Best Lawn Bowls Delivery: Finding what works for you

In the sport of lawn bowls, everybody is always looking for the best lawn bowls delivery. Many people try to mimic the best players, but here's the problem. Watch any competition or pennant game, even at club level, and you'll notice a wide range of styles, grips and body movements. Some bowlers deliver the bowl with a long, smooth looking swing while others barely have any backswing and look like they are running off the mat.

The reality is that the is now best delivery which should be mimicked. Each individual has different physical abilities, balance, flexibility and natural feel so therefore the most effective delivery is the one that gives you a consistent feel and something you can repeat over time.

What is the best lawn bowls delivery?

The purpose of delivering a bowl is pretty simple: to get the best line and length consistently regardless of how you're putting the bowl down yourself. How you achieve that varies from bowler to bowler depending on the factors mentioned earlier. What matters the least is whether or not your delivery looks like one of the best bowlers on the planet, it's whether or not your delivery gives you the chance to be the best bowler you can be. This gives also will give you the confidence under pressure to play the bowl you know you can play in high pressure situations.

There's a few primary fundamentals that will be the primary focus in any coaching session you will have:

Balance in your delivery

It all begins with balance when you delivery of bowl. Whether you are using a short step out on a quick green or you are using a longer stride on a slower grass green, you must have a stable "core" throughout the whole delivery. Whether or not you lean over the bowl through your back or delivery more upright with your knees bent low, it's all in the balance. All styles, no matter how you do it, should allow you the best stability through your core which gives you the greatest sense of balance.

Backswing and Release

The backswing and release also varies depending on your preference. This part varies immensely but there are 3 styles in which this can be broken down, none of them right or wrong but what is comfortable to you. One style is the standard pendulum swing which varies depending on the weight required for the shot. A larger backswing gives you more weight while a shorter backswing gives you a less weighted, more precise type of weight. The second style is the same backswing each time with the arm speed varying depending on length. The third style is almost no backswing at all but a pushing motion (in conjunction with body movement speed) from your back foot and through. What works for you works best, although it's always best to start with the pendulum style then work from there.

Step Length and Feet Position

The standard, traditional feet position of side by side is a really good starting point. This gives you your best chance of learning to balance up and straighten your body while you learn. From there, you can use the "shooters" stance which is your lead, or stepping foot, forward of your back foot. The shooters stance also has two variations. One variant is to keep your back foot in line with the line you wish to take, whereas the other variance is to move you back foot in to a position that gives you more balance and potentially more push through the delivery.

The step length also has a couple of variants. Some people like to have the same "gait" every time they bowl. The belief behind this type of step is that it takes one variable of your delivery out of play. This is a difficult approach which uses the pendulum style of backswing to vary your length. The more standard approach is to use a varying gait which is combined with your varying backswing. Although this contains more variables, it is also the most comfortable for most bowlers.

What is the best lawn bowls delivery for me?

Directly trying to copy one of the best Lawn Bowlers deliveries can work to some degree, if you can do it. It must be mentioned though that the Champions have been playing this sport for decades, many of them going back to when they were kids. It's automatic for them. Physically differing styles of lawn bowls deliveries are a trial and error type thing, but for the beginners of our sport the general consensus is this, start with the basics, get that right then move on with a proper coach.

This is where the Lawn Bowls Coach can help. Through the use of technology and using 10 observation points, there isn't much we can't help each and every bowler with. We can identify large changes to the fundamentals that may be required, to the smallest of adjustments to make it feel more natural.

And therein lies the best lawn bowls delivery. What "feels" the most comfortable and the most repeatable delivery YOU can have. If you can get the feel right, small adjustments can be made to make your delivery that most consistent it can be.

With the help of the Lawn Bowls Coach, and your willingness to want to work at getting better, you can develop your delivery which will lead to improved performance on the green. Isn't that what we all want?