SECOND
Exercise 1.
Equipment: 3 jacks, 1 mat, 4 rebound discs/markers
- First end: bowl full length to no jack, and then take off two metres with each of the next three bowls. Do this in each direction (8 bowls).
AIM to achieve: 4 equally spaced bowls on the centre line, finding green and establishing control of weight.
- Place a jack near the 2 metre spot and a rebound disc or marker at one end at least 3 metres apart and one jack at the other end
- Place the mat and bowl twice at the long jack and then twice at the short marker.
- Change ends, place the mat in front of the shorter rebound disc or marker and bowl twice at the single jack
- Then move the mat back to the longer jack and bowl twice
- Repeat three times, varying the mat position. (32 bowls)
- Initially bowl both bowls on the same side, later bowl one bowl on each hand
AIM to achieve: 2 bowl draw practice to develop control of green.
The second bowl should be better than the first
Exercise 2.
- Using 4 rebound discs at each end, place the markers/discs about
1 metre and 2 metres short of the jack so that they are comfortably inside (20 to 30 cm) the line which you would expect your bowl to take when drawing on that hand.
- Draw to a target area behind the jack within 1 metre.
- Bowl all four on the same hand. Do this 3 times each way (24 bowls)
AIM to achieve: getting around a bowl without adding weight.
When most bowlers are faced with this position, 60% of bowls are narrow and 30% heavy even when the short bowl is well clear of the needed path.
Exercise 3.
- At each end of the rink place 1rebound disc/marker 30 cm from the jack in a jack high position, and another rebound disc/marker 1 metre back and 50 cm narrow.
- With your first bowl on each end try to draw within 30 cm.
- If you are not satisfied with your first bowl try again.
- With subsequent bowls try to achieve a ‘yard on bowl’ through the gap or turning out your first bowl by slightly increasing the weight and reducing the green.
- This is best done by making the back rebound disc/marker your jack (depending on the width of your bowls): repeat three times (24 bowls).
AIM to achieve: play a ’yard on’ turning out an opposition bowl while keeping your bowl in the head.
Exercise 4.
- Place jacks and rebound discs/marker off centre and draw to them.
(8 bowls).
AIM to achieve: adjusting delivery line to bowl to a jack that has been moved by an earlier bowl.