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[FattusCattus]

Hullo chaps - anyone got a good source of pictures of the grip and technique for bowling their off-cutter. Preferably in a step by step sequence

I'm actually a left arm bowler, so I will probably have to reverse the pics anyway. I bowl cheeky little in-duckers, but I'm struggling to understand the technique to consistently move the ball away a little when bowling around the wicket.

I just wondered how people gripped it and then twisted or dragged the ball to perform the cutting action, as the coaching book I'm reading seems to gloss over it a bit.

[TangoWhiskey]

I don't but the main thing is you down actually have to try to put too many revs on it. The arm coming over quicker will impart enough spin anyway.

[trypewriter]

It was all in the foot placement according to the late Bill Bowes (and that's not Bill Bowes-Baggins...).

[crictech]

It was all in the foot placement according to the late Bill Bowes (and that's not Bill Bowes-Baggins...).

Bills son Tony was one of my coaches. Taught me the out swinger for which I owe him a lot.

You have to drag your fingers down one side. I find it easiest to have my first and middle finger on the outside edge of one side of the seam, almost cross seamed, then rip the fingers down on release.

[FattusCattus]

You have to drag your fingers down one side. I find it easiest to have my first and middle finger on the outside edge of one side of the seam, almost cross seamed, then rip the fingers down on release.


yep, sorry crictech, this is the bit I'm struggling to understand - are the two fingers both to the right hand side of the seam or resting slightly on it?

Cross seam to me would mean at right-angles to your fingers, in which case I don't understand how the fingers can be on one sideof the seam? If the seam is the hand og a clock, where would it be pointing?

Sorry for the dumb questions.

[crictech]

The finger tips hold the ball with the pressure on the seam where the red line is. Your thumb will be flat and almost at right angles to the seam, like you'd hold a cross seamer. When you bowl it rip down with your middle finger. Don't try and bowl it slower unless you want to use it as a slower ball. It will be slower than your regular speed because the force is going down the side not from the back.

[FattusCattus]

Ahhh, now that's really helpful thanks! Now I've just got to hold the laptop in front of the mirror whilst holding a ball in my left hand!!

I appreciate the time taken to post the pic.

[Aussie]

The off-cutter is my stock delivery to both right and left handers. I grip the seam at 45 degress and face it towards either the slips for a lefty or leg stump for a righty. For a lefty I'm trying to pitch the ball on middle and off and trying to cut it away, whereas for a righty I'm trying to pitch it in line with an imaginary 4-5th stump outside off.
I always flick my wrist heavily on release of the ball and try and keep my wrist really straight. I find it cuts on nearly all types of wickets whether they be green tops in the UK or outback landing strips we have here in Australia after Christmas.

[Sam]

Save you the mirror trouble ?

[FattusCattus]

Yessss Sambo! - now are we ripping exactly down the side so the ball rotates with seam going anti-clockwise, or are we ripping fingers over the top of the ball in the direction of the orange line so the seam stays on the angle it is, spinning forwards?

[crictech]

the coaching manual tells you to get the seam to rotate in the direction you want the ball to move. Personally I've found it more effective to get the rotations and worry less about the seam position for the cutter. Just rip it and see how it works for you