Your Cricket The Art of Offspin.

[ZoraxDoom]

I can't get away with that grip - my hands aren't big enough. Just tried it.

I do pretty much the basic grip he showed. Only have ever bowled the standard offbreak, where the seam points toward fine leg (slip to a lefty).

For the top-spinner, release the ball so that it's spinning with the seam pointing to the batsman, and the scrambled seam ball is a common variation too.

The 'flying saucer' is pretty much an orthodox offbreak, but most can't release it properly like that and the seam inevitably points towards fine leg. Well, I can't anyways. But yea, if it lands on the side of the ball it'll skid, as opposed to landing on the seam (which helps it bounce)

Doosra hurts my arm too

It's interesting that the top-spinner is his arm ball. I figured most spinners just released the ball without spinning it for the arm ball, or held the ball seam up like a quickie.

 

[Kaos110]

ok guys, new video from todays session up: YouTube - Cricket Spin Bowling

the ground was still frozen which should explain the bounce.
picked out my beautys from today but all in all i sucked today. started pretty good but lost my control totally later on and couldnt do anything about it......

 

[AngryPixel]

Yup this is how i grip too. And probably this is a disadvantage of Offie. After bowling a couple of overs you start to feel discomfort in the gripping fingers.Because to get more revolutions on the ball you try to stretch those two fingers as far and as tight as possible on the ball. Leggie's grip is natural so there is no discomfort.

----------

I regularly switched between leg spin and off spin. It just depends upon the day. Sometimes i can control my leg spinners easily and other time i'm wayward.


Saw the video. You got a nice and clean action. Only thing which i like to point out is the flight. You are giving way too much flight. Try to bowl a bit fast. Else it would be easy for batsman to come down the track. As you can see in the video at 1:45 batsman was literally walking to the pitch of the ball

 

[aussie1st]

Just found this video of Swann explaining his grip - is this how guys grip it as well? Might try it this way

Yea figured that was the grip, I usually have my thumb on the ball so its more an off cutter for me. Have tried that way before but struggled for control but probably need to stick with it.

 

[Papa_Smurf]

ok guys, new video from todays session up: YouTube - Cricket Spin Bowling

the ground was still frozen which should explain the bounce.
picked out my beautys from today but all in all i sucked today. started pretty good but lost my control totally later on and couldnt do anything about it......

That's really good - your getting the ball to turn nicely, and quite consistently Just that you're giving it too much flight - could hardly see the ball before it pitched.

And also, no offence, but your friend's batting reminded me of myself - crappy grip and lame technique.

 

[AngryPixel]

^ Yeah... Its fun to bowl against bad players of spin. Like your friend who moved to off side towards the pitch of ball and hurriedly jabbed at it as it turned in and went between bat and pad

 

[Kaos110]

And also, no offence, but your friend's batting reminded me of myself - crappy grip and lame technique.

nono, its not offending, you?re right and we know that

 

[ZoraxDoom]

Cricket practice starts again Saturday, I'm so eagre for it. Been working on my action, I think it's coming out well. I'm doing all the basic things, running is slowly/steadily, faster than walking, side on, pivot on front foot. My release has always been good.

I just can't wait to bowl and see if I can master my stock ball and get it landing where I want it 90% of the time (I'll settle for 80 tho).

Once I get that done, I can start my variations. Have so many I want to try.

There's the orthodox Topspinner, which is released with the seam pointing straight on, lands on the seam, and goes on straight with more bounce rather than turning. I can bowl this in theory, want to see if I can master it. The combo of offbreak/topspinner will be fun. Basic gameplan would be to keep bowling at the stumps with some spin, and then bowl one which goes straight on, look to hit the stumps or get and LBW, maybe an edge.

After that, I want to bowl a slow-drifty armball. Basically hold the ball like a seamer's slower ball, run in, release it with no or very little spin. Just lands, keeps low, goes straight. Dips a bit too, drifts if there's wind. Handy ball. Should be tricky to land right tho.

After that, there is the 'flying saucer' as Swann calls it. Basically an offbreak, with the seam pointing to midwicket/squareleg (and not fine leg/leg slip like my stock ball). It'll spin more and bounce less since it'll land on the side of the ball. I can't seem to bowl that, hypothetically, with my usual action. But can try it a bit and see what happens.

Then a faster ball. Seam up, loose grip, drive in more power from the shoulders. Lets see how fast I can crank it up too. Also will be difficult to land, but if I can, it will be useful. Low priority though.

And one that I'm very, very eagre to try - the backspinner. Experimented with it a while back, couldn't get it going that well, gave it up. But then I saw this vid on youtube:

YouTube - Flipper Variation No 5 Clarrie Grimmetts 'Msytery Ball'

And that's convinced me to try it again - never tried it with four fingers, and hey, if he can bowl it, why can't I?


And then there is experimenting with angles, over and around the wicket, and I haven't even begun about varying flight and pace of my stock ball, let alone the variations. I'd love to learn how to do that (one way I've heard is holding the ball tighter or looser...).


Gah. Once a week isn't enough.

 

[Lee1981]

^^^^
Good luck mate.

I bowled really accurate last nets, decided to not worry so much about spinning it loads and just try and land it in good areas, my accuracy improved so much, most balls didnt trouble the batsmen but made them play pretty much every ball,
Hopefully i can combine them both in the future on a more consistant basis.

 

[ZoraxDoom]

The best advice I've heard about spin bowling is to give it a rip, worry about accuracy later.

The more you bowl, the more accurate you'll become. So just try ripping every ball you can, make that natural, and slowly you'll find accuracy. Then you work on variations, slowing it down or speeding it up and different grips.

 

[Lee1981]

Ive not really bowled out in the middle much, but when i bowl indoor nets i can get a good 8 inches or so of turn is that ok or not?
Just wondering if i would get similar spin on a wicket, im really keen to rip it more not really sure the best way to do it.

 

[ZoraxDoom]

Just give it as much turn as you can, put as much energy behind the ball as you possibly can. Your fingers should be sore and red by the end of the net session. Always what I aim for.

Don't know how much 8 inches of turn would be. Do you know what angle you spin it at?

 

[Lee1981]

I spin towards 2 oclock if you imagine a clock face.

I think i spin to gently i never walk away thinking ive ripped it as much as i can, i sort of push the ball away from the thumb with my index finger rather than pull the seam over the middle finger, if that makes sense.

 

[ZoraxDoom]

Yea. I spin it towards 1/2 o clock as well (legslip to a righty). But I really try and use my thumb, middle and index finger, like feeling the ball whizz out of the hand. Really fire it it with as much spin as possible.

 

[Lee1981]

I just see and read alot of people not using the thumb but i find it hard not having any contact with ball and thumb.
Im asuming your follow through helps with the amount of revs you can produce.