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[wcc]

Had a quick look through a few threads, but thought id start my own.
Looking for abit of advice really have been bowling spin for about 2 year the odd over here and there.
Im not really great if im honest but just looking for any training techniques or advice that would help me improve my game. As i would like to start bowling abit more from next season.

[uknsaunders]

I restarted bowling spin about 2 years ago and here's my advice:-

1. Concentrate on being accurate above everything else - batsman get out if you bowl straight enough times
2. Don't get too hung up by flight or turn, a bit of both helps but you don't need Swann like loop or warne like turn to confuse a batsman. Just enough loop to not make it medium pace and enough turn off the straight now and again to keep him guessing.
3. Concentrate on "completing" your action. ie. bowling through almost like a medium pacer
4. Get a 2 coloured ball to see your seam position on release
5. Don't bowl too slow (from a bit of a dart merchant I admit), see a lot of guys float the ball up with no bite and just allow batsman to pick a spot. Bowl at a decent pace.

[Dan W]

Great advice from Nick.

I spent years trying to bowl as slow as I could to get the Warne 'glamour' turn, though it only recently dawned on me I was only ever giving the batsman more time to pick it and send it away!

A batsman, depending on the level at which you play it, is always x% more likely to get himself out. A quickish spin ball is deadly IMO!

[uknsaunders]

I spent part of my youth trying to a classical spinner with flight and big turn. It was only in my "second coming" when I just waddled in and wanged it down, that I worked out I could bowl spin. It still turned a bit and the occasional delivery floated enough to beat the batter, but the key was I could do it consistently, ball after ball.

[wcc]

Thanks for the advice guys, i think that could be one of my problems. I often feel like i should be getting the turn and loop on the ball that Swann and co produce resulting in alot of full tosses etc. So what about drills for this as at the minute in nets most spinners are just attempted to be slogged out the ground! Would you recommend say putting down some discs on a strip and just keep trying to bowl at these?

[uknsaunders]

I think plenty of overs are the main thing. Getting slogged out of the park is part of the CV I'm afraid. If you need some drills I suggest you aim at a good length to hit, ball after ball. Try bowling different speeds and see which one gives you the greatest control. Line wise aim for middle/off/just outside - nothing down leg or too far outside off. Work on your grip and imparting spin with your fingers without sacrificing accuracy.

[Rew162]

I restarted bowling spin about 2 years ago and here's my advice:-

1. Concentrate on being accurate above everything else - batsman get out if you bowl straight enough times
2. Don't get too hung up by flight or turn, a bit of both helps but you don't need Swann like loop or warne like turn to confuse a batsman. Just enough loop to not make it medium pace and enough turn off the straight now and again to keep him guessing.
3. Concentrate on "completing" your action. ie. bowling through almost like a medium pacer
4. Get a 2 coloured ball to see your seam position on release
5. Don't bowl too slow (from a bit of a dart merchant I admit), see a lot of guys float the ball up with no bite and just allow batsman to pick a spot. Bowl at a decent pace.

I do agree this is good advice from uknsaunders, especially about accuracy with out it you will not get on to bowl in the first place. However, you said that you want to be a spinner and therefore you must firstly be able to spin the ball (only need about 1/2 a bat width not 3 feet). The use of a the 2 coloured ball will defiantly show if its coming out of you hand correctly, to increase the amount of spin you get good place to start is look at your grip (thumb off the ball as otherwise it acts like a break and you will get less spin) and completing your action, if you don't spin it you are you are just a slow bowler and good batsmen will not be troubled, one you can spin the ball control will come with practice. You can always use one that doesn't spin as a verity. I am really passionate that spinners must be able to turn the ball - sorry rant over!

[Tumo]

I restarted bowling spin about 2 years ago and here's my advice:-

1. Concentrate on being accurate above everything else - batsman get out if you bowl straight enough times
2. Don't get too hung up by flight or turn, a bit of both helps but you don't need Swann like loop or warne like turn to confuse a batsman. Just enough loop to not make it medium pace and enough turn off the straight now and again to keep him guessing.
3. Concentrate on "completing" your action. ie. bowling through almost like a medium pacer
4. Get a 2 coloured ball to see your seam position on release
5. Don't bowl too slow (from a bit of a dart merchant I admit), see a lot of guys float the ball up with no bite and just allow batsman to pick a spot. Bowl at a decent pace.

Don't agree with the first or the last points there Nick. As a spinner, you are there to turn the ball above else, surely? I've been bowling spin for 6 or 7 years and I've found that the more I try to complete my action and turn the ball (both are linked in my opinion) the more wickets I get. As for accuracy, as long as you look where you want to pitch the ball then I find that it goes somewhere near there (not sure how to explain that better! Basically I worked on spinning the ball first, and then accuracy came as a by-product). Drift/loop will come when you get the ball spinning nicely through the air, but usually comes easier to taller people. Drills for dip - put a string across the nets (tying each end to each side of the net) and try to bowl the ball so that it goes over the string but still lands on a good length.

As for bowling too quickly or too slowly, you will have a natural speed at which you get more turn than at other speeds. You need to find this. Try bowling slower, and speeding it up, until you find a speed at which you get good turn (and you may well naturally get drift or dip!), and then continue with that. I find it difficult to believe that a person can "bowl too slowly", if that is their natural speed (Pragyan Ohja for example), only if their natural speed is quicker like Monty's is.

Also got plenty of links for you to read to help you!
http://www.pitchvision.com/spin-bowling-flight-and-guile - The string drill that I mentioned
http://www.pitchvision.com/how-to-improve-your-bowling-control-without-becoming-robotic
http://www.pitchvision.com/the-number-one-rule-in-spin-bowling - Highlights the need to "spin" a ball as hard as possible.
http://www.pitchvision.com/master-the-pivot-to-give-the-ball-extra-spin-revolutions  - Pivoting on your foot - IMPORTANT!
http://www.pitchvision.com/6-proven-bowling-practices-that-are-better-than-having-nets - Useful drills
http://www.pitchvision.com/4-fixes-to-stop-you-bowling-full - Things to help you stop bowling full tosses
http://www.pitchvision.com/how-finger-spin-can-push-rpm-into-the-red - Talks abut really spinning the ball.

A whole host of things that will help you here, if you ever have the time to flick through them - http://www.pitchvision.com/category/spin-bowling

Ben

[uknsaunders]

Err I didnt say not to spin the ball. Just make sure you can do it enough to keep thr batsman honest. More is better and you'll get dip into the bargain.  However if wcc wants to be trusted to bowl he does need to work on his accuracy, against better batsman he'll need more but not now. reference to bowling too slow is really about donkey dropping spin, not that slow, particularly against good batsman who can use their feet.

[Tumo]

Err I didnt say not to spin the ball. Just make sure you can do it enough to keep thr batsman honest. More is better and you'll get dip I into the bargain.  However if wcc wants to be trusted to bowl he does need to work on his accuracy, against better batsman he'll need more but not now. reference to bowling too slow is really about donkey dropping spin, not that slow, particularly against good batsman.

Didn't say that Nick, just saying that surely spinning the ball should come as a priority over being accurate, I mean look at Stuart MacGill, terrible inconsistent but had a strike rate better than even that of Shane Warne, because he span the ball massively and could do silly things with a leg-break! Agree he'll need accuracy but I think spinning the ball is something that is better off being learnt first, just because I've always felt that accuracy will come with practice, once you begin to spin the ball bigger accuracy will sort itself out. Do agree with not donkey dropping it, although at lower levels I've seen it take 8-nothing on several occasions! Just don't do it, it makes me sad and every time it happens a baby kitten dies

[roco]

Accuracy first spin 2nd as you can spin it too much but you can never be too accurate

Plus if your more accurate the skipper will have more faith in your control unless your taking 5 for every week

[Tumo]

Accuracy first spin 2nd as you can spin it too much but you can never be too accurate

Plus if your more accurate the skipper will have more faith in your control unless your taking 5 for every week

I think control is the key thing here. Control over accuracy and control over spin. If you're accurate enough to be able to hit off stump 6 balls an over (that is accuracy, is it not?), yet the batsman is late-cutting you or clipping you through leg every ball, then you have to be able to do something different, whether that means turning the ball more, or doing something else. Plus, you don't have to turn the ball big every ball. Having a different wrist position and turning the ball slightly less is always an option. I agree with being able to be accurate, but never at the cost of spinning the ball. Turning long-hops DO get wickets. Putting the ball on the spot 6 balls an over and getting 10-8-12-0 is nice, as I've found out, but I'd much rather get 10-1-38-3 or something similar. Admittedly being able to turn the ball and be accurate, and pick up 10-5-19-4 is much preferred, but if we were good enough to do that every game we probably wouldn't be playing at the levels we do!

[roco]

I suppose a lot depends on level your playing as well as I changed a toon slightly to turn ball less as could not get wickets as was turning it too much and due to my old fast bowling days I e got a quite sharp quick ball and an away swinger so enough for me

Plus if you bowl at start middle or end of innings as I open bowling a lot with spin and drift is a big factor

[03jaworf]

Accuracy first spin 2nd as you can spin it too much but you can never be too accurate

Plus if your more accurate the skipper will have more faith in your control unless your taking 5 for every week

Agreed, look to fully rotate and pivot over your take off foot, this should help you get a bit more spin too.  As has been said work out a pace which suits you as too slow and you're cannon fodder and too quick you're just a medium pacer. good luck!

[Tumo]

I suppose a lot depends on level your playing as well as I changed a toon slightly to turn ball less as could not get wickets as was turning it too much and due to my old fast bowling days I e got a quite sharp quick ball and an away swinger so enough for me

Plus if you bowl at start middle or end of innings as I open bowling a lot with spin and drift is a big factor

I play in a side that struggled last year and I had to be a containing bowler and a wicket taker. I found that I beat more people in the flight than anything else, but I have not has yet had a problem with turning the ball too much. Some days I did just beat the bat too much, for example a day with figures of 12-9-11-0, but then again they couldn't pick the straighter one and I'd miss off stump by a whisker. I think sometimes it is down to the line of attack, turning the ball a lot means pitching on middle/middle and leg whereas little turn means middle and off, off stump.