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KNOW YOUR POSITION - SKIP

"For some reason, an obscure one to my way of thinking, nearly all bowlers hanker after the Skips job. Perhaps it bolsters up their pride to think they are at the top of a four.By the greatest stretch of imagination the majority certainly cannot credit themselves with possessing the playing ability for the position, nor can they under any circumstance fondly imagine they have the temperament for the job."

That statement was made about 50 years ago by Fred Rowley, a leading Queensland player and skip. It shows that little has changed in the game over the last few decades.

As I have said before in social games you are there to enjoy yourself. However bad habits and practices are hard to shake and carry over to competition games and Pennants. It would take a whole chapter, not a page, to fully explore the role of Skip. Therefore I will confine my remarks to the more important aspects of the position.

The Skip has three roles. They are -

As a player
As a tactician
As a leader

As a player--- The popular concept is that the Skip should be the best player in a team. This is not so. He/she must certainly be a good player and possess all the shots - draw, upshots and drive (and on both hands). However, the ability to play shots under pressure is what separates the Skip from say, a better technical player. It is not uncommon for the Skip to go to the head 4 or more shots down. The team then expects the Skip to get the shot, which they failed to do, or at least cut down the loss. Really good for the blood pressure but a good Skip should take it in his stride.

As a tactician --- Coaches working with elite players have found that no two people will necessarily read the head the same way. However there are a few basic rules.

Never interfere with the Lead. He should know that he stays on the best side of the green (e.g. forehand up - backhand back or vice versa). Just tell him where you want the jack and how short or long he is so that he can adjust. He will know how wide he is.
Always try for two shots in the head. Shots that cannot be taken out with one bowl.
Don't pack the head. Get your two shots in then go for cover before adding to the score. Remember the old proverb - A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Always give a player two goes at a difficult shot unless there has been a dramatic change in the head. If he misses with the first he can then correct with his second bowl.
Never play an upshot with only one bowl in the head.
When playing an upshot always consider the best possible result and also the worst. Never drive without backwood.
On a fast green short ends can be productive but not on slow greens. Too easy on a slow green to hit the head.
Never persist with a losing length.

Of course a lot depends on the type of game you are playing. In a head to head match risks can be taken if you are down going into the final ends. In many cases it does not matter if you lose by one or ten. You lose. In a side match if you must lose then do so with the least loss of shots possible. Be conservative. The other teams in the side can cover for you provided the loss is not too great.

As a leader --- A good Skip will give encouragement to his players and help them get over a bad spot. Belittling and sarcastic remarks, negative body language will not help. Also it helps to keep your players informed of what your trying to do - particularly your Third. In the words of Ron Marshall, a former top player and coach, " a skip must inspire his players to have implicit trust in him and help them to play not as individuals but as a team."

GOOD BOWLING

This finishes the series on "know your position". None of the views expressed are original. Everything about Leads, Seconds, Thirds and Skips has been said before in more depth in various publications and by leading players of today as well as yesteryear. There is nothing new in bowls except for new types of bowls and the type of grass used on greens. The principles and tactics have not changed for many years. (No - I was not playing bowls eighty years ago).

Some recommended reading is -

Bowls the Australian Way - various authors but particularly the article by Ron Marshall (Art of Fours Play)

Think and Play Better Bowls - Mark de Lacy & Peter Bellis

Bowls Straight from the Shoulder - Vic Muir

A to Zen of Bowls - Barry Salter

Bowl with Bryant - David Bryant

Modern Approach to Lawn Bowls - Frank Soars

Winning Bowls - John Snell

Evan Tanzer

5/08/08

ART OF CORRECTION - WEIGHT

A serious fault common in many players is the inability to make minor corrections to their weight. Many times when you tell a player he (or she) is 1m short of the Jack you can bet anything you like that the next bowl will be 2m past the Jack. Weight control is perhaps the hardest feature of bowls to master. However, it is a feature that separates the good bowler from the average player.

Lets look at the mechanics of the rolling of a bowl. One revolution of a size 4 bowl takes it a distance of approximately 40cm. Over a medium length of 27m the bowl revolves about 68 times. So you can see that an extra 2.5 revolutions of the bowl is all that is required to give that extra 1m of weight. A very delicate correction.

If you watch bowls on TV no doubt you will have heard Ian Schuback comment on weight correction. He says that you do NOT make a physical correction but a mental one. You THINK the difference and let your sub-conscious mind make the necessary correction. This is a procedureused by elite bowlers.

It is a concept difficult to accept but it works. Try it. You can do no worse than what you are doing now.

Therefore it is important in a team game that whoever is directing the head gives you an accurate indication of how short or long you are. If he/she does not - then tell them that is what you want. Unfortunately, many Skips deliberately give a false measurement as they know most bowlers overcorrect. However if you use the mental imaging procedure you must have a fairly accurate estimate of distance to work on.

In a game of singles it pays to visit the head if you are not sure of the distances. You get a better mental picture than relying on the markers information. The debit side, however, is that you hold up the game. Use the right to visit the head wisely. As part of your practice routines try estimating distances before going to the head. I understand that Schuback, when he was a top player, had the reputation of being able to judge distanceswithin inches without visiting the head. Try it yourself.

Like every other facet of the game - practice does not make perfect only perfect practice does. Use your practice sessions wisely. Aim for quality not quantity.

Happy bowling.

Evan Tanzer.

14/11/08