Monday, February 29, 2016

Bowls Video Viewing 2/5

Bowls Routines... What are they ? Something about the 2015 Hong Kong International Classic Women's Pairs, which I found interesting in viewing the first 2 ends of the Finals.

As we learn to bowl, we are instructed in a routine of approaching the mat,  deliver a good Bowl and Watch our results, often called our Routine of "Preparation of the Bowl Delivery". As we become more experience we work on a more detail routines. A more detail "Before the mat" Routine, or a perfection of  delivery Routine and even a "Feedback Routine" where we evaluate our results as feedback for improvement on the next bowl ( or feedback into our training).

However, we become so fixed in our "Walk up the Green" routine as a " Don't think time ", that as we become an advance competition  bowler, we have forgotten to develop and use a "Mental Routine" for relaxing or what to do to stay involved in the game.  As we leave the mat and go to the head as a member of a pairs or a triple team we have  This sometime the social aspect and a care-free moment.  It is important to develop this  Routine of "Going to the Head" , "Arriving in the Head" and even "Dangerous Bowls in the Head Routine"
Crossing team express high Fives
Team Harmony is the smooth communication and support of members who might be over reacting to a rather bad experience or delivery from the mat. There is not much time taken walking to the opposite end of the rink as your team members come to the mat.  But the "High Five" and words of support (HKYT) are as important as the correct bias.
First, as the skip and team member  passes at centre green there is usually some exchange of positive encouragement. A smile, low 5 or even "Great Toucher"

In this blog, as I look at the first two ends of play of  the YouTube video  which results in the Youth Team taking a 7-0 lead.   This, the Woman's finals game  of the 2015 Hong Kong International Classic Women's Pairs, was probably considered a easy win for Australia.  The relatively few years of International competition of the Hong Kong Youth Team against nearly 20 years combined total of the Australian.

  A bowls Video is only as good as the players involved and this video can be said to have the best with Australian Woman's Pair of Karen Murphy (Skip) / Kristina Krstic , each bearing titles like Best Women Singles Bowler, Best World Woman's Bowler.  At home with a supporting crowd, the Hong Kong Youth Team of  Vivian Yip (Skip) / Amy Choi, would not be playing the finals unless they had won their matches against some of the world's best and  strongest women's Pairs teams.

This blog will touch on a mistake which I feel was just no " Head Investigation Routine", or maybe a lack of communication; because the longer we  play together, the more we know our team partners.   Or maybe, even the best players have that little bit of first end of play nerves, and forgot to check where that toucher was.  Again the 7 point lead , which Hong Kong Youth team took in  these two ends, might also  be knowing their own club green.

Although some errors will  happen in an end of play. What do we do ?? Learn from them ??
 Even when it is a silly mistake like removing a toucher from the ditch, on a long Jack, we have to see the mistake as maybe  something  just as simple as insufficient chalk on a toucher. Photo at right show the  two styles of chalking. Watch video and note the extra care that is give by Amy Choi  over the quick Lean in-passing Australian style.
.
 Also interesting, we will see, that one of the game  commentator which has been working all  week as an official, had  the wisdom of not making  a comment or making a big thing of the mistake. Lets see what happen and how would you have handled it. (as player, as opponent, as referee, as radio commentator) Interesting.

Scenario - Second end of play with a jack at the maximum distance. ( only 2 meters from the ditch).

On the second  bowl of lead Kristina Krstic, a backhand delivery, it rubs the jack and rolls a little behind..

Commentator David Ryhs Jones from England who is at the Classic covering the games for " the UK papers and Bowls Magazine, says

"Great effort there, toucher, chalk on the bowl", (as Karen Murphy chalk sprays the bowl) 

For the non-lawn bowls viewers, David explains the meaning of  a toucher in the game with his comment of

" Which means if that bowl goes into the ditch at any point in this end ,it will remain alive"

The raison for this blog on the important in having an "Read or Study the Head Routine is that very often bowls get moved around during play, and although only three bowls of each team(in this final) are in this head, thing do and have changed

Next Australian's bowl by lead Kristina Krstic is a bit heavy following the same line as her previous bowl and passing the jack and  pushes her toucher back a meter back and to the left of jack line.

"Going to take her own bowl out" says Jim Neilson, the second commentator of the video, as Kristina bowl passes the jack. Although Jim, a Scottish Bowler living in Hong Kong, has seen many events in the head he was saying that this week he had been  "busy all this week refereeing".

At this point, I would like to ask a question of you readers who do know the rules or do some refereeing..  If this bowl was knocked into the ditch and removed (by mistake) which next happens on this video.
What is the responsibility of the referee to indicate and correct the situation.  If the team removed their own bowl?  If the opponent removed the toucher ?  If neither team playerin the head, asked for a referee's ruling ?   In bowls the referee is sometimes  responsible to address mistakes like Foot Faulting , so does it become a point of involvement when a Toucher is removed ?  Maybe the the referee should come forward or wait until requested to become involved.

The following photos show   
1 -The new position  of this toucher, when raised a short distance to the left.
2 - The toucher after being  knocked into the ditch by a wide runner drive of Karen Murphy and it removal by Kristina Krstic.

3- The final head configuration after the last bowl of Karen Murphy hit the jack and caused the jack to bounce forward, giving Hong Kong Youth Team a big count of 5 point.  

This final photo or screen captures of the head  is to show that had the toucher had remained in the ditch it would not have changed the final count. The blue bowl (lower right) is Karen Murphy.  This happen because the jack which had struck  a bowl directly behind it, then  bounced  forward and to the right away from the jack line.  However, what if the jack had gone back to the ditch as Karen Murphy was attempting to do ?

The purpose of showing this error is the interest of the lead going to the head routine.   What is your routine, and do you always do every aspect of it
Is there always communication between you and the skip (or lead) as you pass in mid-green.. Encouragement, head information, actual point count.
Once you Arrive, do you evaluate the situation.. See and identify the bowls which are important.
I like to put a Priority on the bowls.  (example: toucher's location, properly marked or even non-touchers with previous chalk)
In the first end of play there was a standing opponent bowl directly in front of the head and the skip's atteempting a backhand draw bowl, actually tapped or pushed it up to the jack for a 2nd point for the opponents.

However,  an interesting two ends of a very interesting  and enjoy Bowls video..  Thank you, to the individual, for the capture and then the placement on You Tube.  Take the time to watch all of the who video because it does really rain hard toward the end. So hard that the bowls can't be rolled.

To the Video Viewers of the game, they knew and had thoughts about the toucher; because after the first bowls of Karen Murphy, the  Commentator David Ryhs Jones says

"Well the situation is developing well for Australia "They may be down one bowl, but they have three  bowls just behind the jack, waiting to receive"

Watch the video.. great  bowls play by both teams and especially the  HKYT skip, Vivian Yip, who continues to draws bowl after bowl into the head to count another point time and time again.


No comments:

Post a Comment