Bowling tips

[Gee Dub]

So we have a batting tips thread so how about a bowling tips thread.

I can bowl spin but I'm not sure what type of bowler you would call me. I have a leg spinners action, bowling the ball out of the back of my hand, except every ball I bowl is a wrong-un. It is quite frustrating that I can bowl a big spinning wrong-un but not a leg break. Your help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[XFactor1979]

much harder to learn than batting, bowling is a game which depends more on your physique, how tall you are more than being able to learn it

You need to be able to bend your back and be able to pitch the ball, the issue of physique is then and there as most people are incapable of even pitching the ball down the other end of the pitch on one bounce.

"Donkey dropping" the ball is the way to describe how to bowl initially as you dont want to be bowling on a length (indoor cricket style). the batter will turn it into a half volley and you'll just get smashed around

Getting your run up right is very important as a bowler in cricket, the best way to do that is to practice doing it slowly and ensuring you get your action right and bowl off the right step

And Seam up for the hand positioning of the ball

 

[Gough]

You are probably dropping your front shoulder a little too much in your action, that's not allowing your wrist to fully rotate because you are falling away. If you remain a little more upright in your action you might find that you can bowl a leg break. That said there is nothing wrong with a wrong 'un as a stock ball. If you have a toppy, and what Warne tried to convince us was a slider (leggy that doesn't turn really) you'll go alright. Practise bowling leg breaks, doesn't matter a great deal if you can't get massive turn, use it as an alternate delivery.

 

[XFactor1979]

You are probably dropping your front shoulder a little too much in your action, that's not allowing your wrist to fully rotate because you are falling away. If you remain a little more upright in your action you might find that you can bowl a leg break. That said there is nothing wrong with a wrong 'un as a stock ball. If you have a toppy, and what Warne tried to convince us was a slider (leggy that doesn't turn really) you'll go alright. Practise bowling leg breaks, doesn't matter a great deal if you can't get massive turn, use it as an alternate delivery.

One thing you learn about bowling spinners in the nets

You will get smashed

 

[Gough]

I've been bowling leggies since I was 13, I'm 38 now and I couldn't agree more. You will get smashed. What it has done though is make me appreciate Warne all the more. Leg spin is the hardest cricket art to master, bar none, and he made it all look so effortless.

 

[XFactor1979]

I've been bowling leggies since I was 13, I'm 38 now and I couldn't agree more. You will get smashed. What it has done though is make me appreciate Warne all the more. Leg spin is the hardest cricket art to master, bar none, and he made it all look so effortless.

I bowled Shahid Afridi's style for a couple of deliveries for a chuckle, and I did land them pretty well

But no, I preferred bowling medium fast, I got people out legitimately without people trying to smash me out of the ground (ie edges, LBWs)

It did shit me that the Slips and Keeper were standing too close to each other for my medium fasts, I could get it up to 130kph - fastest, I had a bit of zip, but bowling at Nathan Astle's pace (110-115kph) was effective enough for me for the most part.

 

[Gee Dub]

Thanks guys. There is a bit of a surprise factor for the first 3-4 balls when the batsman isn't sure what's going on and when he realises I'm only bowling wrong-uns it becomes much harder for me and I end up getting smashed around as a try to change it up.

I can bowl reasonable fast-medium pace and get a bit of bounce (I'm 195 cm) but I'd really like to get better with my spin bowling because it is very hard to master and there are many pace bowlers.

 

[DO IT TO IT]

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[Teffy]

So we have a batting tips thread so how about a bowling tips thread.

I can bowl spin but I'm not sure what type of bowler you would call me. I have a leg spinners action, bowling the ball out of the back of my hand, except every ball I bowl is a wrong-un. It is quite frustrating that I can bowl a big spinning wrong-un but not a leg break. Your help would be greatly appreciated.

Bowling is no more technical that batting.

The solution to your problem is simple.

You're holding the seam the wrong way and you need to rotate your wrist further prior to release.

 

[Gee Dub]

What way should I hold the seam? I hold it with my fingers around it and when I release the ball the seam is facing 11 o'clock.

 

[Kyptastic]

How straight is your arm? I've generally found that you need to bowl at about 60-65 degrees for a leg break, whereas a wrongun needs to come out at about 90.

Had my first training session on Thursday. I'd started last season well, but slipped as the season progressed. I was bowling too far down leg side and realise it was because I was bowling too front on. I went back to a side on action, but it caused a bit of tension in my back. Anyone know of any good stretches/exercises to get it loose before bowling?

 

[Teffy]

What way should I hold the seam? I hold it with my fingers around it andwhen I release the ball the seam is facing 11 o'clock.

You are releasing the ball from the back of the hand with clockwise spin or you are utilising your fingers instead of your wrist.

You need to get the ball coming out the front of your hand.

 

[Gee Dub]

This may sound stupid but how do I do that?

 

[Teffy]

This may sound stupid but how do I do that?

Look at this picture:

This is how you must be releasing the ball in order for the ball to break right. You are not rotating your wrist through the entire action before releasing the ball. It is still coming out the back of your hand.

Now look at Stewie Magills release:

See how his action is higher and the ball is released later out the front of the hand? This is what you want to achieve in order to release the ball with the seam rotating in the correct direction.

 

[Simple Jack]

This is amazing, I've had the exact same problem as both the OP's of the batting and bowling threads.

I am also 195cm and different to the other responses, for me I was rotating my bowling arm too much. It was coming out sort of along the fingerline out the back of my hand because I was over-rotating my arm and thus my wrist. I fixed it by trying to focus on keeping the part of my ball that is showing always pointing towards the batsman as much as possible.

Whether or not that was actually happening I don't know, but just trying to do that fixed it for me.

However I keep anyway so bowling is more of a 'just stuffing around' thing for me.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Thanks guys. There is a bit of a surprise factor for the first 3-4 balls when the batsman isn't sure what's going on and when he realises I'm only bowling wrong-uns it becomes much harder for me and I end up getting smashed around as a try to change it up.

I can bowl reasonable fast-medium pace and get a bit of bounce (I'm 195 cm) but I'd really like to get better with my spin bowling because it is very hard to master and there are many pace bowlers.

Hi Gee Dub, there are actually lots of people like you that bowl exclusively wrong guns and can't bowl a leg break.

Without seeing your action it's difficult, but often 'wrong un' bowlers tend to bowl with an extremely high action, almost past the perpendicular. People with this action find it very hard to bowl a leg break and tend to turn their wrong un further (ie Mustaq Ahmed).

Anyway... the basic reason is that when you release the ball the back of your hand is facing the batter. You give it a rip and it spins to the leg side.

You have to change your release position, so that at release it is the ball and the palm of your hand that is facing the batter.

An easy drill to start with is to set up a couple of single stumps on the oval about three metres apart. These are your 'footy goals.' Set yourself up 10-12m away from the stumps but along the same line, as though you are trying to kick a miracle checkside goal from the boundary between the posts.

Now bowl your spin, trying to get the ball to turn between the stumps like a leg break.

Ideally you would get hold of one of those half red / half white balls too. They're great to see which direction the seam is rotating in (hopefully you get the ball spinning along the seam but one problem at a time!).

As you start getting used to the new wrist position increase the distance until you're bowling a full pitch length.

 

[Simple Jack]

Hi Gee Dub, there are actually lots of people like you that bowl exclusively wrong guns and can't bowl a leg break.

Without seeing your action it's difficult, but often 'wrong un' bowlers tend to bowl with an extremely high action, almost past the perpendicular. People with this action find it very hard to bowl a leg break and tend to turn their wrong un further (ie Mustaq Ahmed).

Anyway... the basic reason is that when you release the ball the back of your hand is facing the batter. You give it a rip and it spins to the leg side.

You have to change your release position, so that at release it is the ball and the palm of your hand that is facing the batter.

An easy drill to start with is to set up a couple of single stumps on the oval about three metres apart. These are your 'footy goals.' Set yourself up 10-12m away from the stumps but along the same line, as though you are trying to kick a miracle checkside goal from the boundary between the posts.

Now bowl your spin, trying to get the ball to turn between the stumps like a leg break.

Ideally you would get hold of one of those half red / half white balls too. They're great to see which direction the seam is rotating in (hopefully you get the ball spinning along the seam but one problem at a time!).

As you start getting used to the new wrist position increase the distance until you're bowling a full pitch length.

This is what I was doing/tried to explain.

You did a much better job

 

[Gee Dub]

I had been told yesterday by a friend that m palm is facing the wrong way at release. I tried to change it today and bowled about 6 leggies in 2 hours.

 

[Teffy]

I had been told yesterday by a friend that m palm is facing the wrong way at release. I tried to change it today and bowled about 6 leggies in 2 hours.

Now practice for 12 months, always being fully conscious of your body, arm, wrist and hand position.

........then practice some more.

Personally, if I see a bloke that can't bowl a leggie in a fairly short time and in a natural manner, then I tell them to move on to something else. It's significantly easier to execute the skill if the required biomechanics of the discipline are naturally in sync with the bowler in question.

I reckon I could teach any kid to swing a ball, but IMO, a good leg spin bowler is born, not made.

 

[swingdog]

Another thing to try, at least in training, if you're not generating a tremendous amount of spin, is to go around the wicket.

Was trying this with a mate on the weekend (right-hander). Bowled pretty innocuous leggies though with some drift over the wicket which he could put away easily but going around the wicket caused him all sorts of problems.

It's partly down to batsmen not used to the ball coming out of the sky at that angle.

Reckon it could be useful in our grade (reasonably low) even if it takes the LBW out of the equation as lots of batsmen will try and hit against the spin if it lands on leg and goes across them.

Thoughts?

 

[Teffy]

Another thing to try, at least in training, if you're not generating a tremendous amount of spin, is to go around the wicket.

Was trying this with a mate on the weekend (right-hander). Bowled pretty innocuous leggies though with some drift over the wicket which he could put away easily but going around the wicket caused him all sorts of problems.

It's partly down to batsmen not used to the ball coming out of the sky at that angle.

Reckon it could be useful in our grade (reasonably low) even if it takes the LBW out of the equation as lots of batsmen will try and hit against the spin if it lands on leg and goes across them.

Thoughts?

It depends on the batsman in question, there is no "cure all" way of bowling for every batsman.

You would want to be very accurate, that's for sure.

 

[swingdog]

Yeah, oddly enough, I am more accurate doing that. No idea why. Probably a confidence thing.

 

[Bucking Beads]

As a leggie myself I would like to think the hard part as a leggie is putting in the right spot over and over again as opposed to getting it to turn??

 

[cammo6556]

I have a pain the in front of my shoulder when I throw, which pretty much prevents me from doing it at all... but I can still bowl. Problem is I have lost a yard and a half... Im not slow now, but I dont have the accuracy to fall back on.

Anyone else have a similar problem or advice on how to at least get my pace back?

Dont care much about the throwing. I field in slips

 

[notting18]

I have a pain the in front of my shoulder when I throw, which pretty much prevents me from doing it at all... but I can still bowl. Problem is I have lost a yard and a half... Im not slow now, but I dont have the accuracy to fall back on.

Anyone else have a similar problem or advice on how to at least get my pace back?

Dont care much about the throwing. I field in slips

I had subacromial burstitis last season and that sounds pretty similar. Basically from what I understand its an inflamed tendon so rest, icing it and anti inflammatory meds were what I used. Well I didn't rest until the off season, but you get the idea.