Using "All the levers"

[legspinner_don]

Using "All the levers"

Hi guys,

I've been a long time lurker of this forum, and have read dave's excellent blogs and watched countless videos. I'm 23 and just returned to cricket at the end of last season after 5 years off because of Uni. I really want to become a successful leggie - I used to be alright when I was younger but I my action was probably a bit unorthodox and didn't have the understanding of the art of being a leggie as I do now. So basically, I'm trying to start again...

I've had a pre-season under my belt for the first time in 6 years and I've found that if I lob the ball up, giving it a lot of air, I can get quite a bit of turn, drift and dip. However, I don't think I'm putting enough effort into the ball and instead of "spinning up" as Warne likes to say, I'm more lobbing it up. My question to you guys is how do I really get "all the levers" working to put spin on the ball, as Philpott advises. I struggle to do this without dragging the ball down, and I seem to put effort more into the pace of the ball rather than the rotations of the ball.

I realise it's quite a tough issue to address without seeing any videos (I'm afraid I don't have a decent video camera) but I was hoping you might have some generic advice, or even have come across similar problems yourselves.

So in summary: How do you "spin up"? How do you use "all the levers" to spin the ball without dragging it down? The two are linked: if I can use all the levers to spin up then hopefully my concerns and crisis of confidence will be overcome!

Any help would be appreciated!

 

[macca]

Re: Using "All the levers"

Hi guys,

I've been a long time lurker of this forum, and have read dave's excellent blogs and watched countless videos. I'm 23 and just returned to cricket at the end of last season after 5 years off because of Uni. I really want to become a successful leggie - I used to be alright when I was younger but I my action was probably a bit unorthodox and didn't have the understanding of the art of being a leggie as I do now. So basically, I'm trying to start again...

I've had a pre-season under my belt for the first time in 6 years and I've found that if I lob the ball up, giving it a lot of air, I can get quite a bit of turn, drift and dip. However, I don't think I'm putting enough effort into the ball and instead of "spinning up" as Warne likes to say, I'm more lobbing it up. My question to you guys is how do I really get "all the levers" working to put spin on the ball, as Philpott advises. I struggle to do this without dragging the ball down, and I seem to put effort more into the pace of the ball rather than the rotations of the ball.

I realise it's quite a tough issue to address without seeing any videos (I'm afraid I don't have a decent video camera) but I was hoping you might have some generic advice, or even have come across similar problems yourselves.

So in summary: How do you "spin up"? How do you use "all the levers" to spin the ball without dragging it down? The two are linked: if I can use all the levers to spin up then hopefully my concerns and crisis of confidence will be overcome!

Any help would be appreciated!

Everyone drags one down every so often. Warne bowled one so short in the IPL last week that it nearly bounced twice.

Sometimes it's a concentration thing and the product of trying too hard.

As a general rule you dont want to give it too much flight especially to accomplished batsmen on good wickets. Just above the eyeline of the batsman so he needs to move his eyes and perhaps even his head is some guide.

As jim pointed out last week , if you are hitting the cross bar or roof of the nets you are allowing the ball too much altitude!

The best place to see your loop would be to watch you from mid-off for a while. You can soon tell if you are lobbing it too much. Team mates and opponents will see if you are too flighty.

You are getting turn and drift and dip you reckon so that is good.

I reckon a good place to do some work on spinning up is against a wall, it needs to be fairly high.

 

[someblokecalleddave]

Re: Using "All the levers"

Hi guys,

I've been a long time lurker of this forum, and have read dave's excellent blogs and watched countless videos. I'm 23 and just returned to cricket at the end of last season after 5 years off because of Uni. I really want to become a successful leggie - I used to be alright when I was younger but I my action was probably a bit unorthodox and didn't have the understanding of the art of being a leggie as I do now. So basically, I'm trying to start again...

I've had a pre-season under my belt for the first time in 6 years and I've found that if I lob the ball up, giving it a lot of air, I can get quite a bit of turn, drift and dip. However, I don't think I'm putting enough effort into the ball and instead of "spinning up" as Warne likes to say, I'm more lobbing it up. My question to you guys is how do I really get "all the levers" working to put spin on the ball, as Philpott advises. I struggle to do this without dragging the ball down, and I seem to put effort more into the pace of the ball rather than the rotations of the ball.

I realise it's quite a tough issue to address without seeing any videos (I'm afraid I don't have a decent video camera) but I was hoping you might have some generic advice, or even have come across similar problems yourselves.

So in summary: How do you "spin up"? How do you use "all the levers" to spin the ball without dragging it down? The two are linked: if I can use all the levers to spin up then hopefully my concerns and crisis of confidence will be overcome!

Any help would be appreciated!

With the levers thing - have you been through the flicking the ball between the hands and the flicking the ball inwards as advised Philpott? Personally when I flick the ball like this it snaps off the fingers audibly. This part of the action is the last two levers (Fingers and wrist) and it's my own problem area. I can't bowl a big turning leg-break because it requires these two actions to work in unision with each other and along with all the other levers. I did find though that releasing slightly early today had some benefits, but the dragging down is just symptomatic of putting a little too much effort into it. There seems to be an exceptionally fine balance between wrong and right with the leg-break when you're using the flick technique - which of course you must always aim to do.

 

[chippyben]

Re: Using "All the levers"

Ive found that if Im dragging them down Im not getting my left arm up high enough and my last stride with my left leg is too long. That works for me so its another idea you could try.

 

[someblokecalleddave]

Re: Using "All the levers"

Yeah I've noticed that leg thing. I've got a game tomorrow, so I'll see how it goes and then maybe look at that in my training next week?

 

[legspinner_don]

Re: Using "All the levers"

Thanks for all the advice guys. I think I need to do a bit more practice without a batsman - I really seem to struggle for consistency and rythm when I'm bowling to bastman in the nets, some a fair few levels above me.

What I'm going to concentrate on is really bracing my front leg and bringing my back leg over and round to get some powerful rotation.

In terms of spinning up, is it a case of releasing the ball slightly earlier? At what point do you tend to release the ball to get the best flight?

 

[someblokecalleddave]

Re: Using "All the levers"

Thanks for all the advice guys. I think I need to do a bit more practice without a batsman - I really seem to struggle for consistency and rythm when I'm bowling to bastman in the nets, some a fair few levels above me.

What I'm going to concentrate on is really bracing my front leg and bringing my back leg over and round to get some powerful rotation.

In terms of spinning up, is it a case of releasing the ball slightly earlier? At what point do you tend to release the ball to get the best flight?

Mate, after today I need to go back to the drawing board, I got tonked bad. I'm not sure what to do at the minute, it was the worst bowling I've ever done, I need to look at the figures and do a swot analysis thing and some reflection and make some changes, man did I bowl some crap!

 

[macca]

Re: Using "All the levers"

Mate, after today I need to go back to the drawing board, I got tonked bad. I'm not sure what to do at the minute, it was the worst bowling I've ever done, I need to look at the figures and do a swot analysis thing and some reflection and make some changes, man did I bowl some crap!

It's like I am always telling my young bloke, you want to bowl legspin? you are going to get flogged from time to time.

It can be a depressing experience. You might feel low for a few days.

If they were coming out to drive and smashing you but you kept pitching em up than that is good bowling versus good batting and there is no shame in that. It's a batsmans game after all and sometimes they get lucky. If on the other hand you were consistently wide and/or short that was a bad day at the office.

 

[someblokecalleddave]

Re: Using "All the levers"

It's like I am always telling my young bloke, you want to bowl legspin? you are going to get flogged from time to time.

It can be a depressing experience. You might feel low for a few days.

If they were coming out to drive and smashing you but you kept pitching em up than that is good bowling versus good batting and there is no shame in that. It's a batsmans game after all and sometimes they get lucky. If on the other hand you were consistently wide and/or short that was a bad day at the office.

I think it was a combination of a few things.......From my main blog -

I don't have the exact score but a rough score will give you some idea what kind of a day I've had with my first game of the season......

Hornchurch 369 for 4 and in reply we were 54 all out. One of their openers scored 220! It was the worst bowling performance I've ever come up with in any game. The final two did get better, but by then it was far too late. Now the excuses...... The bloke that scored 220 was a 1st team player No.3 batsman and it wasn't just me that he took apart, although I reckon I was the worst by far.

So, what now? I've not felt like I've been on form for the last week or so, so that may be a contributory factor. I've also been mucking about with the way I bowl, my action, the way I grip the ball, the rotation and more and over the last week all it's really done is messed my bowling up. Other people have said to try and lose the skip that I do when I bowl and basically I've been listening to loads of other people and trying loads of different stuff out. The main thing is - I've just not felt comfortable in my overall action.

Most of the stuff that I bowled today were full tosses and half-volley type balls, the pitch didn't offer any bounce, so I'd imagine that worked against me as normally the irregular bounce causes problems and a lot of the shots were playing the ball from the off-side hitting it out to deep mid-wicket or rather about 50' over the top of deep mid-wicket. I only bowled 2 wides and they were both down the off-side. The ball wasn't turning much either and the wrong uns which came out okay were being hit 50' over the top of deep square leg. None of it was good, 80% was just simply too long, loads of full tosses - just a total disaster.

 

[legspinner_don]

Re: Using "All the levers"

Hmmm, fiddling about with actions is always tricky, especially in game situations. Do you think it's possible to work on your action in practice and go back to your natural action, what you know best, in games? Also, try and concentrate on correcting just one thing at a time. Trying to do much leads to confusion, and forgetting the basics.

At least you're getting a bowl in matches - I've had one over since my return last year!

 

[macca]

Re: Using "All the levers"

In terms of spinning up, is it a case of releasing the ball slightly earlier? At what point do you tend to release the ball to get the best flight?

Timing the ball release and good shoulder rotation are important to help spin up.

If you place a tape about three yards or so from the batting crease and parallel to it, then from the bowlers end try and land over that line so you are nice and full you should be starting to spin up.

 

[someblokecalleddave]

Re: Using "All the levers"

Hmmm, fiddling about with actions is always tricky, especially in game situations. Do you think it's possible to work on your action in practice and go back to your natural action, what you know best, in games? Also, try and concentrate on correcting just one thing at a time. Trying to do much leads to confusion, and forgetting the basics.

At least you're getting a bowl in matches - I've had one over since my return last year!

As I've said many times before, our team is good with spinners, there are some key players and blokes within the team and it's organisational structure that either are or have been spinners in the past and they're willing to bring spinners into the team and play them at different stages of the game. So you normally get to bowl a minimu of 6 overs in a match and you find you're bowling with 2 other spinners as well. Although having said that the main 'Spin' bloke who's been with the team for the last 15 years has left in the last week due to internal politics it seems, so this may herald the dawning of a new era?