http://www.bowlsinternational.com November 2017 BOWLS INTERNATIONAL 33the aiming point and destination or target
are separate and distinct.
Aiming is really key to our sport.
Sadly, some outdoor greens enable the
aiming point and jack to be far too close
together so it can encourage players
to become lazy and complacent with
regards to aiming.
Ask yourself 'where am I aiming?' if
you can't see this when you are delivering
then you are in trouble.
Would you drive the car through a
narrow gate without focussing on where
you are steering? I rest my case!
As we are aware there are several
methods which are used to identify
the required line (or aiming point).
Indoor bowls demands this is taken
exceptionally seriously.
There will be little or no success by
trying to draw the show by ‘guessing’ the
line. It will not happen. Every player will
need to remind themselves about how
they achieve their aiming point and to
keep this consistent.
As the indoor season progresses,
many players feel that they are ‘in the
groove’, a saying is usually associated
with the requirement of being consistent
leading to success. This however, can
also be applied to those players who are
unable to get out of a groove which is
not leading to consistent and successful
bowls.
There is only one way out of that
‘uncomfortable’ groove and that is to
accept the realisation of the matter and to
just discreetly and privately carry out an
personal MOT.
At the very start of ANY playing
season I kept all things very simple and
exercising familiarity with the draw shot,
nurturing it in order to gain confidence
and consistency before playing the 'smart'
shots.
Players that find that the complex shots
are not being successfully executed
mid-way through the season need to get
quickly back to the basic art of bowls
and that is the draw shot. Success at the
draw shot cultures success at EVERY
shot.
Indoor play certainly gives a greater
opportunity to ‘reward’ the smart shots
and the playing surface often allows it.
If however, the player is not producing
these them the base line draw shot needs
utilising until the confidence returns
and this will then enhance overall
performance.
During all those years I commentated
on the major indoor bowls
championships, it was nearly always
those players that drew consistently to the
jack that won the spoils.
The draw shot might not be quite
as exciting as the fancy shots but it is
usually the most rewarding.INDOOR VERSUS OUTDOORS
Indoor carpets are manmade not like
grass which is a living plant. Changes
in the rink or green indoors will be
extremely subtle.
Players need to acknowledge this and
to put in place exactly how they will
adjust.
All too often I have heard complaints
about the home carpet being slow. Thiscomplaining is likely to happen when
the visiting team are finding it better.
It’s not about complaining – it’s about
action.
What can I do to get my own game on
my home green and my favourite rink
back on track?
It’s almost like a game plan but it’s a
personal plan. It’s about ‘what happens
if...’
Certainly if my home green was a yard
slow due to atmospheric temperature
I would always direct myself (or my
players) to subtly move the mat up
a metre or shorten the jack length
significantly.
It’s the execution of these simple
actions that will (I assure you) get
overlooked in the heat of the moment or
during the period of frustration which
happens frequently.
It is times like this that players start to
reflect on issues such as the scoreline or
how cold the indoor stadium is instead
of focussing on reality. As you read
this you might just feel that this all so
simplistic. Who can disagree? BUT it is
often the very reason for defeat.
Most competitive players do fall into the
trap of having a standard expectation of
how the home green is likely to behave
when arriving at the club. Interestingly, the
same bowler playing on an outdoor green,
rarely has this expectation.
The golden rule is that complacency is
dangerous.
The indoor player has to appreciate
that whilst their favourite rink is familiar
to them on most occasions, there will be
times when it will not be quite the same.
Therefore, there will be adjustments
needed – subtle – but these differences
can just be enough to create uncertainty.
So accept that the pace of the carpet
will and can change and despite the
small variation it can have a huge effect
on performance.
From my own perspective I felt that
psychological demands made on me
were far greater indoors than during the
summer months when playing outdoors.
Maybe this is because the indoor game
is more tactically complex.
The art of head reading is more
complex and there is less concentration
on the behaviour pattern or limitations
of the rink in executing shots.
To that end the simplistic pattern
which is something which often reaps
rewards outdoors becomes far removed
from the shot selection process; yet the
same principle must apply.THE EIGHT WEEK HICCUP
The loss of form that a number of players experience
after the first two months of any ‘new season’ is usually
attributed to bad habits which may become unnoticed
because the initial preparation has been done, the player
has been successfully playing for eight weeks and all
expectations are that the results will continue to be
positive. Until they don’t.
It is then a case of remembering that early self-learning
session which took place and to refer back to it if only to
re-establish the correct delivery style which served the
player so well.
Having identified that delivery is one of the major
considerations, equal will be the grip. I guess most
players never take the time to examine what their grip
looks like and if they did would they understand it? Many
adopt a certain grip and that’s the end of it. Or is it?
Grips change frequently as the player continues through
the various stages of their playing career.
Look what happens to the hands of car drivers after
they have passed the Driving Test! I rest my case....
I know from my own experience that my grip definitely
changed ‘without notice’ during each playing season.
Players need to ensure that they understand that the
lower the thumb the lower the bowl sits in the hand and
the more powerful the grip is. Fundamental, basic, call it
what you like BUT the grip will change frequently and
whenever there is a change this results in a difference.
It is therefore, essential that the hand gripping the
bowl is given an occasional look, just to ascertain that
whatever grip is chosen it is being maintained in order to
remain consistent. Simple but essential.Grips change frequently as players
progress through their careersNext month Tony will continue by looking at the many
challenges which have to be overcome as the playing
season progresses.32-33_BI_ALLCOCK_Nov17_Craig.indd 33 12/10/2017 14:57