Leg Spin

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Re: Leg Spin

Which brings me nicely back to one of my earlier questions - is this something that comes easy to people? Do some people just decide that one day they're going to be spin bowlers and find that they're able to pitch the ball into a specific area easily and put spin on it?

Another related question would be do spin bowlers start out learning to bowl straight when they first start playing and progress to spin bowling? Do coaches that oversee the training of kids get them bowling spin from the outset or do they teach them the fundamentals of bowling using seam bowling?

Do you bowl spin - how did you start out? How easy/difficult did you find it and can you bowl any of the variations? My own experience has been that having seen Warne bowling leg break I started out bowling leg break and was relatively successful with it. But I then quickly moved on to trying to learn how to bowl flippers and Wrong uns, followed by Top spinners and sliders. But I found that once I'd learnt to bowl Wrong Uns I'd lost the ability to bowl normal leg breaks, so I can do all the variations with differing degrees of accuracy and success but not the leg break.

How often do the rest of you practice? How do you practice?
 
Re: Leg Spin

dave, from my own excperience I have had to work really hard on my game and I still do.

Numerous hours in the nets and practice matches, aiming at targets or spots on the pitch, just trying to be able to control my length. Spinning the ball is easier in my opinion, the hard thing is the control.

As for variations, it was a case of feeling that I had a good control of my existing armoury and then adding to it, one type at a time. Mostly this meant using it in nets and practice until I felt happy doing it in a game.

I suppose the keyword above is practise and lots of it. I'm sure that there are some naturals out there who can do the lot from the time they pick up a cricket ball but us mortals need to work on it.
 
Re: Leg Spin

I'm gutted that I've come to cricket so late in life and now feel like there's not enough life to get really good at it! I practice endlessly, I've just come in now from a session of spot bowling outside my house - it's windy bloody cold and almost dark! God knows what my neighbours think - they probably think I'm mental I know my wife and kids do but I'm determined that by the end of the winter I'd have improved markedly. I'm hoping to just deliver these top spinners so that they're consistent on line and at a good length and do something like the bloke I've described earlier in this thread, If I could reduce my wides down to 10% that'd be a massive start, but if I bowl so consistently as to produce just 3 maiden overs in a match I'd be more than pleased. Incidentally the session just now was pretty consistent with 3 wides with about 40 balls so that would have been lower than 10%. What's more I was hitting the line and length consistently as well, so a good session.
 
Re: Leg Spin

I don't know if this any help to anyone else who is in the same predicament as me e.g. you have to practice on your own.

I practice loads - I either practice out on a field with stumps and 20 or more balls or in concrete playgrounds or right outside my house in a walkway up against a wall.

Currently if the field is dry enough I set up the stumps and simply bowl all the balls up one end, collect them all and then throw them all back up the other end. But in addition I use a piece of board which is 3' x 1' and I place it in front of the stump lengthways approx 5 yards in front of the stumps and try and pitch the ball onto it. Bit by bit since changing my delivery to top spinners and wrong uns it's coming together and my accuracy is becoming a lot better.

On concrete I do exactly the same thing in a basket ball court going sideway across it with stumps either side. Obviously on tarmac and concrete you can't use cricket balls and over the last year I've been looking at all the options as an alternative so that I can practice in a way that replicates cricket as closely as possible. The solution I've come up with is using 'Atta' brand dimpled hockey balls. They weigh 5.5oz the same as a cricket ball and they bounce in a way that is very similar to a cricket ball. The dimpled surface gives you grip so you're still able to get some spin on the ball. But for me it's the weight that's important and these are the same weight. I find them perfect for practice on concrete and tarmac.

You can buy a bag of 24 Slazenger type (Same weight and dimpled) balls for about £22 from www.newitts.com if you're looking to practice in situations like I have to.
 
Re: Leg Spin

Hey guys.

I'm having a problem with my bowling.

I've taken 5 wickets from the season in 3 matches (Which I'm happy with, although I want more) but I used to bowl too short. Now I am bowling too full. Alot of my deliveries are full tosses, and I feel that I have to drag it down and not get any air when I bowl now. I am also struggling with new balls because I can't keep all of my foot down. I just put the front part down. I can't help it.

Any thoughts?
 
Re: Leg Spin

I don't have any tips to help the length issue but I recommend giving the ball more of a rip so it dips more and even the full tosses are difficult to play.

You are talking about 'new balls', assuming you mean no balls, I recommend that you inform the umpire that it is legal if the foot is or would be behind the line if it is grounded.

In a way to combat both problems, why don't you simply bowl from further back meaning the ball will be naturally shorter and you won't bowl no balls.
 
Re: Leg Spin

manee said:
That's a good idea anyway, I always find that a ball delivered from 24/5 yards can be a great way of putting doubt in the batsman mind, which is half the battle when bowling spin.

As for the length, well, sorry to be boring but its that horrible practice word again. I read somewhere that taping a piece of A3 paper to the ground then aiming to hit it is a another good target drill.
Click to expand...
 
Re: Leg Spin

Yeah, I'd agree with some of the above comments. If you want a short term fix to the length issue and no-balls it does sound as easy as bowling further back and ensuring you release well with the line. Other than that it's got to be practice? That then leads me to all the questions I'd ask anyone who bowls leg spin (Supposedly the most difficult of all of them)....

How often do you practice?
How do you practice?
How many variations do you bowl?
How long have you been bowling leg spin?
Did it come easy to you or have you really had to work at it?
Did you start out bowling leg spin?
What's your most affective strategy?
 
Re: Leg Spin

And - shouldn't we scrap this thread and start one that includes the left handers "Wrist Spin bowling", so that there's more input - as they do exactly what we do but the opposite way round and have a bunch of different names? Cos it looks like in here there's only you and me and we're soon going to run out of ideas and advice? Or maybe we'll just leave a post in thier page saying 'Have a look in the Leg spin page cos we're actively talking about wrist spin bowling'?
 
Re: Leg Spin

I noticed that in a thread elsewhere named "Cricket Snooker" or something Almost Austwick (Tom) started the thread suggesting that you place a cricket ball in the area where you're trying to pitch the ball and aim to hit that. This is something I've done in the past and in a practice session I might hit it a few times. But how frequently would you expect to hit it (A cricket ball) as a percentage in a good practice session? What would you be happy with?
 
Re: Leg Spin

I think the key is to set yourself a target, Dave. Get out there and aim at it for 10, 20 or more balls and work out your percentage success. Next time try to beat it and so on. I'd say that anything over a 50% success rate is getting there.

It's said that an international spinner should be able to hit a target the size of a 50 pence piece, whether that's true or not is another thing but the more times you can hit the target then it's a sure sign that your control over the ball is improving.
 
Re: Leg Spin

Strewth! Blimey that seems unobtainable at this point in time. I'd love to see someone hit a cricket ball 50% of the time that would be absolutely amazing. I know at my club one of our best bowlers is a leggie and he practices before the matches but I've never gone along and joined in (what with being the new bloke) it'd be interesting to see how he does with something like this as he is by far our best bowler with the most wickets etc. I think I'd be amazed if he could hit the ball twice an over!

Blimey you've set me a target now - 50% hitting my 3' x 1' board I'd be happy with!
 
Re: Leg Spin

I hope you don't bowl yourself out trying to reach it.

To be honest the 50% is plucked out of the air but I think it should attainable with a lot of practice (like most things). The key is to eventually be able to move the ball around and hit it in a variety of positions.

Seeing how the other guy practices would be a great help to you. One of the clubs I play for has a guy who played in the Lancashire leagues for years as a spinner and he's full of information, if I see him, I'll ask him what he does for practice (should be useful as he's very accurate and consistent).
 
Re: Leg Spin

I threw a few balls on Sunday doing spot practice on the afore-mentioned 3' x 1' target board (Top Spinners and Wrong Uns) and since adopting this as a practice method I've made massive improvements. One of the things I do is record as a % how many times I hit the target and as you've suggested aim to improve the percentage over the weeks. I also record the amount of times in a continuous sequence I do it e.g. currently I've hit the board 3 times in a row at best and that was Sunday. So hopefully by April I'll be posting here saying that I'm landing the ball on the board 50% of the time using either variation and that my continuous record is something like 10 balls in a row.

Then the season will start and the only other factor will then be the psychological aspect of the game!
 
Re: Leg Spin

Hopefully by getting that success rate up it'll give you a boost and you'll be far more confident on the pitch.

It's not easy being a spinner at the start of the English summer, that's why I feel accuracy is vital - if you can't spin them out, bore them out! :laugh:
 
Re: Leg Spin

How often do you practice? Just at training(Oncce a week). I can't go at any other time because none of my mates live near by.
How do you practice? What do you mean "how"?
How many variations do you bowl? I can bowl the stock ball, the toppy and the wrong un.
How long have you been bowling leg spin? For abour 2-3 years
Did it come easy to you or have you really had to work at it? I did at my first club, but at my second club it kinda came easy.
Did you start out bowling leg spin? When I joined I was a medium pacer. Changed when I was abouit 11.
What's your most affective strategy? WHat do you mean?
 
Re: Leg Spin

I think an important thing with leg spin is to make sure that you finish your action properly.Once the action is correct pitching the ball in the proper areas should be a lot easier and then one can try variations with length,pace and amount of spin.Thats what my amateur skills tell. :)
 
Re: Leg Spin

Sean said:
How do you practice? What do you mean "how"?
Click to expand...

I think dave is after some training drills\tips. What do you do to work on your game, just in the nets or something in particular.

Sean said:
What's your most affective strategy? WHat do you mean?
Click to expand...

What lines\lengths do you bowl in matches, what do you do when you're getting hit around or when you have the batman treating you with respect etc.
 
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