Off Spinning Guide

[doc8176]

Oh another thing I want to ask.

Does the webbing between your finger or your finger joints get sore if you bowl a lot in a row?

At my training I just did I only ended up bowling for 40 minutes of it and getting a little batting coaching for the rest. Not really complaining my batting needed the help.

But yeah I find it hard to grip the ball loosely without completely sacrificing revs.

 

[EdSpeedCricket]

The webbing gets dry but not really sore. I find if I grip the ball too tightly I tend to almost 'tense up' in the rest of my body so i grip the ball 'firmly' but try and keep my body relaxed.

One thing I am wondering is though that the joint on my 3rd finger gets way more sore than my second finger. I've read that you should start to develop calluses on your spin finger but I seem to be getting one on my 3rd finger but not on my 2nd (the spinning finger). I'm thinking the maybe I'm using my wrist to get the spin rather than my wrist and spin finger. Or should I say, maybe I could use my spin finger more!

I'm going to upload my action videos. I'm going to edit it so you can see over my last 3 sessions how I have been able to improve my action. Any feedback would amazing! Your video really did help me in identifying flaws in my action, I can't thankyou enough!

My action has improved so much that I actually got to play for the 4ths (as I captain the 5ths) and opened the bowling! I think maybe the nerves got the better of me as I was rushing my action a little bit, but managed to get out one of their openers and was happy with my 5 overs.

You can see my wicket here (wicket @ 3:50:02 - )

 

[doc8176]

The webbing gets dry but not really sore. I find if I grip the ball too tightly I tend to almost 'tense up' in the rest of my body so i grip the ball 'firmly' but try and keep my body relaxed.

One thing I am wondering is though that the joint on my 3rd finger gets way more sore than my second finger. I've read that you should start to develop calluses on your spin finger but I seem to be getting one on my 3rd finger but not on my 2nd (the spinning finger). I'm thinking the maybe I'm using my wrist to get the spin rather than my wrist and spin finger. Or should I say, maybe I could use my spin finger more!

I'm going to upload my action videos. I'm going to edit it so you can see over my last 3 sessions how I have been able to improve my action. Any feedback would amazing! Your video really did help me in identifying flaws in my action, I can't thankyou enough!

My action has improved so much that I actually got to play for the 4ths (as I captain the 5ths) and opened the bowling! I think maybe the nerves got the better of me as I was rushing my action a little bit, but managed to get out one of their openers and was happy with my 5 overs.

You can see my wicket here (wicket @ 3:50:02 - )

Nice job with going up grades! The YouTube video is unavailable for me at the moment (I assume it’s because of different countries).

By 3rd finger do you mean your middle finger (counting the thumb)? Don’t mean to be pedantic just clarifying. How do you hold the ball? Getting a callous on that finger would suggest you’re getting too much contact with it and could be killing your revs.

I tend to hold the ball with the tip of my index finger on the seam and the first knuckle up from my hand of my middle finger. Like this:

It’s the medium that I found gives me a good balance between revs, control and not tearing the shit out of the side of my spinning finger. I also find I don’t get any wear on my middle finger whatsoever.

I used to get sores on the side of my spinning finger because it used to hold it more on that side like this:

Minor change but it sure helped lol. I did find that the callouses actually made the ball slip out of my hand so don’t be too upset that you don’t get them haha.

 

[EdSpeedCricket]

Here's my action... As you can see I'm still struggling to follow through consistently. MY follow through seems to change from ball to ball, any tips ?

https://photos.app.goo.gl/yNpVssCuwdz4oyh79

https://photos.app.goo.gl/GXDG1u72CzHHyraT9

'' By 3rd finger do you mean your middle finger (counting the thumb)? Don’t mean to be pedantic just clarifying. How do you hold the ball? Getting a callous on that finger would suggest you’re getting too much contact with it and could be killing your revs. ''

Yes, when I said my 'third finger' I did mean my middle. The way you describe your grip seems similar to the 'Graeme Swann grip (youtube it)'. Unfortunately I have small hands so it is quite uncomfortable for me to use the Swanny grip. I use the knuckles or joints nearest to the tip of my fingers (second and third finger ((middle)). I think it's interesting that you are saying that I may be getting too much contact from my 3rd (middle) finger. Do you simply use your middle finger and thumb as a rest with your spin finger gripping tightly?

I will upload some grip photos too when I get a moment.

 

[doc8176]

Here's my action... As you can see I'm still struggling to follow through consistently. MY follow through seems to change from ball to ball, any tips ?

https://photos.app.goo.gl/yNpVssCuwdz4oyh79

https://photos.app.goo.gl/GXDG1u72CzHHyraT9

'' By 3rd finger do you mean your middle finger (counting the thumb)? Don’t mean to be pedantic just clarifying. How do you hold the ball? Getting a callous on that finger would suggest you’re getting too much contact with it and could be killing your revs. ''

Yes, when I said my 'third finger' I did mean my middle. The way you describe your grip seems similar to the 'Graeme Swann grip (youtube it)'. Unfortunately I have small hands so it is quite uncomfortable for me to use the Swanny grip. I use the knuckles or joints nearest to the tip of my fingers (second and third finger ((middle)). I think it's interesting that you are saying that I may be getting too much contact from my 3rd (middle) finger. Do you simply use your middle finger and thumb as a rest with your spin finger gripping tightly?

I will upload some grip photos too when I get a moment.

Yeah my grip is based off of Nathan Lyons grip which is pretty much exactly the same as Swann’s.

It’s from this video that I still think is a fantastic masterclass despite being really simple:



So your middle finger is supposed to just be for support, and you’ll find with the the grip like mine/Lyons/Swanns, as soon as the hand gets to the release point, the cocked spinnings finger whips up the back of the ball and down the front. So the middle finger comes off the ball naturally.

Your thumb technically shouldn’t touch the ball at any point but it does really help as support until my release where I take it off.

I think your grip is usually described as the conventional doorknob method that most coaches teach juniors (because they can’t hold it like people with bigger hands). It certainly works I just feel like it doesn’t have as much potential for revolutions, mainly because of the middle finger getting in the way.

As for your follow through, the only thing I really noticed was your pivot is really wide, you could probably afford to try and bring your pivot leg in a little closer. You might be throwing a lot of your momentum out to the side instead of towards the stumps. Make sure you’re still pivoting though.

You’ll probably find this also makes your arm more vertical because atm it does go over your head a fraction. Not really a problem it’s more of a symptom of something else (wide leg).

And one more thing I’ll add is you don’t really lift your knees up at all. I always didn’t and still have to focus to keep my knees up high in my “leap”. You pretty much just have to have a training session where you over exaggerate lifting your knees.

Lyon is again a really good example of this, although his front leg tends to go across his body which you should try to avoid.

 

[doc8176]

Writing that made me realise that my back leg comes up too straight just before my delivery stride.

It looks like it should be pointing towards mid wicket, I’ll try that, might help with my foot alignment and it lands facing leg slip instead of roughly mid wicket where it should be pointing.

To add: You actually do this quite well, the knee lifting problem seems to be more related to your front leg.

 

[EdSpeedCricket]

As for your follow through, the only thing I really noticed was your pivot is really wide, you could probably afford to try and bring your pivot leg in a little closer. You might be throwing a lot of your momentum out to the side instead of towards the stumps. Make sure you’re still pivoting though.

You’ll probably find this also makes your arm more vertical because atm it does go over your head a fraction. Not really a problem it’s more of a symptom of something else (wide leg).

And one more thing I’ll add is you don’t really lift your knees up at all. I always didn’t and still have to focus to keep my knees up high in my “leap”. You pretty much just have to have a training session where you over exaggerate lifting your knees.

Cheers for this, something I am definitely going to work on. I remember Lyon saying that he exaggerates his knee lift. I'll work on doing the same! I also noticed I seem to jump wide instead of straight so will work on that also.

Here's my grip photos. Graeme Swann is a bit of a hero of mine so have tried his grip, but like I said I am hindered by small hands...

3 new items by Edward Speed

photos.google.com

 

[doc8176]

As for your follow through, the only thing I really noticed was your pivot is really wide, you could probably afford to try and bring your pivot leg in a little closer. You might be throwing a lot of your momentum out to the side instead of towards the stumps. Make sure you’re still pivoting though.

You’ll probably find this also makes your arm more vertical because atm it does go over your head a fraction. Not really a problem it’s more of a symptom of something else (wide leg).

And one more thing I’ll add is you don’t really lift your knees up at all. I always didn’t and still have to focus to keep my knees up high in my “leap”. You pretty much just have to have a training session where you over exaggerate lifting your knees.

Cheers for this, something I am definitely going to work on. I remember Lyon saying that he exaggerates his knee lift. I'll work on doing the same! I also noticed I seem to jump wide instead of straight so will work on that also.

Here's my grip photos. Graeme Swann is a bit of a hero of mine so have tried his grip, but like I said I am hindered by small hands...

3 new items by Edward Speed

photos.google.com

Nah your jump to the side is normal, it helps you pivot. That is actually a thing you should do as a spinner.

It’s only an issue if it’s too large which I would say yours isn’t.

I used to have it too large and I would start my leap on the wide line and end up in front of the stumps. THATS a problem.

Also your grip looks fine, like mine just suited for smaller hands like you said.

Another thing I noticed is that your bowling hand is only just starting to come down as your back foot touches the floor. Ideally these should both start coming down and hitting their lowest point (floor or end of your arm) at the same time. That’s advice I’ve been given from a proper coach before, it definitely helped me with air speed and accuracy.

 

[EdSpeedCricket]

Another thing I noticed is that your bowling hand is only just starting to come down as your back foot touches the floor. Ideally these should both start coming down and hitting their lowest point (floor or end of your arm) at the same time. That’s advice I’ve been given from a proper coach before, it definitely helped me with air speed and accuracy.

You've hit the nail on the head!!! That's it! I keep wondering why at times when I get to the point of release I don't feel as if I have any power in my body! This is when I overcompensate and then force the action. At other times (when I get it right) I feel as if my body has the power to push through the action more naturally.

I think the issue lies in my gather... I use to try and gather like Muralitharan in which he holds onto the bowl with both hands as he gathers and only takes his front arm off the ball when his front arm starts to go forward. I find sometimes in order to keep my body upright and tall I try and keep my arms as high up my body as possible. When I gather I think my bowling arm is too high up my body and therefore that has a knock on effect with the height of my bowling arm as my back foot lands (hope that makes sense).

I really think that is the bit of advice I've been lookin' for, really really appreciate your comments!

It's such an art and it can be so frustrating knowing that there is something not quite working right but also not being able to put your finger on it!

 

[doc8176]

Another thing I noticed is that your bowling hand is only just starting to come down as your back foot touches the floor. Ideally these should both start coming down and hitting their lowest point (floor or end of your arm) at the same time. That’s advice I’ve been given from a proper coach before, it definitely helped me with air speed and accuracy.

You've hit the nail on the head!!! That's it! I keep wondering why at times when I get to the point of release I don't feel as if I have any power in my body! This is when I overcompensate and then force the action. At other times (when I get it right) I feel as if my body has the power to push through the action more naturally.

I think the issue lies in my gather... I use to try and gather like Muralitharan in which he holds onto the bowl with both hands as he gathers and only takes his front arm off the ball when his front arm starts to go forward. I find sometimes in order to keep my body upright and tall I try and keep my arms as high up my body as possible. When I gather I think my bowling arm is too high up my body and therefore that has a knock on effect with the height of my bowling arm as my back foot lands (hope that makes sense).

I really think that is the bit of advice I've been lookin' for, really really appreciate your comments!

It's such an art and it can be so frustrating knowing that there is something not quite working right but also not being able to put your finger on it!

Yup I had the same reaction, it’s not something you’d ever notice until someone says it to you. But I heard it and it instantly made sense.

I think they also said that for the last 3 steps of your bowling action your corresponding arms and legs should go up and down in sync.

So that’s your back foot contact, front foot contact and your pivot (not so sure about this one).

Which is completely against human biomechanics which is why it’s hard to learn.

But yeah once you run through your action in slow motion with all the correct timings you can really feel everything sync together and feel right.

 

[EdSpeedCricket]

"I think they also said that for the last 3 steps of your bowling action your corresponding arms and legs should go up and down in sync.
So that’s your back foot contact, front foot contact and your pivot (not so sure about this one)."

That makes sense also... I had an issue where I read (from Muralitharan) that you want ''Your front arm up for as long as possible'' which I read to meaning that my front arm should come up first... That really threw me for a while...

I've been thinking recently that there is a lot of advice out there for bowlers (and batters) but it can be difficult to really understand what the advice is ''actually'' telling you to do. Not sure if others feel the same or if I'm not very good at interpreting what I read (lol)

I've also stopped going to Muralitharan for advice as I feel he was such an advanced spin bowler, with such a peculiar action (due to his elbow / shoulder) that any action tips probably won't be suitable for me...

Another thing I have been working on recently is trying to slow down my action at the crease... For a while I thought I was bowling quicker but in fact I was just rushing through my action and losing power. I've come to realise rushing your action doesn't equate to quicker bowling speeds. What equates to quicker bowling speeds is an action that drives towards the target with balance and power...

BTW - How GOOD was Nathan 'Gazza' Lyons in the Ashes first test!!!

I feel like he has added a bit of pace to his run-up...

 

[doc8176]

"I think they also said that for the last 3 steps of your bowling action your corresponding arms and legs should go up and down in sync.
So that’s your back foot contact, front foot contact and your pivot (not so sure about this one)."

That makes sense also... I had an issue where I read (from Muralitharan) that you want ''Your front arm up for as long as possible'' which I read to meaning that my front arm should come up first... That really threw me for a while...

I've been thinking recently that there is a lot of advice out there for bowlers (and batters) but it can be difficult to really understand what the advice is ''actually'' telling you to do. Not sure if others feel the same or if I'm not very good at interpreting what I read (lol)

I've also stopped going to Muralitharan for advice as I feel he was such an advanced spin bowler, with such a peculiar action (due to his elbow / shoulder) that any action tips probably won't be suitable for me...

Another thing I have been working on recently is trying to slow down my action at the crease... For a while I thought I was bowling quicker but in fact I was just rushing through my action and losing power. I've come to realise rushing your action doesn't equate to quicker bowling speeds. What equates to quicker bowling speeds is an action that drives towards the target with balance and power...

BTW - How GOOD was Nathan 'Gazza' Lyons in the Ashes first test!!!

I feel like he has added a bit of pace to his run-up...

I think I’ve seen that Murali advice you’re talking about. I think he more means you want to slightly delay your front arm/leg going down because it gives your body time to get into a good, side on position.

And yeah, Murali isn’t a good person to take advice from because he’s so unique (aside from the above advice, I’ve seen other bowlers suggest it). While he is an off spinner, how he bowls it resembles more of a wrist spinner’s release. Don’t recommend using him for advice, nothing against his name tho.

As for the advice online, there’s so many ways to bowl and so many variables and minor movements that don’t actually effect how you bowl that it can get confusing. I think 90-95% of the advice that you find is actually correct and good advice, but it can still conflict with other good advice just because you can achieve the same thing 2 different ways. The key part is identifying the main points that you have to have in an off spinners action, and then being able to identify the advice that applies to you and the specific “method” that works best for your body and technique.

That is the main thing I have a problem with atm, and I’m actually finding it really hard to slow my run up down because it feels wrong being something that I’ve actually quickened because I bowled way to slow. I’ve now realised it’s a technical thing and not just running faster. But that’s progress I guess. Just got to find a day that isn’t raining to try and fix it.

My preseason training starts in August at the local indoor nets so that should be great.

And yes, Lyon is a gun. I highly recommend using him as a model for bowling off spin. He’s so orthodox it’s almost weird for an international off spinner, he has no real major variations, just maybe a top spinner and changes in air speed. That’s what makes him such a skilful bowler, being able bowl his stock off break, that actually has an insane amount of revs on it, so accurately and make such subtle changes in pace to get batsman out.

I didn’t really notice any changes in his action.

But again, he’s a gun, and arguably in career best form.

 

[EdSpeedCricket]

"Just got to find a day that isn’t raining to try and fix it."

We've had a such a wonderful start to the summer even here in Manchester (uk) the ball has been spinning and the wickets have been lovely and dry. However, in the last two weeks the weather has been consistently overcast with lots of rain. The wickets have all turned green and with the poor weather they are not getting cut as much.

In the last two matches I've noticed my bowling figures have started to suffer. My stock ball isn't turning and simply just dies in the pitch. I've been bowling a lot more arm balls trying to fire it in. I've also been playing with my line and length a bit more which in turn has taught me how to use the crease a bit more. So all in all it's a good learning curve and I am enjoying the challenge; albeit being quite frustrating when you're out in the middle.

I'm also learning how to bowl a bit more full without bowling a full toss which is having differing results! I'm also learning how to set the field more depending on what I'm trying to do as a bowler and what the batter is doing, rather than letting the captain put everyone omn the boundary (yuck!)

Why are you trying to slow down your run up? Is it for accuracy reasons? I find sometimes that I am rushing my action which means I am not balanced. I find I bowl best when I am well balanced moving through the crease. I also find I rush my action when I am thinking I am not bowling quick enough. This just ends up with me not completing my action so when that happens I slow it all down and build it back up again. This usually means my first ball gets hit as it will be slower and have more flight but then once you feel confident in the action you can start to try and push it through.

 

[doc8176]

"Just got to find a day that isn’t raining to try and fix it."

We've had a such a wonderful start to the summer even here in Manchester (uk) the ball has been spinning and the wickets have been lovely and dry. However, in the last two weeks the weather has been consistently overcast with lots of rain. The wickets have all turned green and with the poor weather they are not getting cut as much.

In the last two matches I've noticed my bowling figures have started to suffer. My stock ball isn't turning and simply just dies in the pitch. I've been bowling a lot more arm balls trying to fire it in. I've also been playing with my line and length a bit more which in turn has taught me how to use the crease a bit more. So all in all it's a good learning curve and I am enjoying the challenge; albeit being quite frustrating when you're out in the middle.

I'm also learning how to bowl a bit more full without bowling a full toss which is having differing results! I'm also learning how to set the field more depending on what I'm trying to do as a bowler and what the batter is doing, rather than letting the captain put everyone omn the boundary (yuck!)

Why are you trying to slow down your run up? Is it for accuracy reasons? I find sometimes that I am rushing my action which means I am not balanced. I find I bowl best when I am well balanced moving through the crease. I also find I rush my action when I am thinking I am not bowling quick enough. This just ends up with me not completing my action so when that happens I slow it all down and build it back up again. This usually means my first ball gets hit as it will be slower and have more flight but then once you feel confident in the action you can start to try and push it through.

Yeah it’s just been cold and wet here in Perth.

Imo if you can effectively bowl off spin without a turning pitch you’re a proper off spinner. Variations in pace, line, length and top spin.

Yes using the crease is something I want to learn properly but it’s not at the top of my priority list.

I won’t slow my action down much, but some advice I got from the coaching session I did a while ago is that having a fast action makes it harder to get into good positions. So a bit slower action will make it easier for me to fix my technical issues and shouldn’t effect my pace too much.

Also I think by slower action I’ve been referring to a slower run up, my action should be roughly the same speed.

But the thing I enjoy most about bowling spin is that adapting and learning curve that it requires. Just figuring stuff out and trying outsmart a batsman.

 

[doc8176]

Booked a 2 hour net session at the local indoor nets with a few of the blokes from my club.

First time I’ve bowled for more than 30 minutes for like 3 months. I am sore now.

It went pretty well, was getting some nice turn from over the wicket, some of the blokes kept trying to cut me and just got hit in the back thigh because it cramped them up.

Started off a bit slow and inconsistent but I remembered some advice I got about pushing off my back foot more. Really helped the consistency and pace and I bowled a really nice spell around the wicket to the A grade captain. He’s right handed and a leg spinner, but I was landing it on a really nice length just on the line of off stump, good pace as well. I also did a good job of throwing it wide whenever he tried to charge me. He wouldn’t have scored more than a few runs off me in the 20 minutes he was batting.

One thing I did notice is that after I fixed my back leg drive, I also swapped over to some white balls supplied by the place because it got dark (the back of the shed opens up into a run up area). The ball did stop turning as much, I don’t know if this is because I was driving through as much or if it’s the white ball not turning as much as well as the increased angle that it needs to turn.

I also feel like I bowl with more overspin than side spin now, but I’m not sure if that’s necessarily a bad thing, given I still typically turn the ball.

My arm ball was also coming out well and swinging away nicely. I still think it’s one of the most important factors of my bowling, having something that actually moves away from a batsman as it gives me something to work with if they’re just slogging me with the spin constantly. Really easy and consistent to bowl too.

I also experimented with bowling a sort of undercutter that had the seam square but also tilted towards me slightly to try and get it to drift as much as possible and it did make couple guys play away from their body a bit which means it was working. Used it with the white ball though so it didn’t really turn much.

 

[doc8176]

I was reading back through some older threads on here and one of your comments from last year actually sparked something interesting I want to talk about.

Do you full cock your wrist back? I mean like this:

Because I find I have my hand more like this:

I used to use the first one but I found the seam would be slanted too much and the ball would hit the smooth leather and just skid. The new one lets me get the seam nice and vertical and it lets me turn the ball more even if it has slightly less revs. It’s also easier to bowl top spin.

 

[EdSpeedCricket]

Regarding wrist position... Inevitably I end up bowling variations due to my wrist position changing from ball to ball. I do however try and get my wrist position into the first image you shown (cocked back at 45 degrees). The second image you shown is what I would consider to be a top spin wrist position.

I do find if I am concentrating on trying to get my wrist into the first image position then I do sometimes overcompensate and the ball will come out with the seam at an angle over 45 degrees which means it won't turn and will skid on like you say. This isn't always a bad thing but not what I am looking for in a stock ball.

Started off a bit slow and inconsistent but I remembered some advice I got about pushing off my back foot more.

I definitely find when I am using the backfoot to push onto the front foot then I can bowl with a lot more power. I also have to remind myself of this when I start bowling. I also find when I start bowling I don't always use a full arm rotation of my bowling arm. As in my bowling arm doesn't always go to the lowest point in which it could (if that makes any sense) and then round. On a coaching course someone described it as from gather to release the bowling arm should draw a figure '6'. This means I am bowling slow with not much accuracy. I almost have to make that mistake EVERYTIME in order to then get it right, it's so frustrating!

I once again got the call up to a higher grade at the weekend. After 30 overs we were 190 for 0 (oh dear oh dear). Finally I got brought on as a last resort! I tried to get the ball turning but the pitch was a bit damp and we'd had a lot of rain over the last couple of days. I was finding it difficult to grip onto the damp ball and my accuracy was off. I noticed the batter was stepping across so I decided to rely on my arm ball and fire it into his pads. FINALLY I broke through and got the first wicket. I ended up with the best bowling figures for the team even though I got taken off after 4 overs (the captain wanted to resort back to seam to 'keep the score down'... But my economy was better than all the seamers!). I came off thinking that I had bowled well for the team BUT wasn't overly happy with my overall performance. I just didn't feel comfortable! After the match two first team players pulled me to one side (separately) and offered some advice which was actually totally conflicting... One guy said with two set batters in then I should've pushed my field out and bowled with plenty of flight. The other guy said I should've been firing the ball in more at the pads (which is actually what I was trying to do). They both said the other one didn't know what they were talking about... (lol)

Regarding feeling uncomfortable when bowling I have decided that it is down to my grip. There's a lot of advice on grip and I know it varies from person to person and we have explored both of our grips already but I feel as if there is something just not right. Some of the advice talks about using the knuckle of your index finger to spin the ball but that doesn't talk about when you are actually gripping the ball. I rarely feel like I have full control of the ball coming out of my hand and I seem to have more wear and tear on my middle finger than I do on my actual spinning finger (which I've mentioned before). Someone was saying to me yesterday that I need to be gripping the ball more tightly with the tips of my fingers... And to make sure I am actually gripping the seam. They also said the my grip is two wide across the ball. I was reading a research paper which said a medium width grip (imagine a clock... the index finger would be at 12 o clock and the middle finger would be at 9 o clock) is scientifically the best way to grip the ball for dip and turn... They also mentioned something that you also said in that I have too much of my spin finger actually on the seam. I guess my thinking is that the more of my finger I have on the seam then the larger the surface area available to spin the ball... Definitely something I am going to be experimenting with.

I absolutely love trying to learn how to improve my spin bowling but it is also (very) frustrating at the same time. Just as you feel like you are getting your head around it, you notice something else! I guess that's all part of the journey in improving and learning!

 

[doc8176]

Regarding wrist position... Inevitably I end up bowling variations due to my wrist position changing from ball to ball. I do however try and get my wrist position into the first image you shown (cocked back at 45 degrees). The second image you shown is what I would consider to be a top spin wrist position.

I do find if I am concentrating on trying to get my wrist into the first image position then I do sometimes overcompensate and the ball will come out with the seam at an angle over 45 degrees which means it won't turn and will skid on like you say. This isn't always a bad thing but not what I am looking for in a stock ball.



I definitely find when I am using the backfoot to push onto the front foot then I can bowl with a lot more power. I also have to remind myself of this when I start bowling. I also find when I start bowling I don't always use a full arm rotation of my bowling arm. As in my bowling arm doesn't always go to the lowest point in which it could (if that makes any sense) and then round. On a coaching course someone described it as from gather to release the bowling arm should draw a figure '6'. This means I am bowling slow with not much accuracy. I almost have to make that mistake EVERYTIME in order to then get it right, it's so frustrating!

I once again got the call up to a higher grade at the weekend. After 30 overs we were 190 for 0 (oh dear oh dear). Finally I got brought on as a last resort! I tried to get the ball turning but the pitch was a bit damp and we'd had a lot of rain over the last couple of days. I was finding it difficult to grip onto the damp ball and my accuracy was off. I noticed the batter was stepping across so I decided to rely on my arm ball and fire it into his pads. FINALLY I broke through and got the first wicket. I ended up with the best bowling figures for the team even though I got taken off after 4 overs (the captain wanted to resort back to seam to 'keep the score down'... But my economy was better than all the seamers!). I came off thinking that I had bowled well for the team BUT wasn't overly happy with my overall performance. I just didn't feel comfortable! After the match two first team players pulled me to one side (separately) and offered some advice which was actually totally conflicting... One guy said with two set batters in then I should've pushed my field out and bowled with plenty of flight. The other guy said I should've been firing the ball in more at the pads (which is actually what I was trying to do). They both said the other one didn't know what they were talking about... (lol)

Regarding feeling uncomfortable when bowling I have decided that it is down to my grip. There's a lot of advice on grip and I know it varies from person to person and we have explored both of our grips already but I feel as if there is something just not right. Some of the advice talks about using the knuckle of your index finger to spin the ball but that doesn't talk about when you are actually gripping the ball. I rarely feel like I have full control of the ball coming out of my hand and I seem to have more wear and tear on my middle finger than I do on my actual spinning finger (which I've mentioned before). Someone was saying to me yesterday that I need to be gripping the ball more tightly with the tips of my fingers... And to make sure I am actually gripping the seam. They also said the my grip is two wide across the ball. I was reading a research paper which said a medium width grip (imagine a clock... the index finger would be at 12 o clock and the middle finger would be at 9 o clock) is scientifically the best way to grip the ball for dip and turn... They also mentioned something that you also said in that I have too much of my spin finger actually on the seam. I guess my thinking is that the more of my finger I have on the seam then the larger the surface area available to spin the ball... Definitely something I am going to be experimenting with.

I absolutely love trying to learn how to improve my spin bowling but it is also (very) frustrating at the same time. Just as you feel like you are getting your head around it, you notice something else! I guess that's all part of the journey in improving and learning!

This made me lol because it’s exactly the same experience I’ve had until now lol.

Are either of them spin bowlers:

A. No = ignore them both and go with your better judgment

B. 1 of them = listen to the spinner

C. Both of them = listen to them and go with whichever one you think is best

I’ve been given advice that I need to flight the ball more after a match despite the fact that I was bowling way too slow that match. Some people in the level we would play really don’t know what they’re talking about even if they think they do. That is potentially a bit hypocritical by me but I’m a spin nerd so I like to think I do. Also immediately putting all your fielders out as soon as you come on is shit and you won’t achieve anything unless the batsman is an obvious hack and will slog you regardless, and you can’t change my mind. Having aggressive fielders gets inside the batsman’s head and forces them to play risky shots.

Ok so with the grip I’ve actually realised I change my grip slightly as I’m bowling. So I’ll start off with the more relaxed grip with my finger basically perpendicular with the seam, because I find my finger has more grip but less flexibility when I start bowing. As I bowl I find that my finger warms up and actually almost loses some grip so it’s more flexible so I can hold the ball a bit tighter to make up for the revs that I’d otherwise lose from my finger becoming slipperier (sweat? Smoothed from friction?).

And yeah the front arm and back foot drive are the 2 things I really need to remind myself about as well.

“Bringing the seamers on to keep it tight” is probably the only thing that will really make me seeth when I’m playing. I’ve had a couple of matches where the pacers are going at 5-6 an over and I’ll come on and go at 3 with a wicket and I’ll be taken off after 3-4 overs. Like bro, the seamers are not being economical, I am, use your eyes. Having 2 different seam bowling captains doesn’t help though.

And yeah I love constantly tinkering with and improving my technique, methods and tactics. That’s why I bowl spin, and more specifically off spin because it feels like the more mentally challenging of the bowling disciplines. I think of pace bowlers as cavemen that just run in and try and bowl it as fast as possible on 1 spot, and leg spinners are basically the brute force version of spin bowling, less guile more just bowling seeds. I also feel like off spin is the least reliant on pitch conditions to be effective if you know what you’re doing, you can buy wickets on any deck.

It is kinda annoying when I think I’ve fixed something in my technique and I’ll come back a week later bowling too slow, off the pitch and with no revs. I’ve always managed to fix it though, the beauty of having access to a phone camera lol.

 

[doc8176]

Also I wouldn’t even take my advice as “true”

I feel like there is base lines to bowling but a lot of it is what your body is capable of and what it can do best. We seem to be very similar in that regard (except our hand size lmao) so I think we’re fairly safe both ways. But even then take everyone’s advice as a suggestion, try it genuinely try make it work and if it doesn’t then scrap the idea.

 

[EdSpeedCricket]

I can hold the ball a bit tighter to make up for the revs that I’d otherwise lose from my finger becoming slipperier (sweat? Smoothed from friction?).

I've been wondering what that is! The spinning finger goes weirdly smooth after an hour or so of bowling! It kinda freaks me out (lol)! So it's the friction of bowling so much?! Makes sense...