Developing a reliable bowling style is essential if you want to succeed as a bowler. This means that you need to feel comfortable and secure every time you go to the mat, so that you can have reasonable confidence that the bowl will go where you want it to!
Holding the Bowl
Different bowlers have their own preferences when deciding how to hold the bowl. Firstly, are you right or left-handed? Most people bowl with the same hand with which they write, but there is no rule about this and there are plenty of people who do some things with one hand and other things with the other. Bowls is no exception to this. There are even some bowlers who can use either hand, depending on whether they are bowling “forehand” or “backhand”; however, these bowlers are rare!
The usual way of holding the bowl is to place the fingers underneath the bowl and the thumb on top. However, that does not suit everyone, and some people prefer to make use of the “grips” that many bowls have, namely the ring of indentations to either side of the running surface. By placing the thumb (or forefinger, or both) on the grip, this can help to prevent the bowl from slipping in the hand.
Another way to hold the bowl is the “cradle”, by which the bowl rests in the palm of the hand and the thumb only touches the bowl lightly if at all. Some bowlers (the writer included) prefer this style, but they are unusual in this preference. What must be remembered is that the bowling action involves the hand being taken back such that the hand is not underneath the bowl at all times, and gravity will try to make the bowl fall out of the hand when the arm is at its maximum backward extension. The question is whether your palm can hold the bowl when the bowl is underneath the palm and not on top of it.
The Stance
The rule is that at least one foot must be touching the mat, or be directly above it, at the moment that the bowl is released. You cannot therefore run off the mat and release the bowl several yards up the green!
You must therefore stand on the mat with either one foot or both in contact as you line up your shot. It is advisable to point your feet in the direction that you want your bowl to go, so that your whole action is in the same line.
You should also decide the point at which you wish the bowl to meet the grass. This will be different depending on whether it is a forehand or backhand shot, and your stance should reflect this. The mat is a foot wide, and you therefore have this amount of leeway in terms of width. You also have a choice as to whether to stand at the front or back of the mat or at any point in between.
The Bowling Action
Some bowlers like to crouch down on the mat and release the bowl without moving their feet. They are therefore never in danger of “foot-faulting”, but the downside is that all the action must then come from the arm, whatever the pace of the shot.
The more usual bowling style (sometimes termed the “athletic” style) is to step forwards with the opposite foot to the bowling arm at the same time that the arm goes back, and then to bring the arm forward and release the bowl at a point next to the front foot.
The follow-through of the arm will bring the back foot forward and off the mat, which is when a bowler could possibly foot-fault if they are too enthusiastic. The follow-through should be in the same line that the bowl has just gone along up the green. If not, your shot will have gone either too wide or too narrow!
It is also vital to release the bowl just as your hand meets the ground. If the release is too high, the bowl will “bounce” on the green, possibly leaving a small indentation which will annoy the greenkeeper! Alternatively, you might hit the ground with your hand and take the pace out of the bowl, resulting in it ending up “short” on the green.
Getting it Wrong
A common mistake is for the bowling action not to be straight, possibly by the arm coming across the body and sending the bowl off-line. The same effect can be had when the bowl has not been held properly or it has slipped in the hand.
Correcting these faults comes with practice, and possibly the use of aids such as a bowling glove or “Grippo” – a cream which provides extra stickiness if your hand is very dry and cannot hold the bowl firmly.
It is every bowler’s aim to get it right every time. This only happens when your technique is sound, you are balanced throughout the delivery, and you are concentrating on what you are doing, but relaxed at the same time!
John Welford - I was a full-time professional librarian for more than 25 years before redundancy made me take a fresh direction. I now work as a ...
