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[Lefthook]

Fellas, I need a bit of help!

I used to be an 'off-spinner'.
Haven't played in about 3 years; injury.

First nets last night, and I didn't turn the ball an inch. There was another player there and he turned it a mile, with a fair bit of pace. I think he was the 1st XI spinner.

My questions are these:

1) Is there any way to self-diagnose whether a) My wrist/spin angle is wrong? or b) That I'm not putting on enough revolutions?

2) I've forgotten what its like to be part of a club; should I just approach the guy and ask him for advice etc?

[johan95]

I reckon that if that guy is as good as you imply him to be, it's worth going up to him and asking for some tips. Hopefully he is a nice guy and would spend some time to help you out...

[iand123]

Saw a clip on asics YouTube channel the other with a few training videos about different parts of the game. M Vaughan did one about off spin. http://www.youtube.com/smartercricket

[RoCo Da Pixie]

Your main points to get the ball to turn is your release from the hand, I find i bowl like i am clicking my fingers with the thumb, and index and middle finger,

Then i also create a bit of "purchase" by using my front foot and pivoting through, Some people's action naturally gives them spin, I would worry more about line & Length than turning it, As if you are on the money then get the odd one to turn, Your more of a risk than a guy who bowls all over the place but gets turn.

[slcric]

Looping the ball/giving it good flight and bowling it slow would help you turn the ball more and if it's windy it will give you some drift aswell which is good to have in your repatua!but if you bowl it flat and quick it would obviously not turn.Another tip for spinnig is to roll your index finger over the seam about 45 degrees To the right hander pointing to fine leg.But if I was you,after 3 years the first thing i would do is get my line and length sorted THEN worry about spin as a lot of good spin bowlers doesn't always rely on spin,rather line and length.

[Lefthook]

Many thanks for the replies guys. All very helpful.

My line and length (surprisingly) were fairly good! I got a lot of guys to miss on the outside edge. However, once they had realised that there was no turn at all, they were able drive me with ease.

I quite like the fact that the ball doesn't turn. However, I want to be able to turn one or two per over! I bowl it fairly flat, so I guess it skids on. I tried a few slower ones, but no spin. That's why I was wondering about whether it was lack of revs or angle of spin.

I believe what I might be doing wrong is spinning the ball like a flying saucer (so it spins around a vertical axis). I guess I'll have to make a video, eh.

[slcric]

If guess releasing the ball on the 45 degree angle I mentioned would help

[Tumo]

Action, grip, flight, pace. With your action, try and pivot 'around' your left leg (this is the opposite way for me, being an SLA, so this is confusing me haha), as opposed to 'against' or 'straight on', sort of thing. Watch Swanny bowl, his leg goes round. It's difficult to explain, easier to show I think. I have to disagree with slcric here, spin takes wickets more than accuracy. As youngsters, coaches teach them to spin the ball hard before becoming accurate. Leg-spinners, for example, turn the ball a mile, and will normally take more wickets than off-spinners comparatively, because they turn it more and cause more trouble for the batsman. Off-spinners who don't spin it much are known to 'bore' people out, or contain. Look to take wickets. get some nice loop going, not too quickly on your average pitch though. When you get a bit more experience you pick up the right pace to bowl on pitches in order to extract the most turn within a few balls. Shame it still takes me about 5 overs 

[Lefthook]

slcric - yep, I'll definitely give that a go. My point was that I can't tell when/if I'm turning it at 45. Any rules of thumb ie cocking of wrist etc? Cheers, I'll definitely try.

Tumo - good points. So far I've been obsessed with getting good pace on my spin bowling. I'll try to pivot more, but due to my knee problems, it might be a bit painful for now. I noticed a visible 'snap' on this other bowler's release - I guess without a camera, I can't tell what my release etc looks like.

[Buzz]

There is nothing better than getting someone to video you - even if it is just with a mobile phone.

[will5210]

There is nothing better than getting someone to video you - even if it is just with a mobile phone.

Try as I might, I can't get the girlfriend to agree with me on that.

[Simmy]

hahahha gold!

[uknsaunders]

when I was younger, they use to drill into me not to leave the thumb on the ball in delivery (or as little as possible). It acts like a brake on the rotation of the ball and results in less turn.

[Kulli]

Qhat about the third finger, I find it very hard to grip the ball without it resting against that.

[will5210]

I've been doing ECB level 2 coaching & they advise:

*First & second finger across the seam
*Seam of ball rests on bent third finger
*Thumb OFF ball

Make sure you're nicely side on in your action & drive your back leg round as you bowl.
Finger action should be like opening a door kn0b from left to right. (swearing filter =can't put (No Swearing Please)!)
Practice with one of those half red/half white balls to check your seam position.

Decent seam position & revs will get you drift too - which makes a difference