Struggling To Land The Legbreak On The Seam :(

boogiespinner

Active Member
So a few days ago I made a purchase from eBay of a good few 2-Tone cricket balls. No small amount to shell out! But one could easily spend that on a bat, I figured.

And I took them this morning for the first time to some local nets for some solo practice. Really glad I did.

Lo and behold, I found out where I was going wrong... my legbreaks are often not landing on the seam. There were many flying-saucer type deliveries, or somewhere in between. Turning a little, but not much, and making no pace off the pitch :(

By contrast the googly was never failing to kick forward and to the right like... well maybe not a mule, but nicely.

To try and sort it out I was bowling from 14 yards or so... still struggling! By the end I was managing to get some passable legbreaks, but I just didn't really feel in control of the seam angle at all. Strangely if I tried to bowl a topspinner, it came out as an overspun legbreak.

If anyone has a suggestion on how to remedy please say! thanks
 
That sounds like it could be googly syndrome? If is the solution is to stop bowling googlies altogether, go back to basics and work on it until you can bowl the leg break consistently again. It's hard to say without seeing you bowl but that would be my guess.
 
hey Darth, thanks for reply.

I don't think it's googly syndrome as, in all honesty, my legbreaks have always been erratic. I can't say I've really lost a mastery I had before. Unless we are going back to when I was really young and was bowling a tennis ball. I haven't been bowling many googlies for precise fear of googly syndrome, although it's really looking ripe for development.

I have to say buying the bucket of 2-tone balls is the best thing I've ever done for legspin practice. I probably bowled 500 deliveries yesterday and getting the best possible feedback from each one.

Quite upset it was raining hard today so no outdoor practice :(
 
Hi mate, that's good news. Nobody wants that googly syndrome.

Yeah those balls will be the best purchase you ever make, I have a bag of about 25 now.
 
We have an off spinner in out club he spins the ball between flying saucer and a normal off spin but he gets a LOT of spin so vis bowl turns a lot even when he bowls like you. I recommend you try to go over the ball with tour band when bowling
 
We have an off spinner in out club he spins the ball between flying saucer and a normal off spin but he gets a LOT of spin so vis bowl turns a lot even when he bowls like you. I recommend you try to go over the ball with tour band when bowling
yes pleased to say I have managed to cure this shahidpak. Practise and as you say going over the top of the ball was key.

I'm interested in what you say about your offspinner. What I found is that when the axis of spin is tilted down significantly (as was the case in my deliveries) the turn off the wicket seemed to drop dramatically, but when tilted up it still turned.
 
yes pleased to say I have managed to cure this shahidpak. Practise and as you say going over the top of the ball was key.

I'm interested in what you say about your offspinner. What I found is that when the axis of spin is tilted down significantly (as was the case in my deliveries) the turn off the wicket seemed to drop dramatically, but when tilted up it still turned.
Maybe this is not the right place to ask this question but i dont want to créât an unneccesary thread . when bowling a les break and ither variations should the body/shoulder come forward/start to pivot before the arm or should they Come together?
 
Maybe this is not the right place to ask this question but i dont want to créât an unneccesary thread . when bowling a les break and ither variations should the body/shoulder come forward/start to pivot before the arm or should they Come together?
And should the head be straight while bowling because warnes head is tilted to the left if his head was straight he would be bowling at an arm angle of 45 °
 
Maybe this is not the right place to ask this question but i dont want to créât an unneccesary thread . when bowling a les break and ither variations should the body/shoulder come forward/start to pivot before the arm or should they Come together?

And should the head be straight while bowling because warnes head is tilted to the left if his head was straight he would be bowling at an arm angle of 45 °
<edited> Not sure about the body/chest drive - I think it starts and finishes with the arm but it is at maximum force before the arm is, perhaps.

I don't think head angle matters - it should be comfortable. For Warne the tilting of the body helps him deliver with a close to vertical arm position and his head angle reflects that. I think if you are bowling with a vertical arm, you certainly want the body tilted so that at the release point the ball is in line with your front foot. Many great bowlers of all types have this - look at a photo of a great bowler from the batsman's view at release point - likely you can trace a perfectly vertical line up their leg, diagonally across the body, up the arm to the ball.

There may be valid reasons for bowling legspin with a slightly roundarm action though.
 
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