Wrist Spin Bowling (part Five)

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Something I think that's working for me and improving my bowling is that when I'm in the nets, instead of picking up the balls at the batsman's end (I have a bag of about 20 balls) after bowling them all instead I have developed the habit, especially if all the other lanes are empty (three lane net), of bowling them all back off a one step run up back to the bowler's end of the net. I think this is working better for me than the standing start drill, which I find a bit tiresome. With a one step run/bound I have a bit of energy to bowl the balls back to the other end, and it kind of feels like practicing a golf swing to me (I don't play golf, haha). It's helping me get into a good sideways position and move my bowling arm over fluidly and I'm back to feeling good and confident, really enjoying the nets again.
 
Darth Spin said:
Something I think that's working for me and improving my bowling is that when I'm in the nets, instead of picking up the balls at the batsman's end (I have a bag of about 20 balls) after bowling them all instead I have developed the habit, especially if all the other lanes are empty (three lane net), of bowling them all back off a one step run up back to the bowler's end of the net. I think this is working better for me than the standing start drill, which I find a bit tiresome. With a one step run/bound I have a bit of energy to bowl the balls back to the other end, and it kind of feels like practicing a golf swing to me (I don't play golf, haha). It's helping me get into a good sideways position and move my bowling arm over fluidly and I'm back to feeling good and confident, really enjoying the nets again.
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Ye, nets can be very enjoyable when the balls coming out well. Do you worry about bracing the front leg when bowling btw?
 
Leggy88 said:
Ye, nets can be very enjoyable when the balls coming out well. Do you worry about bracing the front leg when bowling btw?
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I don't worry about bracing it but sometimes I think I get my alignment wrong and the footwork I think is really important to get in the right position. I am trying to get mine relaxed and repeatable, then explode and rotate as the bowling arm comes over.
 
Leggy88 said:
Ye, nets can be very enjoyable when the balls coming out well. Do you worry about bracing the front leg when bowling btw?
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I've probably said on here already, but I bowled for years trying to develop the perfect run up and bowling action, but it wasn't till I simplified everything and stopped worrying about all that and just bowled that it came together. But on your point with the braced leg, that is one of the aspects of the bowling action that is pretty much seen as one of the ways to get more action on the ball combined with getting up on your toes. I kind of use it as a variation. If I just bowl with my normal 'Just do it' action everything is fine, the ball spins and turns off the surface, but if I brace my front leg and get up on the toes that makes a significant difference... more dip, more spin and far more turn off the surface.
 
SomeblokecalledDave. said:
I've probably said on here already, but I bowled for years trying to develop the perfect run up and bowling action, but it wasn't till I simplified everything and stopped worrying about all that and just bowled that it came together. But on your point with the braced leg, that is one of the aspects of the bowling action that is pretty much seen as one of the ways to get more action on the ball combined with getting up on your toes. I kind of use it as a variation. If I just bowl with my normal 'Just do it' action everything is fine, the ball spins and turns off the surface, but if I brace my front leg and get up on the toes that makes a significant difference... more dip, more spin and far more turn off the surface.
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Do you find you have to sort of step across yourself to get that braced action with the extra oomph on the delivery? That's what it feels like to me. With the front foot pointing towards fine leg.
 
Darth Spin said:
Do you find you have to sort of step across yourself to get that braced action with the extra oomph on the delivery? That's what it feels like to me. With the front foot pointing towards fine leg.
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I couldn't tell you, I just bowl. The only thing I focus on, or worry about is where I want the ball to land and this bracing the leg and getting up on the toes is one of only a handful of potential over-complications that I add.
 
Leggy88 said:
I'm the same, although towards the end of last season I've used the plan of 'a couple slower ones and then a faster one for the LBW' or the opposite way. Really awesome when it comes off.

I'm in preseason right now, doing the final prep for the season starting in October. Hoping to get a reliable wrong'un by then and improve my leg spinner, particularly accuracy, dip and spin.

Also, I was training in an indoor net which had a speed gun a couple months ago, and reached a pace of 73kmh on a normal paced delivery. IS this a good pace you reckon?
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In English that's 45mph, which I'd say for a club players is a good speed, especially if you're managing to put revs on the ball and getting it to turn off the surface. I draw inspiration from Scotland's Majid Huq who's taken some big name wickets bowling under 40mph, he's been recorded as bowling sub 35mph. I reckon I bowl 40mph and with an effort ball (Flipper) I might get it up to 45mph. I'm quite a fit old bloke 5'10" but I'm in awe at these tiny girls who play in the National side here in England and in the Hundred comp who are bowling off-spin at 55-60 mph off a short run-up!
 
I'm guessing we're all right-hand bowlers active here at the moment? What do you do about Left-handers - what tactics do you go for and what sort of fields do you set? I'm assuming you try and bowl from the end that gives the RH bat the biggest boundary to play leg-side to? So that leaves any decent lefties the smaller boundary.
 
Yes Dave, I am a right arm bowler. I had trouble against a lefty but he failed to put away the bad balls, I got lucky and I finished with figures of 10 runs for 2 wickets in that game. I went over the wicket and was satisfied to contain him to not scoring because I had two wickets under my belt when he came to the crease. I did bowl a couple of decent balls from over the wicket at him.

Anyway the punchline is that i will be brave and bowl around the wicket the next time it happens, surely that is the more attacking option with the enhanced percentage of a stock ball going through the gate.

I have been practicing going around the wicket in the nets, trying to bowl the Strauss ball with one that pitches well outside the left hander's off stump, cuts across and hits leg. I find this is a fairly natural thing to achieve, obviously not with the outrageous turn of the Strauss ball but something approximating it is very doable.
 
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Darth Spin said:
Yes Dave, I am a right arm bowler. I had trouble against a lefty but he failed to put away the bad balls, I got lucky and I finished with figures of 10 runs for 2 wickets in that game. I went over the wicket and was satisfied to contain him to not scoring because I had two wickets under my belt when he came to the crease. I did bowl a couple of decent balls from over the wicket at him.

Anyway the punchline is that i will be brave and bowl around the wicket the next time it happens, surely that is the more attacking option with the enhanced percentage of a stock ball going through the gate.

I have been practicing going around the wicket in the nets, trying to bowl the Strauss ball with one that pitches well outside the left hander's off stump, cuts across and hits leg. I find this is a fairly natural thing to achieve, obviously not with the outrageous turn of the Strauss ball but something approximating it is very doable.
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I've never done well against them historically. Yeah your description is kind of how it should work, so in your scenario what field would you set and what shots are your trying to encourage them to play, would you leave a bit gap in the covers to encourage the aggressive drive?
 
SomeblokecalledDave. said:
I've never done well against them historically. Yeah your description is kind of how it should work, so in your scenario what field would you set and what shots are your trying to encourage them to play, would you leave a bit gap in the covers to encourage the aggressive drive?
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To be honest I never really think about the field that deeply but for going around the wicket I would want extra protection on the offside, I would have a long off and then bring him in shorter if I thought I was winning the battle and I'd have a deep square leg for the bad balls that drop short or turn down his leg side.

I've bowled 100 overs, I think I've adjusted my own field about twice. I usually leave it to my captain, maybe I should be more assertive but I have no complaints with the standard of field I've been given, some great catches have been taken.
 
One thing I might do is to ask the captain to field at slip, he's a top fielder and some chances have gone begging in that area. I want someone ninja in there.

How I think about fielding is I basically want the best catchers in areas where chances are created, that's behind the wicket, cover and mid on/mid off or long on/long off for the big alpha flashy drivers.
 
Darth Spin said:
Do you find you have to sort of step across yourself to get that braced action with the extra oomph on the delivery? That's what it feels like to me. With the front foot pointing towards fine leg.
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Yep, thats what I do, my left foot is like way across my right foot if that makes sense.
 
SomeblokecalledDave. said:
I'm guessing we're all right-hand bowlers active here at the moment? What do you do about Left-handers - what tactics do you go for and what sort of fields do you set? I'm assuming you try and bowl from the end that gives the RH bat the biggest boundary to play leg-side to? So that leaves any decent lefties the smaller boundary.
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My captain always gives me the end which I am lucky enough to choose before the game which I think gives me the greatest chance of landing it in the 'rough' or a few cracks.

Since my team doesn't really have much out and out wicket takers in the pace stocks I'm usually given a crack early on, which I think is what a leg spinner should be given. Although with this the rough hasn't been given much time to be accentuated by the opening bowlers.
 
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Darth Spin said:
One thing I might do is to ask the captain to field at slip, he's a top fielder and some chances have gone begging in that area. I want someone ninja in there.

How I think about fielding is I basically want the best catchers in areas where chances are created, that's behind the wicket, cover and mid on/mid off or long on/long off for the big alpha flashy drivers.
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For some reason out of my 50 odd leg spin wickets so far, only 2 have been caught at slip, with maybe another 2 dropped at slip. So its weird, I don't generally get batters nicking to the slips. Usually my methods of dismissal are either bowled, lbw to a faster one or caught at third man/short cover to one that might turn and bounce a bit more.

Despite this, the staple positions I have in the field no matter what when I am bowling are: first slip, third man, short cover, and point.

I think I might film my bowling from a couple different angles in a couple weeks and send it here to see what you lads think.
 
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