Recent content by The Edge Of Willow

The forward momentum is actually partly what makes it work. Since the angles and forces involved make it more or less impossible to spin the ball right back towards yourself, you end up just pushing out and up around the ball. Whether you get a square leg-break depends your particular action, on...

If I'm doing a "standing" drill, I always do a slow walk and jump too, then pause over the crease when when my arm is up and my front foot about to come down. Actually standing is just awkward. You lose the resistance of the ground through the action. To get the power of the last part of the...

For me it feels more like a chain, the push with the front arm leads into flicking the wrist; I don't think I've thought about powering down as an action because it sort of automatically happens after the push with the front arm. This would suggest to me the powering down of the front arm comes...

Indeed, my point was that people don't think off finger-spin in the same way. They envision the basic technique of finger-spin to stop at floating down something which hardly turns. People don't think of spin and variation as being a necessary part of finger-spin, so they don't obsess over...

I think the "mystery" of wrist-spin has more to do with the difference is discussion. Finger spin initially seems to have little to discuss. People tend to think they've got the basic action down when they can land a ball "opening the doorknob" on a length. It's not associated with technical...

I don't think Warne's front foot position at the crease helped this either. In the last couple of weeks I've been changing my front foot position from across my body (with a big twist around the front foot) to aligned just to the left of my back foot (with more of a step-over). It seems to have...

This feels wrong to me. Sidespin comes from wrist position and energy in the action. To me it feels like energy used to propel the ball straight, if bowled correctly, would be transferred to side-spin in the action. If this is true, I don't think it makes sense to have your front leg crossed...

I'd check your wrist position as you roll your arm over. It sounds like your wrist is coming over with the back of your hand turned towards your head, resulting in your index finger sliding down the back of the ball when you try to "turn the doorknob." To bowl an off-break your wrist needs to...

To me it looks like you often coming over with your arm before you have started moving your hip in the pivot. I'm not certain though. The video quality and camera angle make it hard to be sure. It would fit you tendency to follow through down the offside though. If the bowling arm gets...

I think that actually depends on circumstances. Sometimes the problem is learning the right movements to bowl at speed over 22 yards. I've been able to to bowl leg bread of short distances, and slowly over 22 yards, for years. Yet, I've had real problems bowling at a decent speed, spinning it...

I have bowled the OBS with a leg-spin grip couple of times. The vital aspect is the position of the wrist and the flick, so you can avoid putting so much side-spin on the ball that it turns (it is difficult, if not impossible, to get a pure backspin with a leg spin grip though). After trying it...

Yes, there is an error on the analysis of actions, as Warne is side-on during delivery. The supposed evidence used there to show Warne is front is an image taken when he is pivoting round. A similar "front on" element would be seen in any leg spinner as they pivot round to deliver the ball...

Heh, not knowingly. I can't remember you giving a whip analogy.

I'm primarily a leg spinner, but I have more than dabbled in off-spin. I have smallish hands. It is a bit hard to judge whether my experiences would be of help to you, as I don't know if your hands are smaller than mine or not, but I found that I could get increase the width of my grip as I...

Heh, I was actually doing the standing delivery one. It seemed the logical thing to do to get used to the faster action required when a proper stride length was present in my action. I guess I just have not practiced it enough for it to transfer every well to the action with a full approach. I...