The Block

The Block is a defensive shot taken in lawn bowling and while it can be a good strategy to keep your opposition at bay, it can also be very difficult to place your bowl exactly where you want it. Because of this, the block requires great precision otherwise, it will just be a wasted shot.

To throw a block, you need to throw your bowl so that it lands just short of the jack or target. The idea is that this will force your opponent to move another way by placing it directly in their drawing line. It’s also used largely to stop an opponent from taking a shot at the jack or the target.

Because of the great attention to detail and accuracy that’s required, the block is only recommended to be employed by advanced bowlers and those that are familiar with green conditions.

The Block

The Block can be one of the greatest defensive moves used in the game of lawn bowling. But it’s only when it’s used absolutely correctly and with great precision and accuracy that The Block is effective. When all of the right factors are not lined up properly so that the shot is delivered correctly, the shot is nothing but a waste. Here’s how to, very carefully, do it correctly. 

The purpose of The Block is exactly that: to block the path from your opponent’s bowl to the jack. This needs to be done by placing your bowl directly in front of your opponent’s bowl, or at least enough so that it will knock it off course. The bowl can also tried to be placed just in front of the jack, making it difficult for your opponent’s to reach the jack. 

The Block takes a lot of practice as it’s simply a matter of being able to place your bowl exactly where you want it on the green.

The Wrest & The Wick

The Wrest
This lawn bowling shot is quite strategic and is used when a bowler wants to use more weight so that they can knock an opponent’s bowl out of position. To perform the wrest, you simply perform the same action as a basic drawing shot but put a lot more force behind it so that it bears more weight.

The Wick
The Wick is one of those shots that many would refer to as a ‘lucky shot.’ Although seeing a perfect one is rare, and they do often come by sheer luck and accident, advanced players can try to attempt it via process of visualization. This shot is thrown with the purpose of knocking it against another player’s bowl so that it can come to lie nicely close to the jack. This shot is usually best attempted on a medium-paced green.

Mastering a Basic Shot

When you’re first learning the sport of lawn bowling, it can be easy to get caught up in advanced shots and strategic moves and want to try them all. But there’s one shot that must be mastered before any others can be achieved and that is the Drawing Shot. The goal with this type of shot is to throw your bowl with enough force so that the bias can come into play before the bowl rests near the target or the jack. In order to deliver this shot effectively, you must be able to have good judgement of the line and the length that you will be throwing towards and green conditions will also factor into how well the bowl rolls.

The only way to perfect the drawing shot is to constantly practice. Playing the lead before moving up in roles can help with practicing the drawing shot and becoming advanced enough at it to move onto other more complex shots.