Ultimate fast bowling body?

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qwerty

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hi there,
this is my first post and as the tittle sugests its about a fast bowlers body. My question is how do you build a good body for fast bowling. I have 2 dumbells and an exercise ball available for me to use wat exercises are good to do with this equipment or body weight. Am i right in saying that i am looking for strength and flexibilty without getting bulky? And what are the parts of the body that are used most?
thanks in advance :)
 
Q, you need to give us a little more info (how old, tall, experienced, what type of bowler, etc). Yes to a degree your body shape and fitness will play a part but so will many other factors, with your action being one of the main ones. I would say getting your action as smooth and efficient as possible is likely to reap more immediate rewards and will probably then identify physical areas to work on. If however you are being coached and your coach has said 'go away and work on your strength/physique' then thats a different matter and hopefully he/she has given you a bit more direction

As a starting point, try here
http://www.pitchvision.com/the-immutable-laws-of-fast-bowling-part-1/
 
One thing I can say is bowling is about power, and the definition of power is the combination of speed and strength... so in saying that you need to be able to be quick but strong, so you dont want to become too bulky espescially in the bicep/tricep region because this will degrade your speed and efficiancy alot. what i can suggest is finding a weight that you can handle easily and work with that therfore not increasing muscle bulk but actually increasing the muscular endurance and strength without limiting another aspect of your fitness too much also I've heard that a strong core is good for bowling so an exercise ball is a good option there, I can't really help you with planning a work out but thats some info i can offer from what i know.
 
well some info about me are
height:184cm
age:17
type of bowler: medium/fast
i have been playing cricket for 8 years now and opening/first change bowling for 3 years now but the reason i want to know how to improve my body for fast bowling is that after a few overs my body feels weak and the weaker it gets the more my action gets thrown. So what can i do to improve on keeping my action in tact for longer periods of time.
thanks
 
Hi qwerty,

I am always throwing the bodyweight programme, that David sourced, around this site...

http://www.pitchvision.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/harrowdrive_turbulence_training_4-week_bww.pdf

...it really is a good base and really worth the read. Do read it all to get the best benefit.

Also, take a look at...

http://www.bigcricket.com/community/threads/fast-bowling-upper-body.43297/
and
http://www.bigcricket.com/community/threads/training-plan.43836/

...there are also more great threads on the 'General Coaching...' forum
 
There is no ultimate fast bowling body. I don't think Allan Donald had a body like Dennis Lillee. Donald was on the leaner side. But, because Lillee had to shoulder more bulk on his back, and shoulders, was perhaps why he got a stress fracture. Same with Waqar Younis. Donald could move with less weight on his shins. If Michael Holding was 'Whispering Death', then Donald was the German Maybach. But, perhaps, Lillee's strength's were his identical weaknesses, and so was the case with Donald.
 
Fast bowling revolves around your core body strength.
You need to work on your abdominals and make them strong before you start to build up your legs and arms.

Resistance training and rotator cuff work needs to be done aswell
 
Qwerty, you are certainly tall enough to be a fast bowler.

Bowling fast is all about moving fast, so in that regard:

1. Fast twich muscle fibres are very important. Build up a good strength base, and then try exercises such as clap push-ups, which stimulate your muscles to move quickly. Plyometrics are also good for building explosive strength.

2. Flexibility is very important for fast bowlers. This allows you to apply a force to the cricket ball over a longer range of motion, therefore allowing you to bowl faster. Flexibility in your hips and shoulders are key.

3. Don't forget to work on your cricket bowling technique, as improving the mechanical effeciency of your action is a sure way to increase your bowling speeds.

Good luck !
 
Hi Liz, yes I am. The site started about a year ago. There's not too much quality material on how to bowl fast on the web, so it tries to fill this gap.
 
maybe look for someone with fast twitch muscles? Perhaps go down to the 100m track and see who is training there and get them to switch to cricket instead?:D
 
My old coach used to say fast bowling was always about running and efficiency.
He'd make us run our guts out, then bowl relentlessly and then run more.
At the end of training the batters would be walking away with sore hands from slips training whilst us bowlers wouldn't have enough energy to lift a beer. Mind you, game day we could run all day.

Run yourself into the ground, if you're not already
 
A fast bowler certainly needs to be strong and powerful, especially in the lower body, for bowling speed and the ability to absorb forces (a fast bowler potentially has to absorb 5-7 times their bodyweight when their front and back foot impacts with the ground). Leg strength is therefore important for performance and injury prevention.

You need to be careful with your upper body strength training as you do not want to add too much bulk. Excessive bulk in the upper body can reduce your range of motion and affect your bowling action. Too much bulk also places excessive strain on your spine and may increase the risk of stress fracture. This is why it is important that your strength training program is designed by someone who has significant experience in the preparation of cricketers, and fast bowlers in particular.

Running is definitely an important component of the fast bowler's preparation. Having a good level of cardiovascular fitness is important so that you can maintain your pace and line and length for each delivery and not be affected by fatigue. Also a fast bowler can reach up to 95% of their maximum running speed during their run-up which may determine how fast your bowl. Therefore it is also important to have a mechanically correct and economical running action.

Hope that helps!
 
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