SENSORY AWARENESS AND MANAGEMENT
Sensory awareness: In lawn bowls sensory awareness is an exercise involving precise coordination of the neuromuscular system of the body. The success of this coordination obviously depends on accurate sensory information and feedback; so it is important to realise that the key to improved performance lies in developing personal control over what particular sensory mode, internal or external, you choose to pay attention to at any given moment.
The senses: The body’s computer, your brain, requires accurate information and split second feedback from your senses this being predominantly the visual, auditory and kinaesthetic senses that successfully coordinates movement and executes action. The more precise and refined your sensory apparatus is the better you will play.
LIMITATION
Assimilation: The brain cannot assimilate externally and internally generated sensory input in a particular sensory channel at the same time. For example you cannot;
· Pay attention to a visual external sight e.g. the aiming point or the eye, hand and aiming point alignment in the follow-through, and pay attention to an internal visual image at the same time,
· Listen to an external sound and pay attention to internal sound e.g. talking to yourself at the same time,
· Pay attention to your external feelings of balance and pay attention to internal feelings at the same time.
Cause and effect: You can probably in flashing instances switch to focus from external to internal and back again; or get a distorted representation of both at the same time; but the quality of the reception diminishes, and this is precisely the point! A lot of bowlers try to pay attention to their external senses while talking to themselves, visualising about what they should have done last shot, or feeling some emotional state, and mentally filling in the gaps of what they didn’t see, hear or feel at that moment of time. This is one of the primary reasons for poor performance. A poor bowling performance is caused, in most cases, by trying to pay attention to the external sensory facets of the game, and at the same time paying attention to internal talking, visualising or emotions. What happens when you try to pay attention to both an external and an internal sensory input at the same time is that neither signal is clear and is unambiguous. The signals interfere with each other and the brain, given this distorted sensory information, cannot direct the body properly, and so performance suffers.
SENSORY FUNCTIONS
External: The functions of our external senses are to provide ongoing information about what is occurring around us e.g. to notice the tactics of your opponent, or the precise eye, hand and aiming point alignment in the follow-through, fully listening to the skips instructions before planning what has to be done. Practically, it is best to use external sensory mode for physical practice sessions; for competition or match play; and to improve external concentration and awareness.
Internal: Internal sensory mode provides an excellent resource for visually rehearsing skills or movement prior to performance; for self-image remodelling and developing motivation and the will to win.
A SENSORY EXPERIENCE
Meaning: This is an efficient integration level of sensory embodiment that every bowler experiences in his bowling career.
The experience: Most bowlers experience the one time bowling performance where everything goes right, whatever is touched turns to gold, dare we say it, they are invincible on the day. Believe it or not if you haven’t experienced it, some day when you are not expecting it, it will happen! But I’m afraid in many cases it does not last. Some say its magic, some call it luck, and of course pessimists will automatically say; it not luck the opposition had an off day!
Embodiment: To briefly explain it, when a state of excellence has occurred; it is the embodiment of such actions as the coordination of the body delivery power and timing of pendulum action which is automatically initiated together at the same time to instigate automatic control of the senses. This is called automaton, and is physically controlled internally in an unconscious state whilst at the same time the act of mental concentration on the aiming point and the physical action of eye, hand and aiming point alignment is performed. This is a phenomenon that commonly occurs in all physical sporting activities. Being in an automatic state of mind, you would not have noticed the details of automatic control occurring.
Analyse the experience: Let us now think about the separation of the whole experience, whether a material substance or any matter of thought into its constituent elements;
· Mentally: In reality there was little or no thought (the product of mental activity), It could be seen what was coming next and in accordance to learned knowledge counter moves were made to combat the situation,
· Physically: Physical actions were automatic and there was no thoughts about alignment or length the bowler just went ahead and performed the delivery!
Automaton: If you want to improve your performance the answer is obvious automaton e.g. a person who performs in a monotonous routine manner without active intelligence. In simple words; don’t think about it and let it occur, if you have the knowledge and skills just do it automatically! Knowledge and skills are only perfected in training and practice, and that means practice until your skills become automatic.
If you have to think about it then you haven’t learnt it and it’s certainly not automatic
CONCENTRATION
Locking external concentration: Throughout the delivery action the only things you should concentrate on are; the correct breathing and eye, hand and aiming point alignment. It should be felt and seen within every delivery by your external senses. In order to lock your concentration into the external state you must fix your vision on the aiming point and restrict all movement of the eyes. This means no blinking of the eye lids or muscular quivering of the eye muscles. If movement of the eyes occurs you have lost your concentration and you have crossed over into an internal state of mind, the alignment will be in error and bowl will go off course, and you will be thinking about something else when you shouldn’t be! Concentration means exclusive attention to one object both physical and mental application of the senses. The delivery hand should be brought directly up into the peripheral vision 30cm below the line of sight. The eyes at no stage should look down towards the hand.
EYE CONTROL
External aspects: During the delivery eye fixation without eye movement when concentrated on the aiming point locks, blocks, controls and stabilises the following external aspects of the delivery action. These aspects are as follows;
· Locks in the external state of mind,
· Controls body direction and balance,
· Controls the eye, hand and aiming point alignment,
· Stabilises the sense of feeling in the delivery length of the jack and bowl,
· Blocks out annoying sounds.
BALANCE
Internal: This refers to your internal senses instigating automatic balance occurring independently of volition, or from certain muscular actions that occur when the body is in the static or dynamic position e.g. the stance position or delivery action which involves sight, sense of feeling and hearing.
External: Balance is automatic and only becomes external when it is noticed e.g. when you are situated in high surroundings or dangerous places or in the act of losing balance or falling etc. Balance correction in these situations switch from internal to external very rapidly and take up a fair amount of brain activity to control the body. If signs of balance occur you will probably lose control of your delivery action.
Incorrect body posture: Body posture if not correctly maintained e.g. a well balanced upright stance, will activate the limitation factors and causes the muscles to lock down to support body weight, particularly when the body leans forward or is placed in the crouch position. This also restricts blood flow; causing lactic acid build up in the supporting muscles, which in turn produces a feeling of fatigue and eventually causes the bowler to slow down physically and mentally.
BEING COOL, CALM AND COLLECTIVE
Management: This involves all your senses, both external and internal and relates to managing your emotions with training, game experience and the correct use of your respiratory system.
Experience: This relates to knowledge or practical wisdom gained from what one has observed, encountered or undergone in training and competitive events. Philosophy, the totality of the cognitions given by perception; all that is perceived, understood and remembered.
Breathing: By being able to control your breathing by harnessing this incredible powerful life force, you can control the way you feel. You can find calm in moments of stress. You can easily cope with almost any game pressure. Whether you notice it consciously or not, the first thing you observe about a stressed, nervous opponent is their breathing pattern and the rhythms of their speech. They breathe shallow, rapid breathes, and their speech is faster and more frenetic than usual.
Cause and effect: Shallow breathing reduces the level of carbon dioxide in your blood stream. When this level drops too low, it causes a constriction of the blood vessels throughout the body. This in turn, reduces oxygen to the brain, often more than 20 per cent, which promotes dizziness, feelings of tension and headache. Calm, cool and collective bowlers breathe slow and deep, almost lazily. Their speech patterns are slow and relaxed. If you are in a state of stress or anxiety and are confronted by someone who is completely relaxed, you will find these patterns irritating particularly if they are laughing and joking about it in loud or whispering manner.
Conscious control: Breathing is unique among all human functions in that it is the only involuntary activity of the body that we have conscious control over. The ability to do it is easy; being able to do it properly and at the right time is something else.
Deep breathing: There are three factors that play an influence on your breathing; posture, technique and habit and this is performed as follows;
Posture: Stand in an upright stance position; well balanced with the feet approximately 10 to 20cm apart with the arms hung down by the sides. The width your feet are apart depends on your height. The best way to find your most comfortable position is to walk forward about four paces and casually stop, then look down and you will find both your feet comfortably spread and your arms hanging in a relaxed position. If you are pigeon toed your feet will turn inwards slightly. If you have normal flexibility your feet will turn out slightly. Some may even stand with one foot pointing forward and the other pointing slightly outwards. But however you position your feet and arms, after a few practice runs of walking forward and stopping your limb posture will find its natural relaxed stance position.
Technique: Take the deepest breath you are capable of. Suck in every bit of air your body can stand, and then some more. Now exhale and let us examine what you just did. Invariably, you would have expanded your chest and raised your shoulders slightly. Now try it again in front of the mirror. This time; restrict the movement of the chest and shoulders. Breathe inwards through your nostrils and place exertion on the abdominal muscles like a plunger pushing the intake of air downwards and allowing your stomach to protrude outwards. Then exhale through your mouth allowing the abdominal muscles to push the diaphragm up against the lungs to push the air out. Repeat this breathing technique a few more times and your will notice power breathing seeks more exertion from the diaphragm and rib cage than does from the upper chest. In this way the total lung capacity is significantly expanded and breathing becomes easier and deeper. All it takes is a few moments now and again to perfect the technique. Why is that important? Because deep breathing causes your body to release endorphin, (a peptide hormone released by the brain, which mimics the effects of morphine), and tranquillising hormones, (a drug that has a sedative or calming effect without inducing sleep.
Habit: Deep breathing should be a disposition acquired by frequent repetition of the act throughout training and the competitive game; it is a preventive measure to stave off emotional effects and fatigue.
SUMMARY
Develop your sensory behavioural flexibility and know when to employ each sense for maximum competitive advantage. It can be seen then that a most valuable resource for any bowler, male or female to acquire is the ability to quickly and easily change sensory mode at will. Furthermore be able to move from a period of quite reflection in internal mode visualising and pre-rehearsing mentally a particular skill routine, to an external mode during the actual physical performance of the practice or game and maintain concentration on that performance. One should also never forget that breathing and eye control play a very important part in the management of the senses.
