Print

[Topgun]

I'm a right arm leg spinner, started to be one this season actually - i used to be a pace bowler. My problem is that i cannot turn the ball, like no turn, all my balls are top spinners. My action is very straight so i'm assuming that has something to do with it? I can land the ball in the same place every time but i cant seem to turn the ball, so is there any leg spinners out there willing to help?

[roco]

Are you holding the ball so the seam rotates or where the seam scrambles?

[Topgun]

I holding it with the seam horizontal

[ItsJustCricket]

Keep your arm less straight.  I was taught that the best way to bowl the top spinner (variation ball for me) is to bowl with a very straight arm.  If you look at good leggies they have quite a round arm action, which seems to help the leg break.  I don't know the ins and outs but I bowl this way and can turn it a bit.  Just a shame my line and length isn't very consistent!

[Topgun]

Lol i bowl the topspinner every ball the line and length is perfect but it never spins so i'm thinking i'm bowling a topspinner not a leg break so i want to know how to bowl a leg break. Currently the only variation i'm doing is with pace because i can seem to turn the ball anywhere

[ScottParko]

I think I will keep a close eye on this. I just bowled dibbly dobble seamers but a few times in nets last season when tiring I just went for a 2 step leg spin and I wouldn't intend to do anything different but sometimes it would turn sometimes it would be a top spinner, but I'm thinking about practicing it, so any tips would be useful for me too, to identify what I might've been doing different before so I can repeat it in the future and know what's going to come out!!

[Topgun]

I think I will keep a close eye on this. I just bowled dibbly dobble seamers but a few times in nets last season when tiring I just went for a 2 step leg spin and I wouldn't intend to do anything different but sometimes it would turn sometimes it would be a top spinner, but I'm thinking about practicing it, so any tips would be useful for me too, to identify what I might've been doing different before so I can repeat it in the future and know what's going to come out!!

Yes, 1 ball in about 30odd actually spins a bit the rest just go straight

[Buzz]

Just bowling top spinners will scare many batsmen

Can I suggest you invest in a two colour ball so you can see what you are doing with the ball and this will help you experiment.

When I bowl my dreadful attempts at legspin at my son, I can only bowl top spinners too...!

[GoldenArm]

I'm a right arm leg spinner, started to be one this season actually - i used to be a pace bowler. My problem is that i cannot turn the ball, like no turn, all my balls are top spinners. My action is very straight so i'm assuming that has something to do with it? I can land the ball in the same place every time but i cant seem to turn the ball, so is there any leg spinners out there willing to help?

I'm a self taught leggie and rather than trying to coach you on here I'd say do what I did and pretty much just absorb every book and YouTube video going and play around and work it out for yourself. The terry Jenner ones, Richie benaud and warne master classes are all very useful resources for the basics and all easily found. If you go onto Amazon try and find a book called The Art Of Wrist Spin by Peter Philpott, it's every leggies bible. Most important thing is to not try and emulate any one bowler too much, it's inevitable the more you watch and read the more you'll be influenced by someone. I started off trying to be warne. But only warne is warne, be yourself and just try and adapt what you learn to your own style. Kumble made a very good living bowling toppies! Be prepared for a long hard road ahead of you mate! Highs and lows aplenty bowling wrist spin. Stick at it!

[WalkingWicket37]

What's wrong with bowling just top spinners?
We have a leggy who's been doing that for years and he still consistently gets wickets.

As a non-turning off spinner I find that other variations work well.
Even if it doesn't turn you am an change flight, speed and angle on the crease, so there's still plenty you can do to get the batsman thinking

[Manormanic]

If you're bowling top spinners, you're probably bowling more or less tha way Merv Hughes used to bowl his back of the hand slower ball - that is to say, you're rotating the wrist so that the ball comes right out of the back (top) of the hand.  If you want to turn the ball away from the right hander, you'd need to impart some revs on it - there are a number of different ways of doing this, bu the classic one is to use the second finger, so that the ball comes out over the top of your little finger.  If you're action is too high, you might stuggle to do this consistently.

[roco]

Its all about wrist position

if you are bowling with the seam upright try to get the seam pointing to 2nd slip as your either

1. getting the ball rotating straight over itself (i.e. dernbachs slower ball)
2. the smooth part of the ball is hitting the pitch not the seam so the ball is sliding on rather than gripping
3. your not putting any "action" on the ball so it is not rotating in the air so it won't grip

Which one do you think you are doing as different ways to help with each one?

[GoldenArm]

Just to get you started here's a few links:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yW_tjtss870

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AyHX7GsrMlo

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nW1fRPqsa-A

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VRalbzmKIEM

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Art-Wrist-Spin-Bowling/dp/1861260636/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1444218852&sr=8-1&keywords=Art+of+wrist+spin

http://www.bigcricket.com/community/forums/spin-bowling.36/

My top tip is to start by practicing spinning the ball from hand to hand so you get that seam position perfect and strengthen your wrist and fingers in the process whilst getting a feel for the right motion required to make it rip. Just PM me if you want me to go into more detail, I can't get enough of discussing spin and I could go on like this all day 😆.

[Mr_Orange]

I always think about where the back of my bowling hand is pointing so that I have the correct wrist position. For a stock leg spinner it points more towards mid-off (for a RH batsman). For the top spinner its more towards cover and the googly is pointing towards point or even wide slips/gully.

[Jaffa]

I bought a few red/white balls to check the ball in flight. That might help you also.

Maybe try filming a closeup of your action.

We have bouncy wickets here. I got fed up of the ball passing the blade followed with it bouncing over the off stump. To try and get around this I've been practicing a type or slider. To do this my arm needed to be straighter. In doing that I noticed my stock ball leg break became more of a top-spinner. To combat that I've changed how I grip the ball by turning the seam in my hand. It looks to have worked for now but I need more practice to feel more comfortable with it.

At the beginning you might get hit all over the park but then you'll start taking more wickets. You'll be entertaining either way.

Stick with it and I'm sure you'll be rewarded. Good luck.