Redhill Bowling Club – Accredited Bowls Coaches:
Lyn Davison – Level 1
Paul Eales – Level 1 Bowls Coach & Level 4 Performance Coach with British Athletics – Coaching Co-ordinator
Les Felgate – Level 1
Ralph Wycherley – Level 2
Please approach Paul Eales initially with any request for coaching by email to paul.eales@hotmail.co.uk or call on 07968 498707
Level One means they are qualified to provide coaching for players new to the sport of bowls.
Level Two means they are also qualified to provide coaching for players wishing to develop their skills
The following pages highlight Coach Responsibilities plus there will be regular Coaching Tips for members’.
CLUB COACHES
The club coaches are responsible to the club committee
Main responsibilities:
- Take responsibility for the coaching of potential new members and existing club members as required.
- All qualified coaches and any senior members carrying out ‘taster’ sessions must adhere to the Code of Conduct for coaches’ club policy.
- All coaches involved within a coaching role should endeavour to keep up to date with knowledge and skills for planned sessions (as opposed to ad hoc advice) and should have a plan of actions for the tasks to be undertaken.
- All coaches involved within a coaching role should ensure they have up to date Bowls England qualifications and up to date Safeguarding course attendance as required by Bowls England Alliance.
- To always maintain high ethical standards.
- If required by the club to take training appropriate to the role, e.g. child protection and safeguarding training.
- To offer feedback to the committee on the organisation and degree of success of all coaching matters.
- Where appropriate to encourage all new potential members to become full members of the club and to advise on the choice of equipment to be purchased.
- Senior members may organise ‘taster’ sessions with any new potential member with the acknowledgement of a club coach whereby a structured approach is agreed. Any ‘taster’ sessions carried out must be covered by the senior members holding a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) number. This verifies that members have been checked through an accredited process.
- All sessions should have a structured approach for new and existing members and feedback encouraged to ensure reasonable progress where required.
COACHING TIPS FOR MEMBERS’
A BEGINNERS’ GUIDE
Bowls is a sport for all – all ages, gender and abilities.
It is a game that takes just seconds to learn – and the rest of your bowling career to master!
BOWLS BASICS
Like many games, the object of bowls is essentially simple. It can be played by anyone, but to play consistently well demands determination, concentration and practice.
The game is played on a square of closely cut grass called ‘the green’, which is divided into playing areas/lanes called rinks.
The green is surrounded by a small ditch to catch bowls which leave the green, and a bank upon which white markers indicate the sides and centrelines of each rink.
Players take turns to deliver their bowls from a mat at one end of the rink towards a small white/yellow ball called the jack at the other end. The bowls are shaped so that they take a curved (bias) path towards the jack. To be successful the bowl must be delivered with the correct weight, along the correct line, and stop as close as possible to the jack.
The object is to get one or more of your bowls closer to the jack than those of your opponents – one point is scored for each counting bowl.
Matches consist of different numbers of ‘ends’. One game, played across the green, is called an ‘end’. The most common number of ends in a match is 18 or 21.
There are many different formats of the game, but the most common in England are singles or teams of pairs, triples or fours. In singles, the winner is the first to score 21 points. In the other three formats, the winner is the team that scores the most points over a set number of ends.
BOWLS TIPS 1, 2 and 3.
Preparation before entering onto the mat. Take a few seconds to think through your sequence
- Take a consistent mat position.
Each time you deliver a bowl, step onto the same spot on the mat. For most bowlers, most of the time, that means standing with the shoulder of your bowling arm centred above the mat, then turning slightly to face your aiming point. If you’re all over the mat, your aiming point will be slightly different for every shot, and you will find it difficult to achieve a consistent line.
There’s an exception—on inconsistent rinks or when there is no other way around an obstacle, you can stretch one foot out to the side while keeping the other on the mat. Some bowlers perfect this style of delivery, but it usually throws your aim or weight out of sync. Only use this if nothing else works!
- Aim your feet, and keep your shoulders square
After you pivot slightly on the mat, make sure your feet are pointing towards your aiming point, keep your shoulders square to that line as you swing. This helps you develop a smooth pendulum swing without crossing your arm in front of your body.
A square stance works for most people, but if you have wide hips that force your swing out to the side, try positioning your body more like an archer’s, one foot a little in front of the other and shoulders angled slightly. Suddenly your hips aren’t in the way. Your swinging arm will angle across your body, but it can follow a straight path along the aiming line.
- Don’t let your arm get floppy!
When you move your arm as a controlled unit (which doesn’t mean it’s rigid but firm), you’ll get a true pendulum swing, with much better weight control. Muscle memory becomes easier, because your brain has just one thing to learn: “If I move my arm this hard, the bowl goes that far.” But if your elbow flexes a lot, your brain gets confused: “Should I move my upper arm a little? Swing my lower arm a lot? Or vice-versa?”
Following is an example:
But here’s your arm when your elbow is floppy:
Good luck bowling with that swing!!!!
Remember, take the opportunity to practice often, and focus on areas where you are having difficulty in achieving consistency.