BOWLING TIPS
by Simon Carter
Here are some strategies I use to improve my bowling game while striving to make all players as comfortable as possible. Take from it what you will.
Just like riding a bike
When we ride a bike, we don’t consciously think about pedaling, balancing, braking, or steering. We just do it automatically. How? Our subconscious takes over, freeing our conscious mind to handle instant decision-making—navigating, turning, obeying traffic signs, and watching for obstacles. That’s why you can hop on a bike after 25 years and ride without a hitch—your subconscious, which has near-perfect memory, remembers the mechanics.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we could do the same with lawn bowling?
Well, we already do it to some extent. Once we know how to roll a bowl, we stop thinking about how to pick it up, stand, bend, or roll—it becomes automatic. That frees our conscious mind to focus on strategy: What is my target? How hard should I roll the bowl? But can we automate even more and let our subconscious take over additional aspects of our technique? Maybe—we’ll explore that here.
It is generally true that the subconscious mind tends to default to first-learned behaviors under pressure, especially in complex or stressful situations. It prioritizes quick, automatic responses over deliberate thought. That’s why it’s crucial to develop good habits from the beginning. Your subconscious learns through repetition—it doesn’t judge right from wrong. Whether you repeat good techniques or bad ones, it will internalize them.
For example, if you consistently cross your arm across your body when bowling and miss your target, your subconscious won’t correct you—it will simply assume that’s the motion you want to repeat. So, you’ll keep doing that until you retrain your subconscious through correct repetition. This is why bad habits are so hard to unlearn. So, setting good foundations early on will make improvement much easier in the long run.
Practical strategies to improve your game
Let’s discuss this in practice. Here are some ways to refine your skills and increase your team’s chances of winning. Some relate to subconscious learning, while others focus on strategy and observation.
Always keep your eye on the field of play
Lawn bowling is as much a social activity as it is a sport. If you enjoy chatting and relaxing between turns, that’s great. But if you’re a bit competitive or want to improve, you’ll need to stay focused.
Pay attention to the rink constantly—your brain will subconsciously process information that helps you make decisions. I find that watching how we arrived at the current rink situation helps me anticipate my next move.
For example, I might notice that most bowls are being rolled down the left side. If I hadn’t been watching, I might not realize that players tried the right side but struggled—perhaps because of the jack’s position or the nature of the green. By observing, I can avoid repeating their mistakes. The key here is that you need to be watching and paying attention as much as you can.
How to decrease the odds of rolling a wrong bias
Even experienced bowlers occasionally roll a wrong bias bowl, while beginners do it often. Here’s how to reduce the chances of making this mistake:
When it is your turn to bowl, assess the field of play beforehand or as you are walking up to the mat. As detailed above, try to decide which side you’ll bowl down in advance and ensure you have the bias correct. Then you can forget about it.
Stand on the mat. Next pick your aiming point. If you consistently have trouble hitting your aiming point, try pointing your feet and body slightly towards the aiming point. If you want, raise your arm in front of you aligned with the aiming point and then swing your arm back.
When you swing your arm backwards or forwards try to keep it very rigid in the left – right or sideways direction. In other word keep it aligned with the aiming point. Hold your hand flat or horizontal to the ground with your fingers holding the bowl and keep your wrist rigid. As you take a step forward to bowl, swing your arm forward very smoothly. Imagine that you are lifting a tray of drinks and you don’t want to spill any of the drinks. As you step forward stoop down so that you release the bowl somewhere in the region of 4 to 16 inches above the ground.
When your arm is fully extended forward and you have reached the release point, simply open your fingers and release the bowl. It will then fly forward under its own momentum. Do not swing your arm across the front of your body this will wildly throw off your aim. Do not twist your wrist or use your fingers to try and influence the direction of the bowl. If you keep your arm straight and on target, then your bowl will be on target too. Keep your eyes on your target aiming point at all times. Do not lob the bowl or release it too high, this will cause it to bounce and in doing so it will lose a lot of energy, and you will likely end up with your bowl far short of the jack.
Do not stand a couple of feet in front of the mat and then move forward to the mat while bowling at the same time. If you do this then you are not providing a stable platform from which to release the bowl and you are also overloading your mind with an extra unnecessary movement which you mind must then synchronize with all the other things you are doing at that moment. Instead, stand still on the mat, pick your aiming point, step forward from the mat slightly and launch your bowl.
If you throw a very wobbly off target bowl that falls far short of the jack, (What we call a potato bowl because it is rolling like a none round object such as a potato) it is a sure sign that you are not keeping your wrist rigid and releasing the bowl from a stable horizontal hand.
Observe your team players and opponents closely
Jack position changes constantly—it may be thrown long or short, knocked sideways, or repositioned by another bowl. This means that you must adjust the target you direct your bowl at continuously.
Often, the first bowl is more of a “tracer” or “pathfinder” that helps calibrate your aim—it rarely scores directly for beginners. If you have three bowls in a round and your first misses, you’ve already lost 33% of your chance to score. Wouldn’t it be better to more accurately define your target from the start before you even roll the first bowl of that end?
Here’s how: Stand behind your opponent on the bank and watch them bowl. You’ll see their arm alignment, release, and backswing. You’ll be amazed at what you can see if you are paying attention. If their shot lands well, you can follow their path. If they miss, you’ll know how to adjust your own shot. The more you do this, the more it will become an instinctive subconscious habit.
Understand the greens—they’re not as perfect as they seem
While greens are maintained to be as level as possible, natural variations exist. After heavy rain, you can often see water pooling in lower spots, revealing unevenness. You’ll find every rink is unique.
Because bowlers tend to walk more toward the center of rinks and less at the very edge, grass wears down unevenly, forming subtle ridges. Additionally, rink lanes are occasionally shifted to balance wear, so these ridges may then persist within the playing area. Other factors—such as sand application, rolling techniques, and the drying effect of the sun—also impact the speed and behavior of the greens.
What’s the solution? Observation. Watch how bowls move and adjust accordingly. If a bowl follows an unexpected path, it may be reacting to subtle terrain changes. Similarly, the green's speed shifts throughout the day—morning dew slows it down (surface tension), while drying sun speeds it up. The way the grass grows, particularly in relation to sunlight, also affects bowl speed. If you're rolling against the grain, the bowl will travel slower. Constant observation will help you adapt.
Communicate with your team
Bowling is a team effort, so proactively share information with your teammates.
Some small tips and courtesies that will help you and players on your team
1. When you are not actively participating in play, stay on the bank. This not only results in less wear on the grass; you also won’t get in the way of the bowlers actively bowling and you will not distract them. If you are standing behind them on the bank you are higher up and you’ll have a much better view of what’s going on.
2. Because most people are right-handed the bowls will be on the ground to the right of the mat. When it is your turn to bowl, approach the mat from the right side and pick up your bowl, then wait for the other player to exit the mat before you assume your position on the mat. After you release a bowl, stay on the mat until your bowl comes to rest and your skip indicates with hand signals how far you are from the jack. (Your skip may or may not do this depending on what they think your preference is). Then, exit the mat to the left so that you do not run into the next player coming in from the right.
3. Keep your voice low, don’t distract the active player with loud conversation.
4. With three person teams, leads and vices should be standing on the bank when not actively bowling or participating directly in the game. If you are skipping or standing down at the jack as a vice, stand a few feet directly behind the jack and stand still in the centre – don’t be a visual distraction. This applies to anyone standing behind the jack. Stand one behind the other. The person on the same team as the bowler rolling at that moment should be the one directly behind the jack. Players will often use a feature to one side or the other of the jack as an aiming point, usually this appears to them visually as a point approximately 2 - 5 feet to the left or right of the jack. It might be a mark on the backboard, a tree or pole etc. If you are not standing dead centre, you may be blocking their view of the target point.
5. If you are having a difficult time keeping your eye on your own target point all the way through the action of rolling a bowl, then pick an aiming point on the grass about ten to fifteen feet in front of you that lines up with the path that you want to take. It could be a mark, a leaf, a brown patch, tracks in the morning dew; anything will do. Keep your eye on that point.
6. Once you pick a side to bowl down, try to stick to that side, the path and the end point of each bowl you roll will inform you on how to adjust your aim and force for the next bowl. If you suddenly switch sides, you are now starting with much less information. Of course, if there are bowls in your path, you may have to switch sides, but don’t unless you must or your skip requests it. And remember your skip has a much better view of the head than you do and he or she probably has a strategy in mind and may be thinking one or two steps ahead, so follow their direction.
7.Pay attention to the game. If other players must constantly remind you that it is your turn to throw the jack or your turn to bowl you are not paying close enough attention. You owe it to your team mates to be mentally fully present.
8.Learn the common hand signals used in bowling and use them as much as you can, there is nothing worse than a lot of loud shouting while you are trying to concentrate. Don’t make up your own hand signals, this just confuses others, use the standard signals used at the club, if you don’t know what they are ask an instructor.
9.Keep the mats and ground sheets at both ends of the rink straight, centred and aligned at the correct distance from the ditch. If they are askew, they are a distraction to both your conscious and subconscious mind. And, if for example, you are using the corner of the ground sheet as an aiming point; you want it to be reliably at the same location for each end. If it worked as an aiming point on a previous end, it may very well be used again, but not if the ground sheet has been moved in between.
10. Be cognizant of ALL the other players ages and physical abilities. Unless you are playing in a competition consider throwing shorter jacks if older players or ladies are struggling to roll a bowl down to the jack. On very hot days ask other players how many ends they want to do.
11. If possible; keep your cell phone ringer off or at very low volume. If you need to use your cell phone or receive a call then step off the green completely to take it, make it as brief as possible and speak quietly. If you know you have an unavoidable call coming in at a certain time, then let all players on your team and the opposition know that you must take an important call for a couple of minutes at say 11:00 AM. Most people will accommodate this.
12. Remember the DRAW MASTER is King or Queen and may rule as such. The DM organizes the teams for the day. Try to avoid asking for favour such as I’d like to be on this or that team, you may make them feel uncomfortable and they are supposed to select team members randomly. If you are not playing in the regular tag draw, say you are having a private game with one friend, then ask the DM for permission to do this and ask them which rink to use. Always let the DM know what you are doing if you are not in the regular tag draw.
Be on time, you should be at the club to put in your tag 15 minutes before bowling commences. If you are a few minutes late you may ask the DM to accommodate you, but don’t expect to be accommodated all the time (especially if you are habitually late). It will depend on where the DM is in drawing up the teams. HINT: If you are running 5 minutes late, you can always phone a friend and ask them to put your tag in for you.
13. Be a good sport, remember it’s only a game, you will live to play another day. Greet your opposing team before playing and wish them “GOOD GAME.” Win or lose, congratulate them on a good game at the end. Congratulate ALL players on particularly good shots, clap if you think it is appropriate. Compliment back bowls too, they quite often help to win the end. Help to put away all the equipment at the end of the game. If each player puts away just one item everything is cleared up quickly.
Just like riding a bike
When we ride a bike, we don’t consciously think about pedaling, balancing, braking, or steering. We just do it automatically. How? Our subconscious takes over, freeing our conscious mind to handle instant decision-making—navigating, turning, obeying traffic signs, and watching for obstacles. That’s why you can hop on a bike after 25 years and ride without a hitch—your subconscious, which has near-perfect memory, remembers the mechanics.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we could do the same with lawn bowling?
Well, we already do it to some extent. Once we know how to roll a bowl, we stop thinking about how to pick it up, stand, bend, or roll—it becomes automatic. That frees our conscious mind to focus on strategy: What is my target? How hard should I roll the bowl? But can we automate even more and let our subconscious take over additional aspects of our technique? Maybe—we’ll explore that here.
It is generally true that the subconscious mind tends to default to first-learned behaviors under pressure, especially in complex or stressful situations. It prioritizes quick, automatic responses over deliberate thought. That’s why it’s crucial to develop good habits from the beginning. Your subconscious learns through repetition—it doesn’t judge right from wrong. Whether you repeat good techniques or bad ones, it will internalize them.
For example, if you consistently cross your arm across your body when bowling and miss your target, your subconscious won’t correct you—it will simply assume that’s the motion you want to repeat. So, you’ll keep doing that until you retrain your subconscious through correct repetition. This is why bad habits are so hard to unlearn. So, setting good foundations early on will make improvement much easier in the long run.
Practical strategies to improve your game
Let’s discuss this in practice. Here are some ways to refine your skills and increase your team’s chances of winning. Some relate to subconscious learning, while others focus on strategy and observation.
Always keep your eye on the field of play
Lawn bowling is as much a social activity as it is a sport. If you enjoy chatting and relaxing between turns, that’s great. But if you’re a bit competitive or want to improve, you’ll need to stay focused.
Pay attention to the rink constantly—your brain will subconsciously process information that helps you make decisions. I find that watching how we arrived at the current rink situation helps me anticipate my next move.
For example, I might notice that most bowls are being rolled down the left side. If I hadn’t been watching, I might not realize that players tried the right side but struggled—perhaps because of the jack’s position or the nature of the green. By observing, I can avoid repeating their mistakes. The key here is that you need to be watching and paying attention as much as you can.
How to decrease the odds of rolling a wrong bias
Even experienced bowlers occasionally roll a wrong bias bowl, while beginners do it often. Here’s how to reduce the chances of making this mistake:
- Before stepping onto the mat, assess the field and determine which side of the rink you’ll likely bowl down. Consider obstructions, jack position, and previous plays. Your skip might guide you by providing a mark on the side they want you to play, or you may have to use your own judgement.
- As you pick up your bowl, immediately position it in your hand with the correct bias for your intended path down the rink.
- Step onto the mat and double-check the bias before rolling.
- If you forget to check, don’t panic—since you initially placed the bowl correctly, your odds of rolling with the correct bias are already higher. While this method isn’t foolproof, it significantly improves your chances.
When it is your turn to bowl, assess the field of play beforehand or as you are walking up to the mat. As detailed above, try to decide which side you’ll bowl down in advance and ensure you have the bias correct. Then you can forget about it.
Stand on the mat. Next pick your aiming point. If you consistently have trouble hitting your aiming point, try pointing your feet and body slightly towards the aiming point. If you want, raise your arm in front of you aligned with the aiming point and then swing your arm back.
When you swing your arm backwards or forwards try to keep it very rigid in the left – right or sideways direction. In other word keep it aligned with the aiming point. Hold your hand flat or horizontal to the ground with your fingers holding the bowl and keep your wrist rigid. As you take a step forward to bowl, swing your arm forward very smoothly. Imagine that you are lifting a tray of drinks and you don’t want to spill any of the drinks. As you step forward stoop down so that you release the bowl somewhere in the region of 4 to 16 inches above the ground.
When your arm is fully extended forward and you have reached the release point, simply open your fingers and release the bowl. It will then fly forward under its own momentum. Do not swing your arm across the front of your body this will wildly throw off your aim. Do not twist your wrist or use your fingers to try and influence the direction of the bowl. If you keep your arm straight and on target, then your bowl will be on target too. Keep your eyes on your target aiming point at all times. Do not lob the bowl or release it too high, this will cause it to bounce and in doing so it will lose a lot of energy, and you will likely end up with your bowl far short of the jack.
Do not stand a couple of feet in front of the mat and then move forward to the mat while bowling at the same time. If you do this then you are not providing a stable platform from which to release the bowl and you are also overloading your mind with an extra unnecessary movement which you mind must then synchronize with all the other things you are doing at that moment. Instead, stand still on the mat, pick your aiming point, step forward from the mat slightly and launch your bowl.
If you throw a very wobbly off target bowl that falls far short of the jack, (What we call a potato bowl because it is rolling like a none round object such as a potato) it is a sure sign that you are not keeping your wrist rigid and releasing the bowl from a stable horizontal hand.
Observe your team players and opponents closely
Jack position changes constantly—it may be thrown long or short, knocked sideways, or repositioned by another bowl. This means that you must adjust the target you direct your bowl at continuously.
Often, the first bowl is more of a “tracer” or “pathfinder” that helps calibrate your aim—it rarely scores directly for beginners. If you have three bowls in a round and your first misses, you’ve already lost 33% of your chance to score. Wouldn’t it be better to more accurately define your target from the start before you even roll the first bowl of that end?
Here’s how: Stand behind your opponent on the bank and watch them bowl. You’ll see their arm alignment, release, and backswing. You’ll be amazed at what you can see if you are paying attention. If their shot lands well, you can follow their path. If they miss, you’ll know how to adjust your own shot. The more you do this, the more it will become an instinctive subconscious habit.
Understand the greens—they’re not as perfect as they seem
While greens are maintained to be as level as possible, natural variations exist. After heavy rain, you can often see water pooling in lower spots, revealing unevenness. You’ll find every rink is unique.
Because bowlers tend to walk more toward the center of rinks and less at the very edge, grass wears down unevenly, forming subtle ridges. Additionally, rink lanes are occasionally shifted to balance wear, so these ridges may then persist within the playing area. Other factors—such as sand application, rolling techniques, and the drying effect of the sun—also impact the speed and behavior of the greens.
What’s the solution? Observation. Watch how bowls move and adjust accordingly. If a bowl follows an unexpected path, it may be reacting to subtle terrain changes. Similarly, the green's speed shifts throughout the day—morning dew slows it down (surface tension), while drying sun speeds it up. The way the grass grows, particularly in relation to sunlight, also affects bowl speed. If you're rolling against the grain, the bowl will travel slower. Constant observation will help you adapt.
Communicate with your team
Bowling is a team effort, so proactively share information with your teammates.
- If the green is playing fast now, let them know.
- If the right side of the rink is narrow, mention it.
- If you found the perfect path to the jack, share your target.
Some small tips and courtesies that will help you and players on your team
1. When you are not actively participating in play, stay on the bank. This not only results in less wear on the grass; you also won’t get in the way of the bowlers actively bowling and you will not distract them. If you are standing behind them on the bank you are higher up and you’ll have a much better view of what’s going on.
2. Because most people are right-handed the bowls will be on the ground to the right of the mat. When it is your turn to bowl, approach the mat from the right side and pick up your bowl, then wait for the other player to exit the mat before you assume your position on the mat. After you release a bowl, stay on the mat until your bowl comes to rest and your skip indicates with hand signals how far you are from the jack. (Your skip may or may not do this depending on what they think your preference is). Then, exit the mat to the left so that you do not run into the next player coming in from the right.
3. Keep your voice low, don’t distract the active player with loud conversation.
4. With three person teams, leads and vices should be standing on the bank when not actively bowling or participating directly in the game. If you are skipping or standing down at the jack as a vice, stand a few feet directly behind the jack and stand still in the centre – don’t be a visual distraction. This applies to anyone standing behind the jack. Stand one behind the other. The person on the same team as the bowler rolling at that moment should be the one directly behind the jack. Players will often use a feature to one side or the other of the jack as an aiming point, usually this appears to them visually as a point approximately 2 - 5 feet to the left or right of the jack. It might be a mark on the backboard, a tree or pole etc. If you are not standing dead centre, you may be blocking their view of the target point.
5. If you are having a difficult time keeping your eye on your own target point all the way through the action of rolling a bowl, then pick an aiming point on the grass about ten to fifteen feet in front of you that lines up with the path that you want to take. It could be a mark, a leaf, a brown patch, tracks in the morning dew; anything will do. Keep your eye on that point.
6. Once you pick a side to bowl down, try to stick to that side, the path and the end point of each bowl you roll will inform you on how to adjust your aim and force for the next bowl. If you suddenly switch sides, you are now starting with much less information. Of course, if there are bowls in your path, you may have to switch sides, but don’t unless you must or your skip requests it. And remember your skip has a much better view of the head than you do and he or she probably has a strategy in mind and may be thinking one or two steps ahead, so follow their direction.
7.Pay attention to the game. If other players must constantly remind you that it is your turn to throw the jack or your turn to bowl you are not paying close enough attention. You owe it to your team mates to be mentally fully present.
8.Learn the common hand signals used in bowling and use them as much as you can, there is nothing worse than a lot of loud shouting while you are trying to concentrate. Don’t make up your own hand signals, this just confuses others, use the standard signals used at the club, if you don’t know what they are ask an instructor.
9.Keep the mats and ground sheets at both ends of the rink straight, centred and aligned at the correct distance from the ditch. If they are askew, they are a distraction to both your conscious and subconscious mind. And, if for example, you are using the corner of the ground sheet as an aiming point; you want it to be reliably at the same location for each end. If it worked as an aiming point on a previous end, it may very well be used again, but not if the ground sheet has been moved in between.
10. Be cognizant of ALL the other players ages and physical abilities. Unless you are playing in a competition consider throwing shorter jacks if older players or ladies are struggling to roll a bowl down to the jack. On very hot days ask other players how many ends they want to do.
11. If possible; keep your cell phone ringer off or at very low volume. If you need to use your cell phone or receive a call then step off the green completely to take it, make it as brief as possible and speak quietly. If you know you have an unavoidable call coming in at a certain time, then let all players on your team and the opposition know that you must take an important call for a couple of minutes at say 11:00 AM. Most people will accommodate this.
12. Remember the DRAW MASTER is King or Queen and may rule as such. The DM organizes the teams for the day. Try to avoid asking for favour such as I’d like to be on this or that team, you may make them feel uncomfortable and they are supposed to select team members randomly. If you are not playing in the regular tag draw, say you are having a private game with one friend, then ask the DM for permission to do this and ask them which rink to use. Always let the DM know what you are doing if you are not in the regular tag draw.
Be on time, you should be at the club to put in your tag 15 minutes before bowling commences. If you are a few minutes late you may ask the DM to accommodate you, but don’t expect to be accommodated all the time (especially if you are habitually late). It will depend on where the DM is in drawing up the teams. HINT: If you are running 5 minutes late, you can always phone a friend and ask them to put your tag in for you.
13. Be a good sport, remember it’s only a game, you will live to play another day. Greet your opposing team before playing and wish them “GOOD GAME.” Win or lose, congratulate them on a good game at the end. Congratulate ALL players on particularly good shots, clap if you think it is appropriate. Compliment back bowls too, they quite often help to win the end. Help to put away all the equipment at the end of the game. If each player puts away just one item everything is cleared up quickly.
