The Draw Shot — Perfecting Your Bread & Butter
The draw shot is the most fundamental delivery in bowls — a bowl delivered with exactly the right weight and line to come to rest as close as possible to the jack without disturbing the head. It is the shot you will play more than any other, so mastering it is your single most valuable investment of practice time.
A perfect draw does three things simultaneously: it travels the correct line (arc), it carries the correct weight (arrives near the jack), and it approaches from an angle that positions it beneficially within the head.
"The draw shot is not glamorous. It is not flashy. But it wins more matches than every other shot combined."
The Yard-On & Controlled Weight Shots
The yard-on is a delivery with slightly more than draw weight — enough for the bowl to carry approximately one metre (a yard) past the jack. This extra momentum allows your bowl to push a short bowl forward, move the jack a small distance, or muscle through to a position that a draw shot cannot reach cleanly.
Controlled weight shots are a broader category — any delivery with purposely more pace than a draw but less than a full drive. These include the trail shot (dragging the jack toward your bowls), the cannon (using one bowl to deflect into another), and the positional weight shot (placing a bowl as a blocker).
Controlled weight shots are powerful tools but carry risk. If you misjudge the weight, you can wreck a favourable head or present the opposition with opportunities. Always weigh the risk: if you're already holding multiple shots, a draw is nearly always safer than a controlled weight delivery.
The Trail & Cannon
The trail and the cannon are two of the most tactically satisfying shots in bowls — both require more than just delivery skill; they require strategic vision and spatial reasoning.
Executing the trail: Identify which of your opponent's bowls is the shot bowl and which of your back bowls you'd like the jack to move toward. Deliver with slightly more than draw weight, aiming to contact the jack on its near side. The jack carries forward, hopefully settling near your back bowls. Note: the trail must contact the jack — a bowl that passes the jack without contact is just an over-weight draw, not a trail.
Executing the cannon: Identify the bowl you want to hit and the bowl you want it to deflect into. The deflection angle depends on the "fullness" of the hit — a full hit sends the target bowl straight on; a thin hit deflects at a wide angle. Cannons require experience to execute reliably — practise the geometry on an empty rink first.
Trail = jack contact → jack moves to you. Cannon = bowl A hits bowl B → B moves to target.
Before attempting either shot, ask: what is the worst realistic outcome? If a missed trail simply leaves you with a neutral end and your back bowls intact, it may be worth attempting. If a missed cannon opens three additional shots to the opposition, reconsider.
The Drive — When and How to Use It
The drive is lawn bowls' most dramatic shot. Delivered at full power, the bowl travels at high speed in a near-straight line (the bias effect is cancelled by the speed) and strikes the head with significant force. Done correctly, it can instantly transform a disastrous end. Done incorrectly, it can make things considerably worse.
When to drive:
How to execute: Your delivery action stays the same — only your backswing extends further and your effort increases. Aim directly at your target (remember: at drive speed, the bias barely operates). Some players use a slightly more upright stance for drives to allow a longer, more powerful swing. Do NOT change your grip or try to spin the bowl — let the pace do the work.
The drive must be practised in isolation, not during competitive play when you're learning it. Spend dedicated sessions practising on an empty rink — driving at a single target bowl. Only integrate it into your game when your accuracy is reliable enough that you won't make a good head worse.