Interview with Fast Bowling Guru Ian Pont

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Re: Interview with Fast Bowling Guru Ian Pont

Hi ponty-

How strong are the fast bowlers you have worked with/ work with? Really i mean what numbers do they do in the gym?

Is strength more important for generating pace (with a good action) or is it more important for staying injury free?
 
Re: Interview with Fast Bowling Guru Ian Pont

After reading through this thread I decided to buy Ian's book, looking forward to it arriving, would love to start bowling with some decent pace and accuracy.
 
Re: Interview with Fast Bowling Guru Ian Pont

Since this thread has been conviniently bumped, may I ask if having a high front knee after backfoot impact is important. My leg is in a straight position rather than a bent one, like majority of other bowlers, in the jump, and so the knee does not get high at all because it is not bent.
 
Re: Interview with Fast Bowling Guru Ian Pont

swinger said:
Hi ponty-

How strong are the fast bowlers you have worked with/ work with? Really i mean what numbers do they do in the gym?

Is strength more important for generating pace (with a good action) or is it more important for staying injury free?
Click to expand...

Flexibility, suppleness, timing, co-ordination and rhythm are all far more important than strength. I don't know what 'numbers' fast bowlers do with regard to brench presses or lat pull downs and I don't feel it's very important to be honest.

That's because everyone is different firstly, and secondly you are trying to get a body fit for bowling and not for the beach. Weight training has it's place as part of the overall strategy of a physical regime, but it's not significant in my opinion.

Muscles need to be trained to repeat through a series of movements for bowling so if you MUST go to the gym ensure you work through the range of motions you need to bowl.
 
Re: Interview with Fast Bowling Guru Ian Pont

manee said:
Since this thread has been conviniently bumped, may I ask if having a high front knee after backfoot impact is important. My leg is in a straight position rather than a bent one, like majority of other bowlers, in the jump, and so the knee does not get high at all because it is not bent.
Click to expand...

A high, or raised front knee is a sign that the hips have been engaged and the non-bowling side is set up as a strong base. Bowlers who have low front knees tend to slide through the crease 'unannounced' and lose a bit on the impact of their front foot. Of course it depends on whether you are side on or not, as front on bowlers tend to 'run through' rather than 'plant and drive'.

Brett Lee's front knee is exceptional. The next best to him was Imran Khan. And others have front knees that get above waistline, like Shaun Tait - but there's no point doing this if you lean back when you do it. So make sure if you want to use your front leg that it's driven up and forward to target.

Not using it isn't wrong, it's just that it's an important part of your body to simply lose.
 
Re: Interview with Fast Bowling Guru Ian Pont

Thanks for the advice. I am side on so I will try to work on it. What importance to you give to bracing the front leg? Mine severely bends at the crease.
 
Re: Interview with Fast Bowling Guru Ian Pont

manee said:
Thanks for the advice. I am side on so I will try to work on it. What importance to you give to bracing the front leg? Mine severely bends at the crease.
Click to expand...

A slight bend is fine...any more than that and you will lose a lot of speed by collapsing.

A braced front leg gives you something to 'drive' against and enables your hips to engage on release of the ball. If the front knee is 'soft', like Andy Bichel, then the slight bend takes the speed down. However, you should never have bone problems. But you might have soft tissue injuries instead (ligaments, mucle strains, hamstring etc).

A really badly bend front leg is not good news. All your energy will be going into the ground.
 
Re: Interview with Fast Bowling Guru Ian Pont

Mine is severe and it may be a reason that my pace stays the same even when I increase my run up.

I presume that this is severe:


Do you have any tips on how I might go about straightening it? I have tried holding it straighter after backfoot impact but it still buckles. It is really starting to annoy me, because I know how important it is for pace off the pitch. May a knee support help?
 
Re: Interview with Fast Bowling Guru Ian Pont

Yes, Manee, it's very severe. This will lose you a HUGE amount of pace because your momentum is being diluted into the ground.

Change can only be done without a ball and initially by walking through your action from a few steps. I am currently working with a bowler who has the same thing and we've managed to get him to keep his leg straight now even when jogging through.

It takes time, so don't get frustrated that as soon as you bowl again it will revert back to what you have been doing.

I suggest that getting your front leg straight will revolutionise your bowling. Do walk through drills as suggested above and do as many as you can. I wish you luck...
 
Re: Interview with Fast Bowling Guru Ian Pont

Is it possible that my lack of leg strength prevents me from bracing the leg off the full run up, because it is well and truly naturally braced when I jog in off four or five steps.
 
Those who attended the ECB CA conference this weekend will no doubt be starting to realise the ECB are recognising that what I've been banging on about for years (straight leg, delayed arm etc) are true for increasing pace in fast bowlers. It's taken years of research and involvement of Dr Mark King advising Kevin Shine to "verify what think possibly think might be perhaps it could be but let's do more research" type tentative suggestions at their coaching conference, but we are getting some slight movement towards it.

The Four Tent Pegs have been published/established/shared by coaches like myself and Steffan Jones now for quite a while. Other important position like the drop step, front foot block, pre-turn, stretch reflex and locked out leg - well covered in Spin Magazine and All Out Cricket.

It's grindingly slow progress to move the dinosaur along. But we are gradually starting to see some traction.
 
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