NOTICEBOARD ITEM VIEW

Part 1 - Which bowls and which grip from Howard Jarrold

PART !
This article is the first of what I hope will be a comprehensive set of articles which will provide an easy to understand reference on the game of bowls
Just like a car needs a regular service to keep it running at optimum state, so a bowler, or any sportsman come to that needs a once over to eliminate any bad habits that have crept into their game. The problem is that it is very difficult to self diagnose and even more so to self medicate. Consulting a coach is not always possible so I thought that it might help if there was a reference or some form of guide that sets out the basics of what is required to develop a consistent and reliable delivery action.
What bowls do you buy ?
Hardly a week goes by without me telling someone that they have the wrong bowls. It is so important to understand about bowls and their characteristics. So many times I have heard ' I use a 2 ' or ' I bowl with a 2 heavy ' That means that they know nothing about bowls.
Aero - Thomas Taylor - Drakes Pride - Henselite = Almark are some of the manufacturers and each have a range of models eg Aero Groove - Taylor Vector etc.
Each model is made in a range of weights and sizes. It is important to understand that a size 2 heavy in a Drakes Pride professional is not the same as a 2 heavy in a Vector.
Each model has an arc or bias that is not the same as the arc of a different model. A set of four woods are matched so they all run the same line.
The best way to procede is as follows
Study bias charts on the internet and from them decide which model best suits your needs . A Google search will reveal a host of charts. Familiarize yourself with them. New woods are not cheap so do your homework and play with them first. Mark at Boston bowls is quite happy to let you try them out first.
What are you looking for when trying out a set?. The first thing to note is that the four bowls of that set are matched and perform in the same way. Another set with the same spec. will react slightly different. I play with D P Professional 2H, as does Jim Collett and the two sets are slightly different in the line they take. This is probably due to the way we hold and deliver the bowl, which differs even though we are both left handers. I am taller and fatter than Jim and his is a smoother delivery than mine. It all makes a difference !
When buying a set, check the basics I've listed below.
* It must feel right
* Ideally the largest and heaviest with which you are comfortable.
* Do not grip tightly. If you have to grip tightly to hold the bowl with your arm hanging down your side, then change to a smaller size.
* Set the jack at max length and play both back and fore hand on the ditch side and check that the bowl returns to the centre line about 1 metre past the jack. Don't kid yourself, just because you want the woods and they are cheap or are sky blue pink with red spots. If it stops short of the centre line then it's O K. Anything over the centre line send them back. That is probably why they are for sale.
* Don't buy new expensive woods just because they look nice. Buy the right woods for you. Remember that it's how you deliver them that matters
* The number that appears on bowls e.g. 24 means the woods were made in 2014 and their certification expires in 2024. At this time they can be recalibrated and the new certificate lasts for the next 10 years. This certification is required only for the senior matches.
* Spend time with your new bowls and get to know how they run.
* Get a friend to bowl your woods while you watch how and where they bend.
* Ask for help and advice. Any of the coaches will be glad to help.
What is the best grip ?
For me the answer to that is the one that is comfortable and delivers the wood in an upright manner and running along the required line. The purists will say that the grip must be this and that. I don't agree. At least half of the folk that I see are in the autumn of their lives and things get knarled and disfigured. Bending and gripping become things that are but fond memories of sunnier times when the impossible was possible.
There are two types of grip, the palm and the claw. ( and Howard's permitted variations )
Hold your hand out palm upwards and place the bowl onto the palm with the running surface of the bowl in line with the under side of your forearm so that they are an extension of each other. Close your hand with your fingers running in line along the bowl, your thumb and little finger resting lightly on the sides. The little finger in particular not too high. That is your palm grip.
The claw grip is much the same except that the bowl is held by the fingertips and it barely touches the palm, The thumb held in the side grooves where it is most comfortable, and the little finger low down the side. The index fingertip in one set of grooves, the middle one down the centre of the running surface, with the ring finger in the other groove. Again this grip should be light with no tension in your arm.
Now for the real word where people have hands that have suffered the ravages of time and cannot grip the wood in the ' proper way '. No problem. All you do is hold it the best way you can and any coach worth his salt will find a way for you to deliver the wood. I haven't failed yet.
That's dealt with what type of bowl and how you hold it.
Next time I'll deal with setting up which is, in my opinion, the most important part of bowls.

Submitted date -	Sunday, 19 Nov 2017

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