Spinning The Ball

[TomBowler97]

Hi Guys,
I'm abit concerned about how much I am spinning the ball, or more importantly why I am not. In recent weeks I have been promoted up the teams, and so it is a higher level and I become more nervous, I am nervous of dragging the ball down so I don't really rip it hard, and when I do try to give the ball a bit of flight, it seems to end up more as a low half stump full toss.

Also, When the ball lands right, it turns from around middle and off to beat off, but I know before I have turned it from outside leg to beat off before. Yesterday I batted against a leggie who was turning it and bouncing out from outside leg to off and he was a handful, but then the rain came for our bowling innings and I found myself bowling with a wet absorbed ball, could this be why I wasn't spinning it as much? I was attempting to spin the ball a lot, so was the rain on the wicket and the ball or was he just turning it more on the day? Because normally I do turn the ball more than I did yesterday, so I'm hoping it was the wicket and ball after the poor weather. So whats your opinions on these two topics.

Thanks,
Tom.

 

[TomBowler97]

Have you been flicking a ball from hand to hand regularly? I'd recommend doing this as often as you can. Maybe the problem lies in the strength of your fingers or wrist and this will help to condition them so you can spin the ball more.
It could also be that you are putting too much overspin on the ball to get proper turn. Just check your seam position to make sure.
I've had a very similar problem. Try to relax in the game and rip the ball to an area more or less bail height with the aim of dipping it down; that way you'll land it on a full length by spinning it up, bowling with energy forwards and you can attempt to generate maximum spin on the ball.
Rain is the worst enemy of most leg spinners I think. I can hardly spin a wet ball at all and end up bowling rather weak little leg breaks that don't drift or turn enough to scare anyone. It's a common problem. There isn't really any advice I can give you for this because I am still searching for a solution myself.
Maybe you should take a break and bowl on your own and then reflect on what you think the problem might be and how you are going to solve it?

Hi Chino thankyou for your feedback. I dont really spin the ball from hand to hand at all, unless its a couple of warm up flicks before my first over. I'll definitely start doing that. Shane Warne got the results he got from his hard work, but also being a bulkier kind of build with strong shoulders and wrists, whereas I am a skinny build with skinny fingers and wrists. Thinking about what you said, I have recently been getting more topspin, than sidespin. I used to land it at a perfect angle for both turn and bounce, but now the seem is only slightly more tilted than what it would be if I was bowling a topspinner. I don't know how to change this? If the two photos posted correctly, the one with a better sidespin position was what I used to be bowling, and the other one which is more like topspin, is what has been coming out the last two weeks or so. Also, the other image is more release point of my action, what is your opinion on that?

 

[someblokecalleddave]

Hi Guys,
I'm abit concerned about how much I am spinning the ball, or more importantly why I am not. In recent weeks I have been promoted up the teams, and so it is a higher level and I become more nervous, I am nervous of dragging the ball down so I don't really rip it hard, and when I do try to give the ball a bit of flight, it seems to end up more as a low half stump full toss.

Also, When the ball lands right, it turns from around middle and off to beat off, but I know before I have turned it from outside leg to beat off before. Yesterday I batted against a leggie who was turning it and bouncing out from outside leg to off and he was a handful, but then the rain came for our bowling innings and I found myself bowling with a wet absorbed ball, could this be why I wasn't spinning it as much? I was attempting to spin the ball a lot, so was the rain on the wicket and the ball or was he just turning it more on the day? Because normally I do turn the ball more than I did yesterday, so I'm hoping it was the wicket and ball after the poor weather. So whats your opinions on these two topics.

Thanks,
Tom.

Tom, it sounds like you're not practicing enough if you're wondering whether you're able to spin the ball on the basis of this one game? How was you spinning it in the days and weeks running up to this game? That's where you'd know if you're spinning it hard or not? What do you do to ascertain whether you're spinning the ball when you practice - what's your practice drill? I'm just working on some ideas and illustrations for this just now to add to my leg break pages on my main blog... http://mpafirsteleven.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/wrist-spin-bowling-leg-break.html

 

[TomBowler97]

Tom, it sounds like you're not practicing enough if you're wondering whether you're able to spin the ball on the basis of this one game? How was you spinning it in the days and weeks running up to this game? That's where you'd know if you're spinning it hard or not? What do you do to ascertain whether you're spinning the ball when you practice - what's your practice drill? I'm just working on some ideas and illustrations for this just now to add to my leg break pages on my main blog... http://mpafirsteleven.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/wrist-spin-bowling-leg-break.html

I practice once a week and normally play twice a week, every saturday but not every sunday as I have my A level exams coming up soon and my work commitments take it out of the equation. The thing is when I do practice it is in nets and they don't spin a great deal for anyone but they do bounce a lot. I have been spinning it a lot last season and over the winter months, the only time I bowl on a wicket is in games, and most of the time, at home, its a slow pitch and with barely any bounce, it benefits seamers but not really spinners. I don't have a practice drill, it's normally just bowling.

Also what do you reckon to the pictures Dave? Can you get jist of what my wrist position is for the ball to be coming out that way? Also do you think my arm is too high? Shane Warne advises that the arm be not too high and preferably at 45 degrees.
Thanks,
Tom

 

[someblokecalleddave]

I practice once a week and normally play twice a week, every saturday but not every sunday as I have my A level exams coming up soon and my work commitments take it out of the equation. The thing is when I do practice it is in nets and they don't spin a great deal for anyone but they do bounce a lot. I have been spinning it a lot last season and over the winter months, the only time I bowl on a wicket is in games, and most of the time, at home, its a slow pitch and with barely any bounce, it benefits seamers but not really spinners. I don't have a practice drill, it's normally just bowling.

Also what do you reckon to the pictures Dave? Can you get jist of what my wrist position is for the ball to be coming out that way? Also do you think my arm is too high? Shane Warne advises that the arm be not too high and preferably at 45 degrees.
Thanks,
Tom

Tom - that's pretty much the same a me with regards the arm, it tends to give you a bit more over-spin and helps if you have a Googly and a top-spinner. Since last summer I've been bowling (practice) with my arm lower as a variation, what tends to happen is a little more turn, but much lower, skiddier bounce which is definitely useful. I'm working on it now to try and have it ready for the season.

With regards your wrist position, there's a number of things you can do. No.1 as Chino suggested spin and flick the ball, or anything from hand to hand all the time, it'll get on everyone's nerves, but it's what you've got to do. When you do it change your wrist position and get a feel for how your wrist feels in those positions. If you're bowling with more top spin and you're aware of it, I'd see that as a positive, because you may only have to do something very simple like cock your wrist a little more and you may get your 45 degree leg break back. Then you're have a leg break with a sub variation, which can only be good. Try and be aware of the feel of your top-spinning leggie, because turning the wrist a little more or 'Un-cocking it' in some way, may give you a pure top-spinner which is a really useful.

 

[TomBowler97]

Tom - that's pretty much the same a me with regards the arm, it tends to give you a bit more over-spin and helps if you have a Googly and a top-spinner. Since last summer I've been bowling (practice) with my arm lower as a variation, what tends to happen is a little more turn, but much lower, skiddier bounce which is definitely useful. I'm working on it now to try and have it ready for the season.

With regards your wrist position, there's a number of things you can do. No.1 as Chino suggested spin and flick the ball, or anything from hand to hand all the time, it'll get on everyone's nerves, but it's what you've got to do. When you do it change your wrist position and get a feel for how your wrist feels in those positions. If you're bowling with more top spin and you're aware of it, I'd see that as a positive, because you may only have to do something very simple like cock your wrist a little more and you may get your 45 degree leg break back. Then you're have a leg break with a sub variation, which can only be good. Try and be aware of the feel of your top-spinning leggie, because turning the wrist a little more or 'Un-cocking it' in some way, may give you a pure top-spinner which is a really useful.

Thanks Dave, that is really useful. I had took Chino's advice on board and have done 100 hand to hand flicks, 80 leg spinners, 10 googlies and 10 top spinners. I have another question, which I don't really know if it is important or not, but watching some Warnie videos I see he sometimes has a cocked wrist at his hip where the back of the hand is facing the leg side, and sometimes the back of the hand is facing the straight drive region, again at the hip. I personally do it with the back facing the leg side, I don't know if this matters with getting your wrist position correct for a leg spinner.

I have also found my ' The Art of Wrist Spin Bowling' by Peter Philpott book, so I will be giving it a read over the nights until I have finished and see what I can pick up, I haven't read it in a good year so it should be an interesting read.

 

[someblokecalleddave]

Thanks Dave, that is really useful. I had took Chino's advice on board and have done 100 hand to hand flicks, 80 leg spinners, 10 googlies and 10 top spinners. I have another question, which I don't really know if it is important or not, but watching some Warnie videos I see he sometimes has a cocked wrist at his hip where the back of the hand is facing the leg side, and sometimes the back of the hand is facing the straight drive region, again at the hip. I personally do it with the back facing the leg side, I don't know if this matters with getting your wrist position correct for a leg spinner.

You can only try, I'm guessing you're talking about as he approaches the crease in readiness to bowl? I wouldn't read too much into it, but it's worth trying as it may bring about some kind of change that is useful?

 

[TomBowler97]

You can only try, I'm guessing you're talking about as he approaches the crease in readiness to bowl? I wouldn't read too much into it, but it's worth trying as it may bring about some kind of change that is useful?

Yep that is what I am talking about. I have nets tomorrow so I will be seeing about the lower arm as a variation and also different wrist positions. Watching Warnie videos help because I based my action on him, from what I can tell he gets so much revs on the ball due to a very strong wrist flick, I mainly use my fingers to I will be trying to use my wrist a bit more. I wont change too much as I do not want to over complicate things, but I will definitely be giving it a go.

 

[Kiri]

Do you usually turn the ball a good distance? If so, I wouldn't worry given the wicket was moist so it might of made the ball harder to grip.

 

[boogiespinner]

Congratulations on being promoted! You have to not let it affect your approach. You got promoted because you were bowling good stuff. Keep the confidence to spin it hard. You are going to get hit occasionally, that's fine. Enjoy the challenge.

 

[boogiespinner]

You should be doing plenty of practice spinning the ball from hand-to-hand. It's easy to go outside and just practice that and there is so much to learn from spinning it with different wrist/arm motions. tbh, I do it indoors quite a lot but I shouldn't really because there's always a risk it might fly out and hit my laptop or something.