Lawn Bowls Skills - "Open" or "Close"

Where some sports require a physical development of the body in Lawn Bowls the "Perfection of the delivery technique" is the major  skill that you will spend your career to develop and prefect. WHY ?

Skills that best develop
under the club Coach

   There is very little physical force which is need to roll your Bowls to its desired placement on a fast green, so your most physical commitment will be the walking to the head. This 12 trips up the 30 meter green is probably why many seniors are so involved in Lawn Bowls at the Social level. 
 What of that smooth and well developed  move ment as you do your delivery. This continual fine performance of the same action during each visit to the mat, is it not physical ? No it is a mental perfection and development.

Where, in other sports, the athletes and coaches perceive  the needed skills as a perfection and development of a physical ability, in Lawn Bowls all our efforts are directed toward the psychological skills needed to   "develop " and "perfect" a consistence bowl delivery.  Of course, physical development and ability is a major aspect of your development of a good delivery but it means good balance and coordination of movements.

As in sports requiring a Physical skill we find that the Psychological skill can be either a "Open Skill " or "Closed Skill". Lawn bowls, like the sports of golf, archery and shooting requires that you develop a closed psychological skill.  What this means is that when you are totally committed, fully involved and active in your delivery, your mind (conscious and subconscious) are totally closed to everything happening around you.

For each sport we play, one will be occupied in the development of different psychological skill. In sports like Hockey, Football or Basketball the athletic may be busy developing and perfecting open skills. Always aware of fellow players and their location in preparation for a possible coming pass or  physical contact. Playing the game with an " Open" ability in both physical and Intellectually developed skills.

However, when one is concentrating or using closed skills they are "busy developing their subconscious abilities". In a precision  sports such as    archery or rifle shooting, (and even Lawn Bowls), this sport is called a "Closed Psychological Skill Sport ", because of the closed mental activity. If you allow your mind to wander your performance will indicate this interruption and provide a bad result.

An " open skill " Sport like baseball, basketball, football requires an "open" mental awareness of your surroundings, environment and distractions. Your success and best performance is according to the data or feedback received from players and the surroundings during your actions.

In Lawn Bowls, your psychological development of concentration and having a mental control is important. In  a "Open" sport  like basketball you are open to immediate physical and environment changes (the opponent player's contact) which you will than alter your physical actions.
 Running with the football with a tackle  coming up behind you, mentally you will perform physical and mental actions and suddenly change direction to the left or right. Or, for a basketball player to hear footsteps or see an opponent to their left, his physical and mental skills will require his actions be modified. Not just physically change but mentally also perceive the basketball throw and actions of a good delivery.

If in Lawn Bowls, and in the middle of your delivery you hear someone talking behind you, which of course they shouldn't be doing, you must be able to close your mind to that distraction. You should have developed a "closed mental awareness" towards these distractions and changes. This increased concentration is a trick of hearing and closing the listening aspect of your mind until it has been completely ignored.  (Some coaches develop this in their athletics by having intended distractions created as they practice.

However, if you have not developed  this “Closed Psychological Skills” your mind instead of closing up, now thinks of that distraction and maybe several other things like the players on the neighbouring green and your bowl will be delivered badly.

Yes, in Lawn Bowls the environment is important . A strong wind blows across your green while you're doing your delivery is an environment  change. No it will not affect your bowl as it rolls but the distraction is important. Do you feel the lost of balance as you move forward to lay down the bowl?

Having this Psychological skill and the action and awareness which you can apply to the unexpected changes in sound, environment or thought  is what is important.

 In a "Closed Psychological Skill" you are not going to change your routine or mental abilities because these skills have been developed. That reaction to a bad delivery will change your reaction and next delivery if a skill to buried that thought did not become part of your developed psychological ability.

 Your mental delivery routine (Pre-mat, during delivery, followup) all stayed the same throughout the game, but these undeveloped and uncontrolled distractions skills will show in your performance.

Maybe in the week following that game which was so important and you chocked in the finally delivery; you and coach do an evaluation and physical and psychological feedback study.
You don t need to think about making a change to your routine but working on a better developed mental skills. Exercises for this skill development may be applied in off-the-green activities like walking on a busy street. Did that speaking, that car horn, that bang.. catch your attention.  Did you closed it as it began to appear in your path.

 I do not use the term  "Delivery Routine" because your routine may be everything from the arrival at the competition until the final bowl is rolled. How does the greeting of friends and teammates involve in your game.

  Your Delivery Routine is probably  psychological  and physically “closed” from the Pre-mat to the Post delivery Analysis phases. However how is your development of  the distraction “Closed psychological skill”. If your coach asked you about your recently job change at work it is because he is always  concern about distractions.

Probably, you have developed the ability that for an distraction or interruption, your delivery routine is such that you  step off the mat and re-do your Bowl's  pre-mat delivery  routine. Putting your mind and Psychological abilities back in its proper resting place.

When do you consider modifying your line of delivery, bias or delivery? When ?? In your regular routine and your delivery there is part of your performance where this is done.  And only at that place of your Closed Skill. (physical and Psychological)

When you have developed a "closed Psychological skill"  it will be part of your delivery routine. You will still need to be aware of all the other environment changes, but each in their proper place.  Whether, Dew in the morning  when you arrive and as you play with the green changing speed as the dew is burned off by the sun.

Or as the skips request  the forehand line, these are all conditions or changes you will feed into your mental routine and each as part of your closed state of performance.

Management of your psychological development in a "closed skilled" sport is the responsibility of your coach and they know how much of it is still based upon the need for a personal overall management model of
 1) assessment or Evaluation,

 2) goal setting or planning and

 3) development or implementation.

Developed during practice and implementation during competition.

 If you have produced short bowls. Thinking, maybe they will be useful as a blocks, and  even evaluate their involvement during the final bowls of the end, are all positive approaches to a closed psychological attitude where "Positive thinking"  is a closed skill tool and also these types of reason is a False self-evaluation. (Instead of  the feedback evaluate of "why short" ?)

A positive mental attitude is part of the need to maintain a good psychological health. (thoughts that are foods such positive thinking) . The bowls, you tell yourself, will be delivered correctly at the completion of your delivery routine; is also your ability to creating a self-conversation which is always part of the delivery feedback. It is also building your mental reinforcement of the closed skill because you are occupied 100 percent and it will help.

In a " Closed skill " psychological development you have trained to keep your concentration and close your mind to distractions that affect your performance.  Practice on days of distractions or even plan as mental training to take a game with that loud ,never stop talking, club member.

There are many methods to improving psychological skills.

    During your regular practice, you have practiced in many changed  game situation's or condition of play and chosen to even practice in different environment. (Rain, Wind and Heavy Greens)’ there by creating different psychological models.

Talk to your coach about the Open or “Closed psychological skill” and how to develop them. Ask your skip what are his tricks or his developed routines and how he sees “Closed psychological skill.

Trial Ends and Lessons (part 2)

When teaching the Blind to Bowl, you give them the physical instructions of how to do a good delivery and then tell them to just relax. Why ?? Not too much instruction at first ? No .

photo tradgames.org.uk

  I find that it is easier to explaining that everyone has a distance which if they relax and do a  good (not necessary a perfect delivery); that their bowls will stop within a foot each time.   This, I explain, is your "natural distance".
When building your abilities in a sport there is a need for a common starting point upon which to build your abilities. Then the coach will teach you how to add a few feet or yards onto this "Natural" distance.

 I believe most people have two natural distances, one, when relaxed, your natural delivery, and  a  second natural distance, when they are forcing. like making a long step delivery. In drills, or when teaching the new bowlers I often attempt to put the jack at the individuals "natural distance". "Practice makes perfect" we hear, but more exactly it is "Good practice makes perfect"   And "Good practice" for a beginner is to have the jack at the distance which will give a consistency of delivery.,

  Every green will give you a different "Natural " distance, at which your bowl will roll with that great finish. However, there is a catch, Catch-22, (that old war movie.."You can't be send home unless your crazy, and if your request to be send home your not crazy") What you learn in the trail ends  can also be seen as being told to your opponents. (If you bowl natural weight, your opponent will avoid to put the jack at that distance when they can)

    --- If  every one was to use the trial ends to see their natural distance on this new club's greens, then the opponent skip (if watching) has this information, So on a trail end you are, sort of,  prevented from just bowling naturally. Yes you should attempt to draw to the jack and learn from the results of your bowls.

Use the trail ends to know the bowls

If your style of delivery is to adding onto your "natural distances"; then analyze your Bowls to jack distance  of the jack on the trial end, and bowl to the jack.  You will know the speed of the green and your "natural distance" delivery effort  for that green.  One big mistake of skips in the trail end is to ask their bowler to do a forehand or backhand.  Yes, your skip wants you to know which delivery  of  the green is best, forehand side or back hand side; but he should let the player learn from their trial ends.. 
 

Of course if you're a skip, one of the information you will receive from the trial ends is the danger of your opponents.  Each opponent will have a strength "Jack distance" and will be best bowling at this certain distance. First learning of trail ends.... where not to put the jack in the first ends of play Team members should share information, and because certain positions of play give that player a different insight; a good skip will delegate collection of information.
 

Since there are only two trial ends, up and back, and the opponent throws the jack on one of these occasions, you may want (as mate) to bowl a long "draw to the ditch" shot. Your raison may be  to read more accurately the green, make sure your skip knows. Let each player of a team develop their own information in the trial ends; and also expect them to collect some information which is needed by the team.
 

In a game of fours each team player may be requested to learn a different lesson  in the trial ends. Example, the lead should be able to Bowl to the jack at any distance, and should fine tune this skill, however the second and third, may actually disregard the jack position and bowl short (on a long trial end jack) or long to read the variations in the green when a ditch jack is to be presented in the coming game. If the trial ends are to know the green; this can be a necessary information which will be useful later.
 

  Sometimes during trial ends we will see the skip practice their runner or over draw shot. This to me would indicate he is comfortable with all the other knowledge of green speed and  players' ability' as well as the opponent's ability to draw to the jack. When I see these runners in trail ends, I think of the head game to be played and this is to tell the opponent, "I can throw runners".
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Certainly when the team members pass each other in the center of the green a lot of information should be shared as well as other  positive communications.
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When the Blind bowlers rolls the jack , they are always given the jacks distance from the mat. Every bowlers should have a way to judge the jack distance.  One year, I had a 3rd year bowler tell me. " How do I know the distance if the mat is moved out."? This was their  argument for not moving the mat of the "mat line"  Remember, strategy is using all the weakness of the opponents.  If the opponent can not find their line unless the mat is on the mat line, this weakness will result in the mat being moved.

If the natural distance  of the bowler is 25 meter they must know and calculate that distances up their green.  If the jack arrives at 27 meter they should know from green signs (board marks or greens spots ) that it is beyond their natural distance by two meters. (even if the mat is not on the mat line) 

After having bowled to the jack in the first roll of the trial end; and walking to the opposite end of the green one should have notice various distance markers. For example a burnt spot on the green, might be at 28 meters (from the mat line), or an object on the sideline a 26 meters. When the mat is moved 2 meters out these markers will help you to know the jack distance. You should always be able to find a spot which indicates a certain distance in meters and then compare how the jack is in relation to that spot.

Sometime, it will mean watching the skips walk from the scorecard to the jack and counting their steps. (green is 33 meters, he did 10 steps or 10 meters walking,  and score card is 3 meters behind the ditch) so the jack is 7 meters from the ditch.  Yes, calculations.. but also being aware of what is happening on the green or with the skips

Sometimes it skip will have a signal to a player to indicate the actual  jack distance in relation to where the mat has been placed if it is out from the mat line.

For example, myself I sometimes use the forearm in an vertical line to indicate the distance.  (I use the elbow as Hog line distance and the wrist as  the  ditch or maximum distance). Of course if the mat is moved out I calculate the distance from the mat. With my open hand I show what I know as the distance to the jack.
If 28 meters (touching my wrist) or half ways (26 meters) attaching the middle of my forearm, should allow the bowler to incorporate this information into their own analysis .

Sometimes there can be unique things about a club's greens.  Most greens are 30 to 33 meters long,However, once we won an advantage, during  a inter provincial competition by knowing that the greens were shorter in one direction

This was because of a large embankment  on the limit of the club's land and it  prevented more green construction. There fore. the long jack was  probably less then 28 meters. (the green  in that direction was about 30 meters)

Another advantage before the game starts and during the trial end is to verify the last foot of green before the ditch;  because the skip may have to draw to the ditch the information is best known before that end of play

. One trick was that I as the mate would do a small foot roll of the bowls behind the mat line toward the ditch. After the Bowls the been collected, I would look at the skip and then flip a bowl with my foot to see how the green  rolled very close to the ditch. ( of course your bowl... don.t send an opponents bowl into the ditch and find it covered with sand, especially after them putting grippo on their bowls or in the morning with the dew still on the green and bowls are all wet)

Anther trick during the trial ends  -  Doing the coin Toss for start.  Sometimes in a competition game you would like to be able to match your player against an opponent player. You may know that Richard can out bowl the opponent Keith and would like them to play the same position. With the flip of the coin, if you were to win and give away the jack, this will  allows you the winner, to  tell Richard to take the same position as Keith. If Keith leads in the trial ends, Richard will follow, If Keith goes second, like wise.

However, Warning... Because  I have yet to see a rule which says the order of play depends on the order of the trial ends; I believe the rules do permit a team to Bowl a different order of players than those presented in the trial ends. Again, to switch after the trial end have been rolled will give away any advantage of this trick.  (if the opponent has changed his players order after the trial end, you are aware they know this trick and likewise change your order if you had given away the mat)  

I remember one game where the opponent skip had changed his players order and I changed it back, as we went to the mat, and he said to me " you definitely want Richard and Keith to bowl the same position ". Of course we laughed. 

 

Trial ends and Green Speeds

The tournament is about to start and everyone is on the Green 10 to 15 minutes early for trial ends. "I guess this is a chance to see how close I can roll to the jack". This used to be my thought on trial ends. (In this photo is the greens fast or slow ?) Hint.. photo has been squeezed to help you see the speed of green)

Or I thought "one of the reasons for the trial ends is to show you how your Bowls performs on this clubs green". Today I think differently, although we all know that the club bowlers have an advantage on their greens.

When I was 21, now going on 70, I was working for the newspaper and studying photography. A mentor told me, " there are some professions where secrets are your bread and butter ". "In news photography there are many tricks to making a great photograph, and unless someone tells you their tricks, your photographs are like everyone else's photos" he said " become friends with the better photographers and learn the tricks". Trail Ends are bit like photography. Learn the tricks.
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In our provinciall tournaments, Jeff, from out of town, can always be seen on the Green rolling Bowls in the opposite direction of play before the trial ends. If trial ends are just to know the speed of the green, and anyone can do these practice rolls before the game, then  what is the purpose of trial ends?

OK, imagine that you have three sets of bowls which roll differently and have a different biased. In this Blogs I will convince you that every green causes your Bowls to have a different bias. ( and every green will appear to have a different speed). If you have to choose one of the three sets of bowls for this competition, why not choose the Bowls which you are most comfortable with.

After having bowled your Bowls several hundred times you have a visual image of the line of delivery needed and you know the final finishing curve of your bowl's bias. However, consider this............ 

If the faster green changes your regular bowls' bias and by choosing another set, maybe yournset number two Bowls, you may find that they perform with what seems to be the same bias as your regular Bowls back on your home green. Certainly you will be bowling a better bowl if the competition green performs like your home club green. The bowl choice will do this for you.
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I don't know if the rules allow you to change your Bowls following the trial ends but before the game starts you can roll all your bowls (two or three sets) in the opposite to competition direction. By doing these pre-trial ends rolls of your bowls, you can actually find the best bowl and when you come to the mat for the trail nds,  you have changed your Bowls  to the best performance.
 

You doubt this...?? ? In the clubhouse on the wooden floor roll your Bowls very slowly and you will discover, if the floor is flat, that it will make a complete circle of about 10 to 15 inches.  YES, they will return to the start. why?

Instructional books on lawn bowling will explain that the biased or curved of your Bowls only takes effect in a few seconds before stopping. Much like how a car tire will stay upright while rolling fast and begin to fall when rolling slow.  The photo above, has all the bowls standing (see the sticker on the side)  indicates a very slow green and your bowl stops very quickly.

However, if the greens are fast, this slow roll will last longer and because before stopping the bowl wants to fall over and  like on the fast hardwood floor ( or fast greens ) allows it to continue to roll there is an "extended bias"

  Don't just read these Blogs and think maybe, get out on the green or in the clubhouse and try what is suggested.

The faster the green, and the slower you must roll your Bowls, the longer the bowl will roll as it is finishing its delivery, at the "bias curve roll", and the more it will seem to turn into the jack. Your Bowls will seem to remain at the slower speed (bias curve ) longer. I had a set of bowls which seemed to turn around and come back before stopping, much like a candy cane. 

  Of course, the greens were prepared by Scott and were rather fast. Hint.. also, the faster the green, the more likely your Bowls will fall over rather than stand up straight. 

In teaching Lawn Bowls to a beginner this will not be discussed but to you the competition bowler this can be very important. 
Do you have a different delivery with very heavy and slow green.  Look at the British bowlers with their two steps after delivery. We often teach and think that the delivery should end with one step. But when we have a very slow green we may need more body movement forward and be required to do two finishing steps in order to stop your movement after the delivery.

The YouTube video "Lawn Bowls: Tony Alcock 16 Time World Champion Coaching " suggest this is the " Scottish runner " style of delivery because Scotland having slow green, required such force that it requires two steps

or more. Will these bowls have a big swing or Bias?? NO
because they will not spend a great deal of time during the last few seconds or it'sfinish and  will appeared to have stopped very quickly without having a finish or curve.  Like the photo above, you will probably notice the bowl is often in the standing (running) position after it has stopped.

There are many other factors which could affect your bias. 

The way that the greens are cut (cross, up/down or crisscross). These will change the delivery speed and therefore the bias. Of course, as we bowl and are going up the alley the green speeds will change from our walking.  Also you may discovery that one way maybe faster than coming back, as you roll with a cut of the green and against a cut of the green. You may also notice that during the morning with the dew it is quicker..

These will cause what seems like a change in speed and the finish of your Bowls.

If the three sections of the bowl's roll are the Straight (line) the Middle curve, and the finish, what are the effects of green speed and green cut height to the Straight and Middle curve of your bowl ?

Next blogs will discuss how your natural distances of delivery should be evaluated during trial ends.

Good SCRIBD e-book on Coaching

Where most of my Blogs are intended to offer athlete or competitive bowlers a new insights, it appears that the last ones on "Coaches Burnout" may not have been of concern to an athlete.  But if there is no club or the club has no coaches, who will be there to develop the members and athletes ?. 


Sidney LBC Vancouver Island B.C. Canada
Blog Featured Club

 Last spring, and probably this spring also, we found many International and National Organizations talking  about local municipalities throughout the world, which are reducing their financial support to their lawn bowling clubs.  If your club, and mine, is to survive it must be less dependent upon these boardroom decisions and more financially self sustaining.

Featuring Sidney LBC Vanc'ver Is. BC.

Yes, your club executives are important, but where many social lawn bowling club failed, is   we see decisions to try to keep older members with changes like social activities. Why are we not concern with the lack of increased new members ? The new members are needed from year to year, and if we do not fight to keep those "not returning "and "new type" of members,we will see our club on the list of a municipal activity which is not receiving funding this next season. A good free publication on saving your club is“Manifesto for a Successful Bowling Club” from

John Quinn john@bowls-central.co.uk

.As individuals move from one sport to another,they need instructions and an ambassador who will suggest and encourage that  Lawn Bowls as their new sport.  A good source of instruction is written manuals for coaches.  One such e-book available for free is by

 Gold Coast Director

 Rob Judson, an Australian coach.  In a February 2003 e-book  SCRIBD publication " of Lawn Bowl Coaching " which is free reading on the site of  suggest similar opinions. With over 133 pages of   great Lawn Bowls coaching and teaching , this is one of the few great Lawn Bowls e-books on the net.  Of course you will have to register with SCRIBD but it is free and a great investment.

 Talking about club coaching Ron writes  " To offset the decline in membership, clubs tend to offer inducements to potential members.  A common inducements is free coaching ".  And also " a program of beginner instruction is typically a handful of sessions, each about an hour ".  He finishes off his  book introduction with " in Lawn Bowls this is typically the point at which coaching finishes for ever " . 

Page 16 photo of Lawn Bowling Coaching

 Too often the beginner is not develop into a competitive bowler or receives extra instructions. WHY ??? These new members are the future of your Club.  Don.t be satisfied with your club executive decision to teach only enough to get members onto the green.
An example of Ron's Great E-book at SCRIBD is  (page 64 of 133)

 

Matthew's gift - a tree image

Some years back I bowled out of St-Lambert Lawn Bowling Club on the south shore of Montreal

St-Lambert LBC

and had the privilege of helping a young 17 year old who has made bowls his sport of preference.

 

Over the years Matthew, was into baseball and even a junior umpire when he came to St-Lambert LBC, but since then he has been to Junior Nationals and the Canadian Nationals representing Quebec. He was lead on  2010  Quebec's Fours Team which was skipped by Michel Larue. 

 The St. Lambert LBC like any competitive Lawn Bowling Club has various styles of skips.  Matthew, with his  simple and young ideas was easily impressed and molded and developed a style of play which was very often exciting.  Exciting to watch and also filled with excitement for him during the game.   Matthew found it hard to retain his excitement and sometimes simply lost it while on the mat.   All he needed was a mental discipline to simply forgettable Bowls for few minutes with a pleasant dream image. 

This particular day, as the sunset behind a young tree in the park, I explained that sometimes it is necessary to  relax before going to the mat and simply come down from the excitement .  I showed him a beautiful tree behind the green which was back lit by the sunset, and suggested he use it as his own personal image of relaxation. 



Stock Free Image.com image

 Sitting there we analyze the scene.  He built it in his mind the grasses the branches the sun set and even the Hydro poles of in  the distance.  Turning his back to the scene, I asked him to describe it to me. Then I explained this was his tree and he could imagine and recreate it any time he felt the pressure or stress building before he went to the mat.  He was surprised but he did use it often.

After a detailed description, which he did very well, I explained that when he was excited and before going to the mat; he should develop that image in his mind and feel the relaxation he now was feeling. 

 

 Anxiety and stress during competitive Bowls is not uncommon  and often it is just the necessity of a distraction.  Music in your ear or just a few minutes to visualize a relaxing scene. Your relaxing Picture image.

 

Emotional control can not only be energizing and renewable of the spirit and mind but the few moments of relaxation may minimize improper stress and reaction to events.  Not every bowl will be perfect and the anxiety from wanting to win can be very demanding. 

 

Sometimes we become a sponge obsurbing everything that is around us and a mental practice  of developing an image which is pleasant and relaxing, before going to the mat can be a valueable tool.   

 

Every athlete should have his own visualized image.  It would be suggested to not attempt to develop images of previous wins or losses as these game images can only add to your anxiety and stress.  

Wasted Bowls and Free Bowls

In Canada where Curling is the winter sport which draws of a lot of Lawn Bowlers into a similar Game play, there is a different attitude developed toward the act of delivery .



 Because both Lawn Bowls and Curling are six month sports, the mind set of the players often carry personal performance views, In Curling we often hear about an individual making a 70% of their shots.  Can you imagine what your "Shot Percentage" is in Bowls ?

   In Curling, each delivery is evaluated as to the expected result and the actual performance, Curling leads and skips all know what their Skip want as a result of their delivery and  understand how to evaluate the accuracy of what they have performed.  In lawn bowls, yes even in competitive games, we often roll a bowl and "accept" the result as it happens. Why not consider the evaluation and Percentage of Success ?.  I wonder if Lawn Bowls coaches at the  international levels do a percentage evaluate of the performance of their athletics.


A term which comes from "Petanque", a French game of Bowls (Balls), we may hear a competitive Petanque player's strategy based upon "Free Balls".   A "Free bowl"  refers to the performance of an opponent's delivery which does not  require the next player to fix or recover from that  situation of the previous play. In Lawn Bowls, the lead and second (mate in triples) usually do as the Skip requests, and accepts the body action of the skip as a sign of success or failure in the Delivery.


Because when the Skip comes to the mat, his decision  are often depends upon what he needs to do to win the end, or what he should not do to lose the end; we do not have an insight into his thoughts or strategy. As skip he is completely  free to do something defensive (like a block) or something offensive (like develop the head) without explaining his actions.  Maybe, his decision is to accept the best percentage of success.  Ex: Try a block but if heavy it will trail the jack or change the opponents ability to recovery the point.

Another Term of interest is "Wasted Bowl"  No bowl should ever be wasted and often we as lead or seconds do what the skip ask of us without knowing his intentions.  We walk away from the mat thinking "What a wasted Bowl that was "  What I refer to here is bowls played in such a way that the skip does not  give information to the opponents about certain conditions of the playing surface.
Sometimes better explained with an actual Game play situation.

With the above tight head we can see by the closeup that there is a change that a raised jack will go straight back or strike the back bowl and be thrown to the left. (round white circles) If the bowl on the jack is your then this can be a "free bowl" and you should consider a wisely placed bowl in preparation of something  happening.

Another situation was one game a couple of years ago. We had been bowling the morning game with Dew having just lifted and were adjusting to the changing speed of the greens.  As the final ends approach we were leading by a few points.  The opponent has attempted to do a heavy overdraw and had moved the jack to the left side of the green.  I came to the mat with the winning shot at about 4 feet from the jack and would require a rolling up the "Virgin Green" with an " Out Turn" Bowl,   The bowls in hand were,  my two bowls to  the opponents last bowl.  It was my decision to bowl back hand  through the centre of the green, and bowls (much like the photo above). I had another bowl and did not want to  give the green speed and Dew delay of the new green.  "This was a wasted bowl in that I had shot and did not want to bowl to  a closer position.  Actual what happen was the opponent skip tried a closer point and only passed the shot bowl by a few inches there by removing the pressure of a tight jack delivery.


   My players said that I had  "Waste a Bowl" in that  effort to pass through the  impossible tight  previous collection of bowls which had been the  head  prior to the  jack roll..   In curling when the skip has, "the hammer"  he will save a certain shot for the last stone or delivery knowing his success depends upon the success of that shot.   Sometime in Bowls this can be a wise strategy. 
 
In a tight game, we skips often find the "Skip mat Play" is a Skip Game in that one skip performs a shot and the opponent skip repairs or regains the shot.  While we, the skip, are at the mat, it seems each delivery  is trying to recovery from the opponent skips fine delivery and  shot.

 But not always.  If you are sitting shot or two and the opponent has not done a shot to change the head you may have a "Free Bowl".  Do you know everything you need to know about that green or direction of green. If the jack was to be ditched at the out of bound limit.. would you be able to draw a shot at that location.
 Of course, one may consider this a wasted bowl, but by using a difficult " Virgin green" or simple fine tune your draw to the back carpenter (board along the ditch).  It is not wasted if you learn something important in the game.  So often in bowls we see the skip giving the sign to take the point and rolls his bowl into a non dangerious area of the head.  


Why not use this bowl to learn something  which may be needed in the game later.Bowl a imaginary short jack, bowl a next to ditch point, or even check a forehand or backhand you have not yet established.  ( First ends  of actual game bowling)

Never waste a bowl or learning opportunity and remember defensive bowls means you pick the shot or roll to best instruct you or your team while not creating a dangerous situation or bowl opportunity.

Burnout Part 2 Data Analysis 1988

Although Lawn Bowls  was strong in provinces like Ontario and British Columbria,

I doubt if the data for this survey came from Lawn Bowls.  Of the 500 questionnaires distributed in September 1986 by S.P.O.R.T.S. ( Science periodical on research and technology in sports) in the study the stress and burnout in national coaches, only 144 returned supplied the data for analyzes.
 Interesting facts like more than 25% of coaches would change jobs tomorrow and women coaches give more time to athletics than male coaches.

The Canadian coaching Association (CCA) FB link Then called The Coaching Association of Canada send out in September 1988 " Burnout in Coaching Part Two to members. The wrote " since only approximately 28 percent of the national coaches responded, care should be taken in generalizing these results to all coaches "

It was concluded that " the majority of coaches stress comes from coaching (44 % ) as opposed to other sources such as other employment or personal relationship ".

Canadian Coaching Assoc.

The degree of reported stress range from extreme levels ( 8%) through very stressed ( 38% ), quite ( 24%, to moderate stress ( 30%) " in the total respondents, of whom 83% were men.

" it was interesting to note that there was no relationship between the time of season and their answers on (their stress) questionnaire " wrote the publication.

" Of the coaches replying to the Survey " 42 % filled out the questionnaire during their preseason, 42% during mid season and 16 percent during a competitive phase "

" Surprisingly, the second major aggravation was the perception of problems with the athletes. Example of the respondents were " athlete's waste time ", " Moody athletes ", athletes not giving their best effort in practice ", and " the athlete's attitude ". These facts should allow us athletes to better appreciate our coaches as they attempt to do their jobs.

The report stated "the coping strategy most often used by coaches were of the stress management techniques ( self- talk) relaxation, physical workout and the use of Distraction ( T V., music, reading, going away) "

" The only statistically significant difference between males ( n=123) and females (n=19) were that females reported more hours of contact with their athletes " The report stated " they reported more hours at practice (19 vs 14 hrs) in competition environments (14 vs 7 hrs) and in travel- social environment (22 vs 10 hrs) ".

"Demographic data was also interesting in that the province of Ontario were 36% of the respondent, British Columbia at 21%, Quebec's 13%, Alberta 10% and the remaining provinces were less than 10 percent each .
" Most coaches primary (57 %) reported having a BA or BS degree or higher education ( 68%) with 57% of the degrees coming from either a physical education or coaching program "

A chart of the various symptoms of burnout listed physical symptoms such as headaches, insomnia and chronic fatigue as well as showing changes from burnout in behavior, live style and the coach's reaction to the job.

How serious Burnout in coaches is (was) can be seen in the 1986 questionnaire question of :

" In the last year have you seriously considered "

" Changing coaching job? " ................. yes 20%
" Moving into administration? " .......... yes 13%
" Taking a year off? " .......................... yes 25%
" Quitting coaching? ".......................... yes 29%.

" comparison with the part-time coaches indicated that full-time coaches, ( 65%) were younger, possess more formal education , reported more contact hours, and rated their stress higher. " however surprising was that full-time coaches " were five times more likely to consider changing coaching jobs " and " or three tests are likely to desire come moved into administrative position "

The data showed that " 92 percent of respondents were English " and " the maturity of coaches were between 33 to is 39 years " which was (38%)

" 51 percent of the respondents coach both male and female and 86 percent were head coaches " while " full-time, paid  coaches accounted for 65%. "

Personally myself, aware of the coaching structure in Quebec and having viewed provincial organizations in the maritime, and not surprised at these percentages. In Lawn Bowls throughout Canada Ontario and Quebec are very strong membership, and result in producing athletes to the national level.

this study also made recommendations for the National Sports Organization which today 30 years later would be interesting to see the progress and development.

a follow-up study on such recommendations as " national sport organization should investigate how to improve the daily lives of their coaches " or " for those coaches reporting .... burnout... explore possibilities such as time of the job " would be interesting.

although all these statistics and figures are boring to some people one interesting point here or there, may justify this blog.

Part 3 of this blog will list the reported recommendations which the survey suggest for clubs and organizations to avoiding burnout in their coaches.