Topic: Leg Spin / Googly (Read 2822 times)

RF · « **on:** February 26, 2020, 09:17:39 AM »

I help coach some of the juniors at our club. We have a young spinner (11) that consitently bowls googlies as his stock ball. He isn't trying to bowl this deliberately, it's just natural. He lands them in the right area and they do turn a fair bit. My first thought is just to leave him alone and let him bowl. Am I right? Or are we missing an opportunity, if he can turn it the "wrong" way maybe he can really turn a leggie.
We don't have any leg spinners in the club, just off spinners so there isn't anyone I can ask for advice.
Any thoughts?

ppccopener · « **Reply #1 on:** February 26, 2020, 09:51:42 AM »

Well done @RF for doing some coaching, I fear on this subject you may get conflicting advise on this forum as people have very different views on coaching and how much youngsters need.

For me you're first instinct is always the right one, 100 per cent let him bowl naturally, if its a leg break action coming out as a googly that's a fair skill in itself for someone 11 years ago. I would be looking at his basics and making sure delivery is in the right place and also trying to encourage his batting if the kid wanted to improve it as well.

talking and explaining leg breaks may spark an interest as he develops if he wants to.

as I said, you may well receive conflicting advise, I have done an ECB coaching course but learnt the game thru older players at my club, and my own belief is coach the basics but let natural young players develop without altering what comes naturally to them

well done for getting involved.

WalkingWicket37 · « **Reply #2 on:** February 26, 2020, 10:03:32 AM »

The key to what you're asking is that it happens naturally. If that's the case, let him be.

At the end of the day he's an 11 year old lad who's enjoying cricket. Let that continue. There's no need to baffle a youngster with the technical stuff surrounding leg breaks vs googlies.

Cricket is a funny old game that has a bit of a fixation with the text book. Not everyone is going to look like something out of the ECB coaching manual, this is something that should be embraced more in my view.

edge · « **Reply #3 on:** February 26, 2020, 10:10:46 AM »

I'm no expert on legspin but I'd tend to agree - I think you probably don't treat him any differently than you would a young leggie who doesn't have a googly - he's only young, work on the stuff that comes naturally first and look at variations later.

play-yourself-in · « **Reply #4 on:** February 26, 2020, 10:32:23 AM »

Oddly enough this is exactly what i did as a youngster. I had no idea i was doing it or how i did it. one coaching session a coach picked up on it and asked me what i was trying to do and i said "just bowl it straight" he gave me some tips about grip and things and everything was good. He didn't try and change anything or complicate anything which was great.

Unfortunately about 6 months later i went over the handle bars of my bike and broke my wrist. When i cam out of the cast i couldn't bowl anything let alone a wrong'un. Sad times. Now i just trundle up and chuck it down somewhere near the cut bit!

I could have been the next Ian Sailsbury.

nivaga · « **Reply #5 on:** February 26, 2020, 02:14:12 PM »

Yeah .... I am was a medium fast bowler but my natural attempts at spin were always googlies. I only learned that this was the case later on in life and thought I was bowling offies for many years

. No advice, but it is obviously not so uncommon as a 'natural' action for youngsters attempting spin given the other similar reply above ....

SD · « **Reply #6 on:** February 26, 2020, 03:50:50 PM »

It's a very common issue with young wrist spinners caused by unintentional collapsing this wrist when releasing the ball. I find that the easiest way to work on this is to get the player to simply throw the ball with a leg spin grip almost like you would throw a discus to get used to the feeling of the correct wrist position and then build that back into a bowling action.

That said, at the age of 11 I would be focusing on enjoying the game rather than technical developments.

Wazza08 · « **Reply #7 on:** February 26, 2020, 05:36:10 PM »

Let him do what is natural, and encourage him to be outstanding at it, but it would not harm to show him other balls too, whether leg, off spin etc.
I have found a few of the kids here are pretty adaptable and can now bowl a few different balls, but have one stock one.
There are a few simple techniques to help develop the action without affecting how he bowls normally, but introduce some of it slowly to him.

brokenbat · « **Reply #8 on:** February 26, 2020, 09:07:58 PM »

Nothing to �fix�... like any leggie he can add variations- in his case I would proceed from googly to top spinner (less difference in technique) followed by leggie and slider.

Author Topic: Leg Spin / Googly (Read 2822 times)

RF

Leg Spin / Googly

ppccopener

Re: Leg Spin / Googly

WalkingWicket37

Re: Leg Spin / Googly

edge

Re: Leg Spin / Googly

play-yourself-in

Re: Leg Spin / Googly

nivaga

Re: Leg Spin / Googly

SD

Re: Leg Spin / Googly

Wazza08

Re: Leg Spin / Googly

brokenbat

Re: Leg Spin / Googly