Confidence

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Young_Desy

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Hello

I'm Des and i'm new to Big Cricket, after being shown a link on facebook.
I bowl (try to anyway) right arm wrist spin in club cricket. I have been bowling wrist spin for around 4 years. My main query, or question is I wish to rasie is concerning confidence whilst bowling.
I am not a generaly outgoing person, and it shows on the cricket field. One boundary or two of my first over can dent my confidence for the rest of the game. The pressure gets to me, I grip the bowl tight and end up bowling half trackers which in turn get hit for more runs, and I end up with less then impressive figures.
I wish I could have that confident swagger about me that Shane Warne had when he bowled. I was just wondering if anyone on the forum had any advice on how they "keep their heads up" during a game, when things aren't going there way, any mental approaches, or routines you go through before, during or after an over to keep confidence stable?
Any advice is much appreciated
Thanks
 
No easy answer as some people have a natural swagger whereas others are more introverted. The best way is to make sure you are as prepared as you possibly can be and to have faith in your ability. Every bowler, no matter how great or terrible will bowl bad balls likewise they will also bowl good ones. Runs will be leaked, boundaries given but also wickets taken and maidens bowled. The key is to control the things you can control and not worry about the rest.

Treat it for what it is, a game/test/challenge/duel. Sure, all bowlers would love a wicket maiden first up to help settle down but it's rare. Chances are your coming on to bowl a little 'cold' and need time to warm up. Even harder if you're coming on 1st or 2ns change when the bats are set or at least have been there for a little while. If you get hit for a boundary then forget about it, move on and concentrate on the next ball. No point dwelling on what has gone, after all you can't change it.

if things do go wrong then go back to basics. Simplify things and look to bowl your stock ball on a good line/length. Worst thing you can do is overcomplicate things especially if it's not going well or you're nervous. Try to replicate match situations in training as this will help. All professional teams run through scenarios as part of their training, to the point where they call in umpires so that everything is as real as possible. You don't have to go that far but set up a mini game and set the scene - 26 overs gone, batting team 121-3 etc.

Make sure you practice as much as you're able or feel you need to. Get into the right frame of mind before a game, listen to music or have a nap, sort your kit out or walk the dog, whatever makes you feel ready to play. Also, be positive, back yourself to do well and believe it. It won't be an overnight change but if you prepare properly over time then you will see the difference.
 
I may have to reply to this later as I reckon my reply will be epic. But I know where you're coming from. During the 2009 season I bowled exceptionally well with the best strike in the whole club shared with another bowler, had a sequence of 3 games where I got 4 fers, the worst being 4 for 28. Then 2010 in our first game of the season we were mis-matched with a team that included a first XI batsman of epic abilities and confidence. I went for 10 an over with no wickets and then I crashed psychologically. The following games were similar - but again with our teams pitched against other teams with 1st XI players (I'm a Sunday 2nd XI friendly type player) I was smashed again twice in 2 other matches, but with the averages improving. But my confidence was smashed and I didn't recover till September, partly due to their being some changes in the club set up and I didn't get many games through the season anyway, and played with other teams where I didn't perform that well either.

My approach was as Richard 3 suggested, I simplified everything and practiced more. If you bowl variations - cut the variations down and stick with your Leg Break. Depending on how much control you have over it - think about packing the off-side with fielders and target the off-stump, never bowling to the legs or wide of leg. If that's not possible then that may be part of the issue - you need to address your accuracy.
 
I've worked out one philosophy that helped me a lot - I used to bowl a lot of rubbish - so any opportunity to bowl in the match was basically a bonus to me and a chance to test myself out - so what if I get hit or bowl a bunch of long hops? - there is always the next ball to look forward to -or the next match
 
Prior to my good season I had 2 seasons where my bowling was atrocious and I was learning the very basics of cricket. My bowling used to lose us games on a regular basis, but my captain was a spinner and the club had a very good attitude towards spinners, possibly helped by the fact that my captain held the clubs record for most wickets in a season and he was only in his later 20's. He'd beaten a long standing record of over 20 years set by another spinner that year, so spin was very much on the agenda whether it was wrist or off-spin. There were games where the bowling was made up of 4 spinners and two of the other sort. As a consequence I was able to learn my stuff in a very good environment of understanding and nurture. But initially I never understood the spin ethos of the club and used to get the yips. But at some point I was either told something along these lines or just off my own back - no matter how bad you bowl, it's not the world cup or the Ashes and there's no point beating yourself up about it and making it so that when you're thrown the ball you're absolutely s******g yourself and then go on to screw it up. Some nerves is good, but fear isn't. It comes back down to confidence in your abilities and being able to bowl a good line and length with some consistency and turn in practice and then taking that to a game. It'll take one game where it comes together and you'll be on a roll.
 
you dont necessarily need to be outgoing. there arent many batsmen that are affected by confidence in a bowler unless the bowler is dominating them. if they hit you for a couple of boundaries then no amount of confidence will put them off. in fact, if you appear to be a rabbit in headlights then thats actually better in that situation. they will be more likely to attack you and make a mistake.

the important thing is to have inner confidence. it doesnt have to be based on anything either. i genuinely believe on most days that any decent ball a batsman hits for runs was lucky, and that i should have had his wicket with it. if i bowl bad balls then i know they will get punished, you just have to brush those aside. having that inner confidence is what keeps you going. it doesnt matter what the batsman thinks. as i said, i love it when a batsman thinks hes in control and goes after me. the probability of taking a wicket increases greatly in that situation. i havent faced a single batsman since early last season that i have felt had the better of me. ive faced batsmen that have destroyed my bowling, but ive learnt to have the required arrogance to overcome it. its a useful personality trait to have as a leggie, and it annoys the hell out of batsmen.

the main thing that will dent any leg spinners confidence (or sometimes not so much confidence, but it will upset their rhythm by making them angry/upset/whatever), is when a captain either gives you an ultimatum (e.g. youve got 1 over to improve or youre out of the attack), or just has general words about your bowling if its not particularly good (sometimes theyll say it even if it is good, but the batsman is just outclassing you). brushing off the captain is probably the hardest thing to do, and ultimately you know that as soon as they say anything youre only staying on if you take a wicket there and then, and dont leak any runs at all. you just have to respect the decision and wait for the next opportunity.
 
Thanks for the replys, guys. The teams got a big game on the weekend, and hopefully I can put some of your advice into practice, and pick up a few wickets
 
There are some great reads on PitchVision: http://www.google.com/search?q=confidence&as_sitesearch=pitchvision.com

Try this one for starters: http://www.pitchvision.com/do-you-have-the-mental-toughness-to-be-a-great-cricketer/

Allan Border once said...

"Mental toughness is my big plus as a cricketer. Technique's important, ball skills... but sheer talent isn't the answer. There's a lot of people with talent to burn but they don't use it properly. It's your attitude more than anything. You use your skills as much as possible, recognise your limitations, and menatally you're tougher than the guy next to you."
 
I don't think you need to worry too much about having a "swagger", everyone has their own character and this is what will come across when you bowl. Warne was naturally outgoing and arrogant, and this came across when he bowled, but McGill and Grimmett were more introverted and thoughtful, and this came across when they bowled. Neither is right or wrong, and while a batsman facing Warne may have felt that Shane was dominating them, I'm sure the experience of facing more introverted bowlers is one of "what's he planning now?" which is every bit as effective. In fact, being an introvert may sometimes be an advantage as we are less prone to betraying when we're feeling under the cosh. I think you just have to understand your own character, be at peace with it, and let that be what comes across, as anything else is prone to being found out.

I think your problem is one of concentration as much as confidence. You shouldn't be worrying about the match situation as you run in to bowl. You should know which variation you're planning to bowl and where you want to land it, so all that should go through your mind once you have begun your run up is "comfortable grip, I'm going to bowl X, I'm going to land it THERE" and then you spin it hard at your target. If you do that every ball, and you're concentrating well, you can't ask for anything more. If you're worried that you are under-prepared, then I'm afraid in a match it's simply too late and you'll just have to do your best. Much better to have done as much preparation as you can, that way you never have that feeling, and all the complicated technique should take care of itself, if you're practised properly beforehand.

As for confidence, I wonder how fully you have analysed exactly how good you are. You need to be really honest, neither underestimating yourself, nor expecting things that are unrealistic. I got absolutely tonked in my first over last year (13 runs from 4 balls), but it didn't bother me a bit as I knew I was simply too inexperienced to expect anything better against two well-set batsmen. In my experience confidence isn't about convincing yourself that you're world-class, it's about knowing exactly what your limitations are and making the most of what you have. Perhaps it only comes with age, and perhaps this rather than anything else is why leg-spinners flower later in life.
 
As some of the others have said, some are born with it, some use a façade of confidence, others just don't have it. You don't NEED to have this oozing of confidence, just having a bit of self belief is enough. If you're getting killed all over the park, go back to your stock ball, which you've practised no end. If people are tracking you, you either toss it up, or go to a plan which would be to fire it in down leg or wide outside off, and hopefully get him stumped. Try not to get flustered by it. I've learnt that if you get hit for 4 off a good shot, then fair play, you've just gotta prove that you're better. If they slog you for 4 or 6, then you just shrug that off and tempt them to try it again, see if they can or not. Have some belief, and back yourself!
 
to add to Tumo's good advice - having a plan is very important. confidence is a bonus but not essential, but bowling without a plan is the real killer. the thing youll find if you lack confidence is that coming up with a plan is very difficult, and maintaining it whilst being slogged is even harder. but you cant just bowl aimlessly or it plays into the batsmans hands. likewise, using variations for no reason is just as bad.

you have to identify batsmens tendencies quickly. every batsmen at club level will have heavily favoured shots and areas. youll rarely come across a player that has a solid all round game, i havent found one yet and ive bowled at a few ECB premier batsmen. you should be able to identify their tendancies just by watching them bat to other bowlers, but if not then you can probably work them out within a few balls. bowl your stock ball on your stock length and see how they play it. the simple things youll notice are if they favour front foot or back foot, and off side or leg side shots. if they like to cut then dont bowl anything short on off stump, bowl full at their legs. if they like to play off their pads then bowl an off stump line. its simple stuff, but hard to remember in the heat of battle.

from there you can then exploit their weaker areas and youll learn more and more weaknesses as a result. then you set your field around it and just carry on with the balls that they cant play. and youll then start to see opportunities for variations developing.

if a batsman is charging down the pitch and smashing you down the ground, which is often the case if youre down on confidence and they see you as weak, then that is the easiest situation to bowl to. put fielders in the deep in their favoured areas (sloggers normally go straight, mid wicket, or square leg) and invite it. theyll get one wrong so long as you bowl good line and length and spin hard. if you need to be economical then its harder, you have to be smarter with your length and pre-meditate what the batsman will do. they leave themselves wide open for stumping though, so all you need to do is beat the bat once.
 
I think it's about having strong friendships in the team.

Here is an interesting video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEVvn1pMHZ4

Green Bay Packers of 1976 were the first super-bowl winners. Their coach Lombardi had won so much silverware that the trophy for winning the super-bowl is now called the Lombardi trophy.

The man was a ************** and took delight at screaming at people who underperformed (at least in his own mind). When people failed -- he'd tell them how terrible they were and worse. The end of the video describes a great moment where Bill Curry perhaps one of the weaker players on that team found friendship with the great defensive leader Willie Davis -- one of the greatest of all time.

My point? This is exactly what the relationship between Leg Spinner and Captain is all about. When you are getting smashed around you need to know you are good enough in the eyes of the captain. Of course, how do you go about being friends with the captain? That's up to you.

Relation to the thead? I think in the end I advise you to have friends in the team that you can look to who can, with a look of determination or some other means, show confidence in you to succeed. I think if you cannot manage to get the captain to do this, it is only natural to have at least a friend in the team who can show confidence in you. Shane Warne only had his swagger after his first Ashes win when he truly earned the respect of his captain as a match-winner -- incredible considering the notoriety of how difficult it is to meld into the Australian national team. This is compared to players like Stuart MacGill who could never compete with Warne in part because no one had confidence in him in the one day game, and moreover probably due to the perception he was harder to get along with.

The lesson is that confidence is not only self-generated but contagious through how others relate to you.
 
doctortran said:
I think it's about having strong friendships in the team.

Here is an interesting video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEVvn1pMHZ4

Green Bay Packers of 1976 were the first super-bowl winners. Their coach Lombardi had won so much silverware that the trophy for winning the super-bowl is now called the Lombardi trophy.

The man was a biscuit and took delight at screaming at people who underperformed (at least in his own mind). When people failed -- he'd tell them how terrible they were and worse. The end of the video describes a great moment where Bill Curry perhaps one of the weaker players on that team found friendship with the great defensive leader Willie Davis -- one of the greatest of all time.

My point? This is exactly what the relationship between Leg Spinner and Captain is all about. When you are getting smashed around you need to know you are good enough in the eyes of the captain. Of course, how do you go about being friends with the captain? That's up to you.

Relation to the thead? I think in the end I advise you to have friends in the team that you can look to who can, with a look of determination or some other means, show confidence in you to succeed. I think if you cannot manage to get the captain to do this, it is only natural to have at least a friend in the team who can show confidence in you. Shane Warne only had his swagger after his first Ashes win when he truly earned the respect of his captain as a match-winner -- incredible considering the notoriety of how difficult it is to meld into the Australian national team. This is compared to players like Stuart MacGill who could never compete with Warne in part because no one had confidence in him in the one day game, and moreover probably due to the perception he was harder to get along with.

The lesson is that confidence is not only self-generated but contagious through how others relate to you.
Click to expand...

This is definitely an aspect of my experience, as I said earlier, my captain was a spinner and so were some of the others, so there was a feeling of goodwill and support when I stepped up to bowl, and then when it went right, the rest of them joined in and the enthusiasm was contagious as Doctoran has said.
 
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