Simple Bowls Line and Weight

 Since we can not have two thoughts actively controlling our muscles, we must decide on Line or Weight and let the Muscle Memory do that performance. There are various consistences in each and each has to have their adjustment for those Jack distances or locations which are not consistence.

Line - Since we must keep one foot on or over the mat during delivery, we must step forward wtth the other foot. Right handers will bowl from the right side and step forward from the left and vise versa for Left handers. Unless you have changed your bowls your line will always be the same as you have been practicing. Looking at a Bowls Bias chart we see the wider the bowl's bias the more the angle off center line our line of Delivery will be.

That chart show several manufacters and some like Aero make very narrow Bias Bowls while others like Henslite are very wide bias and may finish as wide as 90 degree as the bowls stops at the jack.. So now your body is in line for a delivery with that bowl and it's bias.

Your weight is all that your Muscle memory is going to be concern with. So lets find the point of consistence weights.  If we do a relax (no effort) swing and delivery the bowl will always roll the same distance and finish on center line. (If you are standing right and do a smooth correct delivery).

This distance that the bowl rolls before stopping with this relax (no effort) delivery is called the "Natural Distance" and although you may know the actual number of meters it is for you and your bowl; it may change because of various changes in environmental conditional or Quality of the playing surface. So you must have the jack at that distance for a no-effort Natural Distance Delivery. This means you must be able to throw the jack to that distance or know when the bowl is at that distance. Otherwise you must add on delivery weight or take off delivery weight for this (first) Natural Distance.

What happens if we change something in our Delivery routine. Lets say your relax no-effort Delivery is without a step forward and now you take a small step forward during your delivery. Of course the bowl will go farther and if you always take the same distance step then you have a second Natural Distance Delivery. Let say your no-effort Delivery is a back swing to about 6:30 (clock hands) and now you go to 7:30 you of course have another natural distance and you should know that distance in meters. At this point you have three distances of consistence bowl roll and you know those distance in meters. (lets say 22, 24.5, 26 meters.

Everyone is unique in their mental abilities and most are classified as either Visual or Audio in their reflection. The reason this is mention is that in communication with the subconscious for Muscle Memory a visual individual will see an image and an audio with think a thought (audio). A thought of an image or word is quick enough that the conscious mind does not see it as a muscle instruction. See a bowl roll pass a point is an image while following that bowl along it bias path is a video. 

Above we noticed three Natural distance created by small changes in our delivery but the  22, 24.5, 26 meters only cover half the distance of the possible jack distance allowed in a jack roll. What do we do next.  First we must divide the 10 meters from the Hogline to the Respot distance into 4 zones and identify them by some method of observation. It would be nice if the skip who is up the green was to tell you.  But telling you would also be telling the opponent unless you have a system of communication. (4 fingers meaning 24 meters). Also in singles it will be you that must find those distances. It may be surround objects like benches or buildings or it may be discolor of the green which you can see as you walk your first 2 or three end of the game. Also the jack will never be at your exact Natural distance but if you are "Feeling" the distance and rolling to see how close you are it is like a trial end and a wasted bowl. A 10 end game is 10 points missed if bowls are used to know the distance. All information plus your perfect delivery at a natural distance mean another point on the score board.

Practice is doing your add-on and take-off delivery weights on your natural distance. How you do the add-on is the thought and increased weight you use with your muscle memory. Three things effect the distance a bowl will roll. Your Swing delivery, Your body movement as your step forward and the equipment and condition of play. A bigger bowl will roll farther a slower green will give your natural distance a shorter distance. A 24 Natural distance may be 24.5 into the sun and 23.5 away from the sun as rolling over grass bent toward the sun is faster. Same if the greens are cut close (July) as to May/June when the greenkeepers wants a good root system greens.

So if your feet are correct the bowl will stop on center line and if you weight is correct the bowl will stop on the jack if your delivery was well done. Yes practice to get that perfect delivery. But thoughts to the Muscle Memory is also important as a remainder of what you want to do. And your evaluation afterward too. is feedback to the subconscious mind. Like a boss advice to the typist. Think before and after Muscle Memory but not during.