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Fast bowling run up

jgree133

Cricket Spectator
Im a right armed pace bowler but i have some small problems with the way i bowl.
1. If i run in fast to bowl i cant use my upper body strength to really increase the pace i bowl my balls.
2. I tried a slow run up- fast delivery method it got some extremly fast pace but is innacurate as hell.

So is there any tips to incoporate my pace and upper body strength while keeping the ball fairly accurate.

Thanks
Jgree133
 

Captain Cricket

State Vice-Captain
Run to the crease as you would the whole match. Ask yourself: Would you be sprinting to the bowling crease the whole match or would you get tired? Run in the way that suits you because that's where all your rhythm comes from.

Also assess your action: Is your left arm up and facing the batsman during your delivery, make sure you get it right up because that accounts for a few yards of pace and make sure you follow through completely. If you find you're still struggling then take a slow run-up and bowl straight, because accuracy is always more important than pace. Get your accuracy right then work on incorporating it with your pace.
 

jgree133

Cricket Spectator
Thanks ill try and incorporate this tommrow when we all down to the cricket oval. I will get back with my results in a day or two
 

Goughy

Hall of Fame Member
So is there any tips to incoporate my pace and upper body strength while keeping the ball fairly accurate.
Basic answer is,yes there are.

Working on something for you (not much, but something).

Will post it soon.

Analysis would be easier if there was a video to breakdown.
 
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DCC_legend

International Regular
Might stick a video of my own bowling up to see what you guys think. I'm sure there's a few things i'm doing wrong.
 

DCC_legend

International Regular
Could take a while to get something posted, but i'd say within the next week or so, i'll have some amateur footage.
 

Goughy

Hall of Fame Member
Im a right armed pace bowler but i have some small problems with the way i bowl.
1. If i run in fast to bowl i cant use my upper body strength to really increase the pace i bowl my balls.
2. I tried a slow run up- fast delivery method it got some extremly fast pace but is innacurate as hell.

So is there any tips to incoporate my pace and upper body strength while keeping the ball fairly accurate.
The first thing that stands out straight away from your comments is, where are your feet? Ill address possible issues below.

Secondly, running in slow and trying to bowl fast (for most without a very slingy action) will always result in inaccuracy. There is no rhythm and momentum to keep the action clean and consistent and the ball gets 'muscled' to the other end with a small degree of change in the action each ball.

Also assess your action: Is your left arm up and facing the batsman during your delivery, make sure you get it right up because that accounts for a few yards of pace and make sure you follow through completely.
Good advice. Working the left arm and bringing it down hard and straight is very important in pace and accuracy

If you find you're still struggling then take a slow run-up and bowl straight, because accuracy is always more important than pace. Get your accuracy right then work on incorporating it with your pace.
Unlike the above advice, this is to be avoided if you are capable of bowling quick.

If you are capable of bowling quick you need to learn how to bowl quick, not learn how to be a medium pacer.

The key to success is adding the accuracy to the pace rather than the failed strategy of adding pace to accuracy.

It is impossible to bowl medium pace off a short run to gain accuracy and expect to keep the same action when moving up to running in hard and bowling quick.

The stresses, tolerances and body are completely different. Slowing down for accuracy will make a good medium pacer but kill a player that can bowl quick.

A fast bowler runs in hard and learns to tweak and make changes to improve accuracy. They dont ignore their natural born talent.

This is one of the reasons places like South Africa are looking outside their traditional areas for fast bowling talent. The amazing schools system is being ignored in favour of finding more raw and less coached talent from the 'sticks'. Why? because over coached and accuracy based bowling is a barrier to fast bowling.


OK, back on point.

Why cant you use your body when you run in hard?

Bowling fast for most people is about running in hard and then the key is body rotation and bringing the hips through.

To do this the left leg has to get out of the way and this creates a situation like bending a ruler back. The hip and the upper body rotates and the upper body strength can be used.

The more of a 'bend' a bowler gets the more the uper body can be used.

If a player struggles to get the upper body into the action it is usually because the body isnt forced to rotate and 'bend' as the feet point in the same direction. (fig 1).

Figs 2,3,4 (Myself, Bond and Akram) show how the feet point in different direction which forces the body to rotate and the upper body and hips twist to allow a massive amount of extra force to be put in the action.






Basically, the only way to get full useage of the upper body is to create the situation where the body and hips have to twist in delivery. This is done by the feet pointing in different directions.

There is no correct placement (as you can see Myself, Bond and Wasim) all have them in different places but the common theme is that they are almost all at close to 90 degrees to each other.
 
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vic_orthdox

Global Moderator
I remember when I was about 13 and bowling pace being coached to have my feet pointing parallel with each other, and also parallel with the crease line. Completely ruined me for half a season.
 

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