SJS
Hall of Fame Member
If you know how it is bowled then you would also know that while bowling this delivery the palm faces the bowler or the direction away from the batsman and the back of the hand faces the batsman.Richard said:
When you extend your arm straight above your head with the palm facing as i just mentioned, you will have your elbow facing the same side as the palm. I hope you are with me so far.
Now try relesing this ball with a straight arm(without flexing the elbow backwards towards yourself and then straightening out towards the batsman). You will find it impossible to get any kind of real momentum on it and next to no work possible on the ball with your fingers. The only way to do that is to provide the omentum by using your elbow as the fulcrum (as against the shoulder in a normal delivery).
I have thought about why that is so. And the only reason I can think of is as under.
In the normal delivery, the arm comes down in a sweep starting much before the arm becomes vertical at the time of delivery and then that motion continues in the follow through. I suspect that because of the way the arm is turned inwards just before delivery, their is a 'check' to the arm swing till that point and then as the arm is twisted inwards its almost a new swing for the arm starting from just before delivery.
This leaves virtually none of the earlier momentum on the ball and fresh impetus has to be provided to propel the ball forward.
Trying to do it just from the wrist would mean using a lever of about five inches which wouldnt provide adequate momentum. On top of that the wrist is also being used, simultaneously, to work on spinning the ball. A longer lever of say 15 inches is provided by using the elbow as the fulcrum.
This provides sufficient energy to the ball as well as the possibility to direct it accurately.
You can go to nets tomorrow and try out what I say and you will have a better idea of what i am saying.
