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How do u bowl leg breaks???

Hit4Six

U19 Debutant
Hey guys i was wondering if there was a particular secret or anything to bowling a leg break? ive been practicing for a few weeks now and it still doesnt seem to working :wacko:
 

GotSpin

Hall of Fame Member
Im a left handed orthodox spinner so I can bowl leg spin to most right handers very easily
 

benchmark00

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IMO the key is if you are a wrist spinner, dont try and spin the ball too much, wrist spinners spin the ball extremely easily, its not hard at all, you encounter problems when you try and rip the ball a mile, when you do that you pull the ball down and it will be a half tracker,lol.... just really focus on pitching the ball in a good area with little spin
 

thierry henry

International Coach
Personally, I bowl them very well. :)

Anyway, although they are very hard to control, I've always felt it was pretty intuitive to bowl leggies, most people can make them spin. In these post-Warne days, everyone tends to have a crack now and then. I don't actually know the way the coaching book tells you to do it, personally I just hold the ball across the seam, and spin the ball as hard as I can from right to left on release. If you can (I really bowl medium pace, so I can), try out the occasional Shahid Afridi quicker ball, and bruise a few thighs.

Oh yeah, and I don't suggest you try to mimic Warne's run-up. For most mere mortals it is easier to actually run in hard to the crease, like MacGill.
 

thierry henry

International Coach
benchmark00 said:
IMO the key is if you are a wrist spinner, dont try and spin the ball too much, wrist spinners spin the ball extremely easily, its not hard at all, you encounter problems when you try and rip the ball a mile, when you do that you pull the ball down and it will be a half tracker,lol.... just really focus on pitching the ball in a good area with little spin
Well, you're not really giving very helpful advice on how to actually spin it, are you :p
 

benchmark00

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thierry henry said:
Oh yeah, and I don't suggest you try to mimic Warne's run-up. For most mere mortals it is easier to actually run in hard to the crease, like MacGill.
hmmm i have to say i disagree with you, i find it easier if your relaxed at the crease and only put energy into your last movement, this way you will reduce the chance of over or under pitching.... personal preference i suppose
 

thierry henry

International Coach
GoT_SpIn said:
Damn those afridi quicker balls are 140 km/h
Really? I thought 130k was more realistic. If he can bowl 140 off a spinners run then why doesn't he bowl pace? Personally I'm only a medium pacer, but find that I can bowl almost as quickly off 2 paces as off 20, so I can bowl the quicker one quite nicely. Chris Gayle does it well also.
 

benchmark00

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thierry henry said:
Well, you're not really giving very helpful advice on how to actually spin it, are you :p
lol the ball spins naturally, its not a big movement, just a little flick i suppose, the areas are the biggest problem
 

James90

Cricketer Of The Year
Malcolm Frankie once told me that it's important to just spin the ball between your hands whenever you can (like Warne at the top of his run)

You want to keep the seam spinning anti-clockwise and facing from mid-wicket to backward point. Just practise a lot. The Shane Warne cricketballs are useful for working out where your fingers go. Key should be the wrist and the fourth finger. Hope that helps
 

thierry henry

International Coach
benchmark00 said:
hmmm i have to say i disagree with you, i find it easier if your relaxed at the crease and only put energy into your last movement, this way you will reduce the chance of over or under pitching.... personal preference i suppose
You must be a real powerhouse then. I would say most people find it a lot easier to a) be accurate, and b) spin the ball, if they actually build up some momentum.
 

benchmark00

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thierry henry said:
You must be a real powerhouse then. I would say most people find it a lot easier to a) be accurate, and b) spin the ball, if they actually build up some momentum.
lol must be just me then, i put all my energy into the delivery stride, with a pretty fast rotation
 

chris.hinton

International Captain
Always give Flight and time

Spin is in the Air Break is off the Pitch

*Knows Marc will be here any time Soon*
 

Josh

International Regular
I'm a medium bowler, but I can be a dangerous leg-spinner in the nets ;) (thinking of becoming a bowler who offers both styles). Anyway... You need to hold the ball pretty loose in your hands. Don't "squeeze" the ball, you need to be relaxed as you come to the wicket, gripping the ball hard will make your body tense up. Then it's just a matter of getting into the delivery position, and having whatever grip you're comfortable with, then a slight rotation of the wrist as you release the ball and it should turn.

I'm sure you'll be able to find a good comprehensive step-by-step guide by running a google search.
 

Hit4Six

U19 Debutant
Josh said:
I'm a medium bowler, but I can be a dangerous leg-spinner in the nets ;) (thinking of becoming a bowler who offers both styles). Anyway... You need to hold the ball pretty loose in your hands. Don't "squeeze" the ball, you need to be relaxed as you come to the wicket, gripping the ball hard will make your body tense up. Then it's just a matter of getting into the delivery position, and having whatever grip you're comfortable with, then a slight rotation of the wrist as you release the ball and it should turn.
QUOTE]

thanks that helps a lot cheers :)
 

SJS

Hall of Fame Member
The big problem with wrist spin is getting the point of release right. If you release too early you will bowl full tosses and if you release too late it will be a long hop. This is difficult to control due to the contortion of the shoulder/arm action as you try to bowl over arm.

Leg spin is much easier to bowl under arm and was the only spin initially. Off spin is easier to bowl over arm and near impossible to bowl under arm without chucking. I am saying this just to emphasise the problem of the touching-the-ear-over-arm delivery. So the best thing to do initially, to gain control is to bowl with a more round arm delivery. This is much easier to control, is less stress ful on the shoulder and the point of release is more easily managed.

Having achieved a degree of competence (control) you should slowly, ever so slowly, straighten the arm while retaining control. This is the best way for young aspiring leg spinners to start. There is no harm in settlingwith a slightly round arm delivery although the more round arm the action, the more difficult it is to disguise the googly but then we are going too far ahead 8-)
 

Jono

Virat Kohli (c)
IMO it's all about the flight. You can't always control the length, sometimes I overpitch and get tonked, sometimes I bowl a half tracker and get tonked. But even these balls can get you wickets if you deceive the batsman in flight.
 

Jono

Virat Kohli (c)
Josh said:
Don't "squeeze" the ball, you need to be relaxed as you come to the wicket, gripping the ball hard will make your body tense up.
Excellent point. If early in my spell I get smashed bowling leggies (usually by a batsman set, or just a top player of spin), I unintentionally start gripping the ball tight attempting to ensure I get the length right. Instead it does the opposite, and I actually lose control on many occasions.
 

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