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My bowling action - For critique

silentstriker

The Wheel is Forever
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?
 

Langeveldt

Soutie
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
 

Goughy

Hall of Fame Member
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
 

Langeveldt

Soutie
Goughy said:
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?
 

adharcric

International Coach
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:
 
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Goughy

Hall of Fame Member
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





Bringing the left arm into the hip




Hadlee


Imran

Following through after the arm was at the hip




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

International 12th Man
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
 

Goughy

Hall of Fame Member
PhoenixFire said:
Goughy, you must have some sort of coaching qualifications, right?
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.
 
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Tomm NCCC

International 12th Man
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.
 

Langeveldt

Soutie
Goughy said:
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





Bringing the left arm into the hip




Hadlee


Imran

Following through after the arm was at the hip




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

Langeveldt

Soutie
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:
 

Goughy

Hall of Fame Member
Langeveldt said:
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.
 

Neil Pickup

Cricket Web Moderator
I thought that the angle looked a bit of a mish-mash in terms of swing direction - the back foot is parallel to the crease, which is naturally outswing, whilst the open chest is inswing; possibly causal to the lack of swing?

I can't help but wonder if the conscious change to the left arm action will change the angle of the chest; if it closes up then it will become more of an outswinger's action.
 

Goughy

Hall of Fame Member
Neil Pickup said:
I thought that the angle looked a bit of a mish-mash in terms of swing direction - the back foot is parallel to the crease, which is naturally outswing, whilst the open chest is inswing; possibly causal to the lack of swing?

I can't help but wonder if the conscious change to the left arm action will change the angle of the chest; if it closes up then it will become more of an outswinger's action.
Back foot parallel and front foot vertical is increasingly being used by quickies. It enables far greater rotation of the hips and a greater range of motion and velocity on the down swing of the leg.

As long as the front foot is vertical and the action is open chested I have no problem with it.

If he had a true mixed action ie front foot parallel but open chested action, or vertical front foot and side on action then I would agree that the mish-mash would be an issue.

Looks fine to me and the change in the aggression of the left arm shouldnt really close the action unless he wanted to (which I would not advise as he would then have to change his front foot and a whole can of worms would be opened).
 
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Langeveldt

Soutie
Goughy said:
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.

.
Yeah agreed with that, but how do you impart backspin.. I've been told to "****" my wrist.. I mean what is "****?"
 
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Matt79

Global Moderator
Langeveldt said:
I mean what is "****?"
I'll leave the :naughty: to Voltman or LongHop, but doesn't that mean to pull your wrist back towards your arm as far as you can and *whip* it forward as you release?
 

nightprowler10

Global Moderator
Langeveldt said:
Yeah agreed with that, but how do you impart backspin.. I've been told to "****" my wrist.. I mean what is "****?"
Have you ever seen Naved-ul-Hasan bowl his slower one? I think that's what they mean by ****ed.
 

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