Seam movement

[imported_Mark]

Seam movement

hi there

when bowling fast, is there anyway to dictate the way the ball seams without having to role your fingers down the ball and hence lose a lot of pace.

i hear that flintoff does it but how do you manage it?

 

[FBI]

Re: Seam movement

I don't think Flintoff can dictate his seam movement. That being said, theoretically, you should be able to dictate seam movement by hitting the edge of the seam with a slightly tilted seam, ala Mohammad Asif.

Never tried it myself though.

 

[AUSSIE_BOY]

Re: Seam movement

mark to some people seam movement comes naturally.... i for 1 get natural cut into the right handers (dnt ask how lol)..

this video below might help u a bit... i know it has helped me.. it explains a few variations for the quicks including cutting the ball...

[ame="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4410213710170264644"]02 Cricket Masterclass Fast Bowling[/ame]

 

[mas cambios]

Re: Seam movement

You can hold the ball in certain ways in order to give the ball the best chance of seaming the way you want it but there probably will always be a small compromise with pace.

 

[NZalmostFAST]

Re: Seam movement

I always found dictating how i want the ball to seam easy, all I do is just slightly move one of my fingers more to the outside of the seam, this way it goes down with the seam pointing the direction i want it to cut with no noticeable change in pace.

 

[mas cambios]

Re: Seam movement

To bowl an off cutter, hole the ball this way:

A leg cutter is like this:

 

[Jelly Beanz]

Re: Seam movement

I think cutters are more of a slower ball option than actual seam movement really. It's more spin than seam that dictates their deviation off the pitch.

As far as I know, seam movement works simply by hitting the seam and getting the ball to bounce slightly differently thanks to the uneven surface of the seam. Somehow I get the ball to nip back in off the seam every 5-10 balls but I can't control when it happens. I seem to remember seeing a video with Ian Botham in it saying that no bowler in the world could tell you before they bowled a ball that it would seam a particular way, it just happened when it hit the seam and was completely random. Having said that, Flintoff does appear to be able to control it to an extent. I suppose if you practice long enough it would be possible to learn what you do that causes a ball to move off the seam and replicate the action.

 

[mas cambios]

Re: Seam movement

I think cutters are more of a slower ball option than actual seam movement really. It's more spin than seam that dictates their deviation off the pitch.

Welcome to the forum!

You're probably right with this but I've always found that using a cutter grip (or slightly modified) can help with the seam movement. It may just be a mental thing for me but I do get the ball to nip back something wicked in the right conditions.

I also agree that with practice you should be able to get some degree of control but I have a sneaking feeling that things such as your wrist position and action may have some bearing on, if and how much you can get the ball to seam.

 

[Jelly Beanz]

Re: Seam movement

Thanks, and yeah I think you're right that it's something more natural than anything else. You don't see a lot of bowlers at club level who seam it but quite a few internationals do, even just occaisionally, so you can probably work on it to an extent. I guess its one of those mysteries of bowling, a bit like how some bowlers reverse swing it and others don't.