Not such a good practice today. I didn't get over onto the field till much later in the day and I had my boys with me so we were using the plastic balls and doing a range of different things, bowling, batting and catching so I wasn't able to focus in the same way that I would normally do. Towards the end I settled down a bit and started to concentrate more.
Again I was looking at trying different things with the fingers, spreading them wider and having them closer, having the ball in the palm more - things like that. Towards the end of the session I found that the 2 fingers down seem to be very important. I've often noticed since I started trying to bowl the leg break that when I drag the ball down it does seem to spin more and it's apparent that part of the reason the ball was dragged down was that the ball feels as though it gets stuck to the 2 fingers down or rather these drag across the ball in the wrong way. But it's these fingers that I reckon are instrumental in my case in getting the ball to spin in the right direction. I can bowl Top Spinners and it's exactly these fingers that impart the spin, the 2 up fingers only seem to guide the ball. So today bowling straight balls at the end of the session I paid more attention to the placing of these down fingers. It looks as though I get a lot more spin on the ball if I spread the 2 down fingers and have then very definitely apart and on the seam. I've just looked at the Shane Warne/Mark Nicholas video on youtube again http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=kfZgFi9Q9gc and looking at the close up of his release on the Leg Break it's very different in comparison to mine, to his delivery/release has the back of the hand facing him. The closest resemblence to my Leg Break is his slider, which if you watch the clip does turn like a mini leg break. But the interesting thing with his Leg Break is the 2 down fingers are very much the last thing on the ball and you can see that the mechanics of the action suggest as I suspected that it's these fingers that primarily putting the spin on the ball.
So that puts a spanner in the works a bit, as I would imagine that if I was to try and bowl with the back of my hand facing me it would either come out as a top spinner or a googly. But it's something to ponder?
In the short term what I'll do is practice in the manner that I earlier suggested e.g. still continue to bowl straight but try and emphasise the action of the 2 down fingers - make sure they are right in the seam and stay on the ball till the last minute. As we walked home we walked past the artificial wicket and I tried this on there and there was a hint of turn and this is on a surface that doesn't facilitate spin at all, so that was quite promising? Tomorrow I'm assured that it's going to rain all day, so it looks like I'm unlikely to get any practice.
Later...... I've just looked again at http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=vlWYcuaTosc&NR=1 and noticed that the way Jenner grips the ball is similar to what I've been doing today and he says very clearly that it is those 2 down fingers especially the last finger that imparts the spin, so it does sound like I'm onto something? All I'm looking to do is give the impression that I'm primarily a Leg Break bowler, so just as long as I can bowl an accurate ball that spin towards slips if only a bit I'm going to be happy because it does seem that it's then unusual to be able to bowl a good googly as well and that is something I can do. The other thing with these Leg Breaks is the bounce and the speed - they are so much faster and bouncier than all my other balls so it just seems the potential to then surprise the bat with either a Flipper or the Googly is massively increased?
Interesting blog, well done. Used to post on simplycricket but find the new site a tad superficial and lacking that interpersonal touch. The spinning finger should be the ring finger. I usually used to use the middle finger to spin, and this would be great to bowl a topspinner, a very small leg break with mainly topspin on it(the seam would point fractionally away from off stump), or a very small googly again with mainly topspin(seam pointing fractionally away from leg stump)
ReplyDeleteI also use thumb as i feel it helps control more, and also because i have relatively small hands.
Something else I try to bowl the big leg break by spinning with my middle finger and THROWING rather than bowling it trying to keep the seam pointing to point area. Try it underarm first to uderstand the throing like action. Hadn't there been the forward action needed to propel the ball forward it would be a square turner. The above action over arm looks very different from the normal delivery but when bowled well and pitching on leg stump and outside it would miss another set of stumps with turn. Worth experimenting with.
As you say you have to concentrate right through in the run up, delivery, swivel and follow through, so may things can go wrong.
I am 40 and started like you this year, but do not play much. Rather like practising on my own on a concrete tennis court. Obsessed with spinning a ball since i was young , be it a tennis or table tennis one. Wife does not see the scope of it without playing a game, but for me it is more an adventure and a contnuous search of doing things differently.
By the way saw some videos of the masterclass and Macgill seems to keep his index finger off the ball sometimes when bowling
Keep it up I admire your energy and love for your bowling and should be an example for cricketers who have the natural talent but do not put the hard miles, or do not try to tinker around and experiment
Edward (Malta)
Cheers Edward - thanks for the comments and feedback. What I'll probably do is copy the comments over into the main blog and try and get my head round what you're saying! A lot of it I agree with and understand but some of it sounds as though it's worth exploring, for instance the direction of the seam. I've read about several people recently pointing the seam in different directions, but as you've probably read I'm kind of strggling with getting the basics fully in place so over-loading myself with too many theories may work to the detriment of my bowling? There's so many way of doing this and everyone that does bowl wrist spin has their own way - by the sounds of it?
ReplyDeleteI think I'm like you I'm fascinated with the complexities of wrist spin bowling and the fact that if you can get it right the potential for you as a bowler in a cricket team is amazing and it adds a so many dimensions to the game. You should if you can get yourself onto a team - just something like me - a Sunday team - friendly matches, it's a bit of a commitment every Sunday, but on the days when it comes right it is such a satisfying thing to do and it obviously adds a new dimension to what you're doing.
I like the fact that you're exploring the potential of variations and I'd definitely be interested in any findings you come up with. Have you seen the Carrom Ball that Ajantha Mendis bowls? It looks and feels amazingly difficult to bowl. There's a couple of youtube clips here including one made up by a kid, but it's all definitely interesting/
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Sb7wdAXfQCs
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Ecki1gqUSRI&feature=related
Cheers
Dave
Oh yeah and your comments about simply cricket. I'm inclined to agree with you to some extent. There did feel like there was a community feeling about the website and this was the same with the one that preceded it that I first started to comment on run by David Hinchcliffe, but each one seems to have been gobbled up by progressively bigger websites. Despite this new website being absolutely enormous and having Australians as it's main subscriber core (It seems) there seems to be a lot less input from people and they seem to be more interested in slagging each other off or talking about teams, matches and celebrity cricket players just for the sake of it?
ReplyDeleteYes unfortunately only 4 clubs here in malta, and many have been playing since young in Australia, Pakistan and India.
ReplyDeleteWent in the nets a few times and was told that i was not too bad with a bat!! Anyhow i work 80 hours a week in hospital so game and nets coincide with my job. No problems though when i rarely bowl a big leg break with the way i told you , I feel as though I am warne bowling the ball of the century. We who are obsessed with spinning get our satisfaction also in imagining what our spin, drift etc could have potentially done. We are dreamers,who are sometimes detached from reality and enjoy our little spin fantasy.
On a lighter note, I had read a book about jack iverson by gideon haigh, who flicked the ball out with his long and strong middle finger. Funnily i had practiced spinning with my middle finger before reading this book. Shows that innovative methods can be found in unorthodoxy and people who were never coached.His method of bowling resembles the carrom ball by mendis, and in his short carreer bamboozled all the batsmen he played against(including test batsmen). By the way iverson met a tragic death by committing suicide. It was a very good book to read.
I enjoy reading your entries as i feel a part of me in your writing. Keep up your good writing, I am sure you encourage many people with your entries... but mor importantly keep practising your HARD SPUN BIG LEG BREAKS
Hopefully they'll come in time! I'll make a note of the book and see if I can get hold of it. I've updated the blog tonight with some pictures of the new grip which I'm hoping is going to pay dividends in some way? Good to hear you get a game ocassionally!
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