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How to Bowl Fast?

Manee

Cricketer Of The Year
Wow, could you please give me some tips on my action Mr Pont:p.

Please :D

Just kidding, the website is quite flash, it is a shame no academy in SE London though.
 

Manee

Cricketer Of The Year
Hes...not coming back is he.

Anywhoo, I am playing in a few hours, taking into account all your tips and will update you with how it goes, the main things I am working on.

-Running in faster
-Attacking the crease more
-Getting more front on with the top half of my body
 

neville cardus

International Debutant
G'day, Manee,

That run-up of yours sounds hideously akin to a stampede of panicked heffalumps. It's not at all ideal to be pounding the ground that hard -- makes decent rhythm neigh on impossible, y'see.

Get the front arm higher, and tuck it into your side just before release.

Another piece of advice for bowling faster -- take it or leave it, because the effects are often detrimental -- is to keep the right knee braced upon landing.

Best of luck.
 

Manee

Cricketer Of The Year
Interestingly, going more front on resulted in me not getting through the crease for some reason and although my arm was swinging over quickly, I felt little behind the ball...

I see your point Neil that my action is mixed and I am going to attempt to get more side on with my hips and legs in order to align everything.

G'day, Manee,

That run-up of yours sounds hideously akin to a stampede of panicked heffalumps. It's not at all ideal to be pounding the ground that hard -- makes decent rhythm neigh on impossible, y'see.

Get the front arm higher, and tuck it into your side just before release.

Another piece of advice for bowling faster -- take it or leave it, because the effects are often detrimental -- is to keep the right knee braced upon landing.

Best of luck.
Thanks for those tips...

I have been told in the past to make my front arm more active, always moving, would you say this is good advice?
 

Nate

You'll Never Walk Alone
Cheers Ponty for taking some time out to help out the kid. :) Really is appreciated.
 

open365

International Vice-Captain
One of our members had a session with you last year i believe, said you were really great(to Ponty).
 

Manee

Cricketer Of The Year
Does anyone think that I need to bring my back leg in front of my front leg at some point of the jump? AND...how important are leg muscles because mine are weak.
 
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iamdavid

International Debutant
Does anyone think that I need to bring my back leg in front of my front leg at some point of the jump? AND...how important are leg muscles because mine are weak.
Im not sure if this rings true in bowling, but in throwing power/speed the leg muscles are vital because thats the base where you get alot of your power from, and having strong legs certainly couldnt hurt in terms of your overall stability/injurt prevention.
 

Manee

Cricketer Of The Year
Im not sure if this rings true in bowling, but in throwing power/speed the leg muscles are vital because thats the base where you get alot of your power from, and having strong legs certainly couldnt hurt in terms of your overall stability/injurt prevention.
Thanks, I will work on leg strength in the winter. I saw a physio last winter for my wonky walking and weak knees and she also noted I have weak thighs and poor control in them too. I have concluded after a fair amount of discussion with my brother that the top half of my body is acceptable in my action and strength wise (since I basically shoulder the ball down), but the bottom half is not acceptable and needs to be rectified before anything else.
 

iamdavid

International Debutant
Have a look at this article particularly the part down the bottom about leverage-

http://www.cricketnz.co.nz/page36.htm

When I was younger I was in rep teams as a fast bowler and no coach ever told me anything about this sort of thing which really astounds me looking back, there was plenty of advice on hand about getting your run up and momentum right and improving your seam position and whatever else. But a bowler is never going to make the step up from junior representative to first class cricket if he only ever bowls at 120kph, so Im amazed the actual mechanics of bowling fast arent tossed around more.
 

Manee

Cricketer Of The Year
Just a small update, I got timed recently on the speed gun off a ten step run up (the only space in the nets since there are bushes in the way) and I got 59mph once, 58mph most of the time and the odd one slipped out at 54mph. Thanks for the article too.
 

pup11

International Coach
In my case i remodeled my action to bowl fast, earlier i had a smooth high-arm action but i wasn't too quick but then i started bowling with a slingy action (a bit like Tait's), i gained pace all right.... but after bowling with this action i lost my control and accuracy (which i earlier had) and i had (actually i am still having a lot back problems) due to this action.

So its one option that i won't like to recommend to anyone to increase your pace, but in my case i am trying to work hard to get adjusted with the slingy action. :unsure:
 

neville cardus

International Debutant
Thanks for those tips...
Certainly. As an example of what I mean a propos the braced front knee, take a gander at Brett Lee in comparison to Glenn McGrath. There is far less strain (and possibility of injury) in the latter's bent joint, but there is also consequently far less speed, due to the relative lack of "snap" in his action.

I have been told in the past to make my front arm more active, always moving, would you say this is good advice?
As long as it's not doing absurd little contortions, yes. Never take too lightly the value of a strong, controlled front arm.
 

Matteh

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
I'd rather go for the McGrath 'less pace but accurate as hell' than the Heath Davis/Shaun Tait 'quick as but accuracy is all over the place' myself.
 

Engle

State Vice-Captain
Thomson hardly had much of a run-up or momentum. And his action seemed disjointed.
Yet he bowled faster than Holding who had a near perfect run-up, action, delivery.

I still maintain there's too much preoccupation with pace.
For e.g., can you hit a marker on the pitch 6 times an over (or close) ?
 

Manee

Cricketer Of The Year
Yes, I can, but it doesn't get me any wickets and as an opening bowler, that is better than keeping the runs down. Also, if a batsman chooses to charge me, I would be helpless since any change in length would be too slow and the batsman could react.

Ian Pont said that pace and accuracy are generated in tandem if you have a good action which works in straight lines (god knows what happened to Mohammad Sami then), and that is the dream.
 

Engle

State Vice-Captain
Have u settled on your run-up ?
In a prior post, u mentioned bushes in the way. IMO, your run-up s/b nailed down and never compromised.

One point I'm going to throw out is the ' anger ' factor. Think of someone/thing u truly detest. Then picture the batsman as that person.
Now's your chance to really let him have it.
 

Manee

Cricketer Of The Year
Have u settled on your run-up ?
In a prior post, u mentioned bushes in the way. IMO, your run-up s/b nailed down and never compromised.

One point I'm going to throw out is the ' anger ' factor. Think of someone/thing u truly detest. Then picture the batsman as that person.
Now's your chance to really let him have it.
I really do use that, I am playing against a teacher I detest tomorrow, we'll see how that goes:).
 

Ponty

School Boy/Girl Cricketer
How To Bowl Fast & Straight

There is much confusion about how to fast AND straight from coaches and players.

The truth is, the skills you need to maximise pace ALSO line you up to bowl straight. So you do not have one at the expense of the other. They go together IF you know what to do and how to do it.

That's why my book, The Fast Bowler's Bible, was written: www.maverickscricket.com/bible.htm and why it's on the second reprint in just 10 months.

On the www.maverickscricket.com website, you will also find a tips page which any seam or swing bowler should follow. Don't think that by gaining more pace you lose accuracy. Far from it. When you line up straight you gain accuracy and speed. All that you need to do now is to let the ball go at the right time to get the length you want. Please don't let coaches or misinformation confuse anyone or make it more complicated than it is.

Most bowlers do the same things incorrectly. These are:

1. Not using the front arm properly to pull the bowling shoulder through
2. Not using the hips ahead of the ball to help create a 'boomerang' shape from bowling hand to back foot
3. Not driving everything in a straight line to target and finishing in a straight line
4. Not finishing the action fully by having the hips to head level with the ground.

The LAST things you do as a bowler is let the ball go. Everything else happens in front of that so the ball is pulled hard from behind the body.

Swing, seam etc merely comes from having the correct wrist position on release. But that's not much good if you don't line up straight firstly and drive it all to the target.

I hope this helps! Please discover more at www.maverickscricket.com 8-)
 

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