Future Of The Sport

Developments are already in place for future strategies to be put in place when moving the sport forward. Moving forward, governing bodies should look to utilise social media further and embrace the media outlets they have at their disposal to their full potentials. This will allow for messages to be spread more widely and in a positive manner. In doing so, this will provide support to clubs in communities that will help provide opportunities to attract more people to join the sport.

At the moment there is a development of communications in place to provide effective plans that will use a range of channels and technologies. This will create better communications with clubs, associations and individuals while continuing to have further engagement with the press and media to reinforce positive changes within the sport.

Further consideration is being given to establish strong partnerships with national, UK and international partners to pursue closer working relationships with all agencies to further the aims set out by the governing bodies of the sport. By working collaboratively where possible this will help attain the right balance of local and national engagement. This will include securing appropriate individuals at all levels of bowls agencies to ensure the correct strategies are put in place to move the sport forward.

In relation to marketing the game, development of a clear and affordable marketing plan will ensure that from a business aspect the sport can move forward and create further funding for the future. Consideration will be given to competition rules as well as the barriers of the sport, to help enforce the creation of a positive image of the sport. All areas in the strategic plan of the development of the sport, will be treated appropriately with ongoing feedback being use advantageously.

In conclusion, the future of the sport looks seemingly positive especially with junior sections increasing in size year by year. With the continual development of social media channels, this number will only increase moving forward with more and more youth being exposed to the promotion of the sport.

This will help retire the old fashioned outlook that the sport has who feel they currently control the sport, although as times change this is beginning to change on a wider scale. Bringing in a youthful perspective will help to move the image of the sport forward, include more youthful sponsors of the game. The general consensus is that the right movements and developments are in place to allow this to happen, it is only matter of time before the positive results come for the sport of lawn bowls.

Stay tuned for my next blog.

Promotion Of The Sport

Further promotion techniques have been deployed by the governing bodies of the sport of bowls to create a positive and modern image.

The Commonwealth Games in 2014 gave the sport of bowls within Scotland an unprecedented media coverage, there are still challenges being faced in relation to the image of the sport. Many clubs, groups and individuals have put measures in place to address this ongoing situation, but it will be a long term mission to implement new strategies in an appropriate manner. This will include facing the challenge of tackling key reservations that those who do not yet play have with the sport of bowls. This relates to the image of an old man’s sport.

The main talking point in relation to bowls was when Alex Marshall MBE beat England in the semi-final of the pairs discipline in the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Incited by opposition supporters during the last end of the game did not prove to distract the Scottish team member, who was one shot down in the last end. He then to Scottish delight, played two wonder bowls with his last two bowls to win the game.

He done a “get it up ye” celebration which sent social media crazy. This created a buzz about the sport, which could be used in a positive way. Alex is renowned as the Lionel Messi of bowls, he is one of the biggest names if not the biggest in the sport so this social media trend could be used to promote the sport further to the younger generation.

The amount of media coverage of bowls has had a dramatic increase over the years, however many media outlets still portray the game in such a way that makes it difficult to move the game forward. Increased digital advertising and communication through social media outlets and websites are now allowing the governing bodies to link more efficiently. This allows those all related to bowls and those not related who may have an opinion on the sport to provide their feedback which can be taken into consideration when making attempts to promote the sport of bowls.

Media coverage is an aspect of the sport which is being given great consideration, so that positive movements can be made. At the moment, there are three world ranking events with the Scottish International Open being live on the BBC, the World Championships also being live on the BBC and the International Open which is live on sky sports. At the same time, all matches are available through the world bowls tour YouTube channel, with live streaming of all matches being available for anyone to watch for free.

I feel using YouTube as a social media outlet has proved more beneficial than originally realised, with high volumes of viewers tuning in to the live streaming to watch games that may not be getting live coverage during the event. It also enables on the go technology options to allow users to watch wherever they may be through their mobile device. Implementing the digital technology is allowing them to promote the sport to a wider audience, which will prove beneficial in the long run.

Stay tuned for my next blog, which will discuss the future developments of the sport.

Image Of The Sport

The image of the sport of lawn bowls has changed dramatically over the years. Once known as an old man’s game, the development and opportunities for younger players are becoming more appealing in the modern day.

Bowls is becoming Scotland’s local sport of choice through successful, modern and accessible to all pathways for any individual. Mission statements have been developed in Scotland which will enable clubs to develop, strengthen and grow players of all ages while ensuring that good governance is implemented at all levels of bowls in Scotland in order to deliver and support the strategy that has been created. This will help promote a more positive and modern image of the sport by focusing on particular values.

These values include bowls being an inclusive force in many communities and to continue to develop this as a key strength of the sport when moving forward. In doing so, decisions being made are made clear to all concerned for the best interests of the game while maintaining strong moral principles to help in the process of guiding the sport in a positive direction.

New technology should be utilised appropriately to develop and modernise both the business and sporting sides of the games of bowls, especially in relation to digital marketing aspects that the sport has begun to take advantage of. This most commonly includes social media through Facebook, Twitter and YouTube with the continual development of online websites. By utilising these new technologies, this is beginning to target younger members to play the sport as they see other people who are similar in age to them being able to gain success in the sport all the way up national, international and world level.

Most recently, a young man Darren Weir from Prestwick whom I know very well won the Scottish qualifier to represent Scotland in the Youth Commonwealth Games. At the end of last year in 2015, in taking this opportunity he was able to represent Scotland at the highest level and junior has ever been able to. This experience took him all the way to Samoa, which is a once in a lifetime opportunity which he will take with him for the rest of his life. Other younger individuals could look at the opportunity he was able to carve himself through hard work and may wish to follow in his footsteps one day. For him personally, this opens pathways to other opportunities due to the nature of his accomplishment.

Collaboration is a vital asset as the sport is in an ongoing process to engage in greater consultation with many members and groups within the sport to offer a variety of different pathways. In addition to this, collaborating with other brands is allowing further promotion and funding in the sport which could prove an incentive for any up and coming stars. All the major teams across the world have sponsors, with international teams having multiple sponsors.

This relates to the accessibility of working towards reducing the barriers facing those who wish to access the game in their local communities, with new pathways being created on a regular basis.

With a lot of players starting from a younger age, the image of the sport is changing as many players are becoming successful at the highest level at a much younger age. Other non-participants in the sport can see this and with the more accessible pathways into the sport, individuals are joining the sport at a younger age on a wider scale to try take advantage of these opportunities and see if they have what it takes to make a name for themselves in the sport.

With all this being said, this continues to help deliver an accessible player pathway that will identify and develop talent to participate in a high performance environment which will ensure the success of the sport is guaranteed for the long term.

Following this,in my next blog I will discuss the promotion technique being deployed by the governing bodies of the sport.

High Performance Environment

In any sport, each player will look for an accessible pathway that allows them to develop their ability to perform successfully in a high a performance environment as possible.

In lawn bowls there are several high performance environments a player can be in, due to the different pathways that are accessible.

The elite programme is put in place by international selectors in nearly every country in the world to develop a high performance regime to provide ongoing support to the top players of the game while having strategies in place to search for future stars of the game. This is no easy task, with expert consideration given to the finding and developing of talented players while integrating this into a player and competition pathway. The overall aim of this is achieve the result of finding the best high performance players possible. This will be used to make decisions about the training formats provided to play to ensure successful performance outcomes. Each individual will have to work hard and put in the hours of practice, to be able to consistently perform at a level deemed appropriate by selectors.

For myself personally, I would be part of the Bowls Scotland strategy for outdoor bowling and the Scottish Indoor Bowling Association strategy for indoor bowling. Each organisation has different strategies to suit their own requirements.

I have been successful in my inclusion for Scotland for indoor bowling, by being marked on performance over a period of time in a high performance environment and delivering positive results against respected players on a consistent basis. So I have a first-hand understanding of how difficult it can be with the level of talent available for selection in our country. However, I am still working hard to be included for Scotland for outdoor bowling by performing in a similar environment as much as possible.

In addition to this, there is a pathway through the Professional Bowls Association, where players will play in qualification school to qualify for world ranked events on the television hosted by the World Bowls Tour. Any person can pay the subscription fee and play in these qualifiers, however, it is clearly apparent like any sport they will need to be able to compete at a high performance level if they except to be successful. By successfully qualifying for events, each player will then compete in the tournament and build up ranking points over a set period of time like any sport. The more points they build, the greater the chance they have of breaking into the top 16 of the world rankings, which means they no longer need to play in qualifiers for events. Successful results at this level, will open pathways in other avenues for players.

In addition to this, players are watched on an ongoing basis to then be selected for their country in World Bowls Championships, Commonwealth Games and Six Nations Events. These are the biggest honours of international selection available to players in the sport, with Scotland having great success in all events over the years and having one of the highest standings in the world at the present moment. This is due to the range of talent available in the country at the moment.

I personally, have more work to do to try and qualify for world ranking events which I realise will help establish my position in the game. This being said, I will continue to develop my game in a positive manner and be grateful for the experiences I have already have. I will continue to maintain my hunger in the sport, which will hopefully result in my exposure to some more opportunities in the future.

Stay tuned for my next blog, where I will discuss the evolution of the image and branding of the sport.

Delivery Technique

You find in any sport, that each individual has their own technique traits which could be inherited for any number of reasons. Such reasons include watching an idol they looked up, family members or other players that they like and copying their technique. Any sportsman can develop a case of the “yips”. This is when an individual losing the ability of fine motor skills and it can occur without any apparent explanation. However, this condition can be overcome and their ability recovered by changing their technique to suit their personal needs of the physical movements on their body. In other instances, athletes will give consideration to not being able to compete at the level they once have.

Lawn bowls is no different in that aspect. When delivering a bowl, the player must interpret how the bowl in motion will perform in relation to where they want it to finish. It is common that even professional or experienced players will focus too much on their delivery by putting too much thought into it and not trust their natural ability or instinct. Under pressure this can become apparently obvious and a well-practiced player will have the ability to trust themselves, playing as if its second nature. Ultimately this will result in a more positive outcome, due to the trust they place within themselves.

In lawn bowls you will find that deliveries have similar traits dependent on whereabouts in the world you learned to play bowls. In the United Kingdom, most players incorporate a delivery that is not as static in movement as players in other countries due to their delivery being able to adapt to the range of surfaces they may be asked to play on. Some of the greens players will be asked to play on are extremely heavy, so more power is needed for the bowl to reach its final destination. With this being said, that means players will not have a static delivery to allow them to play in such conditions so coaches do not focus on delivery if it comes natural to a player. However players are able to adapt to quicker surfaces when required due to having a natural delivery. Attention will be given to a delivery technique if it is holding them back from fulfilling their potential, this can become apparent through continual monitoring of their personal development. It is common that players will continue to develop through the involvement of pressurised competition.

Shown below is an example of a non static delivery. Pictured is the indoor world ranked number two player Paul Foster MBE.

As you can see from the examples shown, this specific delivery incorporates movement of the body freely. The power of the delivery is adapted dependent on the surface the player is playing on and where they wish the bowl to finish. This is similar for most players in the United Kingdom.

However, for example in the southern hemisphere in the likes of Australia and New Zealand players have vigorous coaching on their deliveries. Most deliveries are fairly static in movement as the surfaces they play on are not as wide as a variety in the United Kingdom. Therefore, more attention to detail is given to delivery by coaches to ensure maximum performance on the surfaces they will be playing on.

Shown below is an example of a static delivery. Pictured is Kelvin Kerkow, a leading Australian player who is a formed indoor world ranked top 16 player.

As you can see from the example shown, this delivery differs from that of Paul Foster MBE as the movement of the body is more static. The power of the delivery is still adapted on where the player wishes the bowl to finish, but the range of surfaces in the southern hemisphere do not alter as much as players from the United Kingdom.

In my next blog I will discuss the different aspects of coaching to establish successful perimeters in a high performance environment.

Bowling Surfaces

There are a wide range of different aspects in relation to playing conditions which lawn bowlers will have to adapt to. In general terms you have the outdoor game which is played during the summer on a maintained bowling green of grass. The indoor game is played during the winter on an artificial surface where the bowling green consists of underlay flooring and a carpet. However, each surface varies in the way it plays as their will be individual traits dependent on a variety of factors.

There will be different runs on greens which cannot be explained on an outdoor surface, this is just due to the way the grass grows. However, runs on outdoor bowling greens will tend to stay the same on each individual bowling green which means players can gain a competitive advantage on their home or well known playing surfaces.

Outdoor greens in the United Kingdom although maintained to a high standard, are known as heavy playing surfaces which in technical terms to a bowler is a slow playing surface. This means players will have to deliver their bowls more powerfully to reach the final destination. This could be due to the adverse weather we have, which means the bowling surfaces cannot be maintained to their maximum level. All greens vary in speed dependent on how well they are kept and sometimes the natural environment plays a role on how the surface will play as the grass could grow differently compared to others, although this will not have a major influence.

Shown below is an example of an outdoor green in the United Kingdom, this particular green is Kelvingrove Bowling Green where the Lawn Bowls was held for the Commonwealth Games in 2014.

Outdoor greens in the southern hemisphere however, are able to be maintained to a maximum level due to the kinder weather conditions. The playing surfaces are fast in comparison to that of the United Kingdom, which in technical terms to a bowler means the surface is playing fast. This means players will have to deliver their bowls less powerfully to reach the final destination. A lot of players will look to move to Australia or New Zealand to be exposed to these playing surfaces on a regular basis.

Shown below is an example of an outdoor bowling green from the southern hemisphere, this particular green is Broadbeach Bowls Club bowling green which is home to one of the best teams in Australia the Broadbeach Bulls.

As you may have noticed from the photos, although not entirely apparent, the playing surfaces in the southern hemisphere are maintained to maximum efficiency compared to the surfaces here.

Indoor greens in the United Kingdom do not need maintained like outdoor greens as there is no grass to be cut on a regular basis. The surface consists of underlay and a carpet. The only maintenance which will provided on indoor surfaces are the stretching of carpets to ensure maximum speed is kept. Over time the carpet will wear away through the continual play and stretching to maintain it, which means new carpets may be required every decade or so. Indoor surfaces are fast in comparison to that of the outdoor surfaces here, this is due to the bowls almost sliding along the carpet which means bowls are delivered less powerfully to reach their final destination. Indoor greens will vary in speed dependent on the underlay flooring present, which will also have an influence on the different runs on the green. Heating of the indoor arena has an effect on the playing surface, as this will cause the carpet to almost stretch due to the heat which will result in a quicker playing surface. Similar to that of outdoor greens, each surface has its only personal traits.

Shown below is an example of an indoor playing surface from the United Kingdom, in this particular instance the green shown is from Ayr Indoor Bowling Club where I personally play during the indoor season.

Shown below is an example of an indoor playing surface from the southern hemisphere, this green shown is from Tweeds Head Indoor Bowling Centre in Australia.

In this instance, indoor surfaces in the southern hemisphere are similar to that of indoor surfaces here as the playing conditions are similar as the examples above show.

Where bowlers from the United Kingdom will find the indoor a quicker surface than their outdoor greens, bowlers from the southern hemisphere will find their indoor a slower surface than their outdoor greens due to the maximum level of maintenance on their outdoor surfaces.

With this being said, this will have an influence on delivery technique. Different aspects of this will be discussed in my next blog. So stay tuned for more updates.

Aspects Of The Game

The overall aim of the game is fairly simple for anyone to understand, it is to deliver your bowls as close as possible to a smaller white ball which is known as a jack. It gives the impression that it may be easy, but at the highest level different elements become apparent to that of the beginner.

All games are competed for on a standard bowling green which can either be an outdoor grass surface or an indoor carpet surface. A mat is then placed accordingly and a jack is rolled to the other end of the green as a target, with different lengths and options being available to high performance players. The jack will be centred at the start of play to let bowling commence, the players then take turns to deliver their bowls in the appropriate sequence. When all bowls have been delivered, this means an end has been completed and the player or team will score shots according to how many bowls they have closer than that of their opposition. The direction of play is then played in reverse to the end before.

The game of bowls can be played in a singles, pairs, triples and fours format. There are a variety of different lengths of games, dependent on the competition or format being played. However, commonly singles is played with four bowls per player, pairs is player with four bowls per player in teams of two, triples is played with three bowls per player in teams of three and fours is played with two bowls per player in teams of four. Normally the player who plays last will be in charge of have an instrumental influence in directing the team’s shots and tactics throughout a game.

There are a different variety of shots that can be played, but for a beginner the main shots that are element will be the draw shots, the strike shots and the over the weight shot. Bowls can be played on the forehand and backhand which means for a right handed bowler the forehand draw is initially aimed to the right of the jack and curves in to the left. The same bowler will be able to deliver a bowl on the backhand which will be aimed to the left and will curve in to the right. For a left hander, the opposite would apply for this.

A draw shot is when the bowl is delivered to a specific location without disturbing the other bowls too much. The strike shot involves delivering a bowl with a lot of power in aim to substantially move either the jack or a specific bowl depending on the tactics being deployed by the team, there is very little curve on this shot. The over the weight shot is when a bowl is delivered with enough power to guarantee reaching the final destination with a little more power, in order to create minor disturbance. The curve of a bowl is known as the bias to players in the bowling community.

The gap at each end of the bowling green is known as the ditch. Bowls reaching the ditch will be removed from play, however if the bowl touches the jack during the initial delivery of that bowl then it will remain alive and in play. This is known as a chalker to players, as it will be marked with chalk or spray chalk to signify it is alive in the ditch. If the jack is knocked into the ditch it remains alive, unless the jack leaves the markings on the side of the rink of play. If this happens, the end is declared dead and will be replayed unless the rules of the format deem otherwise which is not common on a high performance level where the jack will be respotted on set points on the rink which players would be aware of before play commenced.

Shown below is an example of a white jack. Jacks may have a different weight dependent on whether they are meant for indoor or outdoor surface.

All jacks are fairly similar in size and have no bias, they come in different colour although it is common that they will be white, yellow and pink.

There are a variety of different brands available in the sport of lawn bowls. The most common being Henselite, Aero Bowls, Taylor Bowls and Drakes Pride. Each brand offers their own lawn bowls with different types of bowls available with different biases. Aero Bowls is the most popular brand in the modern age, but I have a preference for most Henselite branded products at the present moment.

There are a range of bowls available to each player with different biases which will curve less and more. The bowl the player will play with will be down to the surface they are playing on and individual preference. As bowls will have more bias on a quicker surface, some players will play with a bowl with less bias which is known as a tighter line bowl where as a bowl with a big bias is known as a high line or swinging bowl. Each bowl is available in different sizes which include 00, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. Aero Bowls have started offering sizes in half measures as well, to gain an advantage over its competitors. Most sets of bowls are offered in either a medium weight or heavy weight. Size and weight is all down to the size of hand and what feels comfortable to each player. Usually the bigger the hand a player has, the higher size of bowl they will play with. Some particular sets are also available in a range of colours and patterns.

I personally play with a big bias bowl on the outdoor surface to create as high a line as possible to suit my individual preference, this particular model is known as the Henselite Tiger. Whereas on the indoor surface I play with a medium bias bowl which is in between a tight line and high line bowl, as the bowls have more bias on the quicker indoor surface so I do not need as high a line bowl to suit my individual preference. This model is known as the Henselite Tiger II. Both my sets of bowls are a size 3 heavy, which is the around about the normal. On a non bowling relating matter, this must mean I have normal sized hands (haha).

The way specific bowling green's play may demand specific types of bowls. This is the case for my the bowling green I play at during the indoor season as the runs on the surface does not suit a high line bias bowl so a medium bias is the biggest bias bowl I can play with to have a consistent level of performance on my home surface.

Stay tuned for my next blog, which will information about the different bowling surfaces players will have to adapt to.

My Background Of Lawn Bowls

Lawn bowls has been a sport that my family has played for countless generations and has been a major part of our lives for as long as I can remember. The sport involves indoor and outdoor bowls which are playing during the winter months and summer months respectively.

I first started playing from only a year or two old with small carpet bowls up and down my living room with my family members. As the years went by and I grew older, I seemed to have mastered all the different particular runs in my living room like a seasoned professional.

When I was 10 years old, my Dad said it was time to join a junior section at the club he played at which was Prestwick Indoor Bowling Club. Following that, I joined the outdoor club of Newton Park. Both were very successful clubs, with their gent’s teams being included in the best teams in Scotland at the time. The indoor club had one of the best junior teams in the country as well, this could be used to my advantage to help develop my game appropriately as I grew into the sport.

In the following years, local indoor county titles were won at both junior and gents level with regularity. At only 13 years old in 2003 I was part of the junior team to win an indoor Scottish title. Evidently, three years later at 16 years old in 2006 came my second indoor Scottish title and with that came my selection for Scotland in the indoor international youth team. Success came at a young age and I began to take what I had achieved for granted. As a result I lost focus on what I was trying to achieve and my interest in the sport diminished for a few years, with my attention being focused to other areas of my personal life.

In 2007, I moved to Ayr Seafield Outdoor Bowling Club. In the following years I was part of teams winning local outdoor titles at gent’s level in Ayr with regularity without firmly establishing myself at the level I wished to achieve. To this day, I am still a member of this club and our successes have continued to grow. We have established ourselves as one of the strongest teams in the county and look to progress further in the future.

In 2011 at 21 years old, I qualified for the outdoor Scottish finals at senior level for the first time. This success was used as a stepping stone for the further successes to come. In 2012, I got to my first ever outdoor club championship final only to be unsuccessful. I used this experience to my advantage and bounced back the following year to reach the final yet again. This time, I came out on top defeating the 2009 Scottish gent’s singles and 2010 British Isles gent’s singles champion with the last bowl of the game. This was a massive confidence booster in the grand scheme of things.

In 2013, I moved to Ayr Indoor Bowling Club. Immediate success came my way by reaching my first indoor club championship final and coming out victorious. In addition to this, I was part of the Gents Team to win the indoor Scottish Division One title, only to be pipped in a playoff to gain entry into the Premier League.

The following season, more success followed on a personal and team basis. I was managed to reach the semi-final of the indoor Scottish under 25 singles before being beaten. I continued to try and develop my game as much as possible and managed to defend the club championship title I had won the previous season. The gent’s team I was part of also had great success, losing only one game all season to successfully win another indoor Scottish Division One title and due to the governing body changing the league set up we gained automatic promotion to the Premier League.

During the 2015 outdoor season, I was part of the gent’s team at Ayr Seafield to reach the Ayrshire final. It was the first time in the clubs history that they had reached the final. However, we were unsuccessful across the board and unfortunately lost out. However, during this game I managed to beat the indoor world ranked number two player Paul Foster MBE which was an extremely positive experience I could take moving forward. He is one of the most successful players Scotland has ever produced, one of the most naturally gifted players I have possibly ever seen with my own eyes.

This season, I managed to reach the quarter final of the indoor Scottish Gents Singles only to lose out. However, in the process I managed to beat one of the most established players in the game David Peacock on route to the quarter final. He has represented Scotland at all levels, including the commonwealth games. Needless to say, I played one of the games of my life to win. This experience continued to help my confidence grow. Our gent’s team firmly established themselves in the Premier League, finishing third in our section. A successful season for all involved, which will be looked to be built upon next season.

With the recent successes, I have been selected for Scotland in the indoor international gent’s team. This is by far the biggest accomplishment I have achieved in the game and I am greatly honoured that my hard work has not gone unnoticed.

The most important thing to remember is to not take anything for granted and if you want to achieve something, you must be willing to work hard for it while continuing this process in order to maintain your progress while developing all aspects as much as possible.

Stay tuned for my next blog, where I will discuss the different aspects of the game of bowls.