Your Jack Distance 1/2 (NMem)

 In 2026, my blogs on Lawn bowl will be in three groups, New Members (NMem), Advance Members (AMem) and General Information (Info) to allow readers to choose topics which is as to their experience. Sometimes moving ahead on a topic only confuses the new lawn bowler, so it is suggested to not chase information until it is needed at your level of play and practice.

One of the major problems in developing club member as quality athletics for a competition level performance; is that beyond the "New Member" coaching of their first year, very few club members get any secondary coaching. This extra coaching, may be required at different levels of membership (2nd year, 3rd etc) and allow members to improvements their delivery, performance, and game to a different levels. 

Now, to today's Blog. "Jack Distance".  When I introduced the need to know the distance of the jack to perform a good tight jack delivery, one of my students replied "Children throw a baseball without knowing the distance it has to be thrown". I then explained that their "Muscle Memory" develops faster than older individuals who come to the sport later in years after have experienced several other sports. Actually, the reply was more to avoid the question and insert a "Buzz Word", preventing explaining details which would be beyond the intended level of the course being given.

 "Muscle Memory" is doing the same actions over and over until the action is instinctive and without thought. In the first year's learning of a lawn bowl's delivery, the coach or student are concentrating on how to instruct different muscles to do actions which are usually new. Over time, with practice and game play the student will have developed their own style of delivery. Their own "Muscle Memory".

 Your thinking, as you learn and develop your delivery,  is busy with checking that certain muscles are doing instructed actions while  always being aware that other muscles are attempting to do actions they have previously developed in other sports which are  interfering with our Delivery. 

The unique aspect of Lawn Bowls which separates it and the delivery performance of other "Ball Roll to a Target" sports; is the extreme distance of the target (or jack) from the player. Other sports like Bocci, Petanque, and Curling, all have closer distances of play or the delivery is always to a target which is at a fixed distances. 

In Curling the "house" or target, to which the "Stones" are delivered, is always the same distance. It is the same as  a Lawn Bowl's short Jack with a distance of  21 meters from the "Release Line".  

So muscle development of a Lawn Bowler's delivery is seen as, the new player always working to repeat the same  muscle movements and because of the changing distances; doing modifications to that performance for a new distance.  In Curling, "Muscle Memory" develops quickly, where in Lawn Bowls, unless the jack is always placed at the same distance in that first year; the 1st year student is always modifying their delivery,

 With the jack at a different distance with each new end of play or practice, a player is forced to know and work with this new "Jack Distance" by modifications to their delivery. Since game play requires that every bowl be well played, the game requires that the "Lead's first bowl be rolled after their preparation decisions on how to play that distance. This time of preparation is called "Mat Routine"

In Petanque, the french "bowls" game; the "Cochon" or target (an opponents ball) is between 6 meters and 10 meters. (Rules allow for up to 20 meters if during the game the "Cochon" has been moved).

Petanque Take-out

This short distance is because often the players are throwing their metal ball of 3" or more at the opponents balls in what is called a "Takeout" shot. Also in order of play, if the team does not have the closest ball to the "cochon", then they play again until there remains no more balls.

In Bocci, the Italian similar game,  the target is a bit longer distance and the game is more of a "Call Shot" sport. Similar to Petanque, the Bocci player rolls or throws their balls. If in the attempt of doing a "take-out" shot, it is missed; the "Boccis"  and "Pallino" (Balls and Jack) which were displaced by the failed shot, are replaced to their pre-shot positions. Likewise in other throwing sports (horseshoes, Darts, etc) the distance to the target is also fixed thus requiring only a  performance or Muscle Memory of precision. 

This difference is important to understand because a Lawn Bowls athletic who can draws to within inches of the "Jack", which may be up to 31 meters; must be always  making many fine adjustments to their bowl's delivery. Depending upon the distance to the jack and the experience of the athletic, such  a long jack distance and the changing conditions of play only increase the game's difficulty.

Blind Distance Markers

In Blind Lawn Bowls when the jack is thrown and centered by a "Game Assistant" the distance to the jack from the mat (on the Mat line) is announced to the player by the assistant. The "game assistance" or marker in Singles; only needs to look at the distance numbers on the side boards. (photo) Then the Blind bowler just performs a delivery for that distance, but also make changes to their basic delivery for the indicated distance.

  A social games skip will usually tell new bowlers their distance to the jack. However, the raison for indicating the distance to a new lawn Bowler is more in preparation for later in the course as they are explained the need to develop a Pre-Mat Routine. 

This routine is one of three parts of a "Delivery Cycle". Pre-Mat, Delivery, and Post-Mat. It is after the delivered bowl has stop that the Post-Mat Routine analysis the performance and any errors in the calculation of the Jack's distance.

The Pre-Mat Routine is where decisions on the modification to a delivery to a new distance is prepared, however, that first bowl to a just "centered" jack is difference than the delivery actions following a bowls. These "Next Bowl" decisions of the Pre-Mat are corrections and improvements to the last bowl delivery, or a new request from the team Skip for his game strategy .

It is critical in knowing the actual "Jack Distance" when coming to the mat, because we can make adjustment to our delivery weight as we attempt to always place our bowl on the "Jack".  Problem which exist is that if a player is thinking of a precise distance during their delivery, like 25 meters: it is a conscious mind thought and as an instruction to change the muscle performance for the delivery. Also, such thoughts during the development of the delivery performance;  "Muscle Memory" delays the establishing an instinctive delivery. One must remember that  a subconscious or instinctive performance is performed without  the interruption by conscious instructions. 

 We have to train our "Muscle Memory" to use the data collected before coming to the mat for our delivery. Yes, the subconscious or instinctive action of delivery will use that information. But to suggest the distance during the development of the delivery is like someone talking to a typist when they are busy working. Your subconscious mind is working in a void or emptiness, and a thought cause it to transfer the muscle control back to the conscious mind. 

The second part of this blog will attempt to suggest how to introduce this thought quickly during your delivery and let it be passed to the subconscious mind. If you want to become a good competitive lawn bowler every bowl you delivery is important and you can not always use the first bowl as a "trial end" to know the jack distance.

 Each of your delivery, the first bowl included, should have an expected result as we first establish the distance to the jack and then define what changes to our delivery we will do for that distance.

Following your lawn bowls coaching and during your practices, beside the physical development toward an instinctive delivery; you should be developing a routine which checks the proper performance of the many things which influence the delivery of your bowl. The actual evaluation of the "Jack Distance" is done only before the first bowl; after your jack roll has been centered. Also, if during your end of play the last bowl played has moved the jack then you return to your new evaluation of  the "Jack Distance", so knowing the distance is not only a "Lead's" knowledge. But because most players have previously been a "Lead" it is hoped that they learned the need to calculate the Jack Distance and it's influence on your next delivery.

The stats (above) of the blog show some similar blogs which might be helpful to thoughts from this blog. Things like "Line of Delivery" and the right Bowl's bias and other Pre-mat actions, are useless if you have been guessing at the distance or feeling that distance

. Lawn bowls student must makes some changes to their delivery for that new jack distance. And I always found that thinking on Delivery Line or (not and) Delivery Weight is hard to learn . Best advice is to do one or the other in Practice and apply them as needed when on the mat.. 

But, here is the problem.  If you are thinking a number of meters or a distance, this conscious thought causes the instinctive delivery to become a muscle performance instruction and interrupts your "Muscle Memory". So, in practice sessions you do your thinking, then go to the mat and allow the Muscle Memory to use that information without ever thinking about the distance again. A delivery routine is developed during practice sessions and a modified delivery routine (Pre-mat) is prior to active "Muscle Memory" delivery.

In the second part of the Blog, intended for the Advance Players who want their "Muscle Memory" action to collect the Jack distance information; the biggest suggestion is to just do your delivery with a small (microsecond) thought of distance. Not a number or a word just a memory of your calculation from before going to the mat.

If in reading Part 2 it seems complex, just realize that in time and practice that instinctive delivery will happen. You will know when your delivery  is at your level of development and to re-visit Part 2 will help make other changes to your delivery without interrupt to the "Muscle Memory". 

 With hours of practice of inserting a microsecond memory into the delivery performance ("Muscle Memory) the advancing competitive bowler will know that  "Feeling" of distance is confidence that Muscle Memory  know the distance.

Have tagged as Advance athletic (AMem) that second part of these two blogs because for the athletic with a developed "Muscle Memory"; it will take long hours of  long practice of  remodelling "Muscle Memory". And I know my blog readers who are seeking a small changes or correction to their Instinctive delivery (Muscle Memory) will find hard to understand that blog.