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Help!!! With Pace

Auzayr

Cricket Spectator
I am a 15 year old right arm fast bowler. I have got a similar, not exact action of Dale Steyn. I am really struggling for pace, I have read Ian Ponts book and tried everything and i can not just get my pace up. I have tried driving my hip and that was no succes, ive tried keeping my non bowling arm up untill my foot is planted that hasnt worked either. Ive read everything and i connot just get fast. PLEASE HELP!!
 

Neil Pickup

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Videos are a good start. Also, look at where your feet are landing - are you closing yourself off?
 

Manee

Cricketer Of The Year
Yes, as Neil will tell you, closing your feet off is a simple problem to fix;)
 

The Masterplan

U19 Debutant
Yes... Improving your footwork can help with rhythm and fluency, try to plant your feet on the same line.. not spread apart.
 

spunbowler

Cricket Spectator
this indeed is a very good topic, fast bowling is about bio mechanics, strength, power desire, technique, the list is endless, at the age of 15 my son was a incredibly fast bowler (80 m.p.h), then he went to durham county cricket club, who under the tuition of geoff cook and martin speight ripped his action from his bones limb from limb, at the time i was incredibly frustrated, because he lost 10 m.p.h out of his action, but to be fair, he now has a pure fast bowlers action, everything in straight lines good strong braced back and front legs, good drive through with his back leg, but the secret to all this is strength, no point running into the coil, big bound, and your back leg cant take the weight/strain and it collapses, anyway to see what i mean there are some videos on kirk before and after durham had him, the first ones are a bit grainy, but you can see how poor his action is but how fast he bowls, and later i think its called kirk rowland bowling at norton nets, he is only doing a 1/4 pace session, but check the action out, good feet, braced legs pole vault legs, good head position, but one thing kirk cant lose, is his shoulder rotation, very similar to stuart broad actually, not pure, anyway young man, get into the gym and strength strength strenght, and believe it or not hours of walk throughs too
 

Son Of Coco

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Yeah, I wouldn't worry too much about pace until you get a little older really. Unless you're physically mature for your age you'll get stronger as you near the end of your teens anyway. I wasn't very quick at all in u/15's etc, but I had a decent action. I didn't play cricket from the age of 16 to 24 (except for some indoor) and found that I came back to the game bowling a lot quicker than I was when I left. I was still accurate, and moved the ball around a bit off the deck. The only difference was I was a lot stronger and a bit taller. A bit of help from a decent coach gained me a little more pace a couple of years after starting back.

I haven't seen many 14/15 year olds that are sharp. The only person of note I can think of is Paul Spence, who represented Australia under 19's. He was about 5'11at 14 though and came in off about 20 steps. Used to play Under 14's in the morning and A grade in the afternoon :happy:

Mind you, injury took him out of the game. I think a stress-free action is more important at 15 than pushing it to the limits to get pace. Just bowl well.
 
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bond21

Banned
well i started playing seniors at 15, and Im 18 now.

Say you finish a season at age 15, when you go back next season at 16, after 6 months of growing, you will generally not notice an increase in pace because you will be rusty for a week or two.

Once you get back in rhythm, you should notice a noticeable pace increase, from doing nothing but growing.

At 18 I am a lot faster than I was at 15, and havent really changed anything in my action.

As for Paul Spence, thats weird, if he was 13 playing A grade....In my city you cant even play seniors D grade at 13, let alone A grade. But yea, 5"11 at 13 is pretty freakish, not many people are that genetically lucky.
 

Son Of Coco

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
well i started playing seniors at 15, and Im 18 now.

Say you finish a season at age 15, when you go back next season at 16, after 6 months of growing, you will generally not notice an increase in pace because you will be rusty for a week or two.

Once you get back in rhythm, you should notice a noticeable pace increase, from doing nothing but growing.

At 18 I am a lot faster than I was at 15, and havent really changed anything in my action.

As for Paul Spence, thats weird, if he was 13 playing A grade....In my city you cant even play seniors D grade at 13, let alone A grade. But yea, 5"11 at 13 is pretty freakish, not many people are that genetically lucky.
He was 14 :happy:

We're not in the city, and it was about 18 years ago so that might make a bit of a difference. (Having to type that is frightening!)
 

bond21

Banned
lol.

i thought it was recent.

well yea, its all changed now its about child safety and all that rubbish.
 

Son Of Coco

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
It's a bit foggy, but that's ok. It adds to the mystery :happy:

Your approach looks a little timid, more like you're sneaking up on the wicket than running in to bowl. Your follow through is ok, but again it looks like you're just going through the motions. From what I can see it seems like you're leaning back when you run in which I don't think will help you gather a lot of momentum. You don't have to be sprinting in, but gathering a bit of momentum as you hit the crease will help you be a little more explosive through it.

I also think that you seem to overstride a little in the last few steps before you get to the point of delivery. Big strides dont = acceleration in the run up. You'll actually stop a bit due to the jolting affect as you hit the ground. Just smoothly accelerate from your starting position through the crease. Aim to accelerate up to the point of delivery without overdoing it and losing control. A good rhythm is most important in delivering the ball at pace in my opinion (that and a good action, but you generally don't have good rhythm and a poor action).

If you build towards the maximum acceleration you can manage whilst sustaining a good rhythm at the point where you deliver the ball and are moving at the target during delivery then that should be the run-up and follow through part of bowling out of the way. You action doesn't look too bad, but there are much better people than me on here to help you with that!

Have you modelled any of your action on Akhtar? He appears to be leaning away a bit as he runs in too I think, but is bent at the waist towards the target if I recall correctly.
 
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bugssy

Cricketer Of The Year
a big part of pace is in your approach . i used to fine when opening if rythem was good they would come out 140's and a nice steady pace, if i rushed into the crease or tried to give it a little eaxtra you get all over the place. Rythem i found was a key factor. the run up was spot on and i worked on it at training for months to get it absolutely spot on. hardly any no balls and you find you just bounce through and get to delivery and it all just works, strengthning at the gym will help but your still growing buddy so work on keeping fit and look atfer that back.Comfortable shoes are another key, some may laugh but \if your not comfy when you land then dont bother.......
 

Son Of Coco

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
a big part of pace is in your approach . i used to fine when opening if rythem was good they would come out 140's and a nice steady pace, if i rushed into the crease or tried to give it a little eaxtra you get all over the place. Rythem i found was a key factor. the run up was spot on and i worked on it at training for months to get it absolutely spot on. hardly any no balls and you find you just bounce through and get to delivery and it all just works, strengthning at the gym will help but your still growing buddy so work on keeping fit and look atfer that back.Comfortable shoes are another key, some may laugh but \if your not comfy when you land then dont bother.......
140's! Nice work :happy:
 

bond21

Banned
yea u dont want to lean back in the run up, but you do want to get more upright.

My ideal run up is -

Get back to your mark, take a few steps back, then sort of jog in with very little steps to gain a bit of momentum, then as soon as you hit your mark immediately get into full strides, arms pumping with short pumps to push you forward, this is in a sprinter's run mind you, so you're slightly leaning forward. Then when approaching the crease, start to get more upright, so when you jump, you should be upright or slightly rocked back, which allows for more pace and bounce. If you dont get upright, you will release from a crouched position, with a bent knee.

Watch Brett Lee and Dale Steyn for ideal run ups, you will notice nearly every bowler, if not all straighten up in their run up from the sprinter's run into a more upright position, which allows for a bit of rockback during the jump.

Run up is one of the most important parts of a successful action, and it is neglected by so many bowlers because they think the action starts at the bowling crease, which to some degree is true, but you want to look at it as a whole. The action should start when you hit your mark in the run up, it finishes when you finish your follow through.

Just remember, the run up should be SMOOTH. If your run up falters, then your jump falters, then your load up falters, then your release falters.
 

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