My bowling action - For critique
 

Hi

Well I've had a long break from bowling after an horrific season last year with the ball, this is my first bowl for a few months and want people (particularly Goughy) to have a look at whether this is a good base for next season..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_N5DvA_3ntA

Cheers

Thats not bad actually. Maybe try a little bit longer run up?

Your toes are straight, you have a good jump. And maybe you need to bend at the back a little bit more at the jump, so you can kind of explode into your action? And maybe its just the video, but you seem slightly unbalanced when you land...you don't want to twist ankles.

Maybe you can post another video from the side?

My runup was stopped by having to bowl in a car park, its usually not much longer, but a good idea.. As I havent bowled for ages it was only at 80%, but glad theres nothing chronically bad about it

Love the facilities :laugh:

Anyway, it doesnt look that bad at all. Everything seems to go in the right direction and it looks a heavily coached action (kudos to you if I am wrong).

My main issue is that it looks very vanilla. There is little explosion. Runup seems to be an excuse to get to the crease rather than build momentum into the action. The action itself is quite pretty but similarly the left arm does not seem to force its way to the hip.

All told, far better than I expected but not overly dynamic

Cheers, at least it isnt raining here :)

Not coached at all, all coaches want me to do is bowl leg spin, so I've ignored all that and thats totally my own action..

When you say "left arm doesnt force itself to the hip" - does that just mean more of an explosive jump and release is needed?

Pretty good overall. Might not want to practice in a car park, especially if you want to improve that runup.

Pretty much agree with Goughy and SS.

1) You need to use the run-up to your advantage to build momentum and pace in your bowling and not just as a formality.
Increase the length and gradually increase the pace at which you run.

2) As SS said, bend your back more and get some extra forward momentum at the time of delivery.

3) The direction looks good overall but I think I noticed you swerving in closer to the stumps at the last moment - perhaps it was just the angle.
You looked slightly imbalanced to me at first but I think it's fine.

Good stuff for a start. If I had an action like that, I'd still be an opening pace bowler. :unsure:

The more I watch the footage, the more interesting it looks.

Firstly, it is definately a nice action. My worry is that the windball seems to float out of the hand.

The feet are in a good place, upper body follows a nice shape.

Again, the more I watch the more it comes down to dynamism (sp?)

Assuming you possess the basic athleticism to bowl quick (not trying to be funny, this is obviously the starting point) the idea is to add explosion into the action.

I would not change any part of the basic action. I dont really buy into certain bits written about changing the leap and bending the back more.

I would look to add the explosion by focusing on the run-up and the left side of the body.

Fast bowling does not depend on how quickly you force the right arm over, but the force, speed and aggression with which the left arm and left leg work. The right side follows what the left side does.

The left arm must come up with aggression, come down hard towards the offstump and be pulled fast into the hip. The right arm then follows through with seeingly very little effort. The left leg must also come down hard and the speed of the runup must continue through the crease.

As I said, I like the action, it just needs flavour added.

- Hit the crease at pace
- Force the arm up with aggression
- Bring it down towards offstump with pace
- Bring it through hard with the elbow into the hip. In other words the left arm does not flow from high to low in a fluid arc. It goes from high, to pulled in aggressively to the hip and then follows through.
- Bring the left leg down hard.

Its a simple thing about being a quickie. The more the left side of the body works the less the right has to do and the quicker you will bowl.

A few pics to illustrate a couple of things

Carrying momentum through the crease

http://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/20..._200x261,1.jpg

http://images.supersport.co.za/Akhta...g050404Rbg.jpg

Bringing the left arm into the hip

http://www.geocities.com/cricketromance/lillee.jpg

http://i7.tinypic.com/44gbj0n.jpg
Hadlee

http://i15.tinypic.com/3zrrqk5.jpg
Imran

Following through after the arm was at the hip

http://cricket.indiatimes.com/homepa...donald41_f.jpg


Hope this all makes sense and helps a little. Its never really about changing the action but adding to it.

Goughy, you must have some sort of coaching qualifications, right?

Looked very good. Your arm was in a direct straihght line with your leg, good follow through, and ball seemed to be on target.

What I would say is cut your hair, its a mess mate

Well actually, despite loudly and often speaking out against the merits of qualifications I have recently bit the bullet.

I personally dont think they are worth the paper they are written on. I run a company that is rapidly growing and we have about 60 guys coaching for us at any one time. When conducting interviews for coaches, qualifications are not that important. The most important thing is experience and how they do in a supervised and observed coaching session.

As well as running the Coaching business, I coach at a few different institutions and have my own private coaching sessions.

I am what is now commonly known as a chucker. Fractured my elbow and it bends funny, Ill put it up on youtube, if you want a decent laugh.

Cheers, I think the windball floats out of my hand because it is so light, I'm not usually that slow! Basically just got to put more force into my left hand side, hopefully my action wont fall to pieces as a result, but its good to know its a good base.. I've had injury trouble in my left knee, which is probably why I'm so cautious to slam the left leg down, but its clearing up nicely and should be 100% by christmas

Should I be looking to swing the ball in or away? I've never swung the ball properly, but need to know what to concentrate on trying to do when I hit the nets.. Hope your still about in PWV next year Goughy :laugh:

Action looks more conducive to inswing. However, swing is dependant on wrist and seam position and is more complicated and fiddly to deal with without sorting it out in person.

A simple thing to concentrate on is making sure the fingers and wrist are behind the ball on release, and that the ball comes out with a stable seam with backspin on.

Not a lot of help, but with your action inswing should come easily if the technicalities are sorted.