Al Jackson I have been playing bowls for 8 years now. Took it up far too late! I play outdoors at the Fortrose and Rosemarkie Bowling Club in Fortrose which is up in the Highlands of Scotland, 16 miles east of Inverness. In the winter I play at the Inverness Indoor bowling club. I have watched all 4 of these videos and I think they are superb, hats off to you Darryl for a very professional job. also hats off for no gimmicks, just keeping things plain and simple, and effective. Your video on the grip certainly made me re-think what I was doing. Looking forward very much to seeing your proposed future videos, especially on making adjustments to the delivery and how to control weight. All the best.
Al, Thank you for the thoughtful comment! 8 years means your are just starting your journey in bowls, regardless of age. Glad you took up the sport and even happier that you are enjoying it. I've spent some time in Inverness as half my family is from Scotland. Mostly Glasgow/Clydebank region) but some live way up north! We appreciate the feedback as we hoped to create something simple to lay a solid framework for a solid delivery -- then players can add their own changes to make it their own. Hopefully, our videos are getting better as we go and we hope that some of our new projects will also be as good! All the best!
Hi, I have only been playing bowls for 4 years and I have been struggling to find consistency! I played golf for over 50 years, but I started playing bowls as the bowling club was just across the street from me! Watching your video tonight pointed out a few things where I am doing wrong! But the main problem for me is getting down low, as the key to creating a good takeaway is in what you showed in your blog in keeping the bowl close to the ground/green! I am fit for a 74 year old, struggling to get down low, but with a longer step should help me out! I do not have a long back swing, so I have that part covered! I do follow through, but maybe counting too 3 will help me? Many thanks! Now looking forward to next summers season here in Scotland!
Thankyou for the videos. They are very clear instructions and easy to understand. The last point about evaluating the bowl cannot be overemphasized. You can be the most technically correct bowler out there but if you don't pay attention to the line and length of your last bowl you won't be able to correct it. Bowls is a game of corrections and adjustments. May all your bowls be back resting touchers.
Hi Al, g'day from Australia. I started bowling only 18 months ago and am enjoying it very much. My main frustration is the amount of "helpful" coaching I get. I know people are trying to be helpful (isn't the bowling community a great bunch of people, though?) but I end up changing some aspects of my stance, and delivery almost weekly! The pre set-up and follow-through advice is fairly consistent. Your advice on the grip is interesting. I place my first and third fingers on the grips, and middle finger on the center of the running surface, with thumb and little finger loosely touching the bowl. This is comfortable for me. I particularly like your point about adjusting the advice you give depending on physical circumstances. Many thanks for your help.
Hi Patrick, The community means well in most circumstances when they are offering advice, but the consistency and expertise behind it can be questionable. Before you make any changes to your delivery based on bits and pieces of advice it's always best to seek out a qualified coach to ask questions and get help making those adjustments. Glad you enjoyed the video!
Very valuable series. Many bowlers and even some coaches overlook the need for a good consistent and repeatable delivery and thereby hamper and slow skill development and performance. Wish this series had been available when I first took up bowls.
Thanks for this, i will put some of these tips to use next time on the green, have been playing about 5 yrs now, but am inconsistent. We have a Tuesday league and yesterday i was terrible, made me want to look up videos for ways to improve my game. Thanks.
Having watched this video the other day, I played in a match last night,, bowled quite well, and the point about the arm not going back to far is so important, it really helped me last night, thankyou 👍
@Steve Hall amazing! Hopefully some of those small tweaks and some good repetition and practice will really help you raise your game. Congrats and keep it up!
This is so timely and related to me, I'm over 6 ft tall with past tendancy to drop woods, release point is the key to the kingdom, it eliminates so many variables, I will work on this now, Two big matches to come, I need to be on it, thanks for sharing this video
@@CanadianBowler Thanks very much, well I'm an established 2nd team player, but one of these games is for 1st team, I'm excited, but I want to be able to do myself justice
Well going forward to Sept 2022,I have actually reached a club final and won it 21-12,Attention to detail was the key to my success ,I'm absolutely delighted ,Thankyou so much 😀
Playing my first season in the UK. This series of vids has completely changed my way of play and improved my bowling so much I know get picked for my club team. Many thanks for these! 😊 😃
These are wonderfully helpful Darryl. I'm a new bowler, early 60s, Australia. I feel that there are some rather subtle factors to get right before it all works smoothly, and I think your explanation and demo of them is top shelf.
Thank you for another great video you have crossed all the bad issues ive been struggling with in my game now going to put all three teachings into practice to im prove my game thank you once again.
Thanks so much for this. I've only had one live lesson at a bowling club. I knew I was doing something wrong. This clears it up. Can't wait to try this out. Will save this for review.
@@CanadianBowler Have my 2nd day today. I’m singing praises of your teaching to 2 other new ladies & even to the club members. Knowing what to work towards to, helps me to improve my deliveries. In Australia, we are going into Winter.
SO glad I've found your site and advice. I have a really bad habit of "crossing" myself as I deliver my bowl, so obviously causing me to bowl "narrow". This is not impressing my skip , although he is very sympathetic. I really enjoyed watching this video, but I wondered, without actually being on the green, there is a drill that would allow me to throw my arm out to the right, as opposed to pulling it across my body. Many thanks.
It will take some time and repetition, but focusing your attention to your follow through and trying to make sure your hand is palm up and pointing to your chosen target point is key. You can try this by placing visual markers on the green so it's clear and you can then work on forcing that follow through and repeating it regularly. You can also do some shadow delivery drills off the green and if you have a mirror you can do that towards you can reinforce that motion by seeing yourself and correcting it as much as possible
@@CanadianBowler thank you so much for your speedy answer. Great advice and I will be doing the practice drills. I really think that your videos are the very best.
Thank you, these 4 videos addressed every issue I've found during my nascent bowling career! It's as if you've been watching me. I especially liked...well, all of it! I will watch these again and again, the advice is exactly what I need. Can't wait to try a better grip!
We are so glad that these videos helped you out! We are hoping to keep this series going with some more instructional videos, so keep and eye out for that!
Great series of videos, many thanks. I hope I haven’t missed any detailed reference to aiming point but my question is the final action on the mat before actually delivering the bowl. To make an analogy with golf where you would aim at some point in the distance and draw a line back to your club and stance several times and when you finally swing at the ball you are only looking down at an aligned club face. To take this analogy to delivering the bowl eg where as an example aligning with the rink boundary marker and then visualising the path that the bowl will take. The question is what is the last point one looks at on delivery. Is it a mark picked out on the green to bowl over and how far away would this be. In your video it looks like a point about 5 metre from the mat. If I try and keep the rink marker in view on delivery it is more difficult to lower the legs and arms to deliver smoothly onto the green. Regards from uk.
Hi Peter! We will be making a video on aim and visualization soon. It is about finding a target/point of reference and drawing your line and trying to train yourself to see that line the bowl will take. It is similar to golf where you see the whole path and then pick a target on the green and aim and roll towards that. Great question!
Two key points for me are, my backswing is going to far back creating a swing/hook across my body on delivery and I'm chopping my follow through to short after release. Thank you very much for this tutorial. Hopefully I can work on fixing these errors in my technique and be much more consistent on the greens. 👍
Glad you got so much out of the video! This is exactly why we wanted to create the series and help players like yourself find those things that are bothering you and iron out the wrinkles! Good luck and let us know how it goes!
Hi Darryl..many thanks for these videos , they are a very useful help.Can I ask you do you think it's OK if you have a little few seconds ritual before picking up the bowl?..I bring the bowl to the mat with both feet before picking it up for example. Many Thanks Hopper Bray Bowls Club Ireland.
Absolutely! Everyone should have some sort of pre-routine that gets them ready to bowl. If it can help get your focus up and prep you to roll a clean bowl, that's great.
Thank you for the video, I just can't seem to take the weight of. I play indoor bowls, I am getting my lines can't seem to get the weight. Been playing for about 11 years, my game has gone right of. Your video also was very helpful.
Sometimes it's a matter of taking a step back, slowing yourself down and looking at the basics. When you've bowled for many years sometimes you get into a routine that is hard to break. Hope you find more and more success!
You are so so good. I am a new bowler and my problem is the 'weight'. More often than not when I try to adjust the weight, the bowls will definitely end up quite short of Jack. any advice please? Thank you.
Weight is tricky -- Your weight comes from the movement, so trying to work on controlling your body movement and speed through the delivery process can help. A good drill to try and work on this is to set out 3-4 jacks (or targets) on the green with 2-3 feet between them. So set one at minimum length, then one 2-3 feet farther and so on. Start by trying to group your bowls on each individual target -- as you get better at that, then switch and try to land each of your bowls to a different length. This will help you get the feel for adding/subtracting distance and hopefully will help with weight control.
Thanks for the videos, they're great. Can I please ask, I can't bend my knees in a step motion due to weak knees, but have been doing a single-bent knee with foot on the mat with back leg stretched out behind for stability - almost like a yoga lunge pose - then rolling the ball low from there. Is this move allowed as a delivery stance in lawn bowls or is a step forward a necessary part of delivery to count officially?
Hi Jared. Nothing wrong with what you are doing. If it helps with the delivery, keeps you playing and you are successful at it keep going! As long as you have that back foot on or over the mat when you release the bowl, you are golden!
For a right hand player your left foot should not move until your right hand is at least at five o'clock because if it does you have your body moving forward as your hand is coming back, this is counter-productive to producing power. Bowls is a natural walking movement, doesn't matter which country you come from, every person walks the same way, (left foot moves forward in unison with the right hand) this movement creates maximum power and allows less movement of the shoulder creating more feel
Hi I bought a new set bowls Henselite. DREAMLINER XG. Can you please do a video. On these bowls. I am far too heavy handed. On my delivery and not sure on the mount of grass to take
We hope to make a series of videos on bowls but also on how to pick your line/take grass and also how to help control weight. Keep an eye on the channel!
Very good video. I will recommend to all my new bowlers and others that need a tune up. One question, I noticed you didn't talk about moving right knee in behind your left knee as you take the step. Any comment would be helpful. Thank you!
I wouldn't recommend the knee twist behind, but if it is a natural movement and not excessive it's fine. Lots of players do it. My overall concern with it is when it's extremely exaggerated -- when you are young it is not a problem but as you get older and flexibility may be an issue it can become a problem that needs addressing as now you are changing a part of the delivery sequence. So the short answer is it's fine to do if it comes naturally, but trying to step out straight and have as little leg twisting or knee movement would be ideal. More from longevity and injury prevention as I don't believe doing it helps with the technical application of the delivery.
Hi Steve! Glad you enjoyed the video. We have a few videos being worked on that deal with shot selection and finding your point of aim. Keep an eye on the channel!
Problem I have is I’m at the age where injuries and general wear and tear restrict my movement so I’ve had to find a delivery that works for me. We have blokes with chronic arthritis in their hands but they still love to play.
It's a game that you can play forever, but age/injuries/ailments all play a part in HOW we play the game. Making adjustments to equipment (smaller bowls perhaps?), the way you set up and deliver a bowl (sometimes static delivery works) can help keep you bowling at a higher level. Take a look at some of our other videos like this one: th-cam.com/video/E92aYQKxE5g/w-d-xo.html where we offer some tips.
Hi. I’m new at the game but love what I’ve learned so far and play reasonably well but my consistency is sadly lacking. I get my feet in the wrong position for forehand shots against backhand shots. Is what you’re showing here for just forehand and the feet reversed position for backhand? Thanks a lot.
Typically yes -- the video will show one angle and usually a single side of delivery. This would mean you'd want to adjust if you are bowling the other hand. You want your feet lined up to the target you are rolling towards. Then line the rest of your body on that same line.
Maybe I missed that point, but I was taught how you approach the mat is important, feet facing the way you want to go, regarding forehand or backhand, ? Great advise otherwise, cause I sometimes step to far and lose my balance
Hi Nikki - approaching the mat is important. Some players stand back, set themselves up with their point of aim and take a few steps onto the mat in that direction, some stand directly behind and take one step in that direction. The main point is to be 100% set with your shot goal, your point of aim and be mentally ready to roll a bowl -- THEN step on the mat so everything is facing that direction. And as you said, don't overstep and lose balance -- balance is a key component to a good delivery.
Thanks for the question Michael! Unfortunately one of the areas we cut for time and consistency was some info on the off hand placement. We couldn't' go too in depth on every aspect or we'd have an hour long video. The reason we say to not place your off hand on your knee is around anchoring yourself or using it as a crutch. Often if we don't mention it players will grab their knee or use it to rest/put weight on which causes issues. It then creates a single connection point to your leg and creates issues around stepping , moving and creates a strange centre of gravity. It is ok to have your off hand on your arm, chest or leg or really anywhere if you aren't putting weight on it , grabbing for balance or have it get in the way. So, in this video it should slide freely down the leg. We will be doing some short addendum videos on questions and comments around the delivery videos and this will be one of the topics for sure as we've had a number of questions about it as I do place my hand on my leg but it moves freely and doesn't bear any weight. Great observation and question!
I have been to check out 3 lawn bowls club & none of them actually would teach new people all the necessary steps as you do here. What they say is, you just bowl & then they will correct. I find that to be so weird. As in my case, my knee hurt badly the day after my first day of games. It hurt for 4 days. I think there should be a dry run of the delivery after learning all the steps. Do you have videos that teaches how to aim & how to increase weight?
Hey Yopeko! Thanks for checking out the video! Realistically clubs should be offering coaching sessions for new/novice bowlers to work on the delivery. Laying the foundation should be a key spot and then you correct the little inconsistencies as you go -- not try and correct everything because the player was never shown in the first place. Videos on line and weight will be coming this season -- we are just getting out of winter here in Canada so we haven't had a chance to hit the greens yet. Keep an eye on the channel for new content like that!
Really good videos with clear instruction. I wonder is you could suggest any tips for the following problem. I am a very experienced bowler and have had reasonable success at club and occasional county level but as I get older (I am a very fit and athletic 72 year old) I have noticed that I am bumping the bowl ever so slightly into the ground and I can hear it. This plays havoc with achieving consistent weight and I just can’t seem to fix it and deliver the bowl absolutely flush to the ground. Can you suggest any drills or tweaks to my technique that might get me over this problem. I can see from your videos that the bowl release point is critical, neither too soon nor too late but trying to correct this is exasperating! It is nothing to do with mobility as I am super fit and mobile. Any thoughts would be much appreciated
Thanks David! Release is such a critical part of the delivery and also such a tough one to review and correct as it's a little blip on the whole delivery process. If it isn't a mobility issue I would suggest trying to get a little video of yourself doing a handful of deliveries. Video can help identify other things that may be playing a part in your either not getting low enough, jumping up too fast or just a timing issue. Make sure it's a steady camera (tripod is best) so it's clear and steady. I would usually suggest going through the delivery motion without a bowl (maybe just a jack or ball to start) and try some tweaks (getting lower, slowing down, etc.) and see if anything helps you get that ball rolling smoothly and on point, then switch to a bowl and repeat and see if things stay smooth. It can be frustrating, but be persistent and if possible have a coach (or a good third party) help review from the outside.
Hi Daryll, I have stenosis in my back and have now lost my balance. Is there anyway you could show a video where you just crouch down to bowl without taking the step? Thank you…..
Hello! Thanks for the comment and request. We are under some major snow right now in Canada, but once we have the ability to do some videos and demonstrations we can definitely work on some topics like adjustments to delivery like you've noted above.
@@CanadianBowler Thank you very much for getting back to me and for putting my request under consideration. I look forward to watching more of your videos.👍…..
Hi Darryl, calling in from England. I am a newbie to lawn bowls and am really enjoying your series. The tips are excellent, very clear and uncomplicated. I have a question that has been puzzling me about the release. How do I know that my delivery hand or fingers of the hand, are at the right level above the green when the bowl is released. I understand why the bowl may drop or lift. Sometimes, I notice the bowl is brushing the green just before release so I know I am too low. It feels like I am rolling, rather than bowling the bowl, if that makes sense. I know this is something that at some point will click, with practice and repetition but I am curious to know how to ensure my hand is at the right height at the point of release. Thank you again for this series. I will look out for your reply.
Hi David! Thank you for checking out our videos! This is a great question and the answer is a tough one. The best way to review your delivery is through video. If you have the ability to have someone (or a camera on a tripod) video your delivery from a few angles and see that point of release and how low (or not low) you are. Similarly if you are finding a drop or loft in your delivery try switching to jacks and rolling a box of them until you feel it's getting smoother and adjust your step and lunge motion to try and get that ideal motion, release and follow through. It won't be easy as the release is so quick it is sometimes hard to figure out. Video helps get a good perspective and allows you to slow it down and rewind it. Having a coach or at least a third party watch can be a great option as well of they have experience working on these things. It's always going to be a tougher path doing it on your own. Once you do find a consistent release and smooth bowl then it is like you said. Repeat, repeat, repeat until you don't have to think much about it. It will just be natural. Hope this helps!
It's less about brute physical strength as it is creating and maintaining momentum from the start of delivery motion right through your follow-through. Of course the speed of your playing surface will make this harder or easier, but focus on good form and keeping yourself moving so you can generate the right force to get your bowl down the green.
I think an additional front view of your release would have made this a 10/10. You touched on finger position, specifically pinky and pointer, but it would be nice to see how you treat those from a front or back angle. I have a hard time not involving those digits in my release and I have gotten into a habit of doing a "Spiderman Thwip" finger position into my routine to anchor the weight on those middle fingers before I release.
Appreciate the comment. Some different angles would have shown more of the hand and arm and how those some together from the grip and stance into the movement and release. Totally fair!
@@CanadianBowler You do great work, I've been posting these to my clubs FB page. Keep up this great content, there are so few making it. Especially in North America. Can only take so many kiwi's telling me why I'm wrong.
@@carianoff We appreciate all the support! The feedback has been fantastic. We will likely make some more short videos to answer and address some of the comments and questions that have been asked.
I have both hips replaced and can't seem to get low enough to roll. Also my hands are very small and don't know which bowl to use. Been trying to play for about 8 weeks and am very frustrated
Hi Janet, it seems like you have a series of obstacles that you are trying to overcome. Have you considered looking at a bowling aid like a bowls arm to help remove some of those obstacles and see if that really helps you enjoy the game more? They do also make sizes down to quadruple zero in many makes and models. Might be worth looking at a smaller bowl (if possible) and see if that helps you hold on and release it better. The size of the bowl doesn't matter for the game itself, it's all about finding the right bowl size for you.
With the follow through, should you just keep it in line of the path you bowl it? I see players with the last part going across their body! What is correct ?
Ideally you should have everything flow towards your target, including your follow-through. But the key is to completely release your bowl before moving your arm. When you see a lot of top players bring their hand/arm across typically this is after their delivery is complete. Where you see issues is when someone is prematurely moving their arm across and influencing the release of the bowl.
I've developed a delivery over the last year wherein I walk out of the delivery after release. It's unorthadox which is concerning but it's improved my weight and line. Not sure whether I should stop and undo it or continue on.
The key to delivery is to complete the motion through release. As long as you aren't rushing through and shortening anything and your release point is clean you should be fine with continuous motion in follow through. If your consistent I wouldn't change anything as it's obviously working for you.
I'm 62 and I'm finding when I deliver it is hard for me to have my point of aim up the green. Instead I end up looking more down as I deliver consequently my line is sometimes off. Your video on release is very good but do you have a way to help me feel more comfortable delivering with my eyes up the green. Eg. Is my step too short and I'm pushing my head forward making me stretch my neck. Thank you.
Hi Neil! I've worked with a few players that have a similar issue where for one reason or another can't keep their eyes up the green to spot the point of aim they are trying to take. It's hard to make suggestions without actually seeing you bowl, but I can offer a few that you can try and hopefully something will click for you and help. First would be to find a comfortable walking step as your regular distance and remove any pushing or sudden movements. Make it was smooth as you can and as stable/balanced as you can to avoid having to look down or drop your head. Sometimes is some jarring/quick motions that make us do things like look down (off balance), push our arm (motion is not synced), shorten our follow-though (trying to control weight artificially) . You could try and draw your line even farther down the rink towards you. Typically we'd want to look at the breaking point of the bowl as our spot, but in your case drawing it even further down and finding a spot you can keep your eye on while delivering might work. Another would be to adjust your delivery to lower yourself more and remove some of the action of moving forward-- not sure if it will help but it may remove some of the motion that causes you to drop your head. Do these sound like options that may help?
@@CanadianBowler I'll spend some alone time having a roll up and try these suggestions and let you know if I've had any success. Thanks so much for your help.
With the cradle grip, should you have the bowl ever so slanted in the hand, I find it difficult to keep the wrist straight. With the claw, the hand is slightly inclined inwards on release, so this problem does not exist? Thanks. RB
We don't recommend using a cradle grip for bowls. It offers too many issues with trying to get the bowl away clean and smooth. The grip we note in our grip video is a more natural grip and doesn't sit in the palm of your hand.
Typically I'd shy bowlers away from an overly athletic backswing. As I note in the video all you need is to get it between your butt and your back foot. It's not necessary to swing your arm way back to get a lot of power/speed and is wasted movement. If you are someone with a large backswing or are doing that for a drive you will need to have a way to squeeze the bowl for grip. It would mean moving to more of a claw grip where you are basically squeezing the bowl to hang on when you bring the bowl way back and up behind you. Or you may need to review the size of bowl you are using if you find you are having it slip. Basically you are having to think more about not dropping the bowl than making the shot.
As I’m on our winter break am unable to practice this , but with not using your thumb & little finger when you come back how do you avoid dropping the bowl , I really want to try this method is there anything I can do to practice before the season starts again & I can get back on the greens
Always a tough question. Best thing if you don't have a good surface to practice on is to find a decent one and use padding to cover things like walls and then you can roll into them and practice a delivery without actually rolling a bowl full length. It will give you at least a chance to try the movements and then when you finally get to a green you can put it all together and see how you perform. As for dropping the bowl, if you have a proper set for your hand size and don't raise your arm too high behind you, you shouldn't have an issue.
Hi Bob! The method of having your feet together can negatively influence balance, but having a stable base and stepping out helps maintain that balance. You still have everything set and in the direction of your point of aim and then you can step out and delivery to that point.
A couple of things could help -- check the bowls you are using, perhaps something smaller would help with the grip and holding on to the bowl. Also look at your backswing, maybe trying to reduce the backwards motion and rely on body weight and a full follow through to help with getting the bowl down the green. Without seeing the delivery these are only common suggestions for having issues holding on to the bowl.
Usually I wouldn't recommend using the grips on the sides, but they are there to help if you need them (would be one of the adjustment options for those having some issues). You can use them as a guide but you don't really want to grip hard into them, more have your fingers on top.
Thanks for the vidos, fantastic. Question about weight control. Would it be true to say the larger the step, the futher the bowl will go? At the moment i push the bowl with my fingers which I dont feel is right. How do you get weight?
Hello! Thank you for the compliment we really appreciate everyone that watches our videos! There are those that talk about larger step and larger backswing = more weight. We don't believe in that method of weight control or adding weight to your bowl. The idea for control is setting your aiming point either closer or farther as you need to get to a short or long jack or possibly a running shot. By adjusting your target point you are either shortening or lengthening where you need to roll your bowl and naturally you will step a little longer, move a little faster and your follow-through will likely get longer. Nothing should be manufactured like forcing a larger step or creating a longer backswing. You also shouldn't be trying to push the bowl, it should be a nice natural release with no added movements on it. It will take practice and repetition to get your delivery down and remove the forced movements, but working on setting your aim point on the green (usually equal to where the bowl will break or bias kicks in) and then shortening that or lengthening that will help you control weight. This gets tricky on ultra-slow greens like 9 seconds or less where you'll be forcing a bowl to get to the target and the finesse and smooth delivery is likely not in the picture. I hope we can make a video on point of aim as well as weight control to go over some of these questions in more detail to help!
@@CanadianBowler Thankyou very much for answering this question. This has never been explained to me before. Looks like I have a lot to work on as my aming point is usly on the bank or equel to the jack. I will now practice this method and see how it goes. It does makes sence.
Try taking some time to focus solely on the delivery and even take the focus of jack/target out of the equation. Set some targets a few feet/meter in front of you and work on rolling over top of them and put your focus on not twisting your hand/wrist while hitting that target. By removing all the other distractions of a "normal" delivery you can isolate that part and do repetition on a non-twist version. When you are confident you can deliver without the twist, then try a full length delivery. You may find the need to put some thought and focus on no doing the twist, but with enough reps and time you'll eventually get rid of it and not have to think about it. Hope this helps! If you have someone who can help as a coach and watch what you do, that will help even more.
No rule against delivery of a bowl with your back facing the jack. As long as you are still following the basic rules like foot on or over the mat on release. Can I ask why you asked this question?
@@CanadianBowler We were playing indoor bowls and this one guy rolled two of his bowls like backwards and upset some of the players calling it unethical. I told everyone to calm down and will look into the matter. Thanks for clearing it up.
Thanks for the feedback. We've removed any background music from future videos, but the ones already posted will have that. Hope you still got a lot from the information presented!
Great Question and observation Martin. We've answered this in some other comments, but it's a point we didn't talk about in-depth on the video as we wanted to keep it short and concise. We state that you shouldn't have your hand/arm on your leg as the key point is to not create an anchor or put any weight on it. In reality, it is ok to place your hand/arm in any spot as long as you are not making it a hinge or a crutch to put weight on. Someone should be able to come and push your hand away with ease because you aren't grabbing/leaning with it. The video does show Darryl placing his hand on his leg, but there is no weight placed on it. He just feels strange/uncomfortable having his arm at his side. Thanks for noting this!
You forgot ro mention that (obviously) the green is super slow. My guess is lower than 14secs. As a consequence your demonstration is making a continuous fault of "cupping" the bowl in the hand and therefore losing "feel". The bowl should be held in the tips of the fingers and the thumb. "Cupping" the bowl will cause continuous weight problems and a lot of inconsistency. The only time you need to "cup" the bowl is when you are driving.
Hello @workingdogcentre! Thanks for checking out the video. In this demonstration, the green has no significance on the delivery method or grip we are showing for video purposes. We weren't trying to rip one to the end of the green and while it was sub 14 but not anywhere near 10 seconds or ultra slow. In this demonstration, there was also no cupping of the bowl in the delivery sequence (or at least the grip), but possibly the angle may look that way -- If you haven't checked it out already I would suggest looking at our grip video which shows how this particular delivery sequence is set up - th-cam.com/video/OXvL-gmZ3qY/w-d-xo.html. I wouldn't suggest cupping for a drive either as that can lead to other inconsistencies in delivering that bowl. I do appreciate the feedback as it allows for a good discussion. You are absolutely right that cupping is not ideal for a draw delivery which we talk about in our grip video. Thank you!
@@CanadianBowler Thanks for your reply. There can be no question that this video clearly demonstrates a grip that "cups' the bowl. Please note that under 14 secs is considered very slow. Sitting the bowl back in the hand ie. "cupping" is the recommended and most used grip for someone who drives well. Note I didn't say an "upshot" but a drive. Once again, thank you for your response. ie. I am a National Coach.
@workingdogcentre unfortunately in this case you are missing the mark with the analysis. I am the one demonstrating the grip and delivery and in no portion of the video does the bowl get cradled in the back of my hand. While we can agree on the fact that a cradle/cupping/palm grip is not ideal, I don't think we'll see eye to eye on this. I am a National Coach as well, but there's room for all variations of coaching and technical philosophies -- it always comes down to the success of the individual using it.
@workingdogcentre no need to be sorry about anything. You are fully entitled to your opinions and thoughts as well as coaching in the way you see fit. We appreciate you stopping by to share your thoughts. We are fully confident in our video series and approach to the delivery. It may not be for everyone, like yourself, and we accept that. Thank you for checking out the video and the comments!
Al Jackson
I have been playing bowls for 8 years now. Took it up far too late! I play outdoors at the Fortrose and Rosemarkie Bowling Club in Fortrose which is up in the Highlands of Scotland, 16 miles east of Inverness. In the winter I play at the Inverness Indoor bowling club. I have watched all 4 of these videos and I think they are superb, hats off to you Darryl for a very professional job. also hats off for no gimmicks, just keeping things plain and simple, and effective. Your video on the grip certainly made me re-think what I was doing. Looking forward very much to seeing your proposed future videos, especially on making adjustments to the delivery and how to control weight. All the best.
Al,
Thank you for the thoughtful comment! 8 years means your are just starting your journey in bowls, regardless of age. Glad you took up the sport and even happier that you are enjoying it. I've spent some time in Inverness as half my family is from Scotland. Mostly Glasgow/Clydebank region) but some live way up north! We appreciate the feedback as we hoped to create something simple to lay a solid framework for a solid delivery -- then players can add their own changes to make it their own. Hopefully, our videos are getting better as we go and we hope that some of our new projects will also be as good!
All the best!
Hi, I have only been playing bowls for 4 years and I have been struggling to find consistency! I played golf for over 50 years, but I started playing bowls as the bowling club was just across the street from me! Watching your video tonight pointed out a few things where I am doing wrong! But the main problem for me is getting down low, as the key to creating a good takeaway is in what you showed in your blog in keeping the bowl close to the ground/green! I am fit for a 74 year old, struggling to get down low, but with a longer step should help me out! I do not have a long back swing, so I have that part covered! I do follow through, but maybe counting too 3 will help me? Many thanks! Now looking forward to next summers season here in Scotland!
Thankyou for the videos. They are very clear instructions and easy to understand. The last point about evaluating the bowl cannot be overemphasized. You can be the most technically correct bowler out there but if you don't pay attention to the line and length of your last bowl you won't be able to correct it. Bowls is a game of corrections and adjustments. May all your bowls be back resting touchers.
Hi Al, g'day from Australia. I started bowling only 18 months ago and am enjoying it very much. My main frustration is the amount of "helpful" coaching I get. I know people are trying to be helpful (isn't the bowling community a great bunch of people, though?) but I end up changing some aspects of my stance, and delivery almost weekly! The pre set-up and follow-through advice is fairly consistent. Your advice on the grip is interesting. I place my first and third fingers on the grips, and middle finger on the center of the running surface, with thumb and little finger loosely touching the bowl. This is comfortable for me. I particularly like your point about adjusting the advice you give depending on physical circumstances. Many thanks for your help.
Hi Patrick, The community means well in most circumstances when they are offering advice, but the consistency and expertise behind it can be questionable. Before you make any changes to your delivery based on bits and pieces of advice it's always best to seek out a qualified coach to ask questions and get help making those adjustments. Glad you enjoyed the video!
Very valuable series. Many bowlers and even some coaches overlook the need for a good consistent and repeatable delivery and thereby hamper and slow skill development and performance. Wish this series had been available when I first took up bowls.
Thanks! We appreciate the feedback and are happy that so many are finding them useful.
Thanks for this, i will put some of these tips to use next time on the green, have been playing about 5 yrs now, but am inconsistent. We have a Tuesday league and yesterday i was terrible, made me want to look up videos for ways to improve my game. Thanks.
We hope that the tips in the video help! Let us know how it goes.
I'm a new bowler in Zimbabwe and was so glad to watch these coaching tips. Thank you.
Thank you for checking out our videos!
Found those videos really helpful. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Thank you Howard!
Having watched this video the other day, I played in a match last night,, bowled quite well, and the point about the arm not going back to far is so important, it really helped me last night, thankyou 👍
@Steve Hall amazing! Hopefully some of those small tweaks and some good repetition and practice will really help you raise your game. Congrats and keep it up!
@@CanadianBowler 👍❤️
As a new bowler I've used these fundamental principles and my bowling has become consistent. Great series of videos. Thanks.
Glad you like them!
This is so timely and related to me, I'm over 6 ft tall with past tendancy to drop woods, release point is the key to the kingdom, it eliminates so many variables, I will work on this now, Two big matches to come, I need to be on it, thanks for sharing this video
Glad the video was helpful Steve! I'm also 6ft+ and getting down is a big key to consistent delivery. Hope it helps and good luck in your big matches!
@@CanadianBowler Thanks very much, well I'm an established 2nd team player, but one of these games is for 1st team, I'm excited, but I want to be able to do myself justice
Well going forward to Sept 2022,I have actually reached a club final and won it 21-12,Attention to detail was the key to my success ,I'm absolutely delighted ,Thankyou so much 😀
AMAZING!
Thanks very much ,there were about 60 people watching, many first teamers ,it was so thrilling
Playing my first season in the UK. This series of vids has completely changed my way of play and improved my bowling so much I know get picked for my club team. Many thanks for these! 😊 😃
Thats amazing Gray! Congratulations and hope your game continues to improve! All the best.
Another excellent video Darryl. Great series.
These are wonderfully helpful Darryl. I'm a new bowler, early 60s, Australia. I feel that there are some rather subtle factors to get right before it all works smoothly, and I think your explanation and demo of them is top shelf.
@billdwyer7722 Thank you so much for the kind words! We hope the videos are helpful and you see an improvement in your game.
Thank you for another great video you have crossed all the bad issues ive been struggling with in my game now going to put all three teachings into practice to im prove my game thank you once again.
Awesome! We really hope this helps your game.
Very good instructions to help any bowler , I am trying to incorporate these videos into my game to become more consistent.
We are glad to hear you are finding success with the tips!
Greetings from across the pond. An amazing series, the best I've seen on these subjects. Thanks!
Glad you enjoy it!
Great series, great coaching, thank you
Our pleasure!
Excellent lesson
Thank you Rob!
Nice job Darryl. New bowlers will find this invaluable.
Indeed.
Thanks so much for this. I've only had one live lesson at a bowling club. I knew I was doing something wrong. This clears it up. Can't wait to try this out. Will save this for review.
Glad you found our video! We hope it helps and let us know how things go!
@@CanadianBowler Have my 2nd day today. I’m singing praises of your teaching to 2 other new ladies & even to the club members. Knowing what to work towards to, helps me to improve my deliveries. In Australia, we are going into Winter.
Appreciate the support and glad it has helped!
SO glad I've found your site and advice. I have a really bad habit of "crossing" myself as I deliver my bowl, so obviously causing me to bowl "narrow". This is not impressing my skip , although he is very sympathetic. I really enjoyed watching this video, but I wondered, without actually being on the green, there is a drill that would allow me to throw my arm out to the right, as opposed to pulling it across my body. Many thanks.
It will take some time and repetition, but focusing your attention to your follow through and trying to make sure your hand is palm up and pointing to your chosen target point is key. You can try this by placing visual markers on the green so it's clear and you can then work on forcing that follow through and repeating it regularly. You can also do some shadow delivery drills off the green and if you have a mirror you can do that towards you can reinforce that motion by seeing yourself and correcting it as much as possible
@@CanadianBowler thank you so much for your speedy answer. Great advice and I will be doing the practice drills. I really think that your videos are the very best.
Great video. Thanks so much.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great vids, thank you. Really helpful.
Glad you like them!
hi, new to lawn bowls have found your vids very good. can now see how the experienced bowlers do it. thanks . Enfield nth. London
Awesome, thank you! we really appreciate the feedback.
Thank you, these 4 videos addressed every issue I've found during my nascent bowling career! It's as if you've been watching me. I especially liked...well, all of it! I will watch these again and again, the advice is exactly what I need. Can't wait to try a better grip!
We are so glad that these videos helped you out! We are hoping to keep this series going with some more instructional videos, so keep and eye out for that!
Great series of videos, many thanks. I hope I haven’t missed any detailed reference to aiming point but my question is the final action on the mat before actually delivering the bowl. To make an analogy with golf where you would aim at some point in the distance and draw a line back to your club and stance several times and when you finally swing at the ball you are only looking down at an aligned club face.
To take this analogy to delivering the bowl eg where as an example aligning with the rink boundary marker and then visualising the path that the bowl will take. The question is what is the last point one looks at on delivery. Is it a mark picked out on the green to bowl over and how far away would this be. In your video it looks like a point about 5 metre from the mat. If I try and keep the rink marker in view on delivery it is more difficult to lower the legs and arms to deliver smoothly onto the green.
Regards from uk.
Hi Peter!
We will be making a video on aim and visualization soon. It is about finding a target/point of reference and drawing your line and trying to train yourself to see that line the bowl will take. It is similar to golf where you see the whole path and then pick a target on the green and aim and roll towards that. Great question!
Thanks for fast reply to my comment. I shall look forward to your future video on “Aim and Visualisation”.
Greetings from the uk, THANK YOU for this video, exactly what I needed to get back into the swing of things
Hello! Thank you for checking out the video and we are so happy it has helped you out!
Thanks helped my game massively 😊brilliant
Great to hear!
Two key points for me are, my backswing is going to far back creating a swing/hook across my body on delivery and I'm chopping my follow through to short after release. Thank you very much for this tutorial. Hopefully I can work on fixing these errors in my technique and be much more consistent on the greens. 👍
Glad you got so much out of the video! This is exactly why we wanted to create the series and help players like yourself find those things that are bothering you and iron out the wrinkles! Good luck and let us know how it goes!
Hi Darryl..many thanks for these videos , they are a very useful help.Can I ask you do you think it's OK if you have a little few seconds ritual before picking up the bowl?..I bring the bowl to the mat with both feet before picking it up for example.
Many Thanks
Hopper
Bray Bowls Club
Ireland.
Absolutely! Everyone should have some sort of pre-routine that gets them ready to bowl. If it can help get your focus up and prep you to roll a clean bowl, that's great.
@CanadianBowler Many Thanks Darryl
Thank you for the video, I just can't seem to take the weight of. I play indoor bowls, I am getting my lines can't seem to get the weight. Been playing for about 11 years, my game has gone right of. Your video also was very helpful.
Sometimes it's a matter of taking a step back, slowing yourself down and looking at the basics. When you've bowled for many years sometimes you get into a routine that is hard to break. Hope you find more and more success!
You are so so good. I am a new bowler and my problem is the 'weight'. More often than not when I try to adjust the weight, the bowls will definitely end up quite short of Jack. any advice please? Thank you.
Weight is tricky -- Your weight comes from the movement, so trying to work on controlling your body movement and speed through the delivery process can help. A good drill to try and work on this is to set out 3-4 jacks (or targets) on the green with 2-3 feet between them. So set one at minimum length, then one 2-3 feet farther and so on. Start by trying to group your bowls on each individual target -- as you get better at that, then switch and try to land each of your bowls to a different length. This will help you get the feel for adding/subtracting distance and hopefully will help with weight control.
Sure. I have done these practices but not taken them seriously. Ok, I will do them again and again. Thank you 🙏🏽
Thanks for the videos, they're great. Can I please ask, I can't bend my knees in a step motion due to weak knees, but have been doing a single-bent knee with foot on the mat with back leg stretched out behind for stability - almost like a yoga lunge pose - then rolling the ball low from there. Is this move allowed as a delivery stance in lawn bowls or is a step forward a necessary part of delivery to count officially?
Hi Jared. Nothing wrong with what you are doing. If it helps with the delivery, keeps you playing and you are successful at it keep going! As long as you have that back foot on or over the mat when you release the bowl, you are golden!
superb series of videos. I got so much from them. Thank you so much
Glad you like them!
For a right hand player your left foot should not move until your right hand is at least at five o'clock because if it does you have your body moving forward as your hand is coming back, this is counter-productive to producing power. Bowls is a natural walking movement, doesn't matter which country you come from, every person walks the same way, (left foot moves forward in unison with the right hand) this movement creates maximum power and allows less movement of the shoulder creating more feel
Hi I bought a new set bowls
Henselite. DREAMLINER XG. Can you please do a video. On these bowls. I am far too heavy handed. On my delivery
and not sure on the mount of grass to take
We hope to make a series of videos on bowls but also on how to pick your line/take grass and also how to help control weight. Keep an eye on the channel!
Very good video. I will recommend to all my new bowlers and others that need a tune up. One question, I noticed you didn't talk about moving right knee in behind your left knee as you take the step. Any comment would be helpful. Thank you!
I wouldn't recommend the knee twist behind, but if it is a natural movement and not excessive it's fine. Lots of players do it. My overall concern with it is when it's extremely exaggerated -- when you are young it is not a problem but as you get older and flexibility may be an issue it can become a problem that needs addressing as now you are changing a part of the delivery sequence. So the short answer is it's fine to do if it comes naturally, but trying to step out straight and have as little leg twisting or knee movement would be ideal. More from longevity and injury prevention as I don't believe doing it helps with the technical application of the delivery.
nice tutorial well done
Thank you! Cheers!
Great thanks very helpful any chance of a similar video on point of aim
Hi Steve! Glad you enjoyed the video. We have a few videos being worked on that deal with shot selection and finding your point of aim. Keep an eye on the channel!
Hi your videos are very informative and helpful. Have you done one on point of aim please
We are currently working on a fee more videos for the series! Thanks for checking them out!
Problem I have is I’m at the age where injuries and general wear and tear restrict my movement so I’ve had to find a delivery that works for me. We have blokes with chronic arthritis in their hands but they still love to play.
It's a game that you can play forever, but age/injuries/ailments all play a part in HOW we play the game. Making adjustments to equipment (smaller bowls perhaps?), the way you set up and deliver a bowl (sometimes static delivery works) can help keep you bowling at a higher level. Take a look at some of our other videos like this one: th-cam.com/video/E92aYQKxE5g/w-d-xo.html where we offer some tips.
Hi. I’m new at the game but love what I’ve learned so far and play reasonably well but my consistency is sadly lacking. I get my feet in the wrong position for forehand shots against backhand shots. Is what you’re showing here for just forehand and the feet reversed position for backhand? Thanks a lot.
Typically yes -- the video will show one angle and usually a single side of delivery. This would mean you'd want to adjust if you are bowling the other hand. You want your feet lined up to the target you are rolling towards. Then line the rest of your body on that same line.
I love your teachings, excellent!!!
Thank you so much!
Maybe I missed that point, but I was taught how you approach the mat is important, feet facing the way you want to go, regarding forehand or backhand, ? Great advise otherwise, cause I sometimes step to far and lose my balance
Hi Nikki - approaching the mat is important. Some players stand back, set themselves up with their point of aim and take a few steps onto the mat in that direction, some stand directly behind and take one step in that direction. The main point is to be 100% set with your shot goal, your point of aim and be mentally ready to roll a bowl -- THEN step on the mat so everything is facing that direction. And as you said, don't overstep and lose balance -- balance is a key component to a good delivery.
excellent video Darryl. but in this video your left hand is on your knee , which you said in the other video was wrong so which is it ?
Thanks for the question Michael! Unfortunately one of the areas we cut for time and consistency was some info on the off hand placement. We couldn't' go too in depth on every aspect or we'd have an hour long video. The reason we say to not place your off hand on your knee is around anchoring yourself or using it as a crutch. Often if we don't mention it players will grab their knee or use it to rest/put weight on which causes issues. It then creates a single connection point to your leg and creates issues around stepping , moving and creates a strange centre of gravity. It is ok to have your off hand on your arm, chest or leg or really anywhere if you aren't putting weight on it , grabbing for balance or have it get in the way. So, in this video it should slide freely down the leg. We will be doing some short addendum videos on questions and comments around the delivery videos and this will be one of the topics for sure as we've had a number of questions about it as I do place my hand on my leg but it moves freely and doesn't bear any weight. Great observation and question!
Thank you very much🙏🙏🙏
I have been to check out 3 lawn bowls club & none of them actually would teach new people all the necessary steps as you do here. What they say is, you just bowl & then they will correct. I find that to be so weird. As in my case, my knee hurt badly the day after my first day of games. It hurt for 4 days. I think there should be a dry run of the delivery after learning all the steps.
Do you have videos that teaches how to aim & how to increase weight?
Hey Yopeko! Thanks for checking out the video!
Realistically clubs should be offering coaching sessions for new/novice bowlers to work on the delivery. Laying the foundation should be a key spot and then you correct the little inconsistencies as you go -- not try and correct everything because the player was never shown in the first place.
Videos on line and weight will be coming this season -- we are just getting out of winter here in Canada so we haven't had a chance to hit the greens yet. Keep an eye on the channel for new content like that!
Really good videos with clear instruction. I wonder is you could suggest any tips for the following problem. I am a very experienced bowler and have had reasonable success at club and occasional county level but as I get older (I am a very fit and athletic 72 year old) I have noticed that I am bumping the bowl ever so slightly into the ground and I can hear it. This plays havoc with achieving consistent weight and I just can’t seem to fix it and deliver the bowl absolutely flush to the ground. Can you suggest any drills or tweaks to my technique that might get me over this problem. I can see from your videos that the bowl release point is critical, neither too soon nor too late but trying to correct this is exasperating! It is nothing to do with mobility as I am super fit and mobile. Any thoughts would be much appreciated
Thanks David! Release is such a critical part of the delivery and also such a tough one to review and correct as it's a little blip on the whole delivery process. If it isn't a mobility issue I would suggest trying to get a little video of yourself doing a handful of deliveries. Video can help identify other things that may be playing a part in your either not getting low enough, jumping up too fast or just a timing issue. Make sure it's a steady camera (tripod is best) so it's clear and steady. I would usually suggest going through the delivery motion without a bowl (maybe just a jack or ball to start) and try some tweaks (getting lower, slowing down, etc.) and see if anything helps you get that ball rolling smoothly and on point, then switch to a bowl and repeat and see if things stay smooth. It can be frustrating, but be persistent and if possible have a coach (or a good third party) help review from the outside.
Can someone have a stance that you don’t have to move forward? Love your videos.
Absolutely. There's no rule you have to move, but having no motion and all arm as your method of controlling weight makes it more difficult overall.
Hi Daryll, I have stenosis in my back and have now lost my balance. Is there anyway you could show a video where you just crouch down to bowl without taking the step? Thank you…..
Hello! Thanks for the comment and request. We are under some major snow right now in Canada, but once we have the ability to do some videos and demonstrations we can definitely work on some topics like adjustments to delivery like you've noted above.
@@CanadianBowler Thank you very much for getting back to me and for putting my request under consideration. I look forward to watching more of your videos.👍…..
Hi Darryl, calling in from England. I am a newbie to lawn bowls and am really enjoying your series. The tips are excellent, very clear and uncomplicated.
I have a question that has been puzzling me about the release. How do I know that my delivery hand or fingers of the hand, are at the right level above the green when the bowl is released. I understand why the bowl may drop or lift. Sometimes, I notice the bowl is brushing the green just before release so I know I am too low. It feels like I am rolling, rather than bowling the bowl, if that makes sense.
I know this is something that at some point will click, with practice and repetition but I am curious to know how to ensure my hand is at the right height at the point of release.
Thank you again for this series. I will look out for your reply.
Hi David! Thank you for checking out our videos! This is a great question and the answer is a tough one. The best way to review your delivery is through video. If you have the ability to have someone (or a camera on a tripod) video your delivery from a few angles and see that point of release and how low (or not low) you are. Similarly if you are finding a drop or loft in your delivery try switching to jacks and rolling a box of them until you feel it's getting smoother and adjust your step and lunge motion to try and get that ideal motion, release and follow through.
It won't be easy as the release is so quick it is sometimes hard to figure out. Video helps get a good perspective and allows you to slow it down and rewind it. Having a coach or at least a third party watch can be a great option as well of they have experience working on these things. It's always going to be a tougher path doing it on your own.
Once you do find a consistent release and smooth bowl then it is like you said. Repeat, repeat, repeat until you don't have to think much about it. It will just be natural.
Hope this helps!
Hi I'm from UK do you need to have a strong arm to get a good distance thanks my name mick played for the first time on grass not good
It's less about brute physical strength as it is creating and maintaining momentum from the start of delivery motion right through your follow-through. Of course the speed of your playing surface will make this harder or easier, but focus on good form and keeping yourself moving so you can generate the right force to get your bowl down the green.
I think an additional front view of your release would have made this a 10/10. You touched on finger position, specifically pinky and pointer, but it would be nice to see how you treat those from a front or back angle. I have a hard time not involving those digits in my release and I have gotten into a habit of doing a "Spiderman Thwip" finger position into my routine to anchor the weight on those middle fingers before I release.
Appreciate the comment. Some different angles would have shown more of the hand and arm and how those some together from the grip and stance into the movement and release. Totally fair!
@@CanadianBowler You do great work, I've been posting these to my clubs FB page. Keep up this great content, there are so few making it. Especially in North America. Can only take so many kiwi's telling me why I'm wrong.
@@carianoff We appreciate all the support! The feedback has been fantastic. We will likely make some more short videos to answer and address some of the comments and questions that have been asked.
I have both hips replaced and can't seem to get low enough to roll. Also my hands are very small and don't know which bowl to use. Been trying to play for about 8 weeks and am very frustrated
Hi Janet, it seems like you have a series of obstacles that you are trying to overcome. Have you considered looking at a bowling aid like a bowls arm to help remove some of those obstacles and see if that really helps you enjoy the game more? They do also make sizes down to quadruple zero in many makes and models. Might be worth looking at a smaller bowl (if possible) and see if that helps you hold on and release it better. The size of the bowl doesn't matter for the game itself, it's all about finding the right bowl size for you.
With the follow through, should you just keep it in line of the path you bowl it? I see players with the last part going across their body! What is correct ?
Ideally you should have everything flow towards your target, including your follow-through. But the key is to completely release your bowl before moving your arm. When you see a lot of top players bring their hand/arm across typically this is after their delivery is complete. Where you see issues is when someone is prematurely moving their arm across and influencing the release of the bowl.
@@CanadianBowler thank you!
I've developed a delivery over the last year wherein I walk out of the delivery after release. It's unorthadox which is concerning but it's improved my weight and line. Not sure whether I should stop and undo it or continue on.
The key to delivery is to complete the motion through release. As long as you aren't rushing through and shortening anything and your release point is clean you should be fine with continuous motion in follow through. If your consistent I wouldn't change anything as it's obviously working for you.
@@CanadianBowler Thanks for the input.
I'm 62 and I'm finding when I deliver it is hard for me to have my point of aim up the green. Instead I end up looking more down as I deliver consequently my line is sometimes off. Your video on release is very good but do you have a way to help me feel more comfortable delivering with my eyes up the green. Eg. Is my step too short and I'm pushing my head forward making me stretch my neck. Thank you.
Hi Neil! I've worked with a few players that have a similar issue where for one reason or another can't keep their eyes up the green to spot the point of aim they are trying to take.
It's hard to make suggestions without actually seeing you bowl, but I can offer a few that you can try and hopefully something will click for you and help.
First would be to find a comfortable walking step as your regular distance and remove any pushing or sudden movements. Make it was smooth as you can and as stable/balanced as you can to avoid having to look down or drop your head. Sometimes is some jarring/quick motions that make us do things like look down (off balance), push our arm (motion is not synced), shorten our follow-though (trying to control weight artificially) .
You could try and draw your line even farther down the rink towards you. Typically we'd want to look at the breaking point of the bowl as our spot, but in your case drawing it even further down and finding a spot you can keep your eye on while delivering might work.
Another would be to adjust your delivery to lower yourself more and remove some of the action of moving forward-- not sure if it will help but it may remove some of the motion that causes you to drop your head.
Do these sound like options that may help?
@@CanadianBowler I'll spend some alone time having a roll up and try these suggestions and let you know if I've had any success. Thanks so much for your help.
With the cradle grip, should you have the bowl ever so slanted in the hand, I find it difficult to keep the wrist straight. With the claw, the hand is slightly inclined inwards on release, so this problem does not exist? Thanks. RB
We don't recommend using a cradle grip for bowls. It offers too many issues with trying to get the bowl away clean and smooth. The grip we note in our grip video is a more natural grip and doesn't sit in the palm of your hand.
How do you stop the bowl slipping out of your hand on a heavy backswing? Thank you for the great videos. New bowler learning a lot.
Typically I'd shy bowlers away from an overly athletic backswing. As I note in the video all you need is to get it between your butt and your back foot. It's not necessary to swing your arm way back to get a lot of power/speed and is wasted movement. If you are someone with a large backswing or are doing that for a drive you will need to have a way to squeeze the bowl for grip. It would mean moving to more of a claw grip where you are basically squeezing the bowl to hang on when you bring the bowl way back and up behind you. Or you may need to review the size of bowl you are using if you find you are having it slip. Basically you are having to think more about not dropping the bowl than making the shot.
Great. Thank you. I get it now.
As I’m on our winter break am unable to practice this , but with not using your thumb & little finger when you come back how do you avoid dropping the bowl , I really want to try this method is there anything I can do to practice before the season starts again & I can get back on the greens
Always a tough question. Best thing if you don't have a good surface to practice on is to find a decent one and use padding to cover things like walls and then you can roll into them and practice a delivery without actually rolling a bowl full length. It will give you at least a chance to try the movements and then when you finally get to a green you can put it all together and see how you perform. As for dropping the bowl, if you have a proper set for your hand size and don't raise your arm too high behind you, you shouldn't have an issue.
@@CanadianBowler thanks
What happened to feet together on the mat pointing in the direction you want to aim?
Hi Bob! The method of having your feet together can negatively influence balance, but having a stable base and stepping out helps maintain that balance. You still have everything set and in the direction of your point of aim and then you can step out and delivery to that point.
@@CanadianBowler Depends how you're taught I guess. I use two feet together for forehand and right foot outside mat (left hander) for backhand.
Bowl slips out of my hand on back swing, my hands are very dry. Tried using bowling cream but still doesn't help. Any ideas to help.
A couple of things could help -- check the bowls you are using, perhaps something smaller would help with the grip and holding on to the bowl. Also look at your backswing, maybe trying to reduce the backwards motion and rely on body weight and a full follow through to help with getting the bowl down the green. Without seeing the delivery these are only common suggestions for having issues holding on to the bowl.
What's the grip for? You are saying that you don't use them at all
Usually I wouldn't recommend using the grips on the sides, but they are there to help if you need them (would be one of the adjustment options for those having some issues). You can use them as a guide but you don't really want to grip hard into them, more have your fingers on top.
Thanks for the vidos, fantastic. Question about weight control. Would it be true to say the larger the step, the futher the bowl will go? At the moment i push the bowl with my fingers which I dont feel is right. How do you get weight?
Hello! Thank you for the compliment we really appreciate everyone that watches our videos!
There are those that talk about larger step and larger backswing = more weight. We don't believe in that method of weight control or adding weight to your bowl. The idea for control is setting your aiming point either closer or farther as you need to get to a short or long jack or possibly a running shot. By adjusting your target point you are either shortening or lengthening where you need to roll your bowl and naturally you will step a little longer, move a little faster and your follow-through will likely get longer. Nothing should be manufactured like forcing a larger step or creating a longer backswing.
You also shouldn't be trying to push the bowl, it should be a nice natural release with no added movements on it. It will take practice and repetition to get your delivery down and remove the forced movements, but working on setting your aim point on the green (usually equal to where the bowl will break or bias kicks in) and then shortening that or lengthening that will help you control weight.
This gets tricky on ultra-slow greens like 9 seconds or less where you'll be forcing a bowl to get to the target and the finesse and smooth delivery is likely not in the picture.
I hope we can make a video on point of aim as well as weight control to go over some of these questions in more detail to help!
@@CanadianBowler Thankyou very much for answering this question. This has never been explained to me before. Looks like I have a lot to work on as my aming point is usly on the bank or equel to the jack. I will now practice this method and see how it goes. It does makes sence.
Why is the bowl not dropping out of his hand at time 3 min on the video?
😂
I quit bowls for about 4 years just recently started playing again and I've found im twisting my hand when I bowl any pointers?
Try taking some time to focus solely on the delivery and even take the focus of jack/target out of the equation. Set some targets a few feet/meter in front of you and work on rolling over top of them and put your focus on not twisting your hand/wrist while hitting that target. By removing all the other distractions of a "normal" delivery you can isolate that part and do repetition on a non-twist version. When you are confident you can deliver without the twist, then try a full length delivery. You may find the need to put some thought and focus on no doing the twist, but with enough reps and time you'll eventually get rid of it and not have to think about it.
Hope this helps! If you have someone who can help as a coach and watch what you do, that will help even more.
Great lesson. Pity about the background ´music’.
Are you allowed to release a bowl with your back to the jacks end
No rule against delivery of a bowl with your back facing the jack. As long as you are still following the basic rules like foot on or over the mat on release. Can I ask why you asked this question?
@@CanadianBowler We were playing indoor bowls and this one guy rolled two of his bowls like backwards and upset some of the players calling it unethical. I told everyone to calm down and will look into the matter. Thanks for clearing it up.
Great video, but it might be an idea to show the complete delivery of a set of bowls instead of only showing the broken down stages.
Great suggestion!
Great video,however the constance music is distracting
Thanks for the feedback. We've removed any background music from future videos, but the ones already posted will have that. Hope you still got a lot from the information presented!
During the stance video you said don’t rest your non bowling hand on thigh? But you are 🤔
Great Question and observation Martin. We've answered this in some other comments, but it's a point we didn't talk about in-depth on the video as we wanted to keep it short and concise. We state that you shouldn't have your hand/arm on your leg as the key point is to not create an anchor or put any weight on it. In reality, it is ok to place your hand/arm in any spot as long as you are not making it a hinge or a crutch to put weight on. Someone should be able to come and push your hand away with ease because you aren't grabbing/leaning with it.
The video does show Darryl placing his hand on his leg, but there is no weight placed on it. He just feels strange/uncomfortable having his arm at his side.
Thanks for noting this!
You forgot ro mention that (obviously) the green is super slow. My guess is lower than 14secs. As a consequence your demonstration is making a continuous fault of "cupping" the bowl in the hand and therefore losing "feel". The bowl should be held in the tips of the fingers and the thumb. "Cupping" the bowl will cause continuous weight problems and a lot of inconsistency.
The only time you need to "cup" the bowl is when you are driving.
Hello @workingdogcentre! Thanks for checking out the video. In this demonstration, the green has no significance on the delivery method or grip we are showing for video purposes. We weren't trying to rip one to the end of the green and while it was sub 14 but not anywhere near 10 seconds or ultra slow. In this demonstration, there was also no cupping of the bowl in the delivery sequence (or at least the grip), but possibly the angle may look that way -- If you haven't checked it out already I would suggest looking at our grip video which shows how this particular delivery sequence is set up - th-cam.com/video/OXvL-gmZ3qY/w-d-xo.html. I wouldn't suggest cupping for a drive either as that can lead to other inconsistencies in delivering that bowl.
I do appreciate the feedback as it allows for a good discussion. You are absolutely right that cupping is not ideal for a draw delivery which we talk about in our grip video.
Thank you!
@@CanadianBowler Thanks for your reply. There can be no question that this video clearly demonstrates a grip that "cups' the bowl. Please note that under 14 secs is considered very slow. Sitting the bowl back in the hand ie. "cupping" is the recommended and most used grip for someone who drives well. Note I didn't say an "upshot" but a drive.
Once again, thank you for your response. ie. I am a National Coach.
@workingdogcentre unfortunately in this case you are missing the mark with the analysis. I am the one demonstrating the grip and delivery and in no portion of the video does the bowl get cradled in the back of my hand. While we can agree on the fact that a cradle/cupping/palm grip is not ideal, I don't think we'll see eye to eye on this. I am a National Coach as well, but there's room for all variations of coaching and technical philosophies -- it always comes down to the success of the individual using it.
I'm sorry you don't think you are demonstrating a palm or cup delivery....but you are.
@workingdogcentre no need to be sorry about anything. You are fully entitled to your opinions and thoughts as well as coaching in the way you see fit. We appreciate you stopping by to share your thoughts. We are fully confident in our video series and approach to the delivery. It may not be for everyone, like yourself, and we accept that. Thank you for checking out the video and the comments!
The background music is really annoying - sorry.
Very informative, thanks. Please remove the awful background music, it does my head in.
Great tips, but the backing music is so irritating!
Thanks Alan -- we apologize if the background music is an issue. It won't be in future videos. We appreciate the feedback!