing to within a few inches of the jack and your opponent is just as good as you. So what is important if the question of "whether uncut grass affects your bias" is  insignificant.

September 2024 Stats

Answer - The question you are asking would suggest you want to know why your bowl seems to be affected? Maybe, your question is the wrong approach and after the answer here, you will go on to another approach to this bias problem.  A lover of Bowls or any other sport would not ignoring their problem and look hard even if there seems to not be an answer. 

 Maybe, like in my early years when I always had sore ankles after partice games it was wise to ask an Level 3 coach because it could be your delivery action. My problem was as I moved forward with the step I was turning my ankle sideways and twisting my ankle several times during a game.  Took me all one year to correct that problem. Muscle memory" had to be changed and believe me at that time I did not even know what "muscle Memory" was let alone how to reprogram it. The bigger question is "Why are you asking about this ?"

Let’s assume that the question comes from green # 4 and everytime when you have bowl up that green,you found your bowl has straightened out for several feet and so you may think there is a ridge there. Expecting the solution is like all ridges affecting a bowl when playing a  bowling surface, your bowl has gone over the top  of the ridge and stayed out. You have learned over years, that one of the solutions it to moved the mat up a few meters to miss that ridge from your line of delivery but  to your surprise the same occurs the next time.  Certainly there is not a ridge in that direction of the Green which runs a full length of the green; so there’s another reason. Maybe, a quick solution is to say "the setting up the greens means this green (color red) has something strange". So next week, you will check out the green when the white green markers are used. After waiting a week weather does not allow you to play. You are asking why your bowls are going straight and if it was because the green was not

 recently cut. You are asking the questions and looking for the answer.. Good, as it means you expect more of yourself than just accept you are a bad bowler with problems. And you are asking all kinds of strange questions like is this "bowls" or "Bulbs" in the photo.. A beautiful field (had to add color to too serious a blog)

At this club, there are a lot of winter curlers and maybe someone suggested that like curling where the curling friction on the side of a turning stone can cause it to resist and swing toward the center; this is happening to the bowl. Natural to see the curling swing to center line much like a bias on a bowl. So you think, "If the green had not been cut for a couple of days and the sun had always set  to the west and we know plants (grass also) bend toward the sun; maybe the grass leaves, although very small. have all now  a bend and leaning towards the west. Of course, just north south delivery could have a bent grass effect on the east side of your delivery as the standing grass on the other side is resistance to the bowl. In other words, your ball would want to take a swing to the "East" but is rolling into standing grass and being forced to fight the resistance of the uncut grass.  Strange, but how we see things we don't know is never too strange.Yes, about now someone has said "You are thinking too much" which to me sounds like "Just bowl and accept what happens". "No need for improvements" "Just have fun"

 So the question is not important, except that when your bowl has gone straight your normal solution is to move the mat up and avoid the problem. But not knowing why and trying this solution of advancing the mat  has wasted an end of play. Hopely the moving the mat up was a decision which did not result in a lost of points or several points. 

Like curling where a little turn of the stone has sufficient action (effect) to cause a movement of the stone towards the centre line; you are right to believe that such resistance on the bowl will act like a ridge and prevent the bias of the bowl to be normal. To be interested in what is affecting your bowl is a serious question and leads always to an improvement in performance. when you find the answer.

The important aspect is that.. You are become more serious about your bowls and you are looking at the different things that can affect your bowls. This is good because if the wind was forcing your bowl off line or increased  their bias;you would not ignore the wind and not change your line of delivery. To see the effect of wind on your bowls the blog "Bowls in New Zealand strong wind" still has the 2021 video on youtube.

 Likewise, in looking for the answer you are aware that in early spring  the cuts of greens are usually with more grass height left on the bowling green (to allow the roots to get a good start) and then in the late fall where the end of the bowl season we find that the greenskeeper  seems to cut shorter (below 1.4 mm) because the well developed root system can handle such a cut. And in any case  the bowls season is almost over it would be nice to have a fast green.  The yellow color greens we sometimes see are usually a bit too low a cut as such a cuts apporach close to a millimetre height of grass.

Fact - One of the variables that affect your draw weight is the condition of your playing surface. We often refer to the green as being fast or slow, and we understand that a slow green requires more weight during your delivery to get to the Jack. Also very fast greens allow for a better "Finish" on your Bowl's Bias. However, if you are really serious the answer is "Yes"  the grass length will affect your bias if bowling North/South in late afternoon. But not enough for you to see but maybe enough to get that really special "finish"when finally it stops at to the jack.

Fact - The answer is not the raison for intelligent quere but the quest and the question is showing the value of a thoughtful search for truth is good. 

Comments on "Being a Good Lead" Blog

 Being now between computer repairs (using a Window 7 while desktop awaiting Computer Shop visit) I have these two comments from a reader last week and decided to make a blog just to explain as my Microsoft (blogger) interface does not support my Windows.

The first comment reads "I felt guilty as a Coach because the point which was taught certainly was not well communicated. Even if the lead had forgotten, the skip should have told his lead of the need to stop the continual strong lead's control of the game by his bowl placement and how it affected the head was build. Could you please explain this in a little more detail please, I'm unsure what you're saying?"

If what "was taught certainly was not well communicated", it was probably teaching from the coach's lecture which was forgotten when the student went to the green. Too often Coaching is broken into two parts. a lecture by the coach and a on-the-green action as new members attempt to apply what was discussed. This in my opinion is a club method which allows the coach to start even if all expected members are not present.  Allowing late comers to enter and sit in the lecture. I also feel this is probably becausse these introduction coaching sessions are free or included with the new members subscription. If late arrivers were excluded once from the lecture, I doubt if they would arrive late the next lecture. They paid for their coaching as part of their membership.

What is wrong is that the on-the-green coaching in Bowls is of major importance and can not be excluded from the coach's lecture and how-to-do instructions. Maybe a game video with comments by the coach would be a better first few minutes of the session.

Secondly "Even if the lead had forgotten, the skip should have told his lead of the need to stop the continual strong lead's control of the game by his bowl placement and how it affected the head was build." is best to be explained clearly. An experience "Lead" knows that their bowls in the head, if well placed; have a major control over the remaining part of play of that end of play. Rather than doing well a little of a big task, it is better if the skip instructs the Lead to do the same simple thing every end of play until he instructs a different task of Bowl placement.

Sometime the information given to a Lead is not as complete as a long time player or a skip who after many years has developed a strategy of play. As an example. There is a though of Bowls called "Game Section of Play" which divides a 12 or 14 end of play into 4 section of Strategy. Section 1 (the first 4 ends is information gathering as we learn the green speed and strangeness and study the opponents strength and weakness) This section is not a point gathering task but when a big end of points occurs the 1st Section is finished even if only the 1st or 2nd end of play.

The fight for points or to keep points begans with the 2nd Section of play as the data of Section 1 is used to find and use weakness of opponent and strenghts of team mates. (Four ends of risk taking or careful action as a reasonable point spead is developed or protected) This section may be consider the "Risk-Taking" section because before midway through the game any mistakes can be recovered in the last ends of play.

The other 2 sections of play are "Tight restrain Section" to keep the points gained or "Team Union Section" to gain lost points before too late to be able to recover the game. The Forth section or "Wrap-it-up" Section is the last 2 ends (if 14 ends of play) are to be very careful as both team now know the draw weight, the line of delivery, and can make any number of unique actions. Like a jack-roll to collect 4 or 5 points,

If the lead had been told to put a bowl on the jack and then control the easy draw side of the head and he can do it without too much effort then at one point the skip must explain that they "need to stop the continual strong lead's control of the game by his bowl placement " 

When the lead believes their task is to control the head building and Section 1 has ended quickly because "a big end of points occurs. The skip must know that as he changes his strategy and approach to game play so also does the lead. 

Some basic of Lead's bowl Placement.  With three bowls of play by the lead there should be "First Priority"  a very tight point bowl. If this bowl is better by the opponent than the other basics of the "Lead's Placement" will wait as the lead then regains the lost point. If the 2nd comes to the mat and must perform the "Lead's Placement" "First Priority .requirement than that will be the 2nd role. If it is 4 bowls pairs (not triples) the fourth bowl is usually considered a "Free Bowl" which the skip will use by requesting to balance the head or even collect another few points.

It is here that communication is important from the skip to his team as he must change game plan or strategy due to a surprise. All team members including the Lead must follow this instruction from the Skipl 

As the Skip attempts to regain the lost point and depending upon the signal from the skip the Lead regaining the shot will either be a "Draw" or "Bit-over".  If the shot is regained and the Lead can move on toward his other placement requirement than Section 1 of 4 end continue until the end of End 4.  The signal for a "Draw" has always been "Show Bias choice and "Swing arm pointing to the jack" mean "Use this bias and "Draw" to the jack". 

"Bit-Over" draw usually means a foot or 18 inches over weight and often indicates the wish of the skip to have the oppoent bowls moved back several inches while your bowl stays there where it made contact with the opponent's bowl.

The photo (right) from BowlsQLD.org Sept 15,2024 in their Test competition against Victoria; show the skip signal for a Bit-over draw. The draw bias is forehand (righthand used for signal) and weight of delivery is to draw to the skip's foot position. (open hand means it is acceptable to roll the jack. As if the open hand will catch the jack) So the skip show the Bias, the weight to be played and the Strategy of accepting a "Jack roll"  (because the blue/orange bowl behind the jack is the team's bowl. 

In this game (Video on Queenland site, The Victoria's lead miss read the signal and his bowl finished off-line.I said "Miss read" because the weight to draw to the skip's feet is about 2 complete rolls more of the bowl. However, the lead thought of the shot as a take-out shot and changed line for a heavier shot which does not curve as much before getting to the jack/bowl position. I would have added one more signal to the skip's instruction. (keep your line) which is signal by open hand slicing downward slowly or walking over to show the line (fast slice movement of open hand would indicate a takeout shot)

The latter part of the comment is of major importance as " how it affected the head was build", A skip would accept a lead with good understanding how his bowls affect the building of the head later when the 2nd and skip comes to the mat. Under ideal conditions the skip will get the point and control the strength of the opponent's draw. If the skip is not giving the choice of the bias of the draw he wants he is still searching for the best point. When satified the skip will probably close the draw approach of the most accurate side of the green unless a player with a strong draw is to be blocked and then that player's draw preference will be the blocked side.

As the game develops the lead should be watching how the opponent players and skip are building the head and how it affect his own teammates especially his skip and his time on the mat. All team members should have the same insight in how the strategy progress. I believe that the reader is suggesting from his experience the need for the lead to apply this play differently over the 4 section of the game. 

The skip may be happy with the control that the lead head building has established and maintain the bowl placement instruction the same throughout the 4 sections of the game. Of course, the 2nd and the skip will use this "Lead's Head" with the new strategy in the other sections of Game play. 

The 2nd comment reads "Good post. As a dedicated lead at the age of 72, I find it a very exposed position to play. Have a great game and your team wins, struggle and so does the whole team? Due to lack of bowlers in most club, too many less experience members gravitate to playing skip, long before they have learned to draw a good bowl.  I found most skips only contribute with weighted shots ps will  get an additional shots when you're holding... In practice games I do skip sometimes, but playing lead in comps gets me picked most times. Love the blog, keep going."  

This is the type of Comment which keep us coaches and lovers of our sport busy online and blogging.  Thank you .