LETS PLAY BOWLS
CONTENTS:
BOWLS CLOTHING: What to wear for Training Sessions.
A FIRST INTRODUCTION: Your first meeting, and essentials to know.
ON THE GREEN: Your first experiences of bowls
DELIVERY OF THE ‘JACK’: The ‘little ball’ - the initial target for your aim.
BOWL DELIVERY: Your first attempts at bowling.
CHANGE OF SEASON: For newcomers who have tried indoor bowling.
______________________________________________________________________________
BOWLS CLOTHING
Shoes to be worn on the green will always be flat soled, with no heels. You should wear white above the waist, and any logos or marking should be minimal; ideally a plain white polo shirt for men, and white blouse for ladies. Below the waist you should wear grey trousers, or ladies may opt to wear a grey skirt. Denim jeans are not permitted. Shoes may be white, grey, or brown.
A FIRST INTRODUCTION
When you arrive at the Club, you will be met by one of our coaches who will introduce you to our other beginners.
Before we do anything else we will go for a small tour around the club showing you points of interest and things that you have to know in the event of an emergency. This would include, first aid kits, telephones, fire points/exits, toilets clubhouse/bar and changing rooms.
ON THE GREEN
Your first impression of the green may be just a green square. However, if you look closely at the markings on the surrounding wall, you would see that it is divided into six rinks, we will play on one of these rinks. The space around the edge of the green is called a ditch this will be explained later in detail.
You will be introduced to four or five sets of bowls, often known as “woods”, to get used to size and feel, and to get used to holding this large object. The bowl has an inbuilt bias; it is slightly heavier on one side which makes the bowl roll in an arc. The bias side is indicated by a smaller centre mark, and this must always face the centre line of the rink.
All actions on the green will be fulfilled from the mat. We will explain how to place the mat, stand on the mat, and roll the jack (the little white or yellow ball). We will explain balance, release, follow through, backhand and forehand delivery. It is important to face along the line of delivery, and step along this line to green the bowl on a perfect line to enable it to curve back to the centre, or to the jack. By the time you start delivering, you probably will be bowling to a distance of 25 - 27 metres, All that you will learn must need practice, and more practice. We will not stereotype you into certain positions, you will learn by using your own natural movements. But, you need to know the basics to compete - to go from beginner to winner.
DELIVERY of the “JACK”
As part of your Training, delivery of the ‘jack’ will be practiced. The jack has no bias, and so it will be delivered in a straight line; the minimum length the jack can be delivered is 23 metres. In a game, the jack is then centred by the “Skip” (or “marker” for singles matches), who would be at the other end of the green. The longest length a jack” can be placed is two metres from the “ditch”. If the “jack” is delivered too long, it is re-positioned at two metres from the ditch. If, in a game, the “jack” is delivered into the “ditch”, then your opponent delivers the “jack”, and can re-position the mat, but the game proceeds as if you placed the “jack”.
BOWL DELIVERY
Here the beginner will hear and use new words, like “back- hand”, “fore-hand”, “line”, “shoulder”, “green” etc. As a first introduction, a target, consisting of the ‘jack’ and two bowls placed level with the ‘jack’ (‘jack’ high), may be positioned at about 26 metres on the green from the front edge of the mat. The bowler will be invited to stand on the mat and try to configure an aiming line in order for the bowl to finish on or near the jack. Do not look at the object ball as you deliver, look straight along the line of delivery, and let your arm follow through. First, playing on the ‘fore-hand’, the direction will be that of your ‘natural’ hand (to the right for naturally right-handed players). After releasing your Bowl, stay down a second or two, and watch your bowl roll. This will help control your delivery.
Shoulder
We will discuss ‘shoulder’, this is the point where the bowl will start to slow in order that the bias can take control to drag the bowl into a curve towards the object; this point is on the delivery line about three quarters of the way along the line. Here we may place a white pad to make it easier for the bowler, so that after about eight or so deliveries the bowler should be getting somewhere near the target.
Green
This is the amount of deviation from the centre line. Bowls will need differing amounts of ‘green’ to return back to the centre, depending on the type of Bowl, and the conditions of the rink. Remember to adjust your ‘Green’ when the target is off-centre.
Line
What is meant when one says “take the correct line”? From the moment the bowl leaves your hand and travel's toward the object. which could be the jack, another bowl or any spot the skip wants your bowl to finish, this is called your line. This may sound easy but bear in mind that the bowl has a bias and, this has to be taken into consideration.
Weight
What is meant by use more weight? From the moment the bowl leaves your hand the speed in which your arm is swinging indicates the speed or weight that the bowl is traveling. One common mistake that beginners make is to put on excessive ‘Weight’ when taking more ‘Green’. Remember that ‘Weight’ affects the position of the ‘Shoulder’.
CHANGE OF SEASON
It has now come to the time of year when the winter indoor bowling has come to a close and outside bowling with long summer evenings, and cool drinks come to mind. To beginners who have yet to play outside we have change our style for the different surface we are going to play on. The greens are going to be very heavy due to the new green grass and the dampness. This will cause the bowls to slow to the point that they may not reach half way up the green.
So, we have to change our stance slightly, this will include back swing and forward step. When playing on fast indoor greens, one normally lowers the body on delivery. On the heavier greens, that we are going to meet outside particularly for the first few weeks, we will use a bit more of a upright stance. By using this stance, more body weight will be used, and this will produce more momentum going forward; at this point you can also use a slightly longer step forward.
After a few weeks, as the green starts to dry out, the delivery will have already started to become easier and the change from inside to outside may have become less noticeable.
COME AND LEARN MORE AT ASHCOMBE PARK BOWLING CLUB - SEE YOU THERE.
Back to Top
