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.