Off Spinning Guide

MrOffBreaks

New Member
Off Spinning Guide

Well im new to this forum but i am a fairly good off spinner and i guess a bowling guide wouldn't be a bad opening post.

Off_break_small.gif


1st

Grip: Index Finger on the seam, with second finger gripping as well and thumb for support (this is the standard off spin grip, it works for me but use a grip which is comfortable for you).

2nd

Deliveries:

Off Break: This should be the Off spinners stock delivery and should always be your bread and butter ball. For a Right hander this delivery will turn from Off to Leg. Using the grip explained above angle the wrist so that it is on a 45 degree angle (the seam should also be on a 45 degree angle). At the point of release you use ur index finger and wrist to impart spin on the ball, the seam should be facing leg slip. This ball should always be your most consistent delivery as you will be bowling this 90% of the time. You could also bowl with your wrist facing square to the wicket so the seam is on a 90 degree angle ( i only do this if the pitch is turning a lot for me).

Top Spinner: Same grip as the off break but wrist should be straight (the batsmen should be able to see your pinky clearly). Same fundamentals as the Off break but your wrist is angled so that the seam should be rotating towards the batsmen. This delivery should always be bowled at the highest release point of your action as that will give it maximum top spin. Top spin is very handy if the batsmen is looking to play for spin. The top spin imparted on the ball should make it dip, bounce and speed up more then you're normal off break. Fantastic delivery for LBW.

Doosra: Many different bowlers bowl this delivery in different ways E.G. Murali bowls with an angled wrist, Ajantha Mendis with the second finger rolling over the seam. I bowl with the same grip as the Off Break (which makes it harder to pick :D) and the angle of my wrist will be the same as my off break. I use my second finger to flick the ball out with the support of my thumb (you should be flicking it over the seam so it rotates like an leg break).
This is a very hard delivery to master, but it should spin the opposite way of the off break and if bowled correctly should decieve most batsmen. Practice this delivery in the nets bowling outside off or on off stump or outside leg ( if u can spin it that much).

Carrom Ball: i recently was watching Ajantha Mendis a fantastic young sri lankan off spinner. He had this "mystery" delivery he bowled quite often. Commentators called it the Leggie or the Doosra but Mendis called it his "Carrom Ball" named after a popular sri lankan game called Carrom in which u use the second finger to flick the ball. In order to bowl this delivery you will need extremely tough and long fingers. Hold the ball with your second finger on the seam and your index on the face of the ball and thumb supporting. Practice flicking the ball out similar to the doosra but it should be Cross seam and should be on a 45 degree angle spinning towards mid off. This delivery is like a doosra that skids on with subtle spin, kindve like a flipper/legbreak. This delivery is fantastic when bowled in small doses as its sudden change of pace and slight turn will fool most batsmen. Practice bowling this delivery on the stumps as you will always be looking to get the batsmen LBW or bowled with this delivery.

Arm Ball: Index finger along the seam much like a pace bowler with second finger and thumb supporting. Seam should be angled to slips. When you bowl this delivery you will be looking to get it out angling towards slips. This delivery should outswing and continue to the keeper without much spin. Fantastic delivery if the quicks in your team are moving it a lot on a particular day.

Line/Length: For me i bowl way outside off stump because i tend to get a lot of spin, but just outside off stump is great for an aspiring offie or newcomer to the art of spin. All deliveries i mentioned above can be bowled outside off, The doosra, top spinner, Arm ball and Carrom ball can all be pitched on mid stump as they all are great for LBW. The Doosra can be pitched on leg stump if you can bowl it right. Spinners should never bowl short, pitching the ball up entices the batsmen to come forward or drive which is exactly what a spinner wants.

Tactics:
If a batsmen is coming down the pitch, change your pace (bowl faster mainly) or change your line (bowl it short), this can sometimes beat the batsmen and you may get a cheap stumping out of it. A flighted short ball is always handy as the batsmen will have to guess the length and they will change their mind about sending you over the ropes.

Varying your Pace, Spin, Flight and Line is the key to getting a bag of wickets. Bowl your stock delivery to figure out how the batsmen bats e.g. if he uses his feet or if he likes to drive, pull etc and expose his weaknesses. If they like to use their feet bowl the ball with plenty of flight and get it above their eyeline. This forces the batsmen to play at the pitch of the ball and u get a lot more chances to get them caught behind, stumped or LBW as they will have to pick the pitch of the delivery as well as the spin or pace.

Variation is a key to getting wickets, but use it in moderation if u bowl a doosra every over the batsmen will be expecting one to come sooner or later. Train the batsmen to get used to your stock deliveries then if you bowl a delivery that they haven'd anticipated you will put doubt into the batsmens head which will keep them in the crease and increase your chances of getting wickets.

Flight: Flight is key to spin bowling, it takes time to master but once learned it is your best friend. Flight involves bowling the ball so that while it is coming towards the batsmen it is above their eye level. This can put the batsmen in two minds. 1: its a full toss im gonna smash this over the ropes, 2: where is this going to land what do i do?. Either scenario is good for u, it forces the batsmen to come forward. This makes the batsmen worry about how they are going to play the delivery. If the batsmen doesn't know which way its spinning, the length, the pace how are they going to play you?
Ocassionally you'll come across a batsmen who will use his feet within the crease, but i explained how to bowl to them above. Flight works best on most tail enders as they will dance down or attempt to slog the delivery which will result in a possible catch or stumping. When bowling to top enders that use their feet bowl more flat, flight works well on batsmen who stay in their crease.



Glossary:
Off Break: Delivery that turns from Off to Leg.
Top Spinner: A Delivery that bounces higher, is quicker and dips.
Doosra: Delivery thats turns from Leg to off.
Carrom Ball: A skidding leg break much like a flipper.
Arm Ball: An outswinging straight delivery.
Flight: Getting the ball above the batsmens eye level forcing them to drive or come on the front foot.
Pace: The Speed in which a delivery is bowled.

This was a quick 20 min guide i made for first time off spinners. If this is popular i will create a full comprehensive guide.
 
Re: Off Spinning Guide

Thanks for that man. I love bowling my offies, even if I am a part timer. Also thanks for the info about bowling the doosra, its amazing how difficult it is to find out how to bowl one.

Again, great post!
 
Re: Off Spinning Guide

jimmy33;277860 said:
Thanks for that man. I love bowling my offies, even if I am a part timer. Also thanks for the info about bowling the doosra, its amazing how difficult it is to find out how to bowl one.

Again, great post!

no problem when i was learning i had to figure it out the doosra for myself.. lol
 
Re: Off Spinning Guide

I have a suggestion. As a legspinner i've been thinking if the legspinners grip is where the index inger and middle finger are on top of the ball and ringfinger below which allows them to flick their third finger and wrist at the same time , What if an offspinner had their second and third finger on the ball but their fingers joint just below the ball and then flick the first finger up. I tried this in the nets once and it was easier to impart rip on the ball so it's just a experiment for you guys to try.
 
Re: Off Spinning Guide

Do Offies bowl flippers or is that completely alien to them?

I read this bit in the initial post "Doosra: Many different bowlers bowl this delivery in different ways E.G. Murali bowls with an angled wrist, Ajantha Mendis with the second finger rolling over the seam. I bowl with the same grip as the Off Break (which makes it harder to pick ) and the angle of my wrist will be the same as my off break. I use my second finger to flick the ball out with the support of my thumb (you should be flicking it over the seam so it rotates like an leg break).
This is a very hard delivery to master, but it should spin the opposite way of the off break and if bowled correctly should decieve most batsmen. Practice this delivery in the nets bowling outside off or on off stump or outside leg ( if u can spin it that much)."


And was really interested in the description of how you use your 2nd finger supported by your thumb. Because this sounds like a Flipper? Take the ball out of the hand and surely the finger and thumb would then click together in the same way as you would when clicking your fingers to music? If that's correct this is a Flipper variation.

Anyway I was so interested in this because I bowl the Doosra and it turns to from the off stump out towards Leg Slip (RH bat). But as soon as I read your description I left the computer went downstairs with a foam ball and tried it in my kitchen and it looks like it would produce a massive turn like a leg break and all it is in essence is the Flipper turned upside down and flicked out of the wrist like a Doosra Murali style. From what I can make of it so far is that it's got massive potential as it'd look like a Doosra and be expected to turn like an off-spin delivery.

Have a look at this - I did some images -see if this is what you mean?

Wrist Spin Bowling: 20th November
 
Re: Off Spinning Guide

someblokecalleddave;284616 said:
Do Offies bowl flippers or is that completely alien to them?

I read this bit in the initial post "Doosra: Many different bowlers bowl this delivery in different ways E.G. Murali bowls with an angled wrist, Ajantha Mendis with the second finger rolling over the seam. I bowl with the same grip as the Off Break (which makes it harder to pick ) and the angle of my wrist will be the same as my off break. I use my second finger to flick the ball out with the support of my thumb (you should be flicking it over the seam so it rotates like an leg break).
This is a very hard delivery to master, but it should spin the opposite way of the off break and if bowled correctly should decieve most batsmen. Practice this delivery in the nets bowling outside off or on off stump or outside leg ( if u can spin it that much)."


And was really interested in the description of how you use your 2nd finger supported by your thumb. Because this sounds like a Flipper? Take the ball out of the hand and surely the finger and thumb would then click together in the same way as you would when clicking your fingers to music? If that's correct this is a Flipper variation.

Anyway I was so interested in this because I bowl the Doosra and it turns to from the off stump out towards Leg Slip (RH bat). But as soon as I read your description I left the computer went downstairs with a foam ball and tried it in my kitchen and it looks like it would produce a massive turn like a leg break and all it is in essence is the Flipper turned upside down and flicked out of the wrist like a Doosra Murali style. From what I can make of it so far is that it's got massive potential as it'd look like a Doosra and be expected to turn like an off-spin delivery.

Have a look at this - I did some images -see if this is what you mean?

Wrist Spin Bowling: 20th November

Ive been trying to work on the exact same thing, an offies flipper. Trust me, massive potential but a lot harder to get right than the leggies flipper, and theres A LOT of stress on your thumb.
 
Re: Off Spinning Guide

ur theory is much like Murali's version of the doosra except more use of the thumb its interesting because murali goes for turn rather the the skid which is interesting.

but the back of my hand faces me when i bowl my doosra same flicking rotation with my second finger. But i do have a sort of Underspinner/flipper.

the flipper type is like my doosra but back of my hand is facing mid off and i flick it like my doosra except with more thumb so its like a flipper click, it rotates cross seam towards mid off. It has a slight leg to off turn but the power of it is the skid, low bounce and speed it generates.

My underspinner i hold the ball with normal off spin grip and as im bowling instead of rolling my index finger over the seam like a normal off break i roll it across the seam so its rotating towards mid on kind of like the flipper type delivery but it goes the other way. Same thing it skids and gets a bit of turn and low bounce. But with the underspinner it moves a lot faster because i can i bowl it faster.


i hope this helps? cuz thats my skidding/flipper type deliveries
 
Off Spin problem

I have a youngster in my team who bowls off-spin and can turn the ball a 'mile'. During matches he pitches the ball well wide of off-stump, so much that the batsman usually start think its a well wide, but then ball turns back in. Great stuff you might say.

However, after a one or two balls, the batsman just figures him out and start cutting him all the time. I am not sure what he is doing wrong. Is it his length or flight that is wrong? How can he use that big turn effectively?
 
Re: Off Spin problem

I bowl leg breaks primarily and a whole bunch of other variations to mix things up and try and catch the b******s out. But for the last 2 years I've had the Googly Syndrome and have only been able to bowl Wrong Uns and I had the exact same experience. Turning the ball into the batsman on a regular basis is ineffective, even my 9 year old son got the hang of it and would simply watch the ball come in - step back and deal with it easily.

I think the key with your bloke would be if he learnt the 'Arm Ball' which as far as I know is the Offies version of or Top-Spinner. With his big turning Off-break he needs to be able to bowl that at different speeds, lengths, and different amounts of turn, once that's sussed he then needs his 'Arm ball' to go straight every now and then when the bat is expecting the ball to turn into him. He should then have some success.

That's what I reckon but I'm a wrist spinner so what do I know? Where are all the Offies?
 
Re: Off Spinning Guide

Although being able to generate a large amount of turn is fantastic (i know because i spin the ball a lot as well)...

Variation is key in any spinners arsenal, i used to have the same problem but being able to turn it a whole load isnt useful unless used in small doses as the batsmen become accustomed to it or will change their batting position to accommodate (many batsmen i've bowled against set up at leg stump).

Varying Pace, Spin and Flight is the key.

For Example:
1st ball: he could bowl a ripping off break like he usually does
2nd ball: Slightly slower with less spin
3rd ball: Toss it up, maybe bowl a toppy
4th ball: fire it in! quick pace, flat spin isn't an issue just fire it at the stumps
5th ball: Bowl another ripping off break but maybe toss it up a little more
6th ball: (Whatever you like ;D)

basically what i'm saying is while he is still young, he should begin to learn to variate throughout his overs so he doesn't become easy to play after the first few overs.

one of my change up overs consists of:

1st Ball: Arm ball (nearly gets em every time hah)
2nd Ball: Big turning off break at a nice pace
3rd Ball: Short flighted Toppy (my stumping ball it works very well, appears to be a full toss, dips catches them out short and goodbye bails)
4th Ball: Underspinner fired at the stumps
5th Ball: Quick Off Break
6th Ball: finish with a ripper.

What Dave suggested (that he learn the arm ball) could be useful, but for a youngster learning the arm ball can be.... you could say difficult. The Arm Ball basically outswings in flight and carries onto the keeper, it's not an easy delivery to master and it depends on conditioning of the ball and the weather.

So i suggest he vary pace, spin and flight :)

- Mr Off Breaks

PS: If he wants to learn the arm ball and is that gifted hah read my guide or message me for a more thorough explanation
 
Re: Off Spinning Guide

Mr.Off Breaks, IMO that's too many variations in one over.

I, personally, would back myself to bowl 4 or 5 off breaks an over, maybe varying speed/flight a little bit.

Then I would throw in a toppy or Doosra once every 6 or 8 balls, lure them into a false sense of security is my motto.
 
Re: Off Spinning Guide

Ah see - I know nothing of Arm Balls I thought it was just a straight ball with top-spin, but it sounds like it has some swing. But it looks like the right kind of advice is coming in from the people that know. Where's Mousey I thought he was trying to get some serious discussion going in a Off-spinners thread - here's your chance to get something going Mousey?
 
Re: Off Spinning Guide

Nah Breeno that's just my change up over (well one of them)

My normal overs consist of just off breaks varied in flight, length, pace and spin.. with maybe a toppy change at most
 
Re: Off Spinning Guide

Mate he's a mouse he wouldnt fare too well on a surfboard ;)

He prefers to sit in the sun with a nice, big slice of cheese :) Isn't that right breeno?
 
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