Some light hearted advice
- Try & arrive 20 minutes before the start of a game [a] to help put the rinks out at home and [b] to get in the mood for the game. The game MAY start early!
- Point your toes in the direction of the hand you are going to bowl, it helps to get your mind in tune.
- If you are casting the jack, instead of putting both feet on the mat, place only the foot on the side of your bowling arm on it and let your arm go through the middle of the mat, seems to make it straighter.
- Skips are fantastic and omnipresent, but their skill at guessing distances to move the jack is appalling, give them an indication.
- It’s what skips don’t say that is important, not what they do say, so:-
- Good green (You are at least 2 metres from the jack)
- Weight is good (at least a metre wide)
- Better luck next time (would you be better off playing scrabble?)
- You looked enchanting on the mat (ever thought of taking up darts?)
- Don’t worry about it (Oh Lord, please help me!)
- Please get one in the head (we are at least 5 down).
- Also, listen to what the opposition skip says, if he says they are holding 3, odds are pretty high that you are 3 down.
- But whether you are 1 down or 5, all you need to worry about is getting the shot, or at least giving your team a chance of getting the shot.
- It doesn’t matter what the actual distance is, it is what you PERCEIVE it to be that counts.
- Before looking down to bowl, make sure you have checked with your skip (or for skips, your number 2/3) that they are not telling you to do something else.
- When standing behind the head (only the skips or number 2/3 should be at the head), or walking past a rink, DON’T MOVE WHEN EITHER SIDE IS ABOUT TO BOWL. If it’s the opposition about to bowl, it’s un-sporting, if it’s your team, at best it’s distracting, at worst you have just lost the end.
- Timesaving tips :-
- If you have lost the end, get the woods back behind the mat, if you have won it and are the lead, ignore the rest of the world, get the mat, the jack and one of your woods and place the mat.
- You should have your next bowl in your hand and ready before the opposition player has delivered their wood.
- The time to practice this is in the many friendly games that are arranged. There will be a number of experienced players there to help you, don’t expect to pick it all up in Roll-ups or vital League games.
- Finally – ENJOY IT – It’s only a game after all. Admittedly, as some Scottish football manager once said, more important than life or death, but you can’t do much about them!