someblokecalleddave's Blog

Re: someblokecalleddave's Blog

lol dave were the police there to check on you or just generally patrolling, because its amazing if they can find time to go for a callout for someone doing cricket practice but can never make it to a burglary, lol
 
Re: someblokecalleddave's Blog

Wolf - yeah it seems a lot quieter on here, but at the minute people like yourself are commenting so it's oaky I suppose, I'll hang in here and see how it goes, but if I do end posting posts to myself and no-one chips in with comments, I may comment a lot less?

Gundalf - yeah I know what you mean about the Old Bill. I think these blokes were those Mickey Mouse type - community wardens or whatever they're called? Back where I come from they'd have been called Grasses! You know the types - all dressed up like the old bill but with none of the power. Being the age I am now I never get hassled by the Old Bill and I live in a much nicer place, so I reckon they're okay. They were just checking out a couple of youths that were sat watching me.

I've updated both my main blogs at www.mpafirsteleven.blogspot.com & www.thegooglysyndrome.blogspot.com
 
Re: someblokecalleddave's Blog

Dave,

I understand ur emotions regarding the new site and formats.
But we got to adopt new changes and system with open mind.
What more important than we have each other in company along with new friends to discuss cricket and understand and appreciate each others contacts/company.......
We keep adding our inputs the same way we did in SC and hopefully that will work wonders with others just the way it worked with us.
Ur post/blogs are very interesting to read and I am sure most of the people are always eagerly waiting for u to write in it.
Even in the off season u have so much to offer to cricket and that keep-on-going" spirit for accuracy and dedication towards cricket is an encouraging aspect.

If u remembers one guy particularly in the thread-"Wrist spin bowling" mentioned abt ur blog and the leg spin bowling advice he got from it.
So this not the end of road but the beginning of a new one..... :)
 
Re: someblokecalleddave's Blog

Cheers virender, as soon as I said that there seems to have been a flurry of activity and useful stuff on the wrist spin thread with all the blokes on there seemingly all bowling really well or discovering new things which is what it's all about. So - I'm still here making my contributions and more importantly learning stuff of the other blokes which is brilliant.

Other than that I'm just here to say loads of things going on with my Leg Break and it's all coming together and there's still all of November, December, January, February and March - 5 months of practice yet to come. So what with the milestone that I hit today with the leg break, I reckon things can only get better.

Have a look at the main blog at Wrist Spin Bowling

Cheers Dave
 
Re: someblokecalleddave's Blog

Wrist spin grips.

I've made a start on the exercise regime again and I'm currently looking at the affect of grips on the ball and how that affects my potential to spin the ball. I had a practice yesterday before the rain came and discovered that moving my fingers around a bit had some impact on the spin. Unfortunately it was right at the end of the session and therefore I couldn't explore it more, but I've made copious notes on the matter in my blog and produced some images in conjunction with the theory.

Wrist Spin Bowling: Wrist Spin Grips
 
Re: someblokecalleddave's Blog

Exercises are going okay even though I can get through them all in a matter of 5-7 minutes it still bores me to tears. One thing I haven't done is any running or walking, I was hoping to do power walking but again 20 minutes walking just does my head in from a boredom factor and all the preparation beforehand. I will try and get on with it and do some if only twice a week. But God it bores me!


Additionally I had a massive breakthrough with my two sons - have a look -

The plan was that I'd take Ben and Joe to Basildon's colts training session at Woodlands school today and then on Tuesday night Michelle would take them to Grays CC colts training down in Tilbury on Tuesday night. I think right from the start the odds were stacked against Grays and when Ben the older son came out of the session with Basildon this morning exclaiming, "That was AWESOME"! I think the deal was already a done. Michelle, my wife isn't up for driving them down to Tilbury at all and added to that it's in the evenings - everything was leading up to a negative response to the Grays option.......
"So, do you want to go and have a look at my teams sessions (Grays & Chadwell) on Tuesday night then"?
"I didn't like it at Grays..... they were too posh, I like here - I want to play for Basildon" Said Ben. Too posh - now that's an interesting assessment of the Grays lads! I think what it was, when we went along to the Grays colts set up in the summer, every single kid without exception was wearing whites and had their own bats and my impression is that they're all pretty good cricket players.

So, being only vaguely interested in cricket, my lads were very intimidated by the whole thing. Additionally, only Neil was there that night for the training and Super Dave hadn't turned up or something - leaving Neil with 20 boys to manage. Needless to say keeping 20 boys all on the go and active isn't exactly easy and that in itself meant that Ben and Joe were having to wait their turn for long periods of time. All things combined the whole experience just served to put them off rather than encourage them.

Several months later and more cricket on the Valence Way Wicket over the road with the local kids off the estate, and obviously more confidence - we went along to the Basildon cc colts session today.


First off there were 2 blokes split between 14 boys
There was differentiation - so my boys were put with 4 other boys who'd only been the week before and the "Good" kids trained with the other bloke.
They weren't all wearing whites. Now this might not seem like much of a big deal but I can clearly recall being from the "Poor" family when I was a kid that I didn't have a football strip back in the 1960's and all the "Talented" football kids did and this just knocks you back psychologically. It reinforces that sense that you are an outsider coming in to a new environment. Today at this session of the 14 boys that were there, maybe 4 or 5 of them were wearing whites, but the good thing was the better kids in the team weren't, they were wearing football shirts, so my lads straight away didn't feel like the odd ones out.
Similarly some of the better kids also used blue KWIK cricket bats and my lads turned up with their own bats and again this probably made them feel better about themselves?
But the clincher was the fact that - once they got going both my lads Ben and Joe were so obviously on par and if not better than the group of boys that they were with and it was good to see Ben itching to bat and bowl and show the bloke Neil that he was already on his way as an all-rounder. So it was brilliant to see them both getting in there and doing the stuff. They did warm up exercises and gradually got introduced to basic aspects of bowling and batting (I was listening and making notes for myself so that I can try and make some of improvements on my own batting)! The bloke Neil was really good he didn't make any assumptions about their abilities just went through the fundamentals and both my lads listened. He even went back over the points with them he'd covered asking them questions, it was a bit like watching the Bob Woolmer stuff on the internet! YouTube - Cricket: The Bob Woolmer Way - batting (1/8)

But then it got so much better - this session couldn't have been any better almost. They then instigated a match and split the boys into 2 teams. Ben's team was up first with the established kids obviously opening the batting and bowling and it was pretty obvious that bowling is not their strong point. There was a couple of kids that were okay, but there was shed loads of wides, full tosses and No-balls and this is with the proper colts and I just sat there thinking If Ben can just hold it together and not be nervous and be confident in his own abilities he is just going to look like the best bowler here. I asked him what he thought of their bowling after and he said that he thought there was a lot of wides bowled, but he didn't think he was the best. Eventually all the proper bowlers had their overs and it came down to the newbies and Ben being the modest little bloke that he is didn't get to bowl till last and then he bowled his over. Most of them were on target and none were given as wides or no-balls. The blokes noticed and so did the good kids all shouting encouragement and commending Ben on his abilities. Joe's bowling was similarly impressive considering he's only 7 and again I don't think he bowled any wides in his 2 overs. Joe almost got a bowled and Caught but fumbled it and his next ball was nearly caught at Short Mid wicket and he had one dropped at cover as well all in the final over when they were looking to score 12 off 6 balls and Joe's team beat Ben's by 3 runs.

With regards batting neither of them are accomplished bats and that's one of the reasons that I want them to go to these training sessions and to be trained by other people. I think I've done okay with them regarding their bowling - and things like cricket when we're on Holiday in Cornwall is massively good for them as there always seems to be really enthusiastic and adept players on the campsite when we're there and bowling against and with them has been very instrumental in their development as to is the cricket we play over at Valence way (See masthead). One of the things I need them to do and I think it'll come in time is to put themselves forward more, both of them hung back to bowl last and this is when Ben it could be argued was possibly the best bowler there and Joe for a 7 year old is no slouch either. Remember this is Joe Thompson Leg Spin Legend 9 wickets for 30! Joe Thompson Wrist Spin Legend

So I was well pleased that all my cajoling and encouragement has at last seemed to bear some fruit and Michelle it seems is on board with it as well. You never know maybe next week she'll turn up early and watch the end of the match!

So if you live in the Basildon area and you want your boys to play cricket I can whole heartedly recommend Basildon & Pitsea cc as good looking colts outfit - the boys and the blokes were all spot on today and we'll certainly be going back next week and Ben and Joe are hoping to become part of the club.

More on all this at the main blog Wrist Spin Bowling
 
Re: someblokecalleddave's Blog

Great to hear that the boys are enjoying the cricket Dave! I love Joe's blog page :D I'm doing a coaching course at the moment and might be helping out with our underage sections next season - If you spot anything the coaches are doing that works well, or not, let me know!
 
Re: someblokecalleddave's Blog

Joe disappointed me today - didn't want to go and only Ben and I went. I have to be really careful with them both not to push them too far and it doesn't help that their Mum is very negative about cricket. Traditionally it's been Ben that's the least interested, but I think all the games we played on our field (The one that I cut and prepare) this summer has turned Ben into a half decent bowler and I think that first session with Basildon and Pitsea cc has made him realise that he is in fact quite good and it's now him that is really up for it.

I think Joe is that much younger and he doesn't realise that if the kids on his team had been able to catch the dollies that he forced with his bowling he'd have taken 3 wickets in one over! Anyway this is what happened today with me and if you link to Wrist Spin Bowling you'll see how Ben got on and what they had him doing..... (I got to bowl as well this week)!

Indoors whenever I can I've been spinning the ball all the time. Standing still and throwing the ball up with a big flick of the wrist I can make the ball turn Leg Break style massively. But all the evidence is that when I then try and convert this into a bowling action with a run up it all goes to pieces and this is what was happening in the summer when I played around with this. But recently I've been doing it and I'm just baffled that I seemingly can't incorporate the same wristy flick with turning my arm over?
This afternoon Ben and Joe went swimming so that allows me 1/2 an hour in a school playground up against a brick wall. So I took the stumps and 4 of my Hockey Balls with the intention of trying the flick with a run up and a bowl.
It worked! For the first time since last May or something when I had that flukey day with Thomas I was able to bowl good Leg Breaks! What I found was that it felt kind of jerky and a bit like it was happening in two distinct parts, but I'm not bothered how it might feel - the thing was it was spinning away towards the slips. Additionally when the last two fingers came into play it spun towards 2nd slip. I was able to do this over the whole of the half hour so this sounds very very promising. Also it was pretty accurate too - straight at the stumps bouncing and away and missing off - stump! So a very good session.
 
Re: someblokecalleddave's Blog

Hi Dave,

Great going with the practice alnog with ur boys..
If u could post a photo of the bowling on the wall.
I would be greatful.

Keep up the practice going.

Virender
 
Re: someblokecalleddave's Blog

Virender I'm buying a really good camera soon - should have it ready and going just after Christmas and it's got a high quality video function that produces mpeg files. So I'll be able to post endless video's then. Till then you'll have to wait.

Dave
 
Re: someblokecalleddave's Blog

Dave,

Earlier I use to click photos from my Mobile Camera-Sony Ericsson with 2 Mega-pixel and 4x zoom.

Now I have purchased a Digital Camera;
Samsung.
Model: D760, 7.2 Mega-pixel, 3x digital zoom with 2.4" TFT LCD Monitor and 2 GB Memory card.
I hope that will be useful to click really good photos.
Do u feel that it is a good camera.
I purchased it this Diwali festival giving me a discount amount.

Virender
 
Re: someblokecalleddave's Blog

Virender - yeah that looks okay - it's got optical zoom which is better than digital zoom. More pixels than my camera which I do professional work with! And it's got a big viewing screen on the back and shoots video. I'd be interested in seeing what the video quality is like once it's uploaded to you tube?

Anyway from my main blog........

Later..........

After work at 20.45hrs I went over to the basket ball court and spent 40 mins there trying to put some of the stuff I've been pondering into practice. It worked! I went back to the technique where I just simply have my hand straight (Well that's how it feels) and as the arm goes over flick the wrist a bit but sort of make sure the "Down fingers" stay on the ball until the very last minute. This kind of translates into me turning flicking my wrist round and the hand coming down and dragging the fingers over the ball rotating it as it does into the spin. The degree to which this happens has a profound affect on the spin, when the drag and timing is right the spin and deviation off the bounce is far better, but you've only got to get it slightly wrong and you end up doing the classic dragging the ball down and it bounces about 11 yards in front of you. But if you get the flick and the release of the ball timed right it works a treat!

I think tonight I may have been getting it right because I used to work with a girl from New Zealand called Liz and she bowled Leg Breaks and was particularly good at it. I only faced her once and I think she bowled me in the nets, but she could turn the ball. But I remember asking her whether she bowled Flippers because I was suffering bruising in my fingers fron doing it so much and was asking whether she had the same problem, but she didn't bowl the Flipper. But she then went on to say that she got blisters on her spinning finger every year once she started to bowl again and it took time for her skin to harden up. Well tonight for the first time I've got soreness on that spinning finger suggesting that maybe for the first time I've been doing it correctly?
 
Re: someblokecalleddave's Blog

Almost ordered it today. It's a present for my wife and me so it wont actually see any action till post Christmas unless of course I decide to test it! Currently the cheapest I've seen it is 269 quid. The thing is the G10 is out either soon or already so the price may go down further to clear them? But it's going to be bought soon.
 
Re: someblokecalleddave's Blog

Had another bowling session today that seems to suggest that my Leg Break is coming together. I'm still avoiding the Googlie and Doosra so that bowling out of the front of my hand eventually feels normal rather than out of the back of my hand as it does at the moment. I reckon it's going to be some time and a lot of bowling till the Leg Break feels like my natural bowling action and at the moment it still feels totally wrong. The good thing though is that it is coming together and it looks as though even if I was to settle with it as it is - it wouldn't be too bad. Just as long as I get the line and length working well, combined with the amount of spin I get on it and that it converts from practicing with Hockey Balls on tramac to seamed balls on a wicket I should be okay. Theoretically when that conversion happens it should go well because a relatively smooth Hockey Ball is difficult to get any purchase on to impart the spin?

Have a look at my main blogs to see the full story - Wrist Spin Bowling
and Wrist Spin Bowling: Diary
 
Re: someblokecalleddave's Blog

Hi Dave,

I have read ur progress and would suggest u to focus on ur leg spin bowling.
This off season is a good time to develop ur leg spin and most importantly ur line and length.
Good to read ur son's- Ben and Joe are also taking active part in cricket pracitce and enjoying it.
I have seen ur photos of basketball court and the yellow line marks with two red balls kept.
Are the two red balls ur "Spot Bowling Areas" s shown in the photos attached.
Do u bowl from over or round the wicket?
Can u post a video or photo while bowling?

Virender
 

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Re: someblokecalleddave's Blog

Virender cheers for checking out the blog! The 2 red balls are the area that I try to bowl onto anywhere there along the yellow line. I Bowl over the wicket and aim to land the ball on the line. I will video it once I get the camera - be patient!

Yeah I'm really chuffed with my sons current performance and enthusiasm. For the last 2 years I've been trying to get them involved and interested and at times have run the risk of putting them off because I am so obsessed! But this summer I've cut a wicket in the middle of a football field a few yards from where we live Wrist Spin Bowling: Valance way cricket pitch is ready! and this has meant that some of the boys on the estate that we live on have come over and we've had a really good summer playing cricket. So my sons have slowly and sometimes reluctantly got more and more involved and gradually have listened to me and honed their skills at bowling. Then this summer on holiday where we camped for our holiday there was loads of kids that were up for playing cricket and their Dads and I think then my sons suddenly realised (because of the practice they were doing with me on our wicket) that they were in fact better than most other kids at Cricket. So once back from our holiday they took to it with a lot more enthusiasm.

But the thing that has surprised even me is that they've now joined the under 11's of our towns cricket team and they joined a bunch of boys that have probably played cricket seriously for a few years and it looks like both my sons are the best bowlers in the team? Ben the bigger son at age 10 is a seam bowler and Joe who's 7 is a Leg Spinner and both of them in comparison with the rest of the kids are far better with their line and length and Joe I think is the only one that can turn the ball! So I'm very pleased. But better is the fact that both of them can see that they're both good at it and that cricket is their game that they can excel at.
 
Re: someblokecalleddave's Blog

Cheers Dave on ur sons cricketing progress and i am sure they will do good in cricket as they started at the right age and ur own personal passion and support for cricket will help them a great deal.

Regarding ur video i remember ur old video of leg spin long back.
Personally for me;i rarely get to see or play against leg spinner and since we go back from old days right from harrowdrive and have a keen interest in ur progress and blogs.
I am excited to see ur developments in leg spin bowling and sure u would success.

Virender
 
Re: someblokecalleddave's Blog

Virender, I reckon I've made a lot of progress in the last year. Confidence has been one of the main things I've gained. In my first season I used to be so nervous bowling and as soon as I bowled a wide that was it - it just went from bad to worse. I'm not fussed now as I hardly ever bowl wides and I bowl 99% down the off-side and usually if it goes a little wide the bats normally swing at it anyway!

I rarely face them (Leggies) as I'm right down the batting order so it's rare that I actually get to bat cos the games usually finished before I get a look in! I've got an indoor practice with some of the old MPA 1st XI blokes in a couple of weeks and I'm looking forward to trying out some of my Leg Breaks on them - so that'll be good.

Yeah, as soon as I can I'll shoot some footage. I'm interested myself to see what my action's like, because as far as I'm concerned it's so much better than it was. I can't wait!
 
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