Visualization As Creative and Instructive 2/3 (AMem)

 Level 3 - Mental Perfection

Clean up on March 2026

The difference between Conscious and Subconscious mind activities in sports, is where our conscious mind gives mental instruction to the muscles on how to perform a task and how the subconscious mind performs instinctive muscle action by a "thought less mental" moment. Athletes eventually arrive at this "Muscle Memory" lever of their development which if not changed result in a continual better performance. Like physical muscle development is build and develop through practice, so also the development and mental changes created or build also require practice.

As a new club member begins learning the basis of Lawn Bowling, and developing these new muscle movements for a bowl delivery, our conscious mind is busy instructing our muscles with instruction and thoughts of what actions to be performed by what muscles.

 The first "Image Visualization" a new Lawn Bowler develops is his memory of seeing his bowl roll up the green and evenually they will see this  "Bowl Bias Image" as their "Delivery Line". There in the first year of training they are usually using some object (foot of  his skip or mark on back ditch) for their first delivery line. But by the end of his first season, they begins seeing a image of the actual path the bowl will take to the jack if  the delivery weight thas they have  chosen is correcté. (Of course it is hoped they have not changed their bowls and it's bias several times)

A blog written in December 2012 about "Three Subconscious mind Eercises" is a good step into the working toward Visualization. Although the blog is long you can learn to have confidence in your Subconscious mind's ability and your Cognitive ability to control it.

 The more you work at your ability to allow the subconscious to perform without it doing  uncontrolable actions; you will discover a  developing of Visualization where you think (or visualize the action) and instinctively your muscles perform that action. With practice your "visualization to performance" or what often referred to as "Being in the Zone", become easier each new time you perform your delivery. 

To tell a story as you remember the event is to relive the actual event memory and describe it to the listener. You see it. That is Visualization.  You do visualization several time a day from remembering where you left an object, like your keys; to remember something you say or read.  Using these memories, your next step is to be passive about developing the ability to use those memory (or visions) into mental muscle performance. Like a practice develops your muscles, so also to exercise your cognitive ability to build these images of performance memories into a  instinctive performance, or what is called "Muscle Memory"; we must stop thinking of how to perform our sport action or performance and just let it happen.

What Are Cognitive Abilities? - HappyNeuron Pro

 Because many of our body actions during an average day are not Conscious muscle actions but Instinctive performance like breathing, heart beat or sudden actions in time of danger. Beside these brain actions we have cognitive abilities which are a major part we used in our sports as we grow our performance. Walking did not occur in a few seconds. It involved many instinctive actions which we developed as  a toddler and these  "Muscle Memories" worked to keep our balance while lifting the foot and as we stepped it instinctive was moving our balance forward. 

Some body functions like breathing and coughing or a chocking reactions are Instinctive Survival  actions. Yes, we can force a cough when asked by the doctor which is a conscious instruction to muscles which are activated when a cough is needed for our health. This instinctive cough is a reaction to sometime the bodies feels like something stuck in our air passages. Muscle Memory is the same actions in a sport and was developed from continual practice and wanting a performance result. 

A common daily  "Instinctive" action is what are called "Danger Reactions" where without thinking the subconscious mind instructs muscle to perform, Like putting on the brakes of the car, that seem to happen before we realized the danger arrived; and similar the quick move out of the path of a fallen or thrown object. There are still many tricks our Mind performs to give us the information we need to survive. For example, we have heard of having extreme power in time of danger or the need for a quick reactions to prevent damage during a fall.

In the question of how we find the need for an action, we without thinking first  question the action as dangerous and then do a sort of comment or reply as a thought of what is happen.  In our sport, there is a suggestion of Visualization all the time. With the pickup of your bowl until several seconds later when you leave the mat and have done your delivery; we realize all was done by a thought of want. In this understand a reader left the following comment in a similar blog.

Anonymous Febuary 11, 2023 10:45 am

" What do you think about turning around and picking up your bowl as soon as you know you're finished ? Often as soon as your bowl leaves your hands."

My reply was

Love BowlsFebruary 12, 2023 at 1:46 AM

A good club coach will have told you early in your bowls training that to each sport (bowls including) there are three activites to be completed before the action is finished. "Preparation", "Action" and "Results" (feedback) Preparation starts the first day as your coaching and training which introduce you to what you can do. Even years later, the "Pre-delivery routine" is still a routine being modified to give a better bowl's " performance and result". 

The "Action" is the delivery, both physical and mental. (of which this blog speaks about  as the final mental control which you can develop). This mental control is as difficult as weight control or delivery line. But as your "Pre-delivery routine" continues to improve so also does all aspects of that "Action" (physical and Mental) The third, Results, as seen in "Post-Delivery Routine",  some would say  that it is the most important. Because, to improve the other two actions, you must see, analysis and understand all the information that is being returned to you. Watching as the bowl rolls up the green, as it stops and as you evaluation the Results of your performance, the green, and your opponent/yourself. As well as errors, needs and expectation created in the Pre-mat Routine. Then you walk away from the mat. Yes some people turn and walk away, but are they " Seeing or Not".

So to ask about going and picking up the next bowl as if everything is done when only one half or two thirds is done means you will grow an old man on club social greens rolling for the fun. To be a good bowler means every bowl must be a teacher in all three areas of bowls. Don't hurry as there is a lot between picking up your bowl and returning from the mat. And even more if your "Post Delivery" and "Post-Delivery Routine" is performed. Often we are tired by the end of a few ends of play because of all the thinking. Even to be learning from others mistakes or success must be included.

All athletics from Golf to Table Tennis have and use Muscle Memory performances because they have eventually stop consciously instructing their muscles on how and what to do. They have developed the ability to allow the muscles which  now has an instinctive ability    to perform that action.

When we stop thinking (conscious thought) and give control to the Subconscious mind; we often speak of being in a "void of thought" because the conscious mind was shut off as instinctive instructions by our "Muscle memory" was performs. In the above mention Blog we see reference to  a Tiger Wood Youtube video  and his explaining the experience with his "Void of Thought" 

In reading the very long blog of October 2024 called "Talking to the subconscious Mind 2/3) we see at the end of this blog  that  Alex, who was preparing for his International Competition in Europe go looking for his  petanque "cochon". In his training he learned that the mind had showed him what he expects to  have happen. He believes that by his perfected performed hit of his "Cochon" by his takeout shot, he expects to see what he has seen thousand of times before. "His cochon being send  flying"  because of the hit. The blog reads "The reason that Alex went off to the left to locate his "cochon" which he saw fly after his shot was that the subconscious had seen the take-out shot would had hit the "cochon"  on one side and Alex needed data to satified his subconscious performance " 

In 2006 in a Petanque training session for Alex in preparing to go to an international World Petanque Championship, I show him that the subconscious mind had collected many memories of  "Result Vision" (mention in part 1): and the subconscious mind may at times  actually show us  these "Results instead of what we did not see. In that case, of a previous good shot which was not seen, the subconscious may replaces what we did not actually see with a memory. This is because the eye in capturing images at 1/60 of a second and may not be able to show the actual incident and to forefill the individual's need for information, the subconscious shows an image from memory.  ("Result Vision"). 

 Because of the short time between a Petanque  take-out" shot being thrown and the shooter seeing the result (which is less than a second), the subconscious mind  may sometimes shows us a memory from a previous practice it has stored. This is what happen in Alex's "Result Visualization" or image of his Take-out shot having hit a hidden "Cochon".

 The subconscious had shown Alex where his "cochon" had gone had it actually been there. I had tricked his mind by removing the "Cochon" when Alex was not looking. Imagine how you would feel and the problem which we experience  if the mind had not shown an image of the flying "cochon or something similar to Alex.

As for Lawn Bowls (the reader's real interest) in the blog of the  photo left, from the 2016 World Bowls Pairs Finals we have both of the female leads ( Angela Boyd and Laura Daniel) each have different methods of using a type of Visualization which is a "Distance Projection  or "Projection Visualization". We see in them as many Lawn Bowls athletics an arm movement which indicates they are viewing a memory of a previous delivery. Also we see how once they have the proper feeling of distance they then allow their communication with the subconscious to switch into the "Zone" and let "Muscle Memory" roll their bowl to the jack. Because they are in this "Void" and  they seem to look away while doing their delivery and then quickly look back, they are in that "Void".

As mention, we see Angela Boyd and Laura Daniel in their Lawn Bowl Final of a International competition use a "Projection Visualization" to know the distance to the "Jack".    The same would be for the baseball player throwing to home plate in an attempt to catch a runner going home; or a table tennis player putting spin on a slam shot.  Just happens because they allowed their "Muscle Memory to do it.  Or, as you say, "you visualized it happening".

Like with your computer or Iphone where you have a collection of photo in memory, the athletic also has a collection of memories of previous successful performances. As you would choose the photo to be seen on the screen with a simple touch; we, the athletic, can also can choose the memory of previous deliveries to be remembered and use it to evaluate our jack distance before we do our bowl roll and "Muscle Memory" performance.

Projection Visualization is seeing a memory of a previous bowl roll to the jack and using it for your delivery. Why use this memory? First, Result Visualization is seeing the result of this memory and allowing it to happen. But the calculation of distance is difficult for our eyes. As an athletic perfects his delivery he began having a feeling for his distance which can vary by 10 meters (about 100 feet) in Lawn Bowls. (21 meter to 31 meters). 

This is the same "Next step in learned performance" where the Bowls athletic  in getting his delivery line has now stopped taking a point of reference and simply now see his delivery line of the bowl's roll to the jack. Likewise, the "Delivery Weight" as a feeling of distance is the eye trying to "Guess" that distance. Because the athletic is wasting a bowl or two to guess, this type of delivery, which is often wrong about the distance; the next mental development toward performing a better bowl roll is to like with Line of Delivery to see in the subconscious ability..

Projection Visualization is seeing the remembered video action of a memory and watching it to the end. If the memory visionn was a memory of a previous roll to a jack at 25 meters, as you view that memory in time, it would stop at 25 meters. If you were  playing a jack of 27 meters you feel that it doesn"t  feel right as. Projection Visualization. Like an athletic feels the void of "Muscle Memory, so also by practice an athletic will  starts feeling and knowing the delivery weight is right to arrive like in your image memory. You feel it and you let it happen.

 Yes,in a Projection Visualization and with practice you can feel the memory have ended and your action does or does not see the bowl as yet arriving at the jack. So you teach yourself and the Conscious mind  to get another memory of a longer jack memory distance and do another "Projection visualization". 

 When you feel and see the image all the ways to the jack you let your "Muscle Memory" do the bowl roll. So now you have three mental tools. You see the bias Delivery Line of your bowl to the jack. You allow your Muscle Memory do the proper and perfect delivery after you have established the Jack distance with a Visualization.

Properly done, and usually on the first bowl to a jack instead of wasting guest with bad distance roll and correcting that next delivery: you now use "FeedBack" and make adjustment for the next bowl to be that foot more or less. 

 This  "Projection Visualization" is a feeling that the distance is right and with confidence this mental projection  becomes part of your delivery routine because it is the "you see it" before the "you do it" part of your Muscle Memory. In some of the other blogs you will see reference to a "tool box" of tricks to allow you to do adjustments like toput a little distance on a bowl roll.

 

To understand this in your daily life experiences do you remember this following incident having happen to you.  You had a certain accident (car or event) and as you told someone about that car accident (or event) you clearly  see all the event as a memory. Because you actually see the memory vision in great detail and explain it in word by word story everything you are seeing in that memory.

 In the same manner you can see the bowl roll of a memory up the green toward the jack and feel a feeling of that memory not being far enough. (because it is not the right memory)

 Remember the eye can not judge distance accurately because of all the false reference it receives or has as influences.. A big building or club house behind the jack makes it seem closer and an open field or a 2nd bowling green behind the jack will make it seem farther. Projection of memory and the ability of feeling the wrong distance is a skilll developed with practice. You will feel the distance is right and switch to "Muscle Memory" and like when you started developing Muscle Memory it will not always be there but with practice you will know the feeling.

  If you see that a bowl is blocking and that your bowl roll will not get around that bowl your "Muscle Memory of a "Walk the mat" will get you into a better position for your bowl delivery without you thinking  to do it get around it. Here we have a memory of 'Result Visualization" which allows you  to see how close you must pass that bowl which was discussed in the previous blog. You see your bowl with a space between it and the block and feeling all is ok sp you go into the  Subconscious void and just do the delivery and forgot about it. 

In the same way, a basketball player may think about his common error of hitting the left of the rim of the basket because he is moving to his right as he shoots, that thought is only a "Result Visualization" of what has happen and what to do or not to do.  The actual "Muscle Memory" shot is done in a void of though. 

In the video of Tiger Wood, he says his void or Muscle Memory occur when he swings.and that  "Between my back swing and seeing the ball in flight up the fairway, I have no idea or thought what happen" (Check out the Video on youtube of Tiger's Mental game ) I  put it here a 2 nd time because you probably passed over it earlier. It is important a s you hear from the best athletic  telling you to learn to be in the "Zen Moment" of your performance.

Above,in the story of Alex, I tricked the Subconscious to reveal it's ability to retreive memories and present them as real "Result Visualization". Another blog of interest is the March 2025 blog of "Communication with the Subconscious 3/3" which shows "Tags" and "Tells" which are tools of showing the subconscious and how various athletics are using small observations unconsciously and communicating with the subconscious. In a recent 13 year old Petanque takeout shot, I saw the tell of his Projective vision but it was just his little finger moving about 1/2 inch off the ball as he did 3 or 4 distance projections.

A blog stats of shortly after posting visitor/reader actions

Visualization As Creative and Instructive 1/3 (AMem)

Level 3 - Mental Development 

Clean up in March, 2026

In asking Google "what is visualization in sports psychology" we get the following answer of " In sports psychology, visualization is a mental technique, also known as imagery or mental rehearsal, where athletes mentally rehearse a performance using all their senses to create a vivid and detailed mental picture of themselves succeeding."  Of course, AI collected this quote of information from PeakSports.com.  and the article on the Important of Visualization in Sports where they also write, 

"Athletes use visualization to improve confidence, sharpen skills, enhance focus, and prepare for high-pressure situations by programming their minds and bodies for success."  Because I write about Lawn Bowls which does not have the level of coaching of Swimming or other Olympic sports; my readers may find this level of Sport Psychology a far reach from our club house or the club coaching. But my blog is always intended to invite discussions between club members and their coaches on such topic of interest in our quest and goal of success.

Interesting enough, I was stunned when a first year bowler in a qualification game to be on the Provincial National team did an amazing draw to within inches of the jack while going around a frontal opponent's bowl .  I later talked to this individual and discover that he was an International Swimming Athletic and had simple brought his ability of Visualization to Lawn Bowls, his new interest. (Yes, he had been introduced to the sport less than a few month earlier at my old Club).  

In blogging about "Muscle Memory" and the Instinctive Abilities of the athletics, I discussed how developed physical skills advanced to a mental level which allow the Subconscious mind to take charge of these physical skills, which are then performed instinctively.  However, I can always be surprised which happen in the above mention performance.

There appears in literature to be two type of "Muscle Memory".

 First " Motor Skill Retention" where practice of a sport's Motor patterns are retained in the brain's nervous system. While they may fade in times of non-participation; they are regained faster than the initially development period. The common reference is "Braking your car" or the "Riding of a Bicycle". One is an instinctive action in time of danger and the other is body actions like balance regained to prevent the bike rider from falling when returning several years later to riding.

Secondly  "Muscle Growth Memory" where it has been shown in Body Building that even after periods of absence from training and where muscle size has decreased; the athlete returning to development training finds the return quickly to the original muscle size and strength. It appears the number of Myonuclei in muscle cells which were increased in the original development is maintained for several months and when training is re-applied these cells quickly develop. 

Here we talk about the physical development of muscles and the memory which the brain (or the cells) retain for performance. A second side of Sport development is the Mental actions of performance. In training we found ourself instructing our muscle to perform our sport's delivery and the cooperation with other muscles to do a routine of several muscles working together for precision.

(it is certain our sports develop muscle mass and therefore the muscle cell's memory apply but at this point of my blog I leave that topic).

The above incident of the swimmer doing a precise lawn bowl shot without extended practice of course puzzled me as I could not understand how a sport like swimming could offer such an influence to  the performance of a Lawn Bowl Delivery.  Realizing and questioning the individuals "Muscle Memory" development, I realized that muscle mass (strength and coordination) was carried forward to the new sport although I did not seeing any similar muscle performance between these two sports. 

Studing, mentally, the  feat which to me seem impossible, I saw two aspect. First, the act of drawing his bowl around a frontal  bowl which blocked his path to the jack,  (called a guard) was a mental strength. We, coaches, define these bowls as "Path Blocking Bowls" and "Mental Blocking Bowls" since a good athlete will tell you no bowl is really a "Blocking Bowls" In several of my blogs I explain "Walking the mat" which means by legal movement on the Delivery Mat your bowls will take a different path to the jack. Also, I have with years of experience developed a "Off-Bias Delivery" bowl which begins it natural bias curve later and therefore passes such bowls.

In this new player doing such a shot on his first delivery, certainly seem impossible each each new jack placement results in a different playing green with it unique characteristics. Yes, Luck is important and may have been how this happen. However, I realized that

as an international athlete he had worked and developed MI and MPI skills. (Mental Imagery and Mental Practice Imagery).  

We all refer to these mental skills as Visualization. Seeing what we want to perform, having confidence, and performing it; is a type of visualization. But in our sports, MI and practice sessions (MPI) require we build our performance with these images of our actions and the mind recall action of the images to performance. (lawn bowls bowl roll, the tennis ball's spin, etc).  Another aspect of Visualization is the ability to practice skills while not actually performing the physical sport. Studies show that Visualization of your skill while relax will gain improvements in the actual physical performance. Working on the development of your skills and believe in your abilities can be a off the court (or playing field) type of Practice.

Over the last few weeks, after a couple of short conversation with this new Lawn Bowler, I discovered that he had simply "Visualized" his bowl's action and  has used a previous perfected skill of entering his "Muscle Memory Zone". He believed in his ability and allow his small amount of training in delivery of a bowl, to achieve what he visualized as happening.  (By the way, later in the month, he and his Skip won first place at the 2025 Canadian National Championship).

 

This was a great achievement for Quebec, as our province never has had athletes with a level of coaching and athletic development which reached the National Team. Not since the beginning of the 21 century when Mr Larue represented Quebec and whom has for several years brought this sort of Bowls' education to our clubs many years earlier.

 Always the better athletics have been  developed in our western provinces or in our neighbouring Ontario. Of course, we did have an Blind Lawn Bowler who in 2015 (or so) went to South Africa International Lawn Bowls and brought back gold to Quebec. Maybe this swimmer/bowler was helped by his skip whom had been a member of a United Kingdom National Lawn Bowls' team prior to coming to Canada. It is certain that winning gold at the 2025 Nationals in "Lawn Bowls Pairs is a team effort of which we are all very proud of them.

Under the Association for Applied Sport Psychology we find a detail explanation of research into Visualization. Jennifer Cumming has been working for more than 20 years, and with 181 publications on her research; she is a leader in this field,  For the reader who has a further interest in this area; I leave her work as another source of reading. I will attempt in the next three blogs, to join the dot in this area of Sport Psychology and how it applies to Lawn Bowls and  "Muscle Memory".   ( Now back to the blog)

How he achieved such a quick and unique switch to Lawn Bowls  involved his Visualization Mental Development from his years of International competition and training.

The above PeakSports.com article reads " Elite athletes utilize the power of guided imagery or visualization. Imagery has long been a part of elite sports and many Olympic athletes have mastered the skill with the help of Sport Psychologists and Mental Game Coaches.

Guided visualization or imagery for athletes is consciously controlling the images or directing an athletic script in your head. One example of guided imagery that you having unknowingly used is when your coach was teaching you a new skill. You created an image in your mind of how the skill should look or the successful execution of the skill."

So the athletic "Creating an image of their expectation and with this mental training, creates the proper instructions and direction toward their performance.  a "Mental Development" and  an aspect of training which international athletics work to develop.

In a previous blog I explained how in my Archery perfection I had developed such a strong mental image of guiding my competition "arrow shot" to the 10 spot (target center); that I had actually experienced  a "Mental image" of seeing myself at the shooting line from above. My memory of this event and visualization was so detailed that as an experience of a "out-of-body" image that to this day, I can even recall that memory of that shot being seen from above. I am sure many athletics see them self doing their performance as if watching from a distance.

Visualization is not unique to Sports.  Another similar visualization is probably best called "Perfection Visualization" because the individual know what the result will be and works toward creating it. An artist in wood, stone or even furniture has an idea (view) of what the finish product will be and progress slowly toward that point of perfection.  However, unlike in sports, where the delivery or performance of the athletic is completed and they (the athletic) then waits for the result; the artist continues their action until they are completely satified with the result.

A photographer wanting to get that "Perfect Sunset" or the Painter wanting to get that "Perfect expression" or "feeling", must visualize the image they are to create. The photographer waits and waits as the sunset become more and more beautiful. However, his visualize image is his patience as he compares what he see with what he has just seen. If he was to wait too long as the sun sets, the maximum beauty of the moment will have passed. It is lost.

 Of course, I did news photography in the 1960s when the camera was the 4x5 Graphic with a 4x5 inch sheet of film in a removeable film holder.  So when I took a picture it took minutes to change the film cassettes and be ready for the next picture with a new film cassette. Yes many years ago.  In the sunset image example, if you were to miss that exact moment of perfection; you knew it was quits for  the day as you knew that now you would wait for another day and the next sunset if it came. Or standing all night in the rain to get a perfect Lightning shot or two or three flashes was where expectation and patience is developed. Athletes also in visualizing their development and performance need patience as sometimes muscle performance or mental skills don't happen over night.

 As a News Photographer in my youth I had some of those perfect shots. My wife, who is a professional painter often produce very unique painted images which create emotions in the viewer, but also she often scraps her work because as she added more and more paint to the image, she has also passes that "Point of Prefection" and missed her perfect emotion feeling (sunset).

In Lawn Bowls this "Result Visualization" can be simply seeing the image of your bowl in the head and believing in your ability to allow the "Muscle Memory" to create that performance. But what athletics develop through Visualization is more complete than a "Result Image" or vision. To maintain Focus which involves concentration and a discipline of thought is more about pushing distractions aside and only having the actual performance occuring as expected.

In "Result Visualization", I can imagine the Lawn Bowl skip or singles player projecting his strategy or expectation as he decides his path to catching up in the score and winning. (two points here, a long jack and two ends of 2 points). These thoughts in Mental Psychology is Positve Self-talk and discussed later in another blog.

Much like a Soccer player seeing his path of running up the field as he goes  toward his goal making shot. I would assume a swimmer wanting to close a lead that the opponent beside him has gained, would see his advance location at each turn of his swim with the object or "Result Vision or Image"  being that of the opponent being behind him. Even if just a few strokes but still an image of winning.

Last Months Blog Stats show over 126,000 readers over the last 10 years and I am showing the most popular blogs. Listed with their total views on that day of taking the stats and the date when created. 

With 3256 readers this month, which is half of July; it is because the bowl season is ending  in Australia and  in the North I get readers who are starting their season of Bowls and  search out blogs.

In the second part of this blog I will move into "Projection Visualization" where having a memory of the actual bowl rolling to the jack in another previous time will allow you use that visualize bowl roll from your memory.  This skill of Projection Visualization is hard for new athlete and even the experience lawn bowl athletics, but the distances to the Jack is more than trying to simply feel that distance. By the use of an image of memories of previous jack distances and to visualize the bowl rolling to that jack distance is a mental skill able to be developed. To be able to project it as been a memory you view,  and changing that image if not the correct  distance to the jack did requires a lot of mental teaching. 

These  Mental practice for "Projection Visualization" is like physical practice for "Muscle Memory" and if you remember your physical practice you can understand it will be hard. Where the memory you view is changed until you have chosen the memory image of the correct distance of the jack is done before your "Muscle Memory" Routine is engage it is more Preparation as you are preparing to roll.

Our Lawn Bowls Fours - Little changed

 This Blog was written  10 years ago, in , August 2015, and now  I am adding to it and updated it for today, 2025. Yesterday I watched our Interprovincial Men's and Women"s competition between Quebec and Ontario (Governor General and Rose Bowl (women)); and following the original reposting of this blog, I will extend my opinions on the changes which did nor didnot happen over the last 10 years.

Original Blog -  Every club which  has works hard to promote Lawn Bowls has eventually developed an athletic whom made the Canadian National Team.

We are so proud of them as fellow club members, but if we have coached them a  bit it is an even greater satisfaction. If not, we wait, hopefully for that one day when they will ask us  to bowl with them, so we can learn from them.

 
      The last Canadian Nationals I watched, in 2011, a  young lawn bowls student of mine was playing at the Canadian Nationals on our Provincial Fours team. I was proud to have worked with him and even more proud of our team who started him as lead and developed his knowledge of how to be a member of the Provincial "Fours" .  He had gone many times to the Nationals on "fours", since that first time as a 18 year old junior, where he played with a club's National Team athletic.  As a new bowler, he was given the chance to play  and although he lacked experience, After his team won the provincial Roll-off and qualified he was excited to have gone to Western Canada for the Canadian Nationals.

     In Lawn bowls we make the Skip a "god" and let him play his game.  { I used a small "g"in "god" because many skips take too much  importance in being Boss and not enough in  their leadership role.  In the rest of this Blog I will attempt to show how a skip can delegate responsibility, especially in the Bowl's Game of "Fours"; and develop a great team and still play his greatest game.

    On the mat, where performance counts, we have to do our best and the skip is probably the most skilled bowler of the team. But strategy is also playing a great game "off-the mat" and most skips only analysis the Bowls game from the "Head"  A good skip develops his team with all team members having a part in the " Game strategy".

    On the front end, as we sometimes call the Lead and Second, (if given the responsibility by the Skip), these two players with their four bowls should  be working together, as they analysis the opponent front end. These two members of the team would be expected to provide the same controlling head as the "lead" in a Pairs competition would be expected to create. Some of the possible tasks assign are:
   -  Analysis the preference of the opponent and discuss with the 3rd, their views of the opponent's frontend skills and weakness.
   - Provide Bowl placement which may control the opponent's access while also offering that important counting shot that is point, or that  short blocks which is requested by the skip.
   -  Close the short or straight side of the green as requested by the 3rd ( given to the front end from the skip instruction) unless the opponent's weak fore hand is also  your teams preference to use that side of the green as it's draw side

A Canada Social Bowls (Usually Fours)

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  -  Move the mat (within a few feet) to give their team members the best Bowl's receiving area. This requires knowing your team member's delivery style and their  actual delivery's receiving area. (on center line, or along a side of  the mat, or even if a member is lefthanded). Looking at the delivery style in the photo (right) we see how the front foot placement and  bowler's weight distribution can easily create damage to the green and make for a hard to play "receiving Area" and offer a very bumply receiving area for the bowl. (Receiving Area is that area where the bowls is put to green during a delivery) 

 -  Know the opponent's most advantage  delivery hand (forehand or backhand)  which is the first bowldelivered and thus destroy their lead's confidence.

   -  Follow the Skips request as he attempts to balance the head with matching bowls and remember, if not asked, to leave one in the back or as a "Jack Catch Line" bowl if the opponent has a 'Toucher".
   -  Analysis the weakness of the opponent's "Front End"  and communicate it to the Third, permitting the skip and Mate to make  decisions and strategy changes.  (in Jack distance, gsme play and even watch and called faults)
   - Show the maximum sportsmanship and team spirit at all times.   Most important, save time on a time game by being quick with next end setup. Also remember that when the mate (3rd) comes to the mat to bowl that your team has possission and it is the best time to go to the head. Also allows an Skip's player exchange.

    The Back end of "Fours", which consists of both the Mate and Skip, should know the forces and weakness of all their team players.  Personnally, I believe the best Fours Team has a skip with unbelievable draw ability, with nerves of steel and a 3rd with good complex skills set. (Complex shots like tap-back, jack roll , blocks or even tight draws passes done regularly).

The 3rd, or Mate on a Fours Team is the moving team's communication and is responsible to keeps the team finely tuned.  He can be playing from either end the green, as he is with the "Lead End" in a 3x1 distribution or be in a 2x2 as the Skip and Mate are in the Head (helping the skip in strategy)/ Believe me, in the "fours", a 3rd makes or loses the game by his ability to keep the team working together as a team.  As the Skip stands alone in the head, he know his 3rd or Mate is working with the Front End, When the three players are all in the head as the skip bowls.  it is important to be one behind the other without any movement. 

A look at Team Spirit (Red Team) and
High 5's to Skip (winners)

The 3rd, should be insisting that the lead and second are in the head with the skip during his time on the mat and his delivery. A good 3rd will be asking the opinion and reason that the lead is making certain decisions of shots or bowls as their understanding of the Skips request for their draws.  If the 3rd is really busy in his act of communicating, the team will usually always win as a team.  There are a lot of facts that can be analysis and seen by all four players and these tasks done by the lead, 2nd or 3rd can although the skip some freedom. But in the end  the final decision in a good "fours" belongs to the skip who will use the gathered information.

    I remember in a national competition, the Second told the Third that on two previous occasions that the mat was short of the Mat line.  Third told the skip and two end away from the game end, the skip read the sign of the 2nd for a short mat and called the official on it.  The umpire gave the position of the mat to us, as a  illegal  delivered jack (strange call),  and our skip, redefined the jack distance and picked up an advantage.  (yes it was a physiological point, and not very sportmanlike, you say, but it teached the  2nd to know and  correct these sort of problem)
    Actions of the Third in helping the skip.
   -  Reading the head, seeing the balance of bowls,  knowing the weakness of opponents and balancing the  strength and weakness of each position.  Does the opponent lead (or second) out bowl the team's player ?
   -  Suggestion of Offensive or Defensive actions to build and win the game.
   -  Keep the three pats of gameplay together (first 4 ends to analysis, next 4 to build lead, and last four should be such perfection of play that it means a win.)  A third becomes a third because he now everything.
   -  Take of the shoulder of the skip the pressure of a great shot by decreasing the lost to one point.
   -  Communicating the wishes of the skip to the Lead/Second in a manner which keeps team harmony.
   -  Building support for the skip when that great shot did not happen.  Keeping the team spirit.high.
  
"Fours" are the most team spirit game I know and it can be a very strong game.  Four minds each respected for their ability to see and analysis aspects of the game which is best suited to their position.

Comments today - First photo from Internet (thanks to all players shown). Of the three photo, this is probably a local Quebec game photo and one would be thinking it is a Pairs or Triples game as we see only one skip in the head. Yesterday, the Ontario Fours arrived here in Quebec to play the interprovincial competition of Governor Generals and started their first game with a 2x2 division of players. (The skip and mate in the Head andLead and Second on the mat). Quebec has for many years, and yesterday was no different, always played three at the mat and the Skip alone in the head.  One Skip of a team I coach suggested it was too complex to think of  the 2x2 division. I even placed a question on the Ontario Bowls Chat Forum asking if over the past years the distribution of players had changed because of new rules.

This is what Lawn Bowls fours was in the early 21 century. Players all in white and bowls all black and 2x2 division. (count the men and there are only 8 on the two greens next to the women's game) Also, yesterday it was a rainy day and so the protective screens were down. However, since CoVid in 2020 the protective screens have always been used in Quebec.

Prior to 2020 and in most major competition; it  was  the Greens Keeper or Greens Committee of the Host Club with the refere's ear for the controlling decision to place a protective screen. If a player was doing debits on their delivery it was sure their Skip would be warned and with the next debit the protective screens would be brought out. It is time we all return to the pass and do our bowls on open greens. If you're good enough to qualify for the National team or playing Interprovincal Competition you should not be using Screens.

It is hard to lose but this photo shows a lack of good sportsmanship as the losing team are together  and winners over excited. I am sure minutes after this photo the teams came together for the end-game handshake.

The last fours which I played at the Interprovincial level, I was upset with our skip for his attitude. The total points was how the 2 game competition was decided and we were well ahead in our 2nd game and had also won our first game with a large win. My skip in "Showmanship" decided in the last end that instead of leaving the losers a 3 or 4 point head; that he would throw a runner. It was not necessary for the final win but more reflect on him and his ability.But this decision reflected on the whole team and even a attitude of our Provincal Sport. I never played with him again.

 Be proud to win but let the opponents lose with grace is a sportsman's way of playing Bowls. 

Lets looks at Yestereday's Governor General Game of Fours. Above I talk about the division of Players and when Ontario's Fours went to the green they had a 2x2 division while the Quebec's Fours had a 3x1 division with the skip alone in the head.  In sportsmanship and probably to save time which was wasted on the removal and placement of protective screens; the Ontario team changed to a 3x1 division of players.

Where the first game saw our Men's Team win by a big lead of points; the 2nd game saw our Men's Team fall apart. Above I talk about the work of the Mate or 3rd in keeping the team together; with the 3x1 disvision of players, the 3rd did not have the ability to re-organize or fix the broken team. The 2nd game was a bad lost in points and the Ontario team won with a total points difference of a couple points and competition and trophy.

There was no reason why the 3rd did not switch from the 3x1 division to the 2x2 and went to the Head with the skip during each new end of play and  Jack roll. If the two teams were broken (a 3x1 team and a 2x2 team) it only meant that the Mate or 3rd went to the mat when it was their turn to bowl.  It should be always considered that the skip can be helped by the 3rd in the head as he is receiving and centering the Jack. Even receiving the bowls of the front end if the 3rd had been working with them (in a 3x1 division) to improve a broken game play..

If the 3rd was communicating with the front end as to the discussion in the above reprinted blog; he had. with the skip been working  to build a good head for the strategy of the Skip or game pkay.  As the first ends progressed  he was able to be at the mat with the lead and 2nd player. If he was in the head with the skip he should have receive the bowls of the Front-end and allow the skip to take some time to relax.

 I believe a skip knowing his three team members and their ability should relax during these last four ends of play. Why ?? If when during the first half of the game the skip is deciding on each player's strength and weakness; then he is very busy with all three types of play of his team mates and their performance. As the last 4 ends of play arrive he should see this as a period of  assistance by the 3rd. With time to evaluate and plan a recovery Action or Defensive strategy if leading in points; he also has time for to Focus or Concentration.  I believe it is important that a Skip can take these few minutes in each end of play to relax.

Not to comment as to a critizism as the games were really good game and with a 12 ends of play and scores of 10-11 it means there were no big ends of points. But in Fours the game is a team playing as a single unit of 4 elements.

What is Your Mat Routines (AMem)

  Level 3 - Muscle Memory Performance

Cleanup started March 22,2026

With the "Delivery Routine being the most important aspect of our roll to the jack performance, everyone has some sort of "Pre-Mat" thinking  and a "Post-Mat" evaluation. To the beginning lawn bowl student they are probably done while on the mat. However, with experience these routine quickly move to "Thinking before Delivery" and "Evaluation after Delivery".

The Pre-Delivery and Post-Delivery actions are more a conscious procedures and analysis and as we realize that an instinctive performance is needed for the best delivery result; these actions we move to just prior to stepping onto the mat for your delivery.  Some athlete have long "Mat Routines" which I believe  is because they have been working on mental skills like concentration and Memories usage. In advancing their Delivery Routine from having a quick decision  of "I will do this" to a detail check list of actions. (like bias checking, mat position, or balance and other control routines.

Also for the Post-routine, we find from "no evaluation of bowl roll" action" to  just a turn and walk from the mat action. Some will do  a continual analysis of the bowl as it roll up the green to it's final resting place. If we do a evaluation of performance before leaving the mat; we have improvements to do.  Over the years of play and competitions. we have changed and improved our routines until today we have a complete "Focus Cycle". A cycle of thoughts and actions as we self-talk on every aspect of our performance and results. Our own worst critize to our best self coach.

 If you want to have and improve your "Muscle Memory Performance", your mat time should be used only for the  "Delivery Routine" and all other improvement thoughts directed to time spend  before stepping to the mat or after the bowl has stopped it roll and we step from the mat.

In "Koolminds.com" as a definition of "Focus" and "Concentration" they suggest to improve both focus and concentration, you create a plan, focus on one task at a time, and eliminate distractions (concentration). This is what having a Pre-Mat and Post-mat routines does; as it eliminates distractions during Delivery which should be most important action. The KoolMind website says " figuring out what's needs to be done and how you're going to do it before beginning any task".

If our time on the mat is too short or too long, we will often find that we are kept busy with mental emotions or pressures which cause an interference of our delivery, or we have not allowed  "Muscle Memory" of our delivery to start and to finish before our thoughts and conscious engagement are allowed to influence our bowl's delivery. 

Where the sport of Curling has a Delivery Cycle of  less than a minute before the next opponent take their turn in the delivery hack; we in Lawn Bowls probably find that two  minutes is a problem is keeping our focus. Concentration on what we have to do) If "Focus",  means to be completely busy with our performance, than  "Concentration" would suggest an importance on the mental discipline of giving each  physical and psychological action their proper place in the "Muscle Memory" delivery. 

 With Lawn Bowls games being a length of twelve ends of play, we often hear that one must remaining in "Focus", for this reason we are suggesting we should have only one task of playing the best game possible. During those 14 (or 16) ends of play, we have various task to focus on and probably the hard part of the Delivery Cycle of  Pre-mat, Delivery, and Post-mat is finding time for a mental relaxation. 

 In curling the less than 5 second delivery (due to ice speed) and 25 second player's Delivery Cycle it is easy  for "Focus" and "Concentration"; but  with Bowls wit a 15 seconds green speed and the one or more minutes of Delivery there is a need for mental relaxation. Where the  Pre-Mat and  Bowl Preparation, Delivery and  (Post-Mat Deliver), may seem short for some elite athletes in videos: when we finally are stepping away from the mat it is too short. We still need  another minute or two for Game/Play evaluation called Post-Mat. Here we see that "Focus" is relaxation when not confused with "Concentration" because our Post-Mat routine is just evaluation.  

Total Focus is keeping it together and for a two hour game and the Post-Mat time is important but less concern with distraction. Following a  3 game competition; a player needs those times of "focus" and those of  "Concentration". There is a term called "Reset" which refers to the need of a break in game concentration and a more detail "Recapture Focus" time. 

 In every sport there arrive times when our performance is not what expected and results are unacceptable. "Reset" is focus on mental relaxation and confronting the "non-focus" time give to blame, guilt, and lack of confidence in self.  Mental strain causes problems so somewhere between the three routines (pre, Delivery, and Post) we must find relaxation. 

Post-Mat and Pre-Mat routines before going back to the mat for your next bowl requires you to organizing your thinking so as to prevent a player from losing commitment.  While the opponent is on the mat we have this relaxation but with the two routines we still have much thinking to do and thinking is not focus or concentration.

 Building these two routines (pre-Pre and Post-Mat) may take many years until we are satified and they quickly pass.

Archery Shooting Line

 In archery, my first sport of "Muscle Memory", the shooting time at the shooting line was well controlled and afterward we had a concentration break as we walked to the target to gather our arrows and mark our score. A  total Archery "focus cycle" with serious concentration is about two minutes (3 arrows x 30 seconds) but like all sports almost all of that time is preparation and actual (Shooting) performance is a second or less. Also the game or 'Shooting umpires" expects the "shooting line silence" to be controlled. Often the only sound is the sound of arrows hitting the target or the umpire whistle.

  Lawn Bowls. an outdoor sport with spectators near by, there is way more distractions and with the limited control as referees do their best to maintain a discipline and following of the rules; there is much which happens which destroys "Concentration" but nothing which destroys "Focus". Focus is an individual choice of thought and control.

To the beginner or novice, the "Pre-Mat" routine might simply be to Pick up your bowl, wipe it clean and wait for the opponent to give up the mat. Then, when on the mat you do all the many delivery checks and taught actions of a " Good Delivery" until you finish with the bowl rolling up the green. In the same manner, the beginning bowler finds the "Post-Mat" routine as simple as watching the bowl roll up the green and their reaction to the communication of he skip before turning and leaving the mat. 

 After a few years of Bowls, the "Pre-mat" is a bit more  a check list of do's and don'ts the novice was taught to them on how to bowl and some  decisions of strategy.  (check the bowl bias,the method of holding the bowl and find your delivery line). Likewise, the  Post-Mat now looks more at what is called "Feed Back" and involved in the analysis of  certain things which happen in the delivery and even suggested actions which you think will fix it in your next delivery. Probably more a period to avoid negative attitude, such as to blame your self and  then lose your focus. Without a "focus" your game changes to what is more of a practice session. Go to the mat and deliver and watch.

What I will attempt to do in this Blog is to move more information into each of these two routines and remove the needless thinking that is done while on the mat and doing your delivery. Hopefully your delivery will be simply to develop a perfection of Line and weight and a committed focus. This short action only "Mat delivery Routine" will be committed to your "Muscle Memory" doing your delivery. As you move into a "Void of thought"  to activate your "Muscle Memory" to do the delivery.

The photo (right) of Matt Clark is  taken from his Youtube Teaching Videos where Matt as a Australian Bowls Certificated coach and does a Coaches Corner and Videos to help viewers to bowl a better game. The photo is used to show his Pre- Delivery stance, which we will develop with a short "mat delivery routine". At this wait time, while he explains something in his video, we cal also wait for our delivery. A organized "Delivery Cycle"  of nothing but the Delivery after having your line and letting the subconscious do a 'Muscle Memory delivery. A big step forward from that   "How to Bowl" mat routine check list which was your teaching when you learned to do your delivery. 

We see in the photo his hand on the Bowl arm which is probably the same movement control as some bowlers are seen having a hand on their knee ( for them it was for balance). His foot on  the center of the mat as we always want to stand the same on the mat. Each player is a bit different on their stance and for their own reason; and also his small step forward while waiting in preparation. You will in time have this sort of Pre-Delivery stance as you  become involved in your delivery and learn how to instruct your subconscious of changes and expectations.

If this was in a game play or competition, Matt would have the same stance as he is ready to roll his bowl. He has finished his Pre-Mat Routine which was his communication with the skip and his decisions. In this stance, as Matt while making his video now  has time to discuss his instruction for the videos  ( "Matts Jack and Balls") because he is in a non-focus period.  In a competition,  he begans his "Delivery Cycle" from this point or stance and will  allow his developed "Muscle Memory" because his only thought or commitment to the delivery. While maintaining a total concentration or focus. With such focus we will have confidence in all our action done by  "Muscle Memory"  which are being performed by the  Subconscious.

At this point in this blog, I should mention that  when I say "I do this" or "I do that" it is probably more what I  would be attempting to do or have  done in earlier days of play. Now at 80, and with fewer competitions; I find that to keep my focus and Routines together usually last only for the  first half of a game. By the end of a serious game, I realize that I am cutting corners and may even be going to the mat without a Pre-Mat action plan.  Yes, we have confidence in our "Muscle Memory" doing what we want and just have our goal of shot's result in mind. Without our "Pre-Mat" and having a plan of performance and analysis with things like a percentage of success; we revert back to our learning to bowl days where a "what if" attitude  allowed us to accept our poor performance.

Probably why many of us senior players are no longer competitive bowlers and  a three game competition we find so very demanding. I remember a couple of years ago doing a hard three game competition; that afterward I sat at the club"s green-side for over an hour as blood pressure returned to what is normal for me.  Eventually we begin to  avoid tournaments of several days, although our love of the game draws us to them.  The biggest joy now become the seeing the potential  of these newer and younger players. We know that they are the future of the game and they will find the podium.

This biological machine which is our brain is always working or thinking and sometimes our thinking prevents us from performing an expected good delivery. Because when the conscious mind is giving instructions to our muscle, which is a distraction type  of thinking to  our "Muscle Memory" performance.  When moving into our delivery and the subconscious actions of "Muscle Memory" is to be activated; we must see thinking as the conscious mind telling the muscles what and how to do the action.

Yes, we often hear about "Muscle Memory" in sports and more in some sports than others. Opening a teaching video on Curling which is probably bowls on ice, and you will hear that  "Muscle Memory" is simple an instinctive performance which must be developed. Was surprise to have a competitive Curling friend say "Muscle Memory requires 775 hours of performance". Yes a lot of  practice and analysis by the subconscious mind is needed to teach our muscle movements. In our delivery, when we are on the mat, we must now let the subconscious mind perform these movements without interruptions. If the Conscious mind is involved with instructing the muscles actions, then  our "Muscle Memory" is not.

When we stand on the mat to do our delivery, all our thinking and analysis should have been finished and we are now in a relax and free to let our delivery be performed. If we have walked to the head and are making decisions on our next shot, this thinking is all done during the walk back. Any analysis or suggestion of changes to our delivery are done before we arrived at the mat. In the "now-to- perform" delivery you just visualize (if your visual) or think a word for the change to be done (if your vocal) and you continue toward  performing that perfect Delivery.  

Yes, it will happen. Want a foot more weight, don't think "A foot more distance with a wrist flick" just see where you want your bowl or think "There" or "More".  Throughout these blogs you will often see reference to Conscious Thinking being the mind using or instructing the muscles and "Muscle Memory" being a Subconscious actions  performing instinctive muscle movements. That is where an athletic's performance is beyond his practice as he is now letting the Subconscious do what it remembers.

However, "Muscle Memory" which requires us to shut down the Conscious mind is not easily. We can not say "turn off that biological computer". In our daily life with our home computer shutdown, everything goes blank. Well, now we also are now finding ourselves in a "void of Thought" as the delivery is performed and our brain (conscious) is shot down. We know this because when we exit that void as we see the bowl rolling up the green without rmemory of what just happen. We have performed an instinctive delivery. 

 I don't know if all athletics feel that  emptiness  of thought as they finish  their performance, but those who do often refer to this Zen-like absence of thought as being in the Zone. The great golfer,Tiger Wood in a Youtube video by Players2Kings.com (Link # 2 below) says that when he's hitting his golf ball; he does not remember anything between his back stroke and seeing his ball in flight toward the green.  He is referring to his "Void of Thought".in which "Muscle Memory" is performed his golf shot. . And Tiger in that same video says his mind is so active most of the time that he can visualize a thousand  possibilities. But he knows that he must close down the thinking  (conscious) mind to be great at what he does..

  For all the thinking in Lawn bowls we often hear or read about "Pre-Mat" routine or the Feedback or Performance Analysis; which are "Post-Mat" Actions. During our delivery as we stand on the mat, our only thought should be to relax and allow that "Void of Thought" happen.  "Muscle Memory" (and the subconscious) will  do that perfect performance when you start your delivery. 

Recently, a student asked me "How do I put that little extra distance on my bowl?". I knew she was looking for tips like a flick of the wrist, or a longer step; but my reply was only "Just think about it".  I have to realize that her club coach may have suggested one of the many tools in the "toolbox" of adjustments.  Yes, you will practice various modifications of your delivery as you learn your delivery, and see the results or for different raison; but these practices become part of your memory which the subconscious will use later in your performance and delivery.

 When you think that there is something  you need to do and make a decision to do it,  then you have already told your subconscious mind. However, if it is a new thing, then like all practice you must practice to let the subconscious mind to be instructed to use this new  muscle movements. Most of the times all you need to do for a good delivery is clear your mind of all thoughts and do your delivery. But on a new "Muscle Memory" action which is not yet a part of our instinctive performance;  you have to instruct the subconscious. And just see it or think it  will be enough thinking to get it done. Yes, believe me, it will happen if you have practice to "Short-communicate" your expection action  to be part of "Muscle Memory".

Several years past it was a practice of teaching a new bowler to Lawn Bowl with lessons that followed a sequence of severa; events or actions like how you grip the bowl, how you place yourself on the mat, verify your Bias and many others. From the club coaching the new bowler over the first few years often developed a delivery routine which they did every time they went to the mat. 

 Likewise, today many bowlers have their proper routine on the mat for seeing their line of delivery, doing their delivery weight and even how to evaluation  their performance. As we practiced our delivery and improved to the point of having a good delivery, we are always modifying and changing this delivery routine.

 We  were attempting to improve our accuracy and our performance; but  now we come to another step of self-improvement. To remove thought from our delivery routine as we development our Pre-Mat and Post-Mat routines as the place of this more detail thinking. The "Post-Mat" see and analysis what happen during our last delivery. These thoughts should no longer be on the mat but now their corrections actions are now our "Pre-Mat" decisions. All thinking and decisions  before we take possession of the mat for our "Muscle Memory" delivery.

The blog stats at right show that the season of Bowls are nearing an end and one day stat's surprise of over 500 views or visitors often happens. Why ?. Well with several major competitions happening at season's end, these online competitions are watched by players who then come to my blog searching new ideas to improve their Bowls Delivery and overall performance..

OK, now down to the meat of this blog. One could say there are five activities involved in the Lawn Bowl's performance (to and from) the mat.

1 - Delivering our bowl from the mat. 

2 - Watching the delivery ("Post-Mat") 

3 - "Pass Mat to Opponent" as we walk back

4 - Prepare for next delivery ("Pre-Mat"). 

5 - "Possestion of Mat" as we step to the mat 

 (If you need to relax or talk to your coach it is usually here between 3 and 4 unless you are busy watching opponent's delivery).

 So lets start from 1 -  Mat/Delivery Cycle is that we are on the mat and allowing our "Muscle Memory to do an Instinctive Delivery.  Since our understanding of our Delivery is the objective of these two routines we will start at the finish of our delivery, after which nothing we do will change that delivery and it is here our cycle of heavy thinking begins. 

As the bowl is released to the green, we began  the Post-Mat Routine which is our study of our delivery and  our analysis of our delivery. For the most accurate  information it should be within these few seconds of the bowl rolling of your hand as this is the most valueable information of your Post-Mat routine. 

 As you see the bowl begin to roll up the green you can fell all the errors of your delivery, whether it was movements,  a distractions,  our  balance or something else; now is the time to listen to your body, as at this moment, these seconds after the delivery everything is fresh in our mind and clear. 

Beside feeling your body, you are still in your delivery (post-delivery movements) and maybe things your extended arm, not pointing in the direction of your  delivery line , or your thoughts, that distraction, shows an error.  By looking now you not only see it but also remember it. Later when doing an analysis of your delivery in the Post-Mat these memories will help better understand your thinking.

Yes you are probably still looking up the green but now you must look down to the "Bowl Contact Point", or that location on the green where your bowl has made first contact. This change in thought stops you watching the bowl roll and begins collection information. On the green there may be a line of the previous roll. made by your previous bowls which allows to compare this roll to the previous. Has your bowl the same line  as you watch it roll up the grass and now you compare it to the previous roll and  delivery. 

At this point you mind is actively recording (memories) many things you see and feel. Without this change in thought you would be involved in a 12 second view of  your delivery instead of starting youra "Post-Mat" routine. You may even visualize the bowl as to where it should finished because of reference to the bowl lines on the green.

 These feelings will be part of the correction actions you will decide to do to improve your delivery when after the bowl stopping in the head you use the information in your "Pre-Mat" routine just prior to you returning to the mat for your next delivery.

From this watching the Bowl  roll up the green, you can compare it with previous similar data and creat  your "perfect delivery line". If it is good, you will actually visualize it having stopped in the head before it does and feel a judgement of success or  failure.

 But the image of  your bowl rolling up the green and your thought of where you feel the bowl will finish in the head is important to visualize and feel. 

 Instead of waiting the 13 seconds (slow Canadian Green's time) for your bowl to arrive and stop in the head,  your  use of this "Bowl Contact Point"  will allows you to better analysis that delivery 

The photo (right) is from a Youtube Lawn Bowls Drill by Matt Clark   which capture Matt putting  his bowl onto the green also shows that he is looking up the green which most of us do as we deliver our bowl. (Video Link #3)

However, at this point we can look down at where the bowl is laid to the green and begin our Post-Mat Routine and analysis as later you can think back to how you felt. Feelings are important for reading your focus or concentration and remembering your thoughts before knowing where the bowl arrived in the head. 

As you watch every second of your bowl,s roll, you will more easlier notice any changes in it roll caused by the surface or envirorment. You by now know  your bowl's Bias Curve and any changes now are clear to later analysis also the action of the skip (or 2 nd)  the bowl stopped in the Head. All this important data for the "Muscle Memory" because when you repeat that same delivery and match the memory to what you see; you will have a positive reaction to your performance..

  As you don't need the skip to suggest a line of delivery, this become a habit for the skip and even  doing a competition and a very good bowlers on the mat; the skip will continue to suggest the line of delivery. Now as your bowl rolls up the green you can see if your line and the skip's suggestion is the same.

 As you bowl approaches the head and passes the jack the skip will probably indicate it as "Jack High". and/or then indicate the final distance from the jack.

This information from the skip allows you to see  the weight of your delivery and where many players have already turned away, this is an error. Although the skip is expected to finish his communication when your bowl has stopped; often there is the use of understandable  hand signals that continue between you both. 

 When your bowl has stopped you should immediately turn and leave the mat even if the skip is still sending communication signals or talking as you give the control of the greens, mat and game to your opponent.

 Now begans the analysis and thinking that is so important in your "Post-Mat" routine. You may decide as you walk away from the mat to wait a bit before analysis and evaluation of your delivery, but everything is a fresh memory and as your focus is in master mode you are more likely to decide good results. If you wait until you start your Pre-mat before this analysis you may forgot to do it as you will next watch the opponent's delivery and roll. 

When in your Post-Mat thinking you analysis that last delivery do it is sequence starting with the information collected from the "Bowl Contact Point" feelings.It is easy to jump to the last image of your viewing of the delivery which is the skip in the head. The least important unless you are remembering the bowl in the head as to your arriving bowl. 

Do each section of information gathering , one by one and even review your bowl's rolling up the green. See and feel you thoughts at that time. If it was a perfect delivery and arrived where you wantedit, then let that excitement and joy of success also be a part of your "Post-Mat" analysis as it with strength your focus.

 Feedback and the positive vibs from those feelings of  a successful delivery are  "Focus" food, in that our emotions become part of every delivery if positive. If negative feelings are allow to become your analysis it will not lead to a better performance.

Most likely your bowl is not where you wanted it and now in the Post-Mat you are attempting to understand why. Feedback from your delivery will become decisions in your Pre-Mat Routine; but walk lightly on this analysis. Not all bad deliveries are your fault or an error in delivery. Don't be quick to change your delivery before looking for other reassons for that bowl happening when it did.  Maybe the green speed had changed due to a change in the enviroment. If you saw your bowl roll as a bad delivery try to understand why. There is time to learn at your next practice but know what you are doing wrong so as to practice it correctly.

For example, That small bounce of your bowl took some of the weight of delivery away fromyour bowl and where it would have arrived if it was a lower rolling type delivery. Or that wobble on the bowl is an error in your grip or a wrist twist error when you go to the mat think of that image so the "Muscle Memory' can modify your delivery. All these things are your thoughts now, but if you try  to correct them now and it is not necessary then when "Muscle Memory" is doing your delivery your conscious mind is in control and telling the muscles what to do. Do you want "Muscle memory" delivery or a Practice and testing delivery?.

While doing these analysis and thinking, don't be in too much of a hurry to move into the "Pre-Mat" routine by seeing the error and now thinking what you are going to do to fix it, When you have identified the cause you can allow your self to move on and to see everything else that bowl roll tells you. There will be time in a few minutes to decide what to do to fix that mistake. Yes Post-Mat and Pre-Mat thoughts overlap but Feedback is thing about what you saw. And it is not the action of picking up your bowl and showing yourself how you probably gripped the bowl wrong. Finish your analysis and be Positive about what you saw and what you want to do to correct it.

I use my "Picking up the Bowl" for the next delivery, as my change from "Post-Mat" to "Pre-Mat" and often I take a deep breath and relax a few minutes. Then I go over the "Post-Mat" information and apply it to my views of why and how to correct something I have seem. If you have  a long delay as you wait for the opponent to finish their delivery; and you don't want to start your "Pre-Mat", then you work on your "Focus" with relaxation or positive thinking. 

Yes, there are those bad delivery but you must go to the mat with a fresh Positive thought of doing a good delivery and  somethimes to not do your "Pre-Mat" correction will have a better results then be too quick to do a Pre-Mat" more than the physical actions and checks. To redo the same  performance and delivery may be the best analysis as some time we don't have all the information and the 2nd time give a clear view of what happen..

After a small break in thinking for water or a friendly word you should be now with bowl in hand and beginning you "Pre-Mat" routine. The "Pre-Mat" routine was started by individual who did not want to be on the mat doing all the things they were taught for a perfect delivery. So now before going to the mat you check your bias, and apply all the thoughts of corrections from your feedback and Post-Mat analysis. If you made a mistake then correct it. But if you think "this would be better" then a change may not be the best decision. Remember it and wait until you return to this direction of play in 2 ends and maybe the placement of the mat will be the solution to the problem. (like a bad ridge which stole your bias)

"Taking possession of the mat is your connection with your skip as he is also taking possession of the head. Step onto the mat and wait for your skip because when you are on the mat, it defines that your team now has possession of the green and the rules of Lawn Bowls about possession of the Green, Mat, and Head apply.

 If your skip is not in the head then take time to do other things like checking the mat is on center line or the protective screen (if being used) is not badly placed. Most important is from this point until your bowl has been delivered and stop rolling at the jack; your expecting of your opponent a sportman like respect of the rules.. 

At this point your skip may be communicating to you what they want for your delivery.It should be short and best if not verbal. You and him have 2 minutes for this communication and your Bowl to be delivered and stop. Actually it is a lot of time but also some skips  spend  too much with  instructions and can waste the time. If necessary you can go to the head if the condition of play allow it, but often a walk to the head breaks your focus and Mat routine cycle.

As your skip finishes his instruction you should feel free to suggest your opinion as it is a team discussion but in the end it is the skip's decision. Now you step from the mat two steps back and begin to finish your Pre-Mat Routine.  You may have earlier decided to check certain problems with your delivery, like a bad grip of your bowl, and now is when you are going to check that you make those changes. In your Pre-Mat routine you are going to do everything from verify bias or proper grip and even proper attitude as you prepare to return to the mat. If the skip's instruction was to change delivery from "Forehand" to "Backhand"; if you think about a frequently made errors with that change of delivery;  your subconscious will remember to watch not to make that mistake this time. 

Why step back from the mat ?. When you are on the mat and your delivery in progress you skip and opponents in the head should not be moving or causing any visual or verbal distractions.  When you return to the mat you should expect such conditions and if something happens as a distraction then step of the mat and after a few seconds taken to re-compose you return to the mat .  Your skip will see there is a distraction and it is his task to see that the distraction is addressed if it is an infraction of the rules.

Your stepping back from the mat allow you to identify you are preparing for your delivery (Pre-Mat actions and thoughts). As a bowler  on the mat in a serious game, you expect the rules about procession of the rink (mat) to be applied and respected.  Off the mat you are doing all the actions of preparing for your delivery and remembering the previous delivery and it's mistakes. If the opponent needs to reposition them self to be invisible (behind the skip) now is their time. Especially if flies are the problem and they are waving their harms chasing a fly.

Eventually all these actions in your "Pre-Mat will become part of your "Muscle Memory"; but you decision on "Post-Mat" analysis should be remembered and what  you decided to do be the intention of this delivery.When you step to the mat for your delivery, the subconscious mind (Muscle Memory) requires total control and a  brief instructions or images of how to fix that bad delivery is all it needs. 

If your "Pre-Mat" Routine is consistanly performed you won't have to think an instruction while on the mat because the "Pre-Mat" and Delivery are seen by the subconscious as one action with a 2 step of  action with seperate objectives. It does not need anything more than a visual thought for the subconscious to know your change in delivery.

When you return to the mat you are just going to find your body placement for the right Line of delivery and do a couple of pendulum swing movement and do your delivery. If your thought of  corrections are during this time of Delivery then your mind will allow your conscious mind to instruct your muscles and "Muscle Memory" or that instinctive delivery will not happen. 

Myself, my Delivery routine is a bit more complex because of communication I have developed  with my Subconscious which are remainders. For example, on certain jack distances, especially long ones near the back Ditch;  I am often instructing the subconscious of errors made because of our mind in reading distance to the jack. (A club house at green side behind the jack will make the jack be evaluated closer or people at the clubhouse create a distraction which may require more "Focus" during my delivery.)

 I often suggest to bowlers who have finished their "Pre-Mat" with thoughts of decisions or correction to just use a short sentence thought to the subconscious while on the mat.  But not too long a though becomes such thoughts become  "Conscious" instruction to the muscles on how to do the correction. When the subconscious returns control to the Conscious, you are no longer in the Zone.

 At this time on the mat you should allow yourself  to relax and go into a place of calm. The absence of thought or empty "Void of thought" is because the Conscious mind has passesd control to the subconscious to allow an instinctive  delivery performance.

In understand how the subconscious mind take control of our muscles we must realize that we don't tell the lungs to breath or the muscles of the legs to balance our body. The subconscious does many thing during our sport performance and at a later point we have to learn to turn off the Subconscious which is doing something instinctive. 

As Example, if during the "Post-Mat" Bowl Contact Point analysis (as explained above) you felt a lost of balance; you canbe sure the subconscious was doing "Muscle Memory" actions to prevent you from falling. But this feeling of lack of Balance also affected your delivery and the subconsicous actually was causing interference with our performance. 

Another example is hearing a sound and turning to see what was said. As we turn our mind to think of that sound, our body has also started to turn. Result.  A bad delivery or off-line delivery. In this instant the solutiion is to develop a better concentration or "Focus" and be able to remove hearing the sound at that point. If not you should develop the ability to back off the mat and restart your Delivery.

 When we come to the mat to do our delivery, we just let our body do it instinctively. (by itself  without instructions or corrections) because that is the job at the subconscious. Most important,  if you want "Muscle Memory" to do your delivery instinctively,  then during your personal development of Pre-Mat and Post-Mat routines you work to not allow the subconscious to transfer control to the conscious mind by thinking too much. Only a word or image is subconscious communication.

Video References

Link #1 - "Matts Jack and Balls"

www, youtube.com/watch?v=5BjLdDL75Yw

Link #2 -  Tiger Woods Mental Focus - Words of wisdom & Advice

   www. youtube.com/watch?v=T1mSMDoVqcg

Link #3 - Lawn Bowls Drills - Develop Your Consistency Tips - YouTube

    www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BjLdDL75Yw