How to improve match ability

[BMG201520]

Hey everyone,

When I train with my club in the nets I bowl great - fast and accurate.

When I play on game day bowling seems unnatural to me and I often bowl wides and no balls, nothing like the way I bowl in the nets. This is very annoying as I know I am capable of bowling so much better.

also on game day the ball feels unnatural sort of sticky I assume this is a psychological thing hindering my progress.

I am a pace bowler (right arm).

Does anyone know how I can improve my game ability so I can bowl better in matches?

Cheers

 

[Daemon]

I've always had the same problem. Not quick but very accurate in the nets and get plenty of away movement. Come match day the run up doesn't feel right, the pitch feels very 'open', the wind is blowing all wrong and my wrist is all over the place.

The only thing I found that seemed to help a little (before I gave up and started keeping anyways) was focusing extra hard at the spot I want to pitch the ball while running in.

 

[BMG201520]

Hi everyone,

Does anyone have any tips to bowl well during cricket matches?

I bowl very well in the nets but sometimes in games I don't bowl great - e.g. wides and full tosses which I never bowl in the nets. It also feels a bit unnatural to me playing on an actual pitch.

I would love to improve my match ability I'm a pace bowler.

I also notice that when I play on a pitch by myself I bowl very well but when in an actual match situation with people watching me I don't perform as well.

I would appreciate any tips you have for me.

Thanks!

 

[Arachnodouche]

I went through this myself as a seamer and honestly, it's just between the ears. Playing in a contained area like in the nets with no real pressure is vastly different from playing on a pitch in the middle of the oval with large empty spaces looming all around you. It's vertigo-inducing almost; it *shouldn't* be because you aren't really doing anything different from a mechanical perspective. I think deep down you either like performing before an audience or you don't; I've known absolute introverts who go up on stage and tear it up and then revert back to their shells afterwards. Butterflies are natural, but what helps is getting that first notch in your belt and knowing you can and have done it before. No real tips for that, I'm afraid, unless you want to go off the beaten path and try meditation or something; just keep drilling the basics and putting yourself out there in uncomfortable situations. It'll come together eventually.

 

[BMG201520]

Thank you! Have you ever felt that you were just tight and the ball sort of felt sticky and unnatural when bowling in games? It just feels a bit unnatural to me and it would be great to perform better come match day like I perform in the nets.

 

[Line and Length]

When I became a bowling coach after I retired from playing I came across a young bowler with a similar problem. We overcame it to an extent by having him focus on the mechanics rather than the situation. He would run in to bowl looking at the ground and only look up during the final couple of strides. This way he was concentrating on his rhythmic approach rather than on the bigger picture. When bowling, it is important that the bowler realises that he is in control while he has the ball in his hand. Don't let the ball and other factors control you. It is you that is control.

 

[BMG201520]

Thanks everyone. I started bowling not that well in games when there was a match where it was quite rainy and the ball was like a sponge. I stuffed up bowling in the wet conditions and that moment sort of haunts me For the rest of my games.

would trying to keep a clear mind and just focusing in the present help me to bowl well as that moment where I bowled bad sort of stays in my mind and makes me thing negatively. I think forgetting this would be key.

thanks!

 

[Arachnodouche]

Thanks everyone. I started bowling not that well in games when there was a match where it was quite rainy and the ball was like a sponge. I stuffed up bowling in the wet conditions and that moment sort of haunts me For the rest of my games.

would trying to keep a clear mind and just focusing in the present help me to bowl well as that moment where I bowled bad sort of stays in my mind and makes me thing negatively. I think forgetting this would be key.

thanks!

Make a conscious effort at meditation, man. It might feel like a waste of time to a young person, but it does teach you to prevent undesirable thoughts from entering your immediate consciousness. Which really is the problem in this situation. Build up to fifteen minutes a day, preferably in the morning as soon as you wake up and perform your ablutions; sit in a silent corner, observe what's coming in and going out of your mind until you're able to reasonably control the content, and ultimately until you can achieve a "blank" state of mind whilst being fully awake.

 

[Midwinter]

Start slower and concentrate on accuracy then increase your speed.

You neeed to have the confidence that the ball is going to go where you want it to before trying to bowl fast

HTH

 

[BMG201520]

Thanks for your help. In some games I bowl quite well when I’m not that stressed or under pressure, for example if our team is really fun and we are having a good time. This means that I don’t have those negative thoughts meaning I bowled well.

so I think it really depends on me having a Positive mindset and enjoying the game so I can keep a clear mind and bowl well. Cheers!

 

[Daemon]

Thank you! Have you ever felt that you were just tight and the ball sort of felt sticky and unnatural when bowling in games? It just feels a bit unnatural to me and it would be great to perform better come match day like I perform in the nets.

All the time, but that was largely because we used crap 50-100 overs old balls in the nets as opposed to a nice proper cherry in games.

I swear I replied to this thread but my answer seems to have disappeared. This happened to me all the time, used to bowl massive wides every game. I found focusing on the spot where I want to pitch the ball and blocking everything else out helped a little. Was a shame because I was a king in the nets.

 

[Dan]

Yeah, if you're only bowling with one of those old, chewed up balls in the nets, I strongly suggest trying to have a crack with a new-ish ball every now and then. Very different feeling - plus it helps to practice controlling swing, if that's factoring into it.

If it's possible, also try to do a bit of practice out on the pitch (even better if you can simulate game situations while doing it(. Nets are super convenient, but pretty bad at actually developing match skills.

I think L&L's hit the nail on the head though - its about making sure you can replicate the bowling-in-the-nets biomechanics in a game situation, which is all about rhythm, process and experience. Try to spend your first over settling into a rhythm without pushing to hard for the miracle ball or extra pace, and build into a spell from there.

The other thing I'd suggest testing out is a standard 'process' that works for you in approaching each ball, and repeating that every time you bowl. If you spend those first few steps of the run up focused on that process, there's a lot less to go wrong once you hit your delivery stride. For example, I always take a breath, turn, and start by hitting my mark with my left foot. Morne Morkel did his little turn thing. Mark Wood used to have that backwards step before springing off. All little 'triggers', I guess, to help improve that consistency and repeatability and remind them that the game situation / crowd / batsman doesn't matter - it's all about them executing the same way they have thousands of times before.

 

[BMG201520]

So does bowling with a new ball make a difference if I always use an old ball in the nets? Do you think not being used to the new ball contributes to my lower match ability?

if so I would have to bowl with the new ball more in the nets. Cheers

 

[BMG201520]

I remember we did a sort of match simulation setup but there was a net behind the batsmen but it was basically a practice game. The ball we used were old and chewed up and I bowled very well.

So I am starting to think that maybe I don't bowl well in proper games as I'm not used to bowling with the new ball during matches which is why it feels unnatural to me?

Has anyone else experienced this where bowling with the new ball is different?

 

[Daemon]

Well yeah, that’s probably part of the problem. It’s all in the head though because mechanically you’re doing next to nothing different with an old vs new ball.

 

[Line and Length]

We were fortunate in that top side's opening bowlers were often given a new ball to bowl in the nets and there were match balls from previous games that were in good condition that others would have access to. The very old, chewed up balls were sometimes used by early arrivals to warm up with but they were generally consigned to fielding practice.

 

[BMG201520]

Thanks for your help everyone!

When bowling do you have any tips to stay in the moment and not get like nervous when bowling in a match.

like would focussing on something else like a Song or something help to keep a clear mind?

does focussing on the pitch spot also help to keep a clear mind?

 

[Line and Length]

Your last point is valid. Just before the delivery stride you should have a clear focus as to the spot on the pitch you want to hit.