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[golden duck]

As the topic says, I seem to have fallen into the Stuart Broad trap and everything I bowl seems to be pitching too short to be any good (and not really short enough to be a bouncer).

Normally I bowl med outswingers. (don't really know my speed).  I'm alot more effective when I get the ball pitched up, giving it more chance to swing.  Over the last few weeks, I just seem to have changed my bowling lenght and I've not a clue how or why.

Does anyone have any ideas / hints on how to get teh ball fuller?

cheers

[TangoWhiskey]

Let go earlier?

[WalkingWicket37]

Go to the nets, mark a square on a good length (where you want to be pitching it) and bowl trying to pitch everything in there.
Simples 

[TangoWhiskey]

Aside from my slightly useless answer earlier. I found the quicker I tried to bowl the shorter it would go. I'd guess that probably I was really bending my back and throwing my weight forward, which in turn made my timing slightly off as my arm came through quicker meaning even though I was letting the ball go at what felt like the same point in my action, in reality it was slightly later as everything came through quicker.

[MrCricket321]

Mate you just have to go to the nets and practice like @WalkingWicket37 said. Maybe you sould also try shortening your runup until you can bowl it where you want it. 

[Buzz]

What are you looking at as you run in. I have always found looking at the base of off stump helps, others find looking at where they want the ball to land helps.
try different options to see what works for you.

[WalkingWicket37]

What are you looking at as you run in.

Usually an attractive woman who's there to watch or walking round the boundary! 

[Buzz]

Usually an attractive woman who's there to watch or walking round the boundary! 

In which case a slow long hop so the batsman hits the ball at said cricketing admirer, that way you can set up an intro for a team mate/your wing man...

[golden duck]

been chatting it over with a mate at work today and he said similar to TW  above.

My bowling has improved massively this year compared to the last few (in that I used to just hope it didn't hit the side netting, now I hope to be making the batter work & threatening teh stumps).

It might be that I've reached a speed plateau where I'm trying to improve the speed of my bowling, but not adjusting release point etc, so I just need to keep working through it.

Buzz - I've tried focussing on where I want the ball to land, top of off etc, but find my most comfortable place is to look at the base of the stumps (it was what worked for me in terms of accuracy of line and pitching it up), maybe I should try looking at the top of the stumps again to see if it tweaks my release point.

Re the run up length - I've just found a length that I can run in off without having to stutter/skip to make sure I was landing in teh right place.  not sure I want to mess with that too much as I actually feel quite nice through my action (just short...)

Also, if I shorten my run up to work on my action, I feel there is a chance that I won't be able to repeat the action and speed it back up if I re-lengthen my run in.  I'm certianly quicker off my 'normal' run up as I feel my speed and shoulder are matched, where as a shorter run up I try to put too much shoulder into it.

[Butterfingerz]

Bowling fast isn't just about trying to bowl fast its all about run up, action and presentation of the ball at the moment of release. If any of these things are not right you will not be able to perform at your optimum.

Just look at Stuart Broad yesterday, his speeds were down to around 80mph whilst in form he's around 88mph. This is like a batsman struggling for form, the harder we try the more goes wrong.

Try and search for Steffan Jones on Facebook, although a bit of a maverick when it comes to his methods I think he's got it right and have employed this technique with my juniors.....all have improved in the pace department over the winter.

[KarlPennington]

Things I've done.

Shortened my run up, conserving my energy to be high impact at the crease and giving me more control. Also allows me to be less tired during my overs.
Accepted that my pace isn't going to trouble anybody and focussed much more on line and length.
Practiced the odd variation because at my pace the batsmen can happily swipe through the line... the odd slower ball, off cutter might keep them guessing.

But more than any of this practised tirelessly in the nets. I think it's took me three years but now I pretty much know where the ball is going to pitch, up until now it has been something of a lottery.

[golden duck]

Small update on this after my net last night.

I was able to get some good lenght yorkers in by in effect releasing the ball slightly early.  The only problem is that they shot down leg side!!!

I guess this indicates that my arm is not coming over straight from behind towads the batsman, but it is falling down leg side.

I've also developed an annoying sideways leap as I enter my gather.  No idea where it is coming from and it's only appeared this week (the the extent that someone commented on it!).  This might also be leading me to push it down leg.

Back to the lane I think for more practice!

[edge]

100% do not shorten your runup if you are comfortable with it and arriving at the crease at controlled speed and stable.

Re. bunging the yorker down the leg side, sounds more likely to do with wrist position than your arm - releasing the ball earlier for a yorker can mean it's easy to push your wrist left as your release, sending the ball out of the side of the hand. Hard to say without seeing of course, but see if your wrist is falling away rather than pushing through behind the ball.

[Hoover]

100% do not shorten your runup if you are comfortable with it and arriving at the crease at controlled speed and stable.

Re. bunging the yorker down the leg side, sounds more likely to do with wrist position than your arm - releasing the ball earlier for a yorker can mean it's easy to push your wrist left as your release, sending the ball out of the side of the hand. Hard to say without seeing of course, but see if your wrist is falling away rather than pushing through behind the ball.

Yep, in addition if you are trying to bowl quicker you can end up gripping the ball harder and it moves back in your hand... contributing to you dropping short. If you hold the ball in the end of your fingers you have to have the correct wrist position to swing the ball , you will bowl full , it will swing later and your pace will stay up. ( Jason Gillespie at his peak is a good example )give it a go 

[tim2000s]

The other thing to look at when pushing down leg is how upright are you in delivery and into follow through?

People trying to bowl more quickly also have a tendency to fall over to the off side as they try to put extra pace on through the shoulder. This has the effect of pushing the arm through towards leg, and you don't have to be falling a long way for this to start happening.