Lining up for consistency

I think we are all agreed that to play consistently well, and to hold our form over an indoor season which is seven months long, we have to practise or play at least three times each week (writes John Rednall).
To sustain commitment and enthusiasm within a busy lifestyle, to concentrate relentlessly and to have the strength of character to cope with the little peaks and troughs of good and indifferent form is no mean feat over a long campaign.
As the season rolls out, it brings noteable victories over tough opponents, defeats against those we ‘should’ beat and the memorable dramatic last gasp wins or losses in which Lady Luck or the gods of the green contributed to our sporting destiny.
Those of us who are ‘human’ realise that we don’t play ‘out of our skin’ in every single match; we might be brilliant one day and below average, by our standards, the next day. Sometimes, playing well seems effortless and other times, we just can’t be at our best, no matter how hard we try.
Years ago, a fellow club member asked me why he could play so well one day and so badly the next. I wish I knew the answer, but there are certainly good reasons why we might not play as well as we want to all the time.
For a start, every rink we play on is different. I am a member of two clubs; one is a six rink club and the other a four rinker. I can safely say that no two rinks are identical. Each one has significant characteristics including different arcs, reluctant lines or fierce punishing swings; some rinks are very hard to play trailing shots or running bowls and we tend to know with experience which are the best mat and jack positions for us, and which lengths are tricky. If we have rushed in heavy traffic to arrive to the match on time, this can negatively affect our preparation. Our blood pressure is up, we have constantly watched the clock to estimate if we will get there on time and start the game fraught. Simply, we are not in the right mental state to play; our eyes have not adjusted to artificial light and we struggle until we have calmed down.
PREPARING FOR A MATCH
I am a true advocate of warming up our muscles before a game, to increase the blood flow to our muscles and alleviate stiffness in our lower back, calves, hamstrings and knees. Lack of time to warm up ca be crucial as it seems to take a few ends to get the delivery fully fluent, we play inconsistently and do not achieve our best standard.
Physical exertion during the day or before the match can work against us too. Heavy lifting, pruning, digging and running a marathon are not ideal, in any order. I remember in the summer, shifting four tons of top soil and then wondering why I could not ‘feel’ the weight of the green or deliver well. Some years ago, I played the final of my club singles the day after I had competed in the London Marathon and found that my aching limbs and overused muscles affected my technique.
To perform well, we need to feel good: healthy, focussed, confident and ‘up for it’. In my opinion we need to have ‘butterflies in our tummy’ to play well.
Our emotional state of mind is surely the most important contributory factor. A bad, stressful day at work, relationship problems, over-tiredness and anxiety are factors that hinder us from playing at our brilliant best.
WORLD INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
Last month we were treated to the annual feast of bowling that is the World Indoor Championships at Potters, Hopton-on-Sea. Most competitive bowlers aspire to one day qualify for this unique event, but in doing so would need to realise that the portable rink is one of a kind!
So how is the portable rink different and how does it feel to play on it?
Having played on the portable rink myself and having watched many of the world’s best players performing at Potters, it’s clear that this surface plays differently again to most of our indoor rinks. For a start, there are ditches both sides so it has characteristics of an end rink; it’s a fair bit shorter than most indoor greens and finally the T is three metres from the ditch rather than the two metres that we are used to. The rink changes speed dramatically when the television lights are on and when there is an audience. Its construction is a feat of engineering and of course it is slightly different each time it is laid, yet the main features stay the same.
Those players who have competed annually at Potters for years have built up an intrinsic knowledge of the way the rink can play. They know what to expect, and their tactical knowledge of which bowls to use and which shots are difficult or comparatively easy can give them a massive advantage over newcomers. The stadium has an aura; cameras rolling and audience gasping can distract. The field of competitors is world class, the tension can be cut by a knife and the glories from success are indescribable.
One thing that always impresses me is how well, the leading players cope with bowling to respots or displaced jacks and having to bowl within millimetres of the side ditch. Nobody wants to put a bowl in the side ditch; it’s embarrassing, but at times, you have to take your life in your hands and
risk it. And usually, the top players do it well, showing they have full confidence in their delivery mechanics and courage to get the bowl out to the edge. There is a lesson here for beginners and intermediate bowlers: the release of the bowl has to be clean; the slightest wobble will see the side ditch and the position of leading leg has to be right.

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