Side arm

[jonathanfs]

okay ive recently purchaseda sidearm pro i thought they looked pretty good i spent 10 mins in the garden chucking out tennis balls i seemed to be pitching them halfway dow the track and at an so they started well outside off and got wider going towards 3rd slip. the tennis balls were slightly loose dont know if this matters. also can is use incrediballs and kids cricket balls in them.
also any tips on how to perfect my action throwing it as in wrist and arm action e.g should i flick it and stop or follow all the way through ???
and is the pro suitable for kids unders 13s and 11s to face it.
thanks

[Burgey]

Just practice with it using cricket balls mate. When I bought one the bloke told me to have a throw in the shop and bet me the first one would be a half tracker. He was right. Once you get used to them they're a pretty handy training aid. Saves a lost of stress on the shoulder when you're throwing down hundreds of practice balls to kids. Takes a while to get used to it, but I certainly think it's worth persisting with.

[Neil Pickup]

Yeah, every time someone uses it for the first time they end up banging it into their own ankles, and shanking it over to third slip in the process. Get used to it, though, and it really saves you energy in terms of repeat throws/feeds. All about getting used to the snap of the wrist at release. Try it side-arm or under-arm, too, for fielding drills to get kids practice in getting behind the line of fast-moving balls.

The side-arm pro is very powerful (used it for the first time in months on Exmouth beach last summer, thought process went "crap, that's going over everyone, crap, that's going over the sea wall, crap, that's going to hit someone on the promenade, crap, that's going into the car park, thank god that was my car, better aim outwards next time). Whether it suits U11s & U13s will depend on how good the U11s and U13s are... if, like me, you're working with District/County level players, then they'll be fine. If they're being left at a club practice night so you can be a cut-price babysitter, they'll get hurt.

[The Coach]

Its all a matter of practice - but we coaches knew that already anyway [didn't we?].

I've had one a couple of years now, here's my experiences:
Yes it works with incrediballs
Yes it works with bola balls
Proper cricket balls are best
No it won't work with junior or ladies sized balls
If you use it backwards [for the slower ball - takes a lot more practice] paint the back of the side-arm ball socket with red-oxide paint as the better players [who watch the ball properly / closely] see the white and know the slower ball is coming.
It will swing a decent ball
Spin is less pronounced - esp on artificial surfaces

I tested it out on a radar and none of the club u14 or u15 bowlers could match it for mph !!
So use with capable players only.