Using The Mind To Bowl Better

[big kev]

Hi guys.

Have you thought about how when you are bowling very well, everything seems to be very easy, and you are relaxed and happy? I think that when you feel confident, you can bowl very well, but the problem is, sometimes no matter how hard you try, you can't get it to work. The weird thing is, the days I am bowling bad, I always seem to be lacking in confidence a little bit to start with, a little rushed or uncomfortable, and it sets the tone for the day. Also, when your confidence is high, you have no technical issues to worry about. The same thing seems to be happening to me in other things, such as playing the piano.

Anyone find the same happen to them, or have suggestions?

 

[SLA]

It's better to be a little bit over-confident than under-confident certainly. The days I do well, it was because I bowled well, the days I don't, it was because the batsmen got lucky.

More seriously, I think its important to separate performance from results in your mind. Some days you bowl well but don't get the luck, and you get 1-40, other days you bowl like a drain but the batsmen hit longhops straight to fielders and you get 4-20. I believe Kipling said something about when meeting triumph and disaster, treat these two imposters both the same.

 

[someblokecalleddave]

Hi guys.

Have you thought about how when you are bowling very well, everything seems to be very easy, and you are relaxed and happy? I think that when you feel confident, you can bowl very well, but the problem is, sometimes no matter how hard you try, you can't get it to work. The weird thing is, the days I am bowling bad, I always seem to be lacking in confidence a little bit to start with, a little rushed or uncomfortable, and it sets the tone for the day. Also, when your confidence is high, you have no technical issues to worry about. The same thing seems to be happening to me in other things, such as playing the piano.

Anyone find the same happen to them, or have suggestions?

Absolutely! Philpott and Warne both say that you've got to be relaxed, if you're not relaxed you're tense and that transfers through to some aspect of your action. If you go out and practice with a plan and it goes wrong early in the session - you have to put that plan aside and do something different if you're getting wound up by the fact that it's not coming together. I often find that if I scrap the plan and just go back to something with an easy to attain outcome, things fall back into place. But saying that one of the key things you need to be able to do is focus on what you're trying to achieve and block out everything else, but not to the point where you're getting too focused and wound up about what it is you're aiming to do. It's a fine line - total concentration, but a loose relaxed concentration - it's that 'Zone' idea, once you get in 'The Zone' things tend to fall into place and come together. Similarly when you bowl in a game - I have to go in relaxed as possible and positive, but that's a fragile state of mind because if I bowl a bad ball first up, the whole 'Zone' thing is on the edge of the abyss and you have to be able to not look into the abyss and see that bad spell emerging, you have to clear your mind walk back and maitain the positive state of mind and disregard that first ball and get on with it. Loads of wrist spinners including me when I started out slide into the abyss and get more and more wound up as they bowl ball after ball down the leg-side or too short and it becomes a mess, it takes a while to cope with this scenario and get into the right head space to stop the slide and get back into the zone, but it is a very small and easily upset zone.

 

[futureblackcap]

Absolutely! Philpott and Warne both say that you've got to be relaxed, if you're not relaxed you're tense and that transfers through to some aspect of your action. If you go out and practice with a plan and it goes wrong early in the session - you have to put that plan aside and do something different if you're getting wound up by the fact that it's not coming together. I often find that if I scrap the plan and just go back to something with an easy to attain outcome, things fall back into place. But saying that one of the key things you need to be able to do is focus on what you're trying to achieve and block out everything else, but not to the point where you're getting too focused and wound up about what it is you're aiming to do. It's a fine line - total concentration, but a loose relaxed concentration - it's that 'Zone' idea, once you get in 'The Zone' things tend to fall into place and come together. Similarly when you bowl in a game - I have to go in relaxed as possible and positive, but that's a fragile state of mind because if I bowl a bad ball first up, the whole 'Zone' thing is on the edge of the abyss and you have to be able to not look into the abyss and see that bad spell emerging, you have to clear your mind walk back and maitain the positive state of mind and disregard that first ball and get on with it. Loads of wrist spinners including me when I started out slide into the abyss and get more and more wound up as they bowl ball after ball down the leg-side or too short and it becomes a mess, it takes a while to cope with this scenario and get into the right head space to stop the slide and get back into the zone, but it is a very small and easily upset zone.

I found this the other day, had an academy training session and I was in the zone, I felt confident and relaxed but I quickly got out of the zone as my bowling action fell to bits and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get the ball in the right areas. By the end of the session, I was feeling dejected and lacking confidence. The season starts this weekend!

 

[big kev]

I also think that I improved the most when I didn't worry about bowling badly, when I knew there was still a long way to improve. That was when I bowled the best, when I started worrying, things went downhill. It also feels really good when you feel that you still have a lot to improve on. Thanks for all the replies!

 

[chippyben]

It's better to be a little bit over-confident than under-confident certainly. The days I do well, it was because I bowled well, the days I don't, it was because the batsmen got lucky.

More seriously, I think its important to separate performance from results in your mind. Some days you bowl well but don't get the luck, and you get 1-40, other days you bowl like a drain but the batsmen hit longhops straight to fielders and you get 4-20. I believe Kipling said something about when meeting triumph and disaster, treat these two imposters both the same.

Quoting Kipling, your really bringing this forum up a notch SLA, good stuff.

 

[chippyben]

Hi guys.

Have you thought about how when you are bowling very well, everything seems to be very easy, and you are relaxed and happy? I think that when you feel confident, you can bowl very well, but the problem is, sometimes no matter how hard you try, you can't get it to work. The weird thing is, the days I am bowling bad, I always seem to be lacking in confidence a little bit to start with, a little rushed or uncomfortable, and it sets the tone for the day. Also, when your confidence is high, you have no technical issues to worry about. The same thing seems to be happening to me in other things, such as playing the piano.

Anyone find the same happen to them, or have suggestions?

Ive thought about this quite a lot. More on the side of how do I overcome nerves in a match and how do I get back on track quickly when Im bowling badly. When your in the zone I think you have to really take note of why its working. I try and have a few fallback things that I try and do when I am bowling badly. I find that it is generally only one thing you are doing wrong and if you can quickly get on top of it all the better. Usually with me its tightening up and not following through properly.
We can all bowl great unplayable balls when we are ON, for me its more about making sure my bad stuff isn't too bad and the rest should take care of itself.
Now if anyone has any tips on controlling nerves Im all ears because I see that as my major hurdle at the moment. ( Even though worrying about nerves can't be good!)

 

[futureblackcap]

Ive thought about this quite a lot. More on the side of how do I overcome nerves in a match and how do I get back on track quickly when Im bowling badly. When your in the zone I think you have to really take note of why its working. I try and have a few fallback things that I try and do when I am bowling badly. I find that it is generally only one thing you are doing wrong and if you can quickly get on top of it all the better. Usually with me its tightening up and not following through properly.
We can all bowl great unplayable balls when we are ON, for me its more about making sure my bad stuff isn't too bad and the rest should take care of itself.
Now if anyone has any tips on controlling nerves Im all ears because I see that as my major hurdle at the moment. ( Even though worrying about nerves can't be good!)

Taking lots of deep breaths always help and having the mindset of not really caring what happens seems to help although this is not very easy if your bowling is terrible.

 

[chippyben]

Taking lots of deep breaths always help and having the mindset of not really caring what happens seems to help although this is not very easy if your bowling is terrible.

Yeah I try that. I stand at the top of my and think of being loose and relaxed but I think I slow down things too much. I dont have any oomph through the delivery so next time Im going to try and bowl a bit faster, especially as its my natural style anyway.

 

[Spinaddict19]

When I get tense during a match or maybe a nets practise. I take deep breaths and just bowl my basic leg-breaks. I try to keep it natural and rythmical and it works to some extent for me.

 

[futureblackcap]

Yeah I try that. I stand at the top of my and think of being loose and relaxed but I think I slow down things too much. I dont have any oomph through the delivery so next time Im going to try and bowl a bit faster, especially as its my natural style anyway.

I find the same thing, I bowl too slow at times and it get's really annoying because when I try speed it up, the ball goes everywhere I don't want it

 

[chippyben]

When I get tense during a match or maybe a nets practise. I take deep breaths and just bowl my basic leg-breaks. I try to keep it natural and rythmical and it works to some extent for me.

I definately only bowl my stock ball, I only try my variations, which is basically just a wrong un at training when Im bowling to a rubbish batsman. Thinking about rhythm is a good idea. If I get my rhythm right everything falls into place, if I worry about one thing I tend to bowl badly.

 

[chippyben]

I find the same thing, I bowl too slow at times and it get's really annoying because when I try speed it up, the ball goes everywhere I don't want it

I find that too sometimes. It can be hard to speed up and keep everything working right. I need to speed up just a little bit, too much and it all goes wrong. My problem is I have been a fast bowler for years and that old action creeps into my spin bowling action all the time, messing up my rhythm

 

[someblokecalleddave]

Ive thought about this quite a lot. More on the side of how do I overcome nerves in a match and how do I get back on track quickly when Im bowling badly. When your in the zone I think you have to really take note of why its working. I try and have a few fallback things that I try and do when I am bowling badly. I find that it is generally only one thing you are doing wrong and if you can quickly get on top of it all the better. Usually with me its tightening up and not following through properly.
We can all bowl great unplayable balls when we are ON, for me its more about making sure my bad stuff isn't too bad and the rest should take care of itself.
Now if anyone has any tips on controlling nerves Im all ears because I see that as my major hurdle at the moment. ( Even though worrying about nerves can't be good!)

The Yips, I've seen blokes (Leggies) go to pieces with the Yips and the situation just gets compounded as they get more and more wound up, I used to do it myself when I started out - I was worried about the fact that everyone was watching me and it never helped that they were all shouting 'Line and length Dave - keep it basic' when of course that was exactly what I was trying to do. I think it helps if you do your learning in Friendly games where losing isn't quite as serious, because you can approach the whole thing with a different mind-set, but in League matches, the emphasis is on performing fairly well especially if you're brought on early or at a pivotal stage of the game and how you perform is perceieved as having an impact on the game. I'd normally say, you have to go in there thinking something along the lines of 'No-ones going to die, this isn't life and death', but with league cricket some people do take it exceptionally seriously, so that may not be appropriate? It's a tricky one.

 

[big kev]

What I found worked really well was predicting where the ball would go, it seemed to improve accuracy and I improved from the session. Just a question, do you think it is necessary to know exactly how you are spinning the ball to bowl well? I'm just a bit paranoid that I'll forget how to spin the ball one day.

 

[someblokecalleddave]

What I found worked really well was predicting where the ball would go, it seemed to improve accuracy and I improved from the session. Just a question, do you think it is necessary to know exactly how you are spinning the ball to bowl well? I'm just a bit paranoid that I'll forget how to spin the ball one day.

I doubt it, I think Peter Philpotts about 134 years old and he's still doing it somewhere out there in NSW teaching kids. I reckon when you start to think about how you're doing it and whether you can improve what you're doing with your fingers and hand threatens to open a can of worms!

 

[big kev]

Hey guys, I'm just wondering what goes through your mind when you're bowling in a match, and your attitude towards training. For me ( I play in under 15's at school) I'm just trying to land it on a good length, and I'm a bit nervous. At training though, I'm not really feeling confident that I can improve, I really think I need to change my attitude.

 

[macca]

Hey guys, I'm just wondering what goes through your mind when you're bowling in a match, and your attitude towards training. For me ( I play in under 15's at school) I'm just trying to land it on a good length, and I'm a bit nervous. At training though, I'm not really feeling confident that I can improve, I really think I need to change my attitude.

When you say 'training' does that mean team training or personal training?
How long have you been bowling legspin?

My son plays u/14 and has bowled legspin for 6 seasons of club cricket. He bowls all year round and can land most balls on a good length on the stumps with plenty of spin and bounce. With that accuracy under his belt he is super confident at the bowling crease. I asked him last night does he get nervous when he bowls in matches and he just thought 'what a stupid question'. But he is very outgoing and boisterous and chatty, bit of a sledger and joker on the cricket field. Not like me at all really. I used to get nervous especially the first few balls and they are critical. I realise now, i wasn't properly prepared.

so i reckon years of target practise is more important than attitude because sometimes your "attitude" is all part of your personality and hard to change. Once you are confident you can land them in the right spot, blidfolded almost, then you are ready.

Extroverted people will find bowling in matches easier than introverted people, especially with a bit of a crowd. Doesn't mean they will bowl better though.

 

[someblokecalleddave]

Hey guys, I'm just wondering what goes through your mind when you're bowling in a match, and your attitude towards training. For me ( I play in under 15's at school) I'm just trying to land it on a good length, and I'm a bit nervous. At training though, I'm not really feeling confident that I can improve, I really think I need to change my attitude.

I'm probably like Macca, I start off fairly cautiously and if it goes well, the nerves dissiapate, but that cautiousness does mean there's the potential for the batsman to seize the moment and come after you. By the end of the first over I'm usually feeling okay as I'll have settled and will be bowling okay and then it builds as I go through the overs. But as Macca says the more you practice and hone your skills, the more you'll have self belief. There's so many aspects of your bowling that you can work on and force improvements with, it's odd that you're saying that feel you can't improve when you're only 15. I'm 51 and I feel that there's scope to improve massively next season for me. I've had two crap seasons now, but feel like I've ironed out a few gremlins in that period and that my bowling next season is going to kick off on a high with a far better feeling of confidence. (Check this thread come Jan though when I get in the pre-season nets)!

 

[TonyM]

Hey guys, I'm just wondering what goes through your mind when you're bowling in a match, and your attitude towards training. For me ( I play in under 15's at school) I'm just trying to land it on a good length, and I'm a bit nervous. At training though, I'm not really feeling confident that I can improve, I really think I need to change my attitude.

Kev, who can say what goes through anyone's mind? As a coach I really do wonder sometimes with some of my players Everyone is different, some will be playing tunes, some will be shouting (inside) al la Andy Murray, some will be 100% focused from the top of their run up on the exact spot they want to land it on, all you need to do is find what works for you. As a start try repeating a word that means something to you as you go through your run up and delivery - for one of my bowlers his word is smooth as he knows that when he feels 'smooth' in his run up everything else flows, for another its 'drive' so again everyone has their own triggers

When practicing try setting targets, the smaller and more measurable the better. So if, for example, you are concerned about your length, set your target for your next session as 3 consecutive balls of good or full length (better still if you can 'chalk' or mark the area on the pitch to ensure you are not cheating yourself) and see how many times you reach it in a given number of balls. The idea is that human nature being what it is (particularly in teenage lads) that merely setting a target will help focus the mind and should produce better results, even if this isnt the case, can you spot any differences in your action or release that result in a shorter pitched delivery?

Best of luck