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Basic lawn bowling strategy falls into two categories. Shots made when you or your teammate are currently the owner of the ball closest to the target ball, and shots made when the opposition is sitting closest to the ball. When you have the closest ball, the top priority is to maintain that advantage. Playing a shot between the throwing point and the target ball will impede your opposition's shot, making it more difficult for them to score or knock your scoring ball away. If, however, you already have a good defense, or are throwing last, it may pay to try to score bonus points by putting additional balls inside of your opponent's. The thrower, however, should be wary of nudging an opposing ball, the scoring ball or the target ball in such a way that your opponent can steal the point.
If you are behind, there are two options for recapturing the lead. The most direct option is to simply throw a ball that is closer than your opponent's closest shot, effectively stealing the point out from under them. However, should your opponent have a ball that is too close to the target to be beat, or should there be sufficient defense to make a scoring shot difficult, a power shot aimed at re-arranging the balls by smashing them violently with your ball is in order. -
There are various types of shots, but for a beginning player, three simple shots will suffice. Two are for scoring and the third for smashing. The puntata, roughly translated as "aimed shot," is the most basic shot in lawn bowling. Roll the ball so that is on the ground almost immediately after leaving your hand, following a ground-level path to the target ball. If necessary, you can apply left or right spin to the ball, or if playing on an uneven field, use the ground to shape your shot around any defending balls. A slightly more-advanced scoring shot is the volo, in which a high-arcing shot is played with a flick of the wrist, putting backspin on the ball. When played right, the volo will stop in its tracks when it lands, allowing you to bypass any defense balls, and dropping in the immediate vicinity of the target.
If a finesse approach won't work, a more powerful display may be needed. The raffa is a strong, fast shot, aimed at the target ball or a cluster of scoring or defending balls. A well-played raffa will strike its target with maximum velocity, causing a disruption of the current alignment, and drastically altering the direction of a turn of play.
