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Improve Performance by Better Tactics.

BOWLS TACTICS

The following pages show notes on various aspects of Bowls Tactics. (15/10/10)

STRATEGY AND TACTICS IN BOWLS

These notes give the same meaning to Bowls Strategy and Bowls Tactics – the policies that cover (a) the selection of shots to play and (b) the mode of play. In brief, a policy provides a guide to action and mode of play covers the following three decision (a) mat position, (b) end length, and (c) the speed they play the game and the particular end.

The notes suggest that Skippers should identify their strategies (but do they use the strategy they say they have?) and try to identify the strategies of their opposition skipper. Team Members should know their Skipper's stategies. If they disagree they should discuss the differences and try to resolve them. 

The notes suggest ten strategies that Skippers might consider using. They also discuss how a skipper might try to counter each strategy. (14/2/08).

SHOULD EVERY BOWL TRY TO GET SHOT?

Some Skippers almost always try to get shot when they do NOT hold shot – but they should NOT. The notes discuss four different variations on whether the skipper (a) does, or does not, hold shot and (b) should, or should not, try to gain shot. The notes discuss five different situations where the skipper does not hold shot and should not try to gain shot. The second secton section of the notes discusses situations where the skipper does not hold shot but should try to get shot. The next section considers the situation where the skipper holds shot but should not try for another shot. The fourth section considers the situation where the Team does hold shot and the skipper should try to gain another shot. The notes conclude that Skippers should not try to gain shot every time they call a placed Player to play a shot. Sometimes skippers should not try to get shot with their first bowl or (rarely) not even try to get shot with their second bowl. (14/2/08)

TACTICS – DRIVES AND A POSSIBLE CONFLICT OF INTEREST

If the evaluation of bowlers performance use the Individual Bowl Scoring approach, one approach does not give any score for a drive that misses.  This situation  means that Players may prefer to draw rather than play a drive.  (11/1/11)

BOWLS TACTICS – CHOOSE YOUR OWN WEIGHT

Skippers can ask a Player to hit a Designated Target (DT). They want the Player to play with a weight that (a) gives the Player the greatest chance of success (b) avoids the possibility that the bowl will take out one or more of our bowls, (c) does not mean the bowl will travel into the ditch, and/or (d) travels only a yard past the target so that it increases the possility of having bowls on the head. Some of these objectives may conflict with one another. For some of the above objectives, Skippers have the option of  (a) allowing Players to choose their weight or (b) choose their own weight but with definite limitations (do not go into the ditch). However – when should they use either of these approaches? (14/2/08).

WHAT SHOTS SHOULD A SKIPPER ASK FROM A LEADER?

These notes start by discussing two common objectives for a Leader – (a) Draw two close bowls and (b) Draw one on and one behind. They  (a) discuss meanings for "close, "on" and "behind". (b) ask which objective rates as the more important, and (c) should Leaders ever play position bowls.

The notes suggest that what Leaders should do depends on the location of the Opposition's two bowls and classifies the two common objectives as wrong. They conclude that Leaders should (a) try to obtain a close bowl whether the Leader bowls first or second and (b) bowl the second bowl as directed by the Skpper. (14/2/08)

THE DANGER OF GIVING PLAYERS THE WRONG STANDARDS,

The notes give examples of Players making favourable comments about a bad bowl. Often they praise a bowl that obtains a good RESULT even though a poor-QUALITY bowl. Such comments encourage some Players to adopt the wrong standards. They gain a wrong impression of how well they played – and then wonder why the Selectors drop them to a lower Side. Players  should take care that they do not mislead Players as to (a) what constitutes a good bowl and (b) a good game. (14/2/08).

SHOULD LEADERS PLAY ONE SIDE OF THE GREEN ?

The traditionaL approach to leading states that Leaders should play only one side of the green. This advice aoppears to suggest that a green on one side will have the same speed in both directions and Players will not have to adjust to different speeds IF the speed does differ on the other side..

The notes discuss situations where the traditional approach does NOT have an advantage – (a) both sides of the greeen have the same speed, (b) the Player does not have equal skill with both hands on the day – or in general, and (c) the green has imperfections on two different sides of the green.

The notes conclude that Players should (a) play  the hand that  the Players can play best, (b) play the hand that proves most suitable to the Players where a wide  and a narrow hand exist, (c) play around the clock if that approach means the Players use the hands with the least imperfections (if any), (d) play the hand that the Skipper determines if he wants to use a strategey of having the Leader play one side of the green and the Second play the other, and (c) play the same hand as the Opposition Leaders – if the Opposition Leader plays significantly better than  the Team's Leader (14/2/08).

SOME IDEAS ABOUT SKIPPING.

The first section of these notes discuss the following different approaches to skipping – autocratic, laissez faire, (laid back, hands off) and democratic. The next section discusses a procedure for Players that disagree with a Skipper's call.The following section has a table that shows four cells that discuss if a Skipper and/or a Player want to gain power or have a genuine discussion about the shot to play. An appendix discusses different reasons why Players disagree with a Skipper's call. In summary, the notes show that Skippers can take a variety of approaches to skipping and that Players can have a variety of reactions to how skippers skip.  Skippers should study the notes carefully and aim to make a wise choice about how they will approach varying situations. (28/1/08)

THE PROBABILITY, AND DESIRABILITY, OF TRAILING THE JACK.

These notes suggest that – probably – little or no data exists on the probability of trailing the jack about three feet. They estimate the probability by using (a)  the percentage of bowls that finish close to the point that a successful shot will trail the jack and (b) the percentage of bowls that hit the jack. Data exists on the first factor but not the second. Thus the notes try to estimate the second factor. The results suggest that a top-grade Player will trail the jack successfully about one in twenty attempts. However, this probability assumes that the bowl will hit the jack directly rather than slicing it. Collection of information has found that a slice occurs about 30% of the time.

The desirability of trying to trail the jack depends on (at least) nine factors that these notes list and discuss. The many factors and their intereaction make the decision to try to trail the jack quite complex. These notes aim to help Players make wise decisions on whether to try for a trail. (15/12/08). 

SOME BELIEFS ABOUT BOWLING – SOME POINTS FOR DISCUSSION

These notes list twelve statements about bowling. They should prove useful starting points for a discussion among Players. (24/2/08)

SOME ELEMENTS IN A TEAM PLAN

These notes offer a definition of a team plan. They suggest that general objectives exist that apply to all or most games. They list some particualar objectives that apply to the game under consideration. Some Readers will not agree with the objectives listed. More work should occur to add more objectives. (22/3/08).

SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF A FAVOURABLE AND UNFAVOURABLE POSITION

These notes aim to answer the question – what does the term favourable position mean? They contain a table that has favourable positions on one side and the related unfavourable position on the other side. Skippers who understand the ideas in these notes should increase their ability to choose wise tactics . (21/1/08)

PLAYING PERCENTAGE BOWLS

These notes suggest that – at  least five factors exist in playing percentage bowls. The following lists three examples – (a) the best possible result, (b) the worst possible result, and (c) the probability of achieving the objective of particular shots. The notes suggest that – quite often – it will prove difficult to predict the best and worst-possible result and that Players have little information about the probabilities. Thus skippers will have limited  number of situations where they can play percentage bowls.  (15/3/11).

CRITICISMS OF A SKIPPER'S TACTICS

These notes discuss three factors that make it difficult, or even unfar, to criticise a Skipper's tactics – (a) feelings a Skipper has about his ability to play a particular hand and/or a particular shot, (b) the perception of the head by a Skipper does not reflect reality, and (c) the Skipper calls a particular shot because he believes that the Player cannot play well the obviously "correct" shot. (24/2/08).

PRESSURE AND ITS EFFECT ON A PLAYER'S PERFORMANCE

These notes discuss the relationship between pressure and bowling well. They suggest that Skippers should try to learn what types of calls tend to produce pressure on a Player and under what circumstances. Further, Players should identify what causes them to feel pressure and how they can reduce such pressure.The notes have a table for five common calls and examine various aspects of these calls – including probable amount of pressure for the five shots. They also point out that Skippers can produce pressure in their Players. An extensive set of notes on pressure also exists (14/4/08)

NURSING PLAYERS

These notes describe a tactic that Skippers should consider when they or their team play below their usual ability. In brief, nursing Players involves (a) keeping a Player just drawing and on the same hand and (b) encouraging him to set himself a lower standard than the level he would normally play. The approach risks that the shots called will not (always) give the most-desirable tactics to use. However if nursing does improve the performance of a Player, it will prove worth the risk. This approach will not always help a Player to play better. However – in bowls tactics  – no approach will always produce the desired results. (10/11/08).

WHAT SHOTS TO CALL FOR A SECOND

These notes discuss whether a Skipper should call a shot for a Second even if the skipper believes the Player has a low probability of achieving the the objective of the shot. Some skippers believe that Players should have the capacity to play "all the shots". They say – "I will call the correct shot no matter". The opponents of this approach say – "Why waste a bowl that has a LOW probability of achieving what you want the bowl to achieve. (25/1/08)

THE ADVANTAGE OF GOOD SHORT BOWLS

These notes discuss the belief that short bowls rate as bad. They discuss whether short "good" bowls rate as better than long "good" bowls. They define a good bowl as one that finishes within three feet of the jack or any other Designated Finishing Point (DFP). Next they examine what can happen if a played bowl strikes a stationary short "good " bowl or a stationary long "good" bowl.. Sometimes the played bowl will push UP the short bowl but push OUT the long bowl. On other occasions, the played bowl will run through the stationary short bowl and rermain within three feet. However many factors will determine just what happens when a played bowl hits a stationary bowl and the notes discuss these factors. Overall the notes suggest that a short "good" bowl has more advantages than a long" good" bowl – provided Readers accept that a bowl that finishes within three feet of the DFP rates as "good". Many Players will immediately reject this conclusion because as soon as they start to play bowls, most Players tell them that short bowls rate as bad. (15/12/08).

THE IMPORTANCE OF DIFFERENT POSITIONS IN A FOUR.

These notes show that the Leader rates as the LEAST important Member in a four. They do so by using the Individual Bowl Scoring (IBS) approach that gives a score for each bowl. They show the scores for two opposing teams to produce an IBS score for each team – for all ends played. They then calculate the association (correlation)  between the I B Scores and the end scores.. The I B Scores gives each position in a four an EQUAL chance of contributing to the overall I B Score for each Team. This investigation gives different importance (weighting)  to different positions. They use a variety of different combinations of weightings. One approach gives the least importance to the Leader's score and most weight (importance) to the skipper's score. Another approach reverses this approach. The notes also show other variations to the weights given. The notes show the results for many different grades from State games down to Division 4. They all show similar results. (15/12/08).

WHEN SHOULD A PLAYER PLAY AN UPSHOT

These notes discuss when a Player should play an upshot ( a term that includes both a swinger and a drive) . They define both a drive and a swinger and discuss whether to  play an upshot or a draw.. The following two different  objectives exist for an upshot – save, or gain, one or more shots. Four more objectives also exist  – (a) disturb opposition bowls, (b) remove one or more opposition bowls, (c) move the jack back, and (d) score in the last end. Next the notes discuss eleven elements that Players should consider on different occasions (e.g. closeness of the opposition bowls to the jack and number of opposition bowls close to the the jack.) In general Players should avoid playing an upshot. However in some situations, they SHOULD play an upshot and in some situations they should NOT. (5/5/09)