Wrist Spin Bowling (part Five)

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someblokecalleddave said:
:eek:
Sounds like you need to have a rest then, it sounds like you might be over-doing it with your rotator cuff. Within the context of club cricket, you'd be restricted to a relatively low amount of overs, I know my older son who is 15 can only bowl 5 overs back to back and then has to wait another 10 overs before he can bowl another 5 and that's it. If you damage your rotator cuff, in most cases that's it, it doesn't ever repair 100%, so you need to be aware that you can over-do it and it does sound as though you've over-done it, as that's a classic symptom. I'd probably not bowl now for at least a week.
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oh gosh, I don't think it's anything serious. I'm not in any pain. Just like if you've been to the gym and can't lift so much the next day. I can actually turn my arm over, just not bowl with so much force. I'm not a young person so can be more of a work horse!
 
someblokecalleddave said:
:eek:
Sounds like you need to have a rest then, it sounds like you might be over-doing it with your rotator cuff. Within the context of club cricket, you'd be restricted to a relatively low amount of overs, I know my older son who is 15 can only bowl 5 overs back to back and then has to wait another 10 overs before he can bowl another 5 and that's it. If you damage your rotator cuff, in most cases that's it, it doesn't ever repair 100%, so you need to be aware that you can over-do it and it does sound as though you've over-done it, as that's a classic symptom. I'd probably not bowl now for at least a week.
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I damaged my shoulder by overdoing the seam bowling. I learned a very valuable lesson to not push your shoulder too much.

I was down at the nets yesterday. For a good 30mins my bowling was poor until I realised I wasn't following through fully. That was probably a carry over from the match the previous day. It seems I have a bit of a mental block in matches at the moment. It's quite natural for a bowler to be cautious in a match and I suspect I've been too cautious, especially early on. The problem with that is that you tend to not follow through in your action and try to put the ball there. That just increases the chance of getting it wrong. I'm a bit disappointed that I've done that and that I didn't pick up on it during the match. It even took me 30mins in the nets yesterday to pick up on the fact that I wasn't get through my action. I kept putting the ball on the batter's legs in the nets. Once I corrected it and got through my action the batter was struggling a lot. It went from me kicking the ground in anger to the batter walking off shaking his head and complaining about his batting.
 
boogiespinner said:
oh gosh, I don't think it's anything serious. I'm not in any pain. Just like if you've been to the gym and can't lift so much the next day. I can actually turn my arm over, just not bowl with so much force. I'm not a young person so can be more of a work horse!
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It actually sounds like 'under use' rather than 'over use' boogie! Muscles do not like being tested in this way and much prefer the gradual run up to the season. As you say, DOMS [delayed onset muscle soreness]. A hot bath, a few press ups a day and a good warm up before you try it again should give better results. :D
 
Our tour went well, played 3, won 3, everyone had a bowl and a bat, and I got through 15-20 overs and finally got a bit of rhythm and even a couple of wickets, although I definitely feel more like a batsman who bowls than an all-rounder at the moment. Averaging 150 with the bat and about the same with the ball, lol.
 
SLA said:
Our tour went well, played 3, won 3, everyone had a bowl and a bat, and I got through 15-20 overs and finally got a bit of rhythm and even a couple of wickets, although I definitely feel more like a batsman who bowls than an all-rounder at the moment. Averaging 150 with the bat and about the same with the ball, lol.
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I can only dream of such form!
 
Had a net session tonight! bowled generally pretty well and dominated a couple of decent batsmen, though at times I bowled some real filth. I reckon out of 10 balls, 6 are usually good, and the rest can be anywhere from decent to shite (1/2 tracker wides & full tosses). I think its why I dont get a lookin at the top teams.
I started in the 5th team and am now in the 3rds so I suppose I cant complain.
The problem with bowling filth though it knocks the confidence and gives the batter a lift. Frustrating thing is when I've bowled a clunker I know I've not focused and it feels physically awkward. I am easily distracted and especially when the captains are doing the observation rounds in the nets I can serve up some real dirge.
Anyone got any techniques for clearing and refocusing the mind when under pressure?
 
Billywhizz said:
Had a net session tonight! bowled generally pretty well and dominated a couple of decent batsmen, though at times I bowled some real filth. I reckon out of 10 balls, 6 are usually good, and the rest can be anywhere from decent to shite (1/2 tracker wides & full tosses). I think its why I dont get a lookin at the top teams.
I started in the 5th team and am now in the 3rds so I suppose I cant complain.
The problem with bowling filth though it knocks the confidence and gives the batter a lift. Frustrating thing is when I've bowled a clunker I know I've not focused and it feels physically awkward. I am easily distracted and especially when the captains are doing the observation rounds in the nets I can serve up some real dirge.
Anyone got any techniques for clearing and refocusing the mind when under pressure?
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Yeah this is a problem most of us face and somehow you've got to come up with a way in which you put the 'event' aside and get back to being relaxed. The more you stress about it, the more it'll exacerbate the situation, you'll tense up and just bowl more crap. I know when I first started out, it used to go from bad to worse and then to full-on yips. I think I now try and remind myself that this is just a game and we're not being paid and that it should be fun, but it is hard to get in that head space especially if you know you're being watched or the runs you're conceding are having an impact in the direction the game is headed.
 
I find filming my bowling adds a little bit of pressure. That's because I want to capture good deliveries on video and also the battery runs out quickly, so I don't have long to capture something I can share with the wider world.

You definitely don't want to be thinking about the captains. Think about what you would normally think about, e.g. "what type of delivery should I bowl next" or "I'll pitch the next one a bit fuller, he's trying to cut me here." Then the captain won't be in your thoughts and you're more likely to bowl well. Easier said than done, I know. But seriously, sod the captains. They are the equivalent of lead singers, always wanting the attention. Don't give the egomaniacs the satisfaction! Make them notice you, not the other way round.

What you should always comfort yourself with is that if you're bowling well you have the psychological upper hand over the majority of batsmen, who don't like facing spin.
 
"I think I now try and remind myself that this is just a game and we're not being paid and that it should be fun"

Good call Dave I'll try to remember that one.


Darth Spin said:
I find filming my bowling adds a little bit of pressure. That's because I want to capture good deliveries on video and also the battery runs out quickly, so I don't have long to capture something I can share with the wider world.

You definitely don't want to be thinking about the captains. Think about what you would normally think about, e.g. "what type of delivery should I bowl next" or "I'll pitch the next one a bit fuller, he's trying to cut me here." Then the captain won't be in your thoughts and you're more likely to bowl well. Easier said than done, I know. But seriously, sod the captains. They are the equivalent of lead singers, always wanting the attention. Don't give the egomaniacs the satisfaction! Make them notice you, not the other way round.

What you should always comfort yourself with is that if you're bowling well you have the psychological upper hand over the majority of batsmen, who don't like facing spin.
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Nice one Darth! simple yet sound advice. Maybe I'm just paranoid but, I always get the 2nd team captain out in the nets no problem which he is not happy about, and am sure he tries to put me off with pointing and headshaking standing at the back of the nets. Anyway cheers lads I'll try some of those ideas.
 
Really, there's only two ways you can be positive and confident under pressure. One way is through sheer arrogance where believe you are a better bowler than you are. That can actually work. The problem with that is that when it falters, it falters badly. The other way is really the only way to have confidence and that is make your action mechanical and repeatable. You have to make it something that you can do without thinking because out in the middle you can't think about your action (or, at least, you can't think too much about it). To do that, you just have put the hours in down at the nets. Sounds like you need to do more work if you are about 60% accurate at the moment.

I try to get down to the nets as often as possible (usually 4 or 5 days a week) and do the best part of an hours bowling each time and I've been doing that for years.
 
Yep, Clean Prophet is right. Practice all week until you're happy with all of your variations (or your stock ball if that's what you bowl) and then dazzle them in the nets.

As for the 2nd team captain, there is nothing worse than someone who thinks they know it all commenting on every delivery. Just try and ignore him and stay away from whichever lane he's in. If he comes looking act all cool, like Chewbacca flying a stolen Imperial Shuttle, and pretend he isn't there.
 
Billywhizz said:
Anyone got any techniques for clearing and refocusing the mind when under pressure?
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Meditation practice - I do half an hour sitting meditation daily. If I stop doing it, after a while I remember why it is I do it.

In fact you can make your net practice a form of meditation. If so you might avoid talking unnecessarily to people. Just as someone might focus on a mantra, or a flame during sitting meditation, just focus on your bowling. Very simple!
 
Tbh, I just tend to think:

I love cricket, I wait all f**king winter for summer to come around again, and I get seriously pissed off anytime a game is cancelled so I'm damn well going to enjoy every single game. I'd rather bowl 10 overs for 200 runs than be doing anything else other than cricket, so where's the stress? Its win-win. If I do well, I'm playing cricket. If I do rubbish, so what? I'm playing cricket. Life is good.
 
Yeah, putting the game in focus is biggie. I read a very interesting article by Ed Smith recently where he mentioned a former English batter in the 90's (probably the best he said - he didn't name the player for obvious reasons) used a technique for putting the into focus that was extreme. Just before he went out to bat he used to pretend that he had just received a phone call telling him that his kids had just been involved in a plane crash! It would leave him unconcerned about getting out. As I say, very extreme and all his team mates joked he was sick.

I wouldn't advise thinking that your family have been wiped out in a plane crash ;) .

But you could do with putting things into perspective. Remind yourself that it's just a game of club cricket and it's about enjoying yourself, just as SLA says.

Might be worth having a routine or mantra before you bowl each ball. It's not just about having a mechanical and repeatable action but try to make everything you do just before you run up to the crease the same also. Warne would repeat "think high, spin up" to himself etc.
 
Went and had a practice today bowling off 3/4 length of the pitch, outdoor nets. Rainy conditions. My problem has been the wrist action, unfurling far too early.

My breakthrough today was finding that I could bowl, if roundarm, a heavily spinning 'flying saucer' ball spinning anti-clockwise as viewed from above. Now my problem is that I've been bowling clockwise flying saucers the other way when trying to bowl a legbreak. So, the square legbreak was somewhere between the two. I was getting it, it was going all over the place, but spinning hard and bouncing with life off the pitch. In fact turning more than the googly :) I've got something to work with. It's not going to be ready for Sunday, I'll probably bowl seam up - if my arm can take it (I did overdo things a bit last week).
 
Cleanprophet said:
Just before he went out to bat he used to pretend that he had just received a phone call telling him that his kids had just been involved in a plane crash! It would leave him unconcerned about getting out. As I say, very extreme and all his team mates joked he was sick.
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If you can overcome the fear of death, then you can truly live!
 
Bowled yesterday as the captain and did really well. We lost the game see the full account below. Bowling against a pretty well set batsman and having 5 under age players I came away with 6-1-32-1. bringing my total to 14-1-61-3 after 3 games. I've not been thinking about the bowling too much and just bowling with an action that feels comfortable. One of the key things I have to keep reminding myself is to have a stupidly loose grip and to get up on my toes more if I want it to spin more and that in itself seems to give me a decent controllable variation. At the moment I'm keeping it dead simple - one that turns a bit and another that turns a lot more. Fingers crossed it keeps going as well as it is.

http://www.mpafirsteleven.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/b-4th-xi-v-billericay-4th-xi-langdon.html
 
Excellent stuff Dave, congrats! Keep doing the same things!

I had my first match of the season today. From 40 overs we set them 188, which was pretty good as boundaries were few and far between due to a very slow outfield. I batted at 11 and got a big fat duck.

Our opening seamers did really well and they were something like 20-1 from the first 10 overs. I then had a six over spell and came away with 6-1-24-1. Very happy with economy. Bowled a bit short in the first few overs before getting their number 3 and top scorer (37) trapped lbw with a full leg break. My wrong un has kind of gone off a bit since I've been concentrating on improving the leg break, so I only bowled two and the first was a full toss down the leg side. Luckily it didn't go for four. The flipper is a more consistent variation for me at the moment so I bowled a few of them. One was really close to getting through but took an inside edge.

The last over was the maiden by which time I had my line, length and turn properly nailed down and was bowling confidently. There was an easy catch dropped at point but I'm always happy as long as I come away with at least one wicket and it's always nice to get the first wicket of the season out of the way.

I took one easy catch at mid wicket. We won the game comfortably in the end.
 
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