Bowling
Bowling Basics
There is no doubt that overarm bowling is the most difficult cricket skill to master
However, like all the other skills, improvement comes with practice. The two most important aspects are that the bowling arm should be almost straight at the elbow (the rule says that it can have up to 15 degrees of bend but no more) and that that the shoulders and hips are in line at the point of delivery.
The Mixed Action
One thing that junior players regularly do is to mix their action. There are two variants of the basic bowling action:
Side On
A side on bowler will plant his back foot down sidewards with hips and shoulders in line pointing roughly towards the batsman.
Front On
A front on bowler will point his back foot forwards towards the batsman with an open chested delivery action and his hips and shoulders roughly at right angles to the pitch..
A mixed action combines elements of front and side on actions resulting in undue stress on the spine. This is the reason behind the ECB’s restrictions on the number of overs that under 19s are allowed to bowl.
If a coach tells you that you are ‘mixing your action’ then it is nothing to get too worried about, but you need to listen carefully to your coaches who will help you correct it over time and ensure that you don’t get injured.
As a general rule it is much harder to change the way a bowler plants his feet than it is to turn his shoulders. For this reason your coaches won’t change your feet position but they will work with you to get your hips and shoulders in line by changing your upper body position as you bowl.
