Mat Walking Exercises 3/3

As part of this months blogs on the Mat and its usaqge, I give these exercise on the Walking of the Mat" which was just explained in two previous blogs; "Walking the Mat What is it ?" and its followup of "Other uses of Walking the Mat".  

April 5th 2017 Stats

Both blogs were written this week and even though the lawn bowls season is finishing "Down Under" and just about to start in Our Northern clubs; it has received a good reader turnout. 

The two stats (screen captures) show how sometimes stats don't reflect the actual readership of the blogs.  In recent months  the Canadian and Americian news has been heavy about the Russian hacking. There is certainly a high volume of searching by Russian and I doubt if they are going to start lawn bowls soon. The stat (right)  is probably a Russian search because of a blog I wrote about Trump on Nov 9th 2016 about inviting the US president to your club.  The second stats show the actual blog readership stats without the influence of Russian searching.

April 6th 2017 Stats

What is interesting is the most popular blogs read.The two top reads are:  "Measure which Bowl is shot" of 2013 with 1820 reads and the use of the Subconscious mind in Lawn Bowls "Three Subconscious Mind Exercise" written in December 2012, with 1909  reads.  The other three blogs in these two stats are the two most recent blogs about "Walking the mat" and "other usages of Walking the Mat"  and the role of "Being a good Lead"  in the game. 

Now about these three Exercises for Walking the mat. First, It is important to know your ability to get around a block, if one should arrive in the front of your bowl to the head. The first exercise will attempt to instruct you as to your weakness when a block appears.

The second exercise for "Walking the Mat" will help you understand what happens to your bowl as you reposition to the left and right side of the mat. Without theknowledge of what feeet movement does to the new position of your  bowl in the head when you use the same line of delivery; it would be a  guess how your bowls will arrive in the head.

April 8th 2017 Stats.

The third exercise for "Walking the mat" is to develop a judgement of how much to walk the mat to reposition your bowls. Or if you move on the mat to improve your "receiving area" for your bowl what difference to expect in the arrival of your bowl. 

 Although the Australian Lawn Bowls season is coming to a close, I posted the stats (right) to show a new reader. The spike occurs when someone starts reading a blog on something like "Walking the mat" and continues to search throught the 130 blogs of the last 5 years for blogs of their interest.

If you have read a few of my blogs on the mind’s ability to collect experiences and apply them to our sport; you will know I treat a personal Skill development like teaching a child (your subconscious mind) to believe in something new. By teaching the subconscious mind of the facts and then with repeated actions, you allow it (the subconscious) to develop a confidence in how best to do what you expect in your delivery.

If we reconizes we all have a mental attitude toward a bowl in your path, we must know the different between a real block and what bowl is not a block. Often called a "In your Eye" Block these bowls usually are enough intimination to force you or your skip to switch your delivery hand.  As you develop your "tool" of doing a Mat movement,  you will develop a ability of pushing this block's mental fear out of your delivery.

Helping Setup the Green -  As you attempt to roll around a block, in your first exercise you will need an individual or helper  reset up the block bowl on its mark after each time you have moved it.  As a good way to defines  the location of a perfect block, I suggest that that individual  stop your rolling bowl to the jack at the point about 3 meters infront of the house. Putting a chalk mark on the green will allow to reposition that bowl after you have moved it. If you are attempting these exercises with a fellow lawn bowl player, you can each take turns in the head as you would in Pairs Play.

Exercise 1 On an open or empty green with only the jack spotted place a piece of white string or chalk marking) about 15 to 18  feet ( 3 Meters) in front of the jack. As the first bowl is delivered it is stopped as it passes the line and left there as a block. 

Place Bowl where it is perfect Block

The remaining three bowls are bowled in an attempt to go around that bowl (block)  If that block is hit the individual in the head will reposition that bowl.  

Perform this going up and coming back on the same side of the green.  Then when finished repeat the exercise with the opposite hand. The purpose of this exercise is to know your own abilities as you encounter a block and how you feel by the block and as you want to be able to bowl on both hands, Forehand and back hand; you will do four passes.  Two on one side, up and back, and then two on the other side, up and back.

Exercise 2 This exercise is to show you the effect and amount  that a small movement on the mat causes with your bowl in the head.

Two Steps left and One Right

This exercise is done the same as exercise 1 as you go up and back on the same side of the green and then repeat with the opposite hand of delivery.   If you are lucky (or maybe unlucky) you might find a bad defect or run in the green and understand how the mat movement helps you.

You  with simply, using the same line of delivery (reference position off the green or on the green) for all bowls, make a slow movement from your normal delivery position on the mat and “Walk” to the extreme edge of the mat  in one direction. Like Exercise 1, do one direction of movement on the mat for one block going and coming back.

Knowing your “Walking” results from your slowly re-position your mat foot one shoe size left (or right beginning) of your normal stance position and always attempting to  bowl a second bowl with the same weight and line of delivery. 

Going Around Inside does not get close

As you repeats this for the next bowl,  you will eventually find your “on-the-mat” foot is at the extreme  edge of the mat.  If your still have a bowl attempt movement in the opposite direction from the normal mat position. You may find quite a different in your finished bowls caused by that very small movement both left and right.

After your 4 ends (up and back twice) you should know the limits of your movement on the mat from your regular and normal delivery stance. As you are reading this, think.. "If you use the same line and move left on the mat, where do you think you bowl will go ?  right or left of the jack or block.

Exerice 3 Bowling around the Block – Now knowing what your movement does to your bowl try Place a bowl on the mark made by your helper in the first exercise as a perfect block  and try your mat movement to go around the block.. 

Can also move back 3 steps

Note your feelings as you stand on the mat and look up the green toward the jack.  This feeling is your mind has changed from the first exercise when the block was an intimidation and you had doubt that you can bowl around that bowl to the jack  This skill exercise has without knowing,  slowly remove this doubt and create confidence of your ability to bowl around the block.

. As you do this skill  several other times or on other days, you will educate your mind that you can bowl around the block and develop and feel your confidence.

  There is no good in  “Walking the Mat” if you have not the confidence that you can bowl around the bowl which is blocking your approach and know where your bowl should arrive in the head.

You will also make a decision wheather you rather go around the block from the outside and arrive behind the jack or cross over the front of the block and arrive in the front of the jack. 

Moving right allow draw to jack

I personally like the outside-the-block delivery (mat position to go around back of the bowl) rather than the Inside Block delivery. (across the front of the block)

Finish this exercise by removing the block and bowling 4 bowls to the jack from your normal position. 

You probably feel a sense of relief as your mind is more confortable when it bowls your normal delivery.

This state of mind, a feeling of confidence, is what you have began to develop. No you will not use the “walking the Mat” for blocks very often, but you have already started to tell your subconscious mind that you can do it and you feel that satification when it is done.