pace bowling

PACE BOWLING

“Fast bowling is an exciting part of our game. It is also a strenuous activity that places bowlers at risk to injury. Fast bowlers who try to bowl too fast, for too long, at a young age increase the chances of injury occurring.”

D. K. LilleeD. K. Lillee

INTRODUCTION

AIM

To provide you with the knowledge and understanding of the guiding principle(s) of fast bowling, allowing you to assist bowlers in the everyday coaching environment.

K.I.S.S. Principle

Keep It Super Simple

FORCE ABSORPTIONFORCE ABSORPTION

STABILITYSTABILITY

ALIGNMENTALIGNMENT

MOMENTUMMOMENTUM

Change focus to efficiency based on sound biomechanical principles

PRINCIPLES OF PACE BOWLING

FORCE ABSORPTIONFORCE ABSORPTION

STABILITYSTABILITY

ALIGNMENTALIGNMENT

MOMENTUMMOMENTUM

Focus on ‘WHAT TO DO’ rather than on what ‘NOT’ to do

PRINCIPLES OF PACE BOWLING

FORCE ABSORPTIONFORCE ABSORPTION

STABILITYSTABILITY

ALIGNMENTALIGNMENT

MOMENTUMMOMENTUM

PRINCIPLES OF PACE BOWLING

to develop and maintain all body to develop and maintain all body movements in the direction of the batsmanmovements in the direction of the batsman

to ensure hips and shoulders face in the to ensure hips and shoulders face in the same direction at back foot landingsame direction at back foot landing

to maintain balance and support throughout to maintain balance and support throughout the delivery stridethe delivery stride

to reduce and release the stresses to reduce and release the stresses produced during run-up and deliveryproduced during run-up and delivery

Wasim, “Maco” & “DK”

SPOTPROGRAM

SPOT PROGRAM

Four key components:- S creening

- P hysical preparation

- O verbowling

- T echnique

SPOT Booklet was the first publication of the Injury Prevention Strategy (May 1993 / revised October 1998)

Basis for continuing publications, research and injury prevention programs

SPOT Poster

SPOT POSTER

SPOT POSTER

SPOT POSTER

SPOT POSTER

SPOT – SCREEN FOR RISK FACTORS

A number of factors can increase the risk of injury, particularly for developing fast bowlers (teenage years onwards)

Bodyweight problems Postural defects Everyday lifestyle Body development

SPOT – PHYSICAL PREPARATION

Appropriate physical preparation is important from injury prevention and optimum performance perspectives. Physical preparation programs should be designed by a fitness professional to suit the individual needs of bowlers and the specific demands of fast bowling.

Fitness programs should include the following components:

- Strength & Power (including trunk/core)

- Endurance and Interval Training

- Flexibility

- Education regarding Warming Up and Cooling Down These aspects of a fast bowlers fitness should be routinely monitored

SPOT – OVERBOWLING

Young pace bowlers should not be over bowled. Factors such as physical maturity, bowling speed and effort and playing conditions will determine the appropriate workload. The table below shows the maximum recommended overs for practice and matches under normal circumstances.

** break between spells to be 60 min or longer

* substitute one practice session / additional match played in the week

SPOT – TECHNIQUE

GOOD TECHNIQUE IS IMPORTANT, NOT ONLY FOR SKILL, BUT ALSO FOR REDUCING STRESS PLACED ON THE BODY

“FAST BOWLING, REGARDLESS OFTECHNIQUE,

HAS AN INHERENT RISK OF INJURY”

SPOT – TECHNIQUE – The Side-on Set up

At back foot landing the foot, hips and shoulders are side-on

The bowler looks “through” the front arm

SPOT – TECHNIQUE – Side-on Set up

SPOT – TECHNIQUE – The Front-on Set up

The bowler lands with his back foot pointing somewhere between mid-wicket and the batter

The hips and shoulders are open at back foot contact

The bowler looks at the target just inside the front arm

It is important the front-on bowler stays front-on throughout the full delivery stride

SPOT – TECHNIQUE – Front-on Set up

SPOT – TECHNIQUE – Front-on Set up

Some important points:

Generally approach the wicket faster as they do not have the

shoulder rotation between BFI and ball release that side-on

bowlers do

Generally successful front-on bowlers will use shorter levers

SPOT – TECHNIQUE – Front-on Set up

A fully front-on technique does exist but is rare in Australia. There is more of a tendency for this to occur in the Caribbean.

In most coaching programs the front-on technique has been redefined:

Front-on for the very “open-chested”

Semi-open for the more closed orientation but not side-on bowler

SPOT – TECHNIQUE – Front-on v Semi-open

SPOT – TECHNIQUE – Semi-open Set up

COMMON PROBLEMS WITH PACE BOWLING TECHNIQUE

COMMON PROBLEMS – The Mixed Set-up

Has been statistically linked to a higher incidence of

lower back stress fractures, bony abnormalities and

soft tissue injuries

COMMON PROBLEMS – The Mixed Set-up

Includes a range of mal-aligned setup postures at Back Foot Impact (BFI)

COMMON PROBLEMS – The Mixed Set-up

An example:

Trying to be Side-on

Shoulders not aligned at BFI

COMMON PROBLEMS – Counter-rotation

Counter-rotation is a movement of the shoulders (from an aligned set-up

or a mixed set-up) to a more side on position during the delivery stride

COMMON PROBLEMS – Counter-rotation

Shoulders become

more side on

COUNTERROTATION IS A MOVEMENT OF THE SHOULDERS TO A MORE SIDE ON POSITION RELATIVE TO THE HIPS DURING THE DELIVERY STRIDE

FROMShoulders front onat back foot landing

TOShoulders side on

during delivery stride

An example:

COMMON PROBLEMS – Counter-rotation

Shoulder counter-rotation = 35 degrees

COMMON PROBLEMS – Counter-rotation

It is the number ONE known technique link to lower back stress fractures

It may affect bowling accuracy

It can lead to hyperextension and lateral flexion

It is inefficient - the shoulders are rotating across the target line

It’s hard for the coach to detect without high quality slow motion video

COMMON PROBLEMS – Hyperextension

Hyperextension is an arching of the spine backwards at back

foot landing, during the delivery stride, or at front foot landing

COMMON PROBLEMS – Hyperextension

An example:

TECHNIQUE & INJURY

TECHNIQUE & INJURYWhat causes Common Problems with PaceBowling Technique? Momentum heading in the wrong direction Poor stability Inappropriate load-up position Long bowling arm in down phase Too open in Shoulders at BFI Inefficient Front-arm? Coaching history - Side-on Game!! Idol modeling Low Strength v Optimal v High Strength Flexibility and Front-on v Semi-Open

TECHNIQUE & INJURY

The Research

University of Western Australia

University of Queensland

Australian Cricket Board

Australian Institute of Sport

United Kingdom

New Zealand

South Africa

TECHNIQUE & INJURY

What the AIS Research Says

42 Fast Bowlers 1996 - 1999

Complete 3-D technique and Injury History

4 Injury Groups :

Stress Fracture Lower BackSoft Tissue Lower Back

Trunk Side StrainNo Trunk Injury

TECHNIQUE & INJURYCounter-rotation of shoulders after reasonable alignment at BFI

characteristic of stress fracture group

TECHNIQUE & INJURY

TECHNIQUE & INJURY

TECHNIQUE & INJURY

TECHNIQUE & INJURY

TECHNIQUE & INJURY

What’s so bad about Shoulder Counter-Rotation?

It’s inefficient - the shoulders are rotating away from the batsmen. The “degrees of freedom” are increased

Because the hips are usually starting to open when it happens the torsion in the lower back is increased significantly

It can cause the bowler to hyper-extend and hyperflex the trunk at FFC (4 - 10 x Body Weight) – Burnett et al., 1998 have provided some initial support for this

LOAD UP

LONG v SHORT LEVERS – NOT ALWAYS BLACK & WHITE

Long Levers versus Short LeversIncreased moment of inertia Decreased moment of inertia

More energy required Less energy required

Mixed at BFI Aligned at BFI

LOAD UPS & LEVERAGE

Individuality needs to be considered

LOAD UPS & LEVERAGEIndividuality needs to be considered

LOAD UPS & LEVERAGE

Individuality needs to be considered

RUN UP PHASE

GATHER PHASE

BACK FOOT IMPACT

DELIVERY STRIDE

RELEASE PHASE

FOLLOW THROUGH

PHASES OF THE BOWLING ACTION

ARM AND HAND MOVEMENT

Parallel to the target line, elbows bent at 90 degrees

Pump the elbows straight back

STRIDE BUILD UP

Forward body lean with short steps initially, building into longer steps

A balanced running stride prior to take off

RUN UP PHASE

FRONT ARM PATHWAYThe front arm should move

straight up, parallel to the target line, not too far across the body

BOWLING ARM The bowling arm should move in

a plane parallel to the target line

APPROACHMaintain a line to and through the crease, along the target line.

The back leg should come through “searching” for the ground in front of the body

GATHER PHASE

BOWLING ARM Bowling arm should be moving

in a plane parallel to the target line

FRONT ARM

The front arm should move straight up, parallel to the target line, not too far across the body

Eyes should be looking through or just inside the front arm

HIP AND SHOULDER ALIGNMENT

Hips and shoulders should be aligned in the same plane at back

foot impact

LEG MECHANICS

Back leg should land bent and straighten through the delivery

stride

Front leg should be moving towards the target line, not

across the body

BACK FOOT IMPACT

SHOULDER & HIP ALIGNMENT

There should be minimal closing of the shoulders after back foot impact

Some closing (counter rotation) occurs in nearly all bowlers

BOWLING ARMBowling arm should move in a

plane parallel to the target line from top of the shoulder, past hip

and around

FRONT ARMShould come straight down, bent

and lock into front hip, before extending straight back after

release

LEG MECHANICSThe front leg should land in a straight line towards the target line, providing a balanced platform to work the upper

body from

DELIVERY STRIDE

LEG MECHANICSThe front leg should land slightly bent and straighten to lock up just

prior to release. The back leg should come straight through along the target line, bending the knee to

lift “up and over” an imaginary obstacle beside the front foot

BOWLING ARMRelease point should be directly

above the bowling side hip. Follow through should be past the

non bowling side thigh

HEAD POSITIONThe head should be kept as still

and as level as possible

FRONT ARMThe front arm elbow should be locked into the front hip with the hand in a “handshake” position

down the target line

RELEASE PHASE

The follow through is a product of movements that occur earlier in the delivery. When analysing

actions, look for “causes” in early stages of the delivery rather than the “symptoms”, that usually present in the release and follow through phases.

Remember …

“Prevention is better than the cure”

FOLLOW THROUGH

REMEDIAL DRILLS

Habit forming

Repetition for reinforcement

Rehabilitation aid

Provides instant feedback

Not “coach” intensive

REMEDIAL DRILLS

RUN UP Drill 1: efficient forward momentum with all body movements

towards the target and forward body lean Drill 2: produce a suitable length run-up for the individual

GATHER Drill 1: all body movements continue towards the target

throughout delivery Drill 2: extension of gather drill 1, with the addition a physical

obstruction (e.g. stumps)

REMEDIAL DRILLS

BACK FOOT LANDING Drill 1: timing of the gather of the bowling hand outside the

chin at back foot landing

DELIVERY STRIDE Drill 1: application of the ‘double pendulum’ model using

‘scrunchie’ to assist

Drill 2: demonstrate the hand/ ball speed that can be generated utilising the ‘double pendulum’ model

REMEDIAL DRILLS

RELEASE Drill 1: ensure bowler achieves vertical hip and shoulder rotation Drill 2: ensure bowler achieves vertical hip/ shoulder rotation

and the best release point Drill 3: develops a powerful straightening of the back leg which

assists forward momentum and increases the height of release

FOLLOW THROUGH Drill 1: develops a powerful straightening of the back leg which

assists forward momentum and increases the height of release