Teach the Why Behind the Shot
Decision quality improves when purpose is explicit.
Coach Development
Strategy & Game Management
Coaches help players make better decisions, not just deliver better bowls.
Teaching Decision-Making
Guide players through read, purpose and option selection.
Identify Purpose
Before delivery, clarify what the bowl must achieve in the current head.
Use Scenarios
Practical scenarios help players rehearse decisions under changing pressure.
Avoid Over-Telling
Do not simply tell players what shot to play every end. Build their ownership and adaptability.
Teach the sequence
Use READ, STATE, PURPOSE, TACTIC, SHOT, COMMIT and REVIEW. READ identifies what the head actually contains. STATE includes the score, end, current shot position, bowls remaining and who has last bowl. PURPOSE identifies what the next bowl needs to achieve, then TACTIC chooses the broad response before SHOT selects the delivery.
COMMIT means executing the decision without changing it during delivery. REVIEW asks what changed and what the opponent can now do.
Structure and permission
A head is a structure of opportunities and restrictions. Ask what the current bowls allow each side to do and what a miss gives the opponent permission to attempt. Risk is the relationship between likelihood, consequence and reward; an aggressive choice is justified only when its likely reward is worth its downside.
Five tactical responses
Build creates useful options, Protect reduces access, Recover restores position, Reduce limits damage, and Attack changes the head when reward justifies risk. These are purposes, not automatic shot calls.
Useful and Damaging Miss
A Useful Miss still contributes structure, cover or pressure. A Damaging Miss worsens the head or removes your own support. Review the result and the changed options.
What to try
Before suggesting a shot, ask the player to state the score, current shot count, likely reply and the least weight that could achieve the purpose. Useful questions include: “What are you holding or losing?”, “What is the Useful Miss?”, “What is the Damaging Miss?”, “What permission does this give the opponent?” and “What is the Minimum Effective Weight?”
Takeaway: coach decision quality, not dependence on instructions.
Match example: holding one
A player holds one late in an end with one bowl remaining. Protect may be the purpose if the score rewards retaining the shot and the opponent has a clear draw route. The shot could be a draw, cover or controlled-weight bowl; Protect is a purpose, not one automatic delivery.
If the player is behind overall or the opponent has last bowl, the acceptable risk may change. The same head can call for Build or Attack when the match situation demands a larger reward.
Match example: three down
A player is three down with one bowl remaining. Reduce may be more appropriate than a low-percentage drive if turning three into one is valuable and the score can tolerate the smaller recovery. A draw or controlled weighted shot may limit damage while preserving structure.
Attack can still be right when the overall score, end number or last-bowl position makes a larger reward necessary. There is no universal correct shot without the context.
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