Am i too thin?

phil2oo8

Member
Am i too thin?

Right,
I'm 6ft 3 and weigh a little over 12 stone at 16 yrs old. is that too thin?

Everyone say's that if i was bigger i'd be faster, and including i can bowl in high 60's-low 70s (got clocked at my winter coaching), i wouldnt mind an easy way to be quicker.
Also i seem to get a few niggly injuries around my groin, hip, lower back and right knee, could any of these be contributed to being thin?
 
Re: Am i too thin?

phil2oo8;353376 said:
Right,
I'm 6ft 3 and weigh a little over 12 stone at 16 yrs old. is that too thin?

I have scrubbed out so many replies to this question... sorry Phil, still can't come up with an answer you want to hear :rolleyes:

phil2oo8;353376 said:
Everyone say's that if i was bigger i'd be faster, and including i can bowl in high 60's-low 70s (got clocked at my winter coaching), i wouldnt mind an easy way to be quicker.

There is no easy way to do anything.. it's all about graft ;)

phil2oo8;353376 said:
Also i seem to get a few niggly injuries around my groin, hip, lower back and right knee, could any of these be contributed to being thin?

Don't worry about your size; you will fill out all too soon and then wished you were thin again. However, if you are an ectomorph, you are an ectomorph... sorry, nothing you can do about it.

Your niggles are probably caused by your technique, which is probably limiting your pace too.

There is a lot you can do to improve Phil but you must work with what you have.
 
Re: Am i too thin?

I know same old story, eat proper etc etc,,,,,,

My back isn't too bad tbh it just gets stiff after games and it seems to be taking a few days longer to get loose again but if i started streching it proper and warming it down it could help the recovery time.

It's my left hip and groin that hurts but i do slam down fairly hard when i land so at the moment i'll use that as my excuse for that side, my right knee i can't think of a reason about and thats the sorest, but c'est la vie.

I've just finished school for summer so i intend to live in the gym for next 3 months before i need go college.
 
Re: Am i too thin?

Your left hip and groin issues are probably caused by the way you rotate your hip laterally at the point of landing. When you consider the force, which is 6x your body weight, you really are not doing it any favours. As you land, try to keep your left foot parellel to the wicket.

As for your right knee, that leg flick will not do it any good; you swivel on the foot just prior to lifting it, this puts huge stress on the knee ligaments. You really do need to drive that hip forward; kicking the foot parellel to the wicket [again], this takes the rotation out of the knee. Can you specify the point of 'soreness'?
 
Re: Am i too thin?

its only when i first start walkin or running then it eases off. Its like (for me lookin down) the left soft bit on my right knee, but it can be the right hand side soft bit occasionally,,, it will sometimes click aswell before it starts hurting but thats not often. My coach says i can do that 3 point knee drive now which is why i discounted that but i dont' know.
 
Re: Am i too thin?

I don't like the sound of the 'click' :( Can you clarify what you mean by 'soft bit' of the knee. Do you mean behind the knee?
 
Re: Am i too thin?

to the sides of the knee cap, i'm crap at description but if you bend ur knee so ur foot is close to ur arse the soft bit either side of the knee cap is were it hurts. My coach said if i was older he'd say it was cartilage but he thinks im to young for that.
 
Re: Am i too thin?

Sorry Phil, still not specific enough for me to give a decent diagnosis. Either way; it is not good.

The 'clicking' indicates a meniscus tear and no, you are not too young. I am afraid your technique indicates a meniscus tear too.

Either draw the area on your knee, take a photo and post it or go to your GP and ask to be referred for an MRI scan.

If it is a tear [and I cannot be sure with the information I have... and probably still could not be sure without the scan], continuing to bowl the way you do will only exacerbate the issue. The knee is not designed to rotate the way you are rotating it, especially with the force you are exerting at the time :(

Whatever it turns out to be, you need to get it sorted... and soon. Speak to your parents.
 
Re: Am i too thin?

phil2oo8;353376 said:
Right,
I'm 6ft 3 and weigh a little over 12 stone at 16 yrs old. is that too thin?

Everyone say's that if i was bigger i'd be faster, and including i can bowl in high 60's-low 70s (got clocked at my winter coaching), i wouldnt mind an easy way to be quicker.
Also i seem to get a few niggly injuries around my groin, hip, lower back and right knee, could any of these be contributed to being thin?

To go back to the original question, Liz is right there are a number of social, psychological and medical issues around the phrase "too thin".

I'll approach it from a cricketing angle but body image is an important factor for everyone these days and must not be ignored.

That said, as long as you are healthy there is no such thing as "too thin" in cricketing terms. Bigger does not always mean faster.

Body mass is made up essentially of organs, bones, muscles, water and fat. The interesting 2 in cricket are muscle and fat. In fast bowling terms you want fast, efficient muscles and low body fat.

But "fast and efficient" does not mean "big" when it comes to muscle size. An increase in muscle size is a side effect of good cricket training, not the aim. Cricketers are not bodybuilders and are best not to train like them.

The take home point is this: There is no need to train to be bigger to be a fast bowler. That won't make you much faster anyway. However, it is important to train to be fast, coordinated, flexible, athletic and strong. Train like this and you will get bigger anyway (but not so big as to prevent you from bowling at your best).
 
Re: Am i too thin?

Absolutely!

However, let's take the 'body image' angle for a split second...

...with a BMI of a little over 22, you are in the top half of normal.

Back to cricket, [mainly because I don't work with BMI] if you were much heavier, your niggles would be full blown injuries.

If I had a pound for every 5'9" - 6', well built guy who has said "I will never be a fast bowler because I'm not tall enough", I could retire ;).
 
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