How to Build Confidence in Bowls: Mental Strategies for Success
- Dr Paul McCarthy
- Aug 20
- 7 min read
Are you struggling with nerves on the green? Do your hands shake when facing a crucial shot? You’re not alone. Learning how to build confidence in bowls is essential for improving your performance on the green. This comprehensive guide will help you build confidence in bowls through proven mental techniques that have helped players at all levels transform their game.
Understanding the Mental Side of Lawn Bowls
Many players focus exclusively on the physical aspects of lawn bowls—perfecting their delivery, mastering weight control, and developing consistency. However, the mental aspect often determines who succeeds under pressure. Your bowling mental game can make the difference between winning and losing in tight matches.
The psychological component of lawn bowls includes:
Managing performance anxiety
Maintaining focus during distractions
Recovering from poor shots
Staying confident when behind
Handling pressure situations
Professional players prioritize their bowling mental game through regular practice and visualization. As Jack Pullin, an aspiring Commonwealth Games competitor notes, “The physical skills get you to the competition, but it’s your mental strength that helps you win.”
Mastering the Bowling Mental Game: Key Techniques
Developing a strong bowling mental game is just as important as perfecting your physical technique. The mental side of bowls requires dedicated practice, just like your delivery or line control.
Goal Setting Framework
Start by establishing clear, achievable objectives for both practice and competition. Research from Bowls WA shows that structured goal setting significantly improves player confidence.
Your goals should be:
Specific and measurable
Challenging but realistic
Process-focused rather than just outcome-focused
Regularly reviewed and adjusted
For example, instead of simply aiming to “win more games,” set goals like “execute 80% of my drives successfully” or “maintain focus for the entire duration of each end.”
Effective Self-Talk Techniques for Athletes in Lawn Bowls
The way you talk to yourself during a game profoundly impacts your performance. Negative self-talk (“I always miss these shots”) undermines confidence, while positive self-talk (“I’ve made this shot before, I can do it again”) builds it.
Try these self-talk strategies:
Create specific positive phrases to use during matches
Counter negative thoughts with evidence-based alternatives
Use trigger words that help you refocus when distracted
One player shared: “I used to tell myself ‘don’t go narrow’ before shots, which only made me think about going narrow. Now I say ‘hit the line’ instead, and my consistency has improved dramatically.”
Effective Confidence Building Exercise Methods for Bowlers
A simple confidence building exercise is to visualize successful shots before stepping onto the green. Incorporating a confidence building exercise into your daily routine can transform your performance over time.
The Success Journal
Keep a record of your successful shots, good games, and improvements. Review this journal regularly, especially before competitions. This confidence building exercise creates a mental bank of positive experiences to draw from when you need confidence.
The Pressure Practice
Deliberately create pressure situations during practice:
Set up a challenging scenario
Add consequences for missing (like 10 push-ups)
Invite teammates to watch
Track your success rate over time
This confidence building exercise helps you become comfortable with discomfort, making real pressure situations feel more manageable.
Powerful Visualization Techniques for Bowlers to Improve Performance
Effective visualization techniques for bowlers include mentally rehearsing perfect deliveries. Many champions use visualization techniques for bowlers to prepare for important tournaments.
Creating Your Mental Movie
Set aside 10-15 minutes daily to practice this visualization:
Find a quiet space and get comfortable
Close your eyes and take several deep breaths
Imagine yourself on the green in vivid detail
Visualize your perfect delivery—feel the weight of the bowl, see its path, hear it connect with the target
Include all senses in your visualization
Repeat the process for different shots and scenarios
Nayara Drummond, who started playing at age five, attributes much of her success to visualization: “Before big matches, I spend time visualizing each type of shot I might need to make. It creates a feeling that I’ve already been successful before I even start.”
Improving Consistency in Bowling Through Mental Training
Mental preparation is key to improving consistency in bowling at all levels of play. Focus on your pre-shot routine when improving consistency in bowling performance.
The Power of Routine
Developing a consistent pre-shot routine creates a mental trigger that helps you enter a focused state. Your routine might include:
Taking a deep breath
Visualizing the shot
A physical cue (like adjusting your grip)
A mental cue (like saying “smooth delivery”)
Improving consistency in bowling requires both physical practice and mental discipline. By following the same routine before every shot, you create a sense of familiarity that builds confidence.
Building Mental Toughness in Bowls: Expert Approaches
Developing mental toughness in bowls helps you handle pressure situations effectively. Mental toughness in bowls is built through facing and overcoming challenges regularly.
The AWARE Method for Anxiety Management
The AWARE method is a powerful tool for building mental resilience:
Accept that anxiety is normal
Watch your anxiety without judgment
Act normally despite feeling anxious
Repeat these steps as needed
Expect the best outcome
The best players demonstrate exceptional mental toughness in bowls competitions by using structured approaches like this to manage their emotions.
Growth Mindset Development
Adopting a growth mindset—believing that abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—is crucial for mental toughness. When you view challenges as opportunities to improve rather than threats to your confidence, you build resilience.
Professional coach David Charlton emphasizes: “Players with a growth mindset see setbacks as temporary and specific, not permanent and pervasive. This perspective allows them to bounce back quickly.”
Overcoming Performance Anxiety in Sports: Bowls-Specific Methods
Many bowlers experience performance anxiety in sports competitions, especially in finals. Understanding the root causes of performance anxiety in sports is the first step to overcoming it.
Physical Symptoms and Management
Performance anxiety often manifests physically as:
Increased heart rate
Sweaty palms
Muscle tension
Shallow breathing
Try these management techniques:
Box breathing: Inhale for 4 counts, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4
Progressive muscle relaxation: Systematically tense and release muscle groups
Grounding: Focus on physical sensations to bring yourself to the present moment
Establishing Pre-Game Routines for Bowls Success
A structured pre-game routine helps manage anxiety and build confidence. Effective routines typically include:
Physical preparation (warm-up, stretching)
Equipment check
Mental preparation (visualization, positive self-talk)
Focus narrowing (gradually eliminating distractions)
One club-level player shared: “My routine starts two hours before the match. Each step helps me feel more prepared and confident. By the time I step onto the green, I’m in the right headspace to perform.”
Practicing Mindfulness for Bowlers to Enhance Focus
Mindfulness—the practice of paying attention to the present moment without judgment—can significantly enhance your focus and confidence on the green.
Simple Mindfulness Practices
Breath awareness: Focus on your breathing for 5-10 minutes daily
Body scan: Systematically notice sensations throughout your body
Single-task focus: Practice giving full attention to mundane tasks
These practices strengthen your ability to stay present during matches, preventing the mind from wandering to past mistakes or future worries.
On-Green Mindfulness
During a game, try these mindfulness techniques:
Focus on the feel of the bowl in your hand
Notice the texture of the green
Pay attention to your breathing between shots
Bring your attention back to the present whenever it wanders
Strategies for Overcoming Nerves in Lawn Bowls Competitions
Even experienced players feel nervous during important matches. The difference is in how they manage those nerves.
Reframing Nervousness
Try reinterpreting nervous feelings as excitement. Both share similar physical symptoms, but excitement has a positive connotation. Simply telling yourself “I’m excited” rather than “I’m nervous” can improve performance.
Preparation as Confidence Builder
Thorough preparation builds confidence that counteracts nerves:
Research the venue and conditions
Practice on similar surfaces when possible
Develop game plans for different scenarios
Arrive early to acclimate to the environment
As one national-level player explains: “The more prepared I am, the less room there is for nerves. Knowledge replaces uncertainty with confidence.”
Success Stories: Learning from the Best
Jack Pullin’s journey demonstrates how mental training can transform performance. Despite facing challenges, his focus on mental preparation alongside physical practice has led to remarkable improvement.
“I used to get so nervous that my hands would shake during important matches,” Jack shares. “By implementing structured mental training—especially visualization and pre-shot routines—I’ve developed the confidence to perform under pressure.”
Similarly, Nayara Drummond’s early focus on the mental game has contributed to her success. “From the beginning, I was taught that lawn bowls is as much a mental game as a physical one. That foundation has been crucial to my development.”
Putting It All Together: Your Confidence Building Plan
Building confidence in bowls doesn’t happen overnight. It requires consistent practice and implementation of the techniques discussed. Here’s a suggested four-week plan to get started:
Week 1: Assessment and Foundation
Identify your specific confidence challenges
Begin a success journal
Practice basic breathing techniques
Establish a simple pre-shot routine
Week 2: Visualization and Self-Talk
Daily visualization practice (10 minutes)
Develop positive self-talk phrases
Practice reframing negative thoughts
Continue success journaling
Week 3: Pressure Practice
Introduce pressure elements to practice
Refine your pre-shot routine
Practice the AWARE method
Begin mindfulness training
Week 4: Integration
Combine all techniques during practice games
Refine what works best for you
Create a competition mental plan
Set up a regular mental training schedule
Conclusion on Confidence in Bowls
Learning how to build confidence in bowls is a journey that requires patience and consistent practice. The mental game often separates good players from great ones, especially under pressure.
By implementing the techniques in this guide—from visualization and self-talk to mindfulness and routine development—you’ll build a mental foundation that supports your physical skills. Remember that mental training, like physical practice, yields results over time.
Start with one or two techniques that resonate with you, practice them consistently, and gradually add more as they become habitual. Your confidence will grow with each small success, creating a positive cycle of improvement.
What mental technique will you implement first? Begin your confidence-building journey today, and watch how it transforms not just your performance, but your enjoyment of this wonderful sport.
