Bowling Actions

Afternoon everyone,

I play for an amateur side over here and I'm trying to develop my off-spinning techniques. Does anyone have any tips for a budding finger spinner?

I'm takling mainly action, release, run-up etc.

just the basic door knob turning technique really i use my thumb, 1st and middle fingers to spin the ball. Then bringing through the right leg pivoting on the left leg at and after the point of release.

I have a few general tips.

1) Concentrate on spinning the ball. Too often budding spinners try too hard for control, when in fact the main attribute a spinner needs is to be able to, well, spin the ball. Try giving it a real rip. Accuracy you can work on later by going out and bowling for hours in the nets.

2) What hodge says about pivoting on your left leg. Watch Graeme Swann when he bowls, when he's finished his right leg comes right across his left leg, this allows him to put more energy into the delivery.

3) Try to keep your bowling arm as high as possible, this helps for flight and accuracy.

4) Your run-up should feel comfortable to you. It needn't be too long for spin bowling (six to ten paces is amply sufficient), but you need to feel you're in an optimum place to bowl a good delivery when you reach the crease.

5) Go out to the nets (or just a fairly long stretch of ground with a wall) and bowl. Practise makes perfect. Don't be shy about experimenting a few things. Off-spinners often dismiss batsmen through variety and guile rather than big spin. Things you can change without changing your action include:
- vary the angle by coming around the wicket, going wider of the crease, etc.
- vary the amount of spin you put on the ball, sometimes tweak those fingers a bit less.

It could be useful to have a quicker bal, or one that goes straight on, but I'd only advise doing this when you have full control over your "stock" ball. I used to go crazy when one of our youngsters (whom I coached at the time) - himself a very promising spin bowler - kept trying to change things. He'd bowl two or three really good balls, get treated with respect, and then switch to bowl a leg-spinner or something...

I used to have a ball where i would lightly grip the ball with all my fingers, therefore same action with the ball looking the same coming out the hand but wouldnt spin.

Also maybe something else to consider would be starting your run up a pace behind or so to slightly vary the length of the delivery

Thanks guys, much appreciated.

Use the bowling crease to vary the angle of delivery and experiment with different grips on the ball to change flight, spin amount etc. Also bowl around the wicket to see if there is any rough outside the leg stump area which you can exploit to get greater exaggerated spin.

mad for chelsea makes some excellent points to which I would add a few (keeping to his numbering system):

1) if you don't turn it, I'd bowl something else. Absolutely no use to be a non-turning spinner (as Cam White found out), you need to be able to at least turn the odd one (Kumble could and did).

2) Spot on. To go further into mechanics, this is all about getting your delivery stride right. It needs to be large enough so as you have a solid base, but not too large or you won't be able to rotate through it. Aim for vertical (up and over) rather than horizontal (around) rotation.

3) disagree. "as high as possible" is meaningless. Anywhere between 10.30 and 12 o'clock is fine, go with what feels comfortable.

4) Absolutely. The key of the run-up is it must help you and not hinder you. If you bowl better from a standing start then your run-up is wrong. The point of the run-up is to get into your delivery stride in the best way possible.

5) Agreed entirely. depending on what level you play at. If county premier or div 1, it is unlikely you will achieve much as a spinner unless you rip it or have a few variations. If County 4 or below just tossing it up and landing it consistently should get you plenty of wickets. whatever variation you have must be bowled with the same grip.

Illingworth used to suggest that when you begin to tire, come around the wicket to force yourself to focus on your action.

Seam position should also vary according to the pitch. If the pitch isn't doing much grip the ball with the seam up with your spinning finger to the left hand side. This will increase the amount of purchase you can get on the ball.