performance guide - pitchero

PERFORMANCEGUIDE

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In this All Out Cricket Performance Guide we bring you a selection of coaching articles from previous issues of All Out Cricket magazine to help you improve and enhance your coaching sessions this summer. Here’s what you can find inside…

BATTING• Mark Ramprakash – How To Bat (And Coach Batting)• Alex Lees – Opening The Batting In 50-Over Cricket• Nick Compton – The Mental Side Of Batting• Graham Thorpe – Grooving Your Technique

BOWLING• Graeme Swann – The Classical Off-Spinner• Scott Borthwick – Leggies! The Principles• Tim Bresnan – Fast Bowling In One-Day Cricket• Oliver Hannon-Dalby – Moving The New Ball• Richard Johnson – Making The Most Of Training

KEEPING & FIELDING• Paul Nixon – Standing Up To The Stumps• Chris Taylor – Fielding In The Ring• Ian Bell – Short-Legging

For more articles like this head to www.alloutcricket.com or for the very latest tips from the top subscribe to All Out Cricket’s monthly magazine at www.aocsubs.com.

PERFORMANCEGUIDE

BATTING

78 | AOC | AUGUST 2014

HOw tO bAt[ANd COACH bAttINg]

wItH MARK RAMPRAKAsHA scorer of 114 first-class hundreds,

Mark Ramprakash is now batting coach for Middlesex and England. Here he

shows AOC how to build a run-maker.

SKILLS

the GRip I see a lot of young players who have a poor grip – that puts them in trouble before they’ve started.

I recommend an orthodox grip, aligning the two ‘V’s of your hands down the shoulder of the bat.

We see a lot of kids who have that bottom hand much further round and become very bottom-handed. You can see signs of this in their back-lift – if the bat face is closed when they bring it back, it might well be that their bottom hand is too dominant.

Whether they hold it at the end or down the bottom I’m not too worried about, as long as they can present the full face of the bat through the hitting zone, bringing the bat back straight and then delivering the bat face through the line of the ball.

My grip was in the middle – with a little gap at each end, with both hands working together.

MORE! Drills, advice and video demos at alloutcricket.com

stAnceUpRiGhtAs a simple start, I ’d say: ‘Head up, eyes level.’ If you can maintain a still head while the ball ’s being delivered and when playing your shot, it shows us you’ll be well-balanced. We like to see the upper body upright so that there’s less danger of the batsman ‘falling over’ to the off-side.

Knee BenDA little bit of knee bend is very important. That will allow players to move – and move quickly and athletically. Against quick bowling you need to be able to transfer your weight either forward or back quickly. Think of it as being similar to the way a boxer would move.

This is particularly important in England – because of the sorts of pitches we play on, with the ball seaming and swinging around, it ’s important to get forward, but of course against the quicker bowlers you have to be able to push back as well.

siDe-onI think it’s very important that players maintain side-on shoulders. We see some players who slightly withdraw their front foot to ‘open’ their stance. Doing that just slightly can help you to get the bat at the ball, and, whereas you might get your front foot too far across to the off-side (and therefore bring the bat across to the leg side and risk getting out lbw) this method can allow you to bring the bat down straight at the ball. Some coaches advocate opening up the front foot to face cover rather than point, for similar reasons.

I’m big on being side-on because I think it helps you hold your shape (a side-on shape) whether playing off the front foot or off the back foot, allowing the bat to come down the line of the ball. Each individual will have to find what works for them, but in essence, I’d be pretty much side-on from my shoulders through my hips and down to my legs.

FeetMike Gatting would sometimes get his weight back on his heels to stop himself falling over, and each individual will have his own way of doing things. As an orthodox way of doing it, most of your weight will be on the ball of your foot – not on the toes or the heels, but on the ball.

Against most bowlers my feet would be shoulder-width apart and I would advocate that for most batsmen and to most bowlers. Although of course, there are exceptions.

eYes LeVeL

UpRiGht

Knees Bent

[impoRtAnt!]

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GUARD… AnD when to chAnGe itto seAmeRsI used to take middle as a guard and I did that because I wanted my bat to be able to come down on the line of middle-and-off to have access to the ball. If the ball was keeping low against pace or there was inswing I might shuffle a bit more towards leg-stump – that would show more of my stumps but it allowed me to get my bat at the ball and hopefully take out the lbw dismissal, which could otherwise be a threat when the ball is keeping low. If the wicket is bouncy, it might be you have to get further over to the off-side to get in behind the ball.

to spinneRsAgainst left-arm spin I would back out onto leg-stump to open up the off-side and play with the spin. Then I knew that if the bowler followed me, he’s pitching outside leg-stump which gives me a free hit to leg.

For the off-spinner it was the opposite. I would look to get over to off-stump and again play with the spin to the leg-side.

PERFORMANCE

I dON’t wANt tO bE PlAyINg

A FORwARd dEFENsIvE tO

A sPINNER

“

BAcKLiFtAnGLe AnD heiGht

Supposing you have an orthodox grip, the bat face may open slightly when you bring it up. That means that by the time it comes down it will be full on, flush towards the ball. It goes back over around off-stump. In terms of height it might be just on top of the off-stump. You’re looking for these things to be consistent and repeat. If you bring your bat up very high, you may lose control – there’s more that can go wrong. If you don’t lift it up and keep it on the floor, you don’t have

as much time to hit the ball because when the ball is released you’ve got to lift it up and then bring it down again.

hAnDsI’m quite keen that you keep your hands quite close to your body. We see some guys on the TV whose hands get out away from their body. If they’ve practised and they feel they can be consistent, go for it – I’m all for individual difference. But in terms of orthodox coaching, what I would advocate for youngsters is that having your hands out away from your body could lead to problems. If they’re tucked in close, you can control the bat face, playing the ball late, tight to your body, under your eyeline.

how to tAcKLe spin

I want to make it difficult for the bowler to bowl his stock delivery, which is on a good length. So I don’t really want to be playing a forward defensive to a spinner. I want to be able to move him off that length. To do that I’ve got to have quick feet at the crease; I’ve got to be able to get down the wicket quickly to get close to the ball, or push right back towards my stumps and watch the ball off the pitch. That takes practice.

A lot of players when they come down the wicket are trying to hit it for six. That is a mistake – you don’t have to do that. Yes, you come down with intent, and you have to have quick feet so by all means come down with energy and intent. But if the ball’s not there to drive along the ground, you may defend it. It’s still sending a message out to the spinner.


oFF-siDe

oFF-

spin

neR

LeG/LeFt-ARm-spinneR

LeG-siDe

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SKILLS

WHERE SHOULD I LOOK TO SCORE IN THE FIRST FEW OVERS?Ideally you’ve got to have a bit of a game-plan, looking at the areas where you are actually going to score to start with. I find that trying to hit through point and driving through cover is quite risky as an opening bat, so my plan at the start of an innings is to score straight and on the leg-side.

If the ball is straight I generally look to hit straight back down the ground. If they then drift onto your pads, then as a left-hander that’s quite a big scoring area. For me, playing a leg-side ball to leg is a lower-risk option than trying to drive a ball that has width, in the first few overs.

WHAT’S THE RIGHT MENTALITY FOR AN OPENER?I try to make sure I’m nice and positive and that I’m looking to score – I find that puts me in the best positions. I want a good mental state where I am actually looking to score runs off the bowler, which is obviously what batting is about! I find my defence is then a lot tighter and my judgement on leaving is a lot sharper than if I’m thinking ‘Just look to bat time at the crease’. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re looking to play more shots, but you’re looking for that opportunity to score. That sharpens up the defensive areas of my game.


OPENING THE BATTING IN 50- OVER CRICKETWITH ALEX LEES

Yorkshire and England Lions left-hander Alex Lees has been hotly tipped by

Geoffrey Boycott, and his success across all formats in 2014 has gone a long way to showing why. Here, the 21-year-old opener

gives some great advice on how to go about your business at the top of the order.

HOW DO I BALANCE ATTACK AND DEFENCE?In the first three or four overs I’m trying not to hit square of the wicket with a straight bat. Although in one-day cricket you’re expected to play 360 degrees, I think it’s key that you give yourself a chance to assess the wicket before you start playing bigger shots. You might get a wicket that seams around and you’ve got to be more cautious. The key with any innings is to give yourself the opportunity to assess the conditions. For me, unless I feel really good, it’ll be three or four overs. Then I’ve assessed the pitch and I’ll feel comfortable playing all around the wicket. Some people feel like they can whack it from ball one, but I always like to have a look at what the wicket’s doing and then take it from there.

I TRY TO MAKE SURE I’M LOOKING TO SCORE. I FIND THAT PUTS ME IN THE

BEST POSITIONS... MY DEFENCE IS THEN A LOT TIGHTER AND MY JUDGEMENT ON

LEAVING IS A LOT SHARPER

“

PLAN

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GET

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ARK

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PERFORMANCE


WHY AREN’T I SCORING AS QUICKLY AS THE PROS?For 50-over cricket in the leagues, I think it ’s a crossover between our four-day cricket and our 50-over cricket. The white balls we use generally don’t swing for very long, whereas league cricketers on a Saturday might get a red ball that swings for 20 overs, like in our four-day cricket. So I think a crossover between the two approaches is probably ideal. You’re probably looking to play more of a four-day innings at the start as an opening batsman, and then when it gets slightly easier play in more of a one-day style. Don’t necessarily go out and expect to play like people do on TV in ODIs, unless the conditions allow you to.

THE LEFT-HANDER: WHERE TO TAKE GUARD?If I ’m facing a right-arm over seamer, I ’ll have my back foot on middle-and-off and my front foot on the inside of middle, so that my head is nice and level and I’m facing back towards the bowler.

If he comes round the wicket or left-arm over, I ’ll move to have my back foot on off-stump and my front foot onto middle-and-off, and I’d face towards the umpire and stumps to make sure my head is nice and level. If you just decide to bat on middle for both, your angles will change and it ’ll be harder to line the ball up. Just a slight adjustment can help get you in much better positions.

PARTNERS! LEES & LYTHHow do two openers develop a settled partnership?Getting on well off the field is a good starting point. Then it ’s just keeping each other going. When one of you is maybe under a little bit of pressure and there’s a few dot balls, it ’s just going down the pitch, talking to your partner, just reassuring him that he doesn’t have to play a big shot and that we do have time to catch up later on. That ’s probably the basis of a partnership. Enjoy each other’s success when you’re out there and then just keep each other ticking along.

In my 275 last year

against Derby I was facing

Mark Footitt and I drove him

through straight mid-off for four

as my off-the-mark shot. That’s

memorable. It sets the tone in your own

mind and the bowler’s – it says they’ve got

to be on it or you’ll punish them. If you’re

hitting the ball down the ground then

you’re in a pretty good place technically

and mentally; if I could get off the

mark every innings with a boundary

four down the ground then I’d

be pretty happy.

WHEN SHOULD I LOOK TO UP THE RATE?In 50-over cricket, as a batsman you have a lot, lot more time than you think. Even if you feel under a bit of pressure, all it takes is a couple of boundaries and you’re flying again. So trusting yourself and giving yourself a bit of time is always a good thing.

The situation can dictate how you’ll play. For example, in a game when you’re chasing a low total and there’s no scoreboard pressure, you can just play normally as if it ’s a Championship match. If you’re chasing over 300 you might have to play

a bit more aggressively in the powerplay. But even if you’re chasing a huge score – 350 or more – you still have a lot more time than you think, which is probably the current trend: give yourself the chance.

If you’re ‘in’, you’ve spent a bit of time at the crease, you know the pace of the wicket, back yourself to catch up with the run-rate. It’s a lot easier for a player on 70 to hit boundaries than it is for someone in single figures. If you’ve got players in you can put the opposition on the back foot. Even in 20-over cricket, you’ve got more time than you think.

That also affects which balls you will choose to leave. As an opening batsman you need to know where your off-stump is, so you need to be in a position to judge that and I think it ’s easier if you’re closer to off-stump than just batting on middle, where you might not be quite as sure where your stumps are.


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ADHow do you deal with drops in form?I think form is an interesting word; people look at runs and say someone is in form but I don’t really look at it like that. I’ve found periods this year where it has been very diffi cult, there have been games where I’ve been on an uncomfortable track, the ball is fl ying around and I’ve not been feeling good. I had a great chat with Gary Kirsten who said one of his greatest innings was at Headingley in 2003 and he said he got 14 runs in a whole session with Harmison and Flintoff bowling and he said he felt he couldn’t even buy a run. But instead of saying: “I’m good at the pull shot and the cover drive,” he just thought “I have got to stay in here” and he got through two sessions and then in the third session, he got 70 runs and got through to what he regarded as his best hundred. If the mind is right, you can still make a hundred batting terribly.

THE PRO TIP

dUCKINg IN tHe dArKHow do you push yourself when you’re training?One of the things I do is to bat against the bowling machine in dark conditions with the lights dimmed. I fi nd it’s a really good way to prepare – you have to keep pushing the boundaries.

Dangerous?there are times I’ve been really scared, I’ve been hit a few times so there is a fear factor. I don’t know what the bowling machine is going to do because the guy operating it is quite clever. the balls are short and very uncomfortable at times.

So the idea is that you become comfortable being uncomfortable?Yeah, the fi rst time is horrible; the second time too and the third! but eventually it gets easier and you get better at dealing with it. Outside I’ll get balls that will seem to be too quick, but how comfortable can I become with that?

It sounds horrendous!Yeah, but if when I’m batting I’ve got this anxiety going around in my head then I’m not going to give myself the best chance. It’s about working hard between balls to get emotionally back in that place where all I’m focusing on is what I can control, which is the next ball coming down and how that threatens my stumps and my outside edge.

C O A C H I N G BATTING

What’s been the key to your success this season?I’m more specifi c in my practice about replicating what goes on out in the middle and what I am trying to do, and that is bat for six hours – so how can I replicate that in the nets? Instead of just going in and facing a few half volleys, I bat for three hours and get someone to come in with a new ball and bowl a six-ball over, make it as pressured and as hard as I can and tell the bowler: “Right, get me out.” I feel that it’s the anxiety that is the diff erence between getting out and staying in, so if you are really calm and composed and you are doing things in your own time, then that can be the diff erence. Watching Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis recently, there are no frills, they walk out and immediately look in control.

What’s changed?I think the awareness of what sort of player I am has changed. I have been through the mill as much as

anyone in terms of trying diff erent things. I feel like I went through that and came out the other side with a belief that I had to stay true to myself and my strengths, and those strengths have been batting for long periods of time and setting my stall out to be a Test cricketer, a bit like Trott and Cook in the current Test side.

At Somerset we have guys like Trescothick who are so prolifi c. I can’t match him stroke for stroke but I know that if I can stay with him, I’m doing a great job. In one game, I was wearing down the new ball, he was scoring lots of runs, I was scoring a few runs. Suddenly I looked up at the scoreboard and I’d been batting for two hours, I already had 45-50 runs and suddenly my confi dence and those foundations developed. You should spend as much time in the middle as you can, you’ll develop more shots. Get in, stay in, and see how long you can do it for.

THE PRO: NICK COMPTONAGE: 29HEIGHT: 6ft 2inROLE: right-hand top order batsmanTHE WORD: technically sound run-machine. started at middlesex before moving on to somerset. County cricket’s leading run-scorer in 2012 at an average of just under 90. pushing hard for international recognition.

pArt 2: tHe meNtAl sIde Of bAttINgrun-scoring does not seem to be a problem for Nick Compton this season. Here he talks about his mental approach to batting.

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As a batsman you were known for being able to adapt your game to suit the situation. But what were the biggest challenges you faced to get to the point where you were comfortable playing different ways?Once I got to the highest level, the biggest challenge was coping with pace. That was undoubtedly the toughest. My whole training changed once I got to the highest level. I don’t know if there was enough awareness of coaching at times. Certainly there are a lot more coaches and better coach education out there now. Pace was the main thing that I had to get to grips with, especially short-pitched bowling. I changed a lot of my batting programme, pretty much flipping it on its head. Almost 80 per cent of my work was on playing on the back foot. Once you are more confident against it, not being worried about getting hit and being able to attack the short ball, you end up playing better off the front foot as well, because you’re more confident. If you’re not confident, your heart rate will tick much faster and you’ll find yourself drawn into playing poor shots – your

decision-making falls down. w

THE PRO: GRAHAm THORPEAGE: 43ROLE: Left-hand batsman; batting coachTHE WORD: A counter-attacking strokemaker with a rock-solid defensive technique; a mainstay of England and Surrey’s middle order throughout his playing career, averaging 44 in Test cricket with 16 tons. Now works with the ECB as a specialist batting coach, developing the country’s most promising youngsters, including the England Lions squad.

COACHING

PART 1: GrooviNG your TEChNiquE

Former England great Graham Thorpe on the importance of showing adaptabilty in your batting.

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C O A C H I N G

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And it wasn’t just pace – there were some pretty good slow bowlers around at the time too…For sure, playing spin was the other big thing– in terms of reaching that total confidence in what you are doing in Asia, being confident enough to know that you can survive and not worry about a turning pitch. And I haven’t even mentioned swing bowling! I had to be able to deal with both conventional and reverse swing. Generally against all swing bowling you have to play it late.

You’re now working with the ECB. What are the main areas of batting you work on with the England Performance Programme?We try to look at the gaps which we have to fill. If we look at the domestic game and the jump to the next level, we look pretty closely at what makes the difference between that big leap. and you can focus on a few things: The pace and the intensity of pace bowling is quicker, it puts you under more pressure and decision-making is tougher. But also, you’ve got to have certain shots in your locker and be able to handle certain deliveries at the top level. So pace will be one thing that we work very hard on, specifically the shorter ball and being confident against it. It won’t always be the short ball that will get you out, it will be the fuller ball after the roughing up process has messed up the footwork. The other area is playing spin. If you’re going to try and be in that top bracket, as a team or as a batsman, you have to be able to play well in Asia, which means being good against spin bowling. If you’re going to perform well all over the world, you have to also be good against pace bowling in South Africa and Australia. These are the two areas which we really try and get the guys up to scratch on.

How do you coach young players to deal with the short ball?With youth cricket in this country the ball won’t bounce as high. It will predominantly be front foot shots, so the volume of practice against the short ball will be a lot less when you’re growing up. Then, from a coach’s perspective, it’s about raising awareness of what’s going on at the highest level. Players need to know how to cut and pull. It is very important to be able to hit the ball square of the wicket off a shorter, faster bowler. That means knowing where to execute your cut shots, whether that is up and over gully or down in front of square at point. That will always depend on the pace of the bowler. It is the same with the pull shot. It is always good

BATTING

Players need to know how to cut and pull and be able to hit the ball square of the wicket off a shorter, faster bowler

“DRILL IT!

boxing clever

gaining confidence against the short ball from a young age is very important. So to build confidence you might introduce boxing games. if you were boxing against someone your feet would be wide enough apart to be able to move out of the way and you would watch your opponent’s every move, while throwing punches would replicate the back-and-forth movements of trying to play a few shots. look at the body movement

first, then move on to having objects thrown at the head. This can start with under-arms or lobs with a tennis ball, and then develop as you start to build up confidence. every time a ball comes down to a batsman he has to make a decision. You then have to increase the intensity of this practice. At some stage of the development you are going to be working with cricket balls and you need courage and skill to back it up.

Strauss and Bresnan go at it on an England training camp

Thorpe was a fearless hooker and puller against the quicks


Not succumbiNg to spiN

What steps do you take to help young players deal with spin bowling?i always go back to the start with it. And you start with footwork. that means getting players to come out of their crease confidently, and also pushing them back so they use the depth of their crease. once a player understands that, his decision-making improves. At a young age i think footwork is the most important thing. As they progress, they have to bring in the ability for the feeder to be able to spin the ball. i like a lot of footwork drills to start with, to make them confident, and that can be done without a bat. i like guys to be able to have what i call ‘power positions’ against spinners. ultimately though you’ve got to read spin well, and picking the length is the key thing when playing it.

How can you teach ‘picking length’?it comes down to volume again. mixing up length against a young player will get them to recognise the length that they will be able to come down to, which length they should go back to, and which length they should defend. i like batsmen to be encouraged to hit

the ball over the top. it is important from a coaching perspective that

you encourage that. if you want to be able to play

at the highest level, and run down and hit the spinner over the top – just the same as if you want to hit a fast bowler off your nose – then coaches have to allow mistakes to be made in practice. that is all part of the coaching process. there will be a time for being firmer, but there is definitely a time when a player needs to experiment and feel what the shot feels like when a risk is taken.

How can you introduce that ‘risk’ element to practice?We will use half-bats against the turning ball to improve their decision-making and sometimes take out the cavalier attitude to batting, to make them concentrate on footwork, footwork and footwork. With a much thinner bat, you have to do that or you are going to miss the ball a lot, so we use the thin bats against the turning ball. that can be used indoors, with mats flipped over to help the ball turn.

to work on pulling it hard and hitting it in front of square, through mid wicket. You are able then to make decisions. I like batsmen to be armed with tools in their back pocket. If they don’t want to attack the short ball, but are very good at getting out of the way of it, then that is fine. The more options you have available to you, the better when you go out to face the quicker bowlers. Developing hand speed is also important. When you take on a quick bowler you have to realise that within a click of a finger that the ball is on to you and you have a split-second to make a decision. I like players to sometimes experiment with what I call ‘anticipatory techniques’ where you look at the bowler and think ‘if the ball goes into a certain area, I will look to play certain shots’. For me, this is all done in practice so that a player can start to break down their own strengths; how quickly they pick up the line and length of the ball. A lot of it is volume.

For young players, is it about facing top level deliveries even if they’re not facing them in matches?You have major deliveries coming down at you at the top level: the 90mph throat ball, the inswinger, outswinger, turning in and turning away. If you break it down there are five deliveries which you have to be able to handle at the highest level. If you are working towards that, from a coaching or playing perspective, you are on a pretty good pathway. Technique is so key. The stronger the technique is, the more confident you are and the more chance you have of scoring runs. But confidence and belief is also crucially important. As is hard work. Taking yourself out of your comfort zone is key. The earlier you do the tough stuff, the more likely you are to make it further along the line.

IAIN BRUNNSCHWEILER ENglANd dEvElopmENt progrAmmE uNdEr 17 coAch; Ecb lEvEl 4 coAch, Author of thE InspIred CrICket Manual ANd aOC ’s coNsultANt coAch

DRILL IT!

england v south africa, second test, Headingley, 1994Thorpe comes out fighting

After a debut test hundred the previous summer, thorpe returned from a period on the sidelines armed with a more dynamic and expansive game. After watching lara make 375 that winter, thorpe introduced a higher backlift and greater fluidity into his game; and against south Africa’s pace attack that summer, he showcased his modernised technique with a pair of scintillating seventies, full of cuts, pulls, hooks and aggression. he had arrived.

PLANS IN ACTION

i like batsmen to be encouraged to hit the ball over the top “

THE PRO TIP


BOWLING


COACHING

No.2THE CLASSICALOFF SPINNERGRAEME SWANNIn the second instalment of our series which taps into the minds of the country’s most skilled technicians, it’s a man with more than 400 wickets for his country, England and Nottinghamshire’s irrepressible twirler Graeme Swann. Here, he compartmentalises his cra� into bite-size chunks and talks us step-by-step through the routine that has made him the world’s leading traditional nger spinner.

PACE YOURSELFWhen I was growing up my spin coach at Northampton, Nick Cook, always said that you should bowl as quick as you possibly can on a wicket while still getting turn out of it. That makes sense to me, but of course it changes depending on which batsman you’re up against.

If you’ve got a rank tail-ender who you know is going to try and hit you for six, you bowl as slow as possible. You don’t mind him hitting you for one six but if you keep throwing it up there he’s going to hit one up in the air. But if a good player is looking to use his feet, you’ve got to have more pace on the ball and more dip so he’s not getting to the pitch of it.

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COACHING

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My pace is pretty constant. It’s normally about 52 or 53mph, at times a little bit more. I only go on what the scoreboard says; I’ve never videoed myself, recorded the pace and thought, ‘Right that’s the pace I want to bowl’, but that’s what works for me. Sometimes Matty Prior behind the stumps will just say to try and slow it down a bit or fire them down a bit quicker. That’s just a feel that you get for individual batsmen.

THE ROUTINE1. MARKING YOUR RUN-UPYour run-up should be the optimum distance and number of steps that give you the momentum you need. I walk back nine spaces and then take three steps to the side. It’s a rough science though. Sometimes you’re running up hill, sometimes down, so it’s on feel on the day. Some spinners have a lot shorter run-up and tend to walk to the crease but I need that momentum.

2. PREPARATIONI’ve got this weird thing that I do with my hands that my teammates take the mickey out of me for. I don’t know why I do it. It’s just a habit. Then I spin the ball in my hands a couple of times, just to get a feel of the ball. Sometimes balls are a bit tacky, sometimes they’re dry, sometimes they’re wet; it just gets you used to how it’s going to feel at the crease.

3. THE RUN-UPThere are a lot of coaches who say you should work in dead straight

There are a lot of coaches who say you should work in dead straight lines. Nonsense! If you want to be a decent spinner don’t listen to that

“

lines. Nonsense! The worst thing that a spin bowler can do is work in dead straight lines – it’s dreadful. If you want to be a decent spinner don’t listen to that. If you run up in straight lines you won’t spin it very much or you’ll need a very dry wicket to spin it. That’s why I take the three steps to the side when marking my run; you need that angled run to create the torsion in your action that you need to spin the ball.

4. THE RELEASEFor me, it’s all about getting side on. You’ve got to get your left shoulder round the front so you’re looking back over your shoulder and automatically that’s going to bring your foot across and your whole body has to pivot over at the point of release. That will give you the torsion you need to get spin, drift and then it’ll turn. Then I just land it exactly where I want it!



GET A GRIP

1. THE OFF BREAKThis is my standard grip. I spin it o� two knuckles: the fi rst knuckle on my forefi nger and the second knuckle on my second fi nger. Some spinners go o� the fi rst knuckle on the second fi nger but you tend to fi nd the guys who spin it more go o� the second knuckle because from there you can fl ick the ball and at the point of release it rolls o� the top of your fi nger.

2. THE ARM BALLYou can hold the ball like this and the batsman will think it’s an arm ball and you can either bowl it with the seam up or you can spin it. If it’s spinning it may hit the seam, it may not. For the under-spinner you hold it almost exactly the same but rather than fl icking over the top you fl ick underneath so the ball basically goes down the wicket like a fl ying saucer and skids on. That’s what I use as my arm ball.

3. THE TOP-SPINNERMove the ball down your fi ngers from the standard grip, so rather than being against the second knuckle of the second fi nger the seam is against the fi rst knuckle. Then you bowl over the top of the fi ngers so that the ball spins directly towards the batsman.

Of Swann’s 248 Test wickets, 48 per cent have been le� -handers. So what makes le� ies such attractive prey?

I love bowling to le� -handers because there’s just more ways of getting them out, with lbw coming into play a lot more. To get a right-hander out lbw on a turning wicket he’s got to either misjudge the ball horribly and not play a shot, or you’ve got to bowl a straighter delivery. Whereas for le� -handers, because I come quite wide on the crease and can get the ball to dri� , hopefully that means their head and their feet get planted early where they think the line of the ball is going and then it carries on dri� ing in.

I’m always looking to bowl a ball that’s hitting about middle and o� stump so where I pitch it depends on how much it’s turning. Early in a game that might mean pitching on o� stump or even outside the stumps because with the angle I’m coming in from it can still pitch outside, turn and hit the stumps.

In the second innings of a game or on a lot of overseas pitches like in Sri Lanka I can aim to pitch on middle, middle and leg, even leg stump sometimes, knowing that if I get enough revolutions on the ball it’s going to turn. The batsman has to use his bat because if it straightens and hits his pad it’s lbw and then you hope that it turns and either beats the outside edge and bowls him, or takes the outside edge and gets him caught. So you’ve got three major ways of getting a guy out there: lbw, bowled and caught behind. There’s just more ways of being dangerous to a le� -hander.

HOW TO SNARE A SOUTHPAW

Turning wicket

Non-turning wicket

CAUGHT ON CAMERATo watch Swanny’s action broken down in slow motion, visit www.alloutcricket.com


www.alloutcricket.com 1514 AOC PERFORMANCE GUIDE

82 | AOC | APRIL 2014

LEGGIES!THE PRINCIPLES

Durham and England leg-spinner Scott Borthwick has worked with many of the

world’s best spin bowling coaches in the last few years and is beginning to

blossom as a cricketer – he made his Test debut down under over the winter. Here

he shares some tricks of the trade.

SKILLS

GRIPTry and spin the ball with the third finger. The third finger is the most important. It’s tucked in behind the ball but it comes over the ball when you bowl. Some leg-spinners have the thumb off the ball; I rest mine on it.

RUN-UPEvery leg-spinner has a different run-up. Shane Warne had the walk in and the bound which I try to do. My run-up is sort of eight steps, and after I’ve had my walk in I try to get my energy from the crease.

I take four or five steps then jump off my left leg just before the crease. Ideally you want your back foot on the line of the stumps, and your base when you land should not be too closed, so that you’re facing towards the leg-side, but not too open, because you need to use your shoulder to spin the ball.

FRONT ARMThe front arm is important, you need that in front of you – rather than to the side, and to get it coming through so that you can follow it, and finish your action off.

IDEALLY YOU WANT YOUR BACK FOOT

ON THE LINE OF THE STUMPS, AND WHEN

YOU LAND YOUR BASE SHOULD NOT BE TOO

CLOSED

“


FOLLOW THROUGHIdeally you want to get your right leg coming through and be set on the crease facing the batsman so you are ready for the ball coming back to you and maybe a return catch. You don’t want that leg too wide otherwise it means you’re not completing your action.

FIRST BALLI just want to land it on a good length and spin it and make the batsman think. For the field, I wouldn’t go too attacking. As a young leggie you can go too attacking if one spins and throw in a slip, a gully and a short leg.You have a slip and an off-side ring with a point, and to start with, a deep cover, in case somebody drives you. That way they only get one for it rather than a boundary.You then have an extra cover, mid-off, mid-on, mid-wicket and man back for the sweep shot.Leggies do occasionally bowl bad balls so you want that protection on the leg-side. You need either a short leg for the ball which pops up or a drive man on the off-side, which I tend to have. With a drive man it tends to make you bowl at a length which is a wicket-taking ball, ie bringing the batsman forward.



PERFORMANCE

TACTICSAt first you want to bowl dot balls, land the ball in a good area and bowl maidens. As you go into your spell you change your pace, you change how much you want to spin it. You want to find the pace of the pitch.

Ideally, if you’re spinning it you want to pitch it on middle-stump so you can take the edge, although if it’s spinning more then you can re-adjust. If it’s not spinning much then pitch it on off-stump so you can still take the edge.

CHANGE-UPS!

GOOGLYMy first change-up is the googly which I bowl with a scrambled seam to make it harder to pick. It’s exactly the same action, but instead of bringing your arm round, it just flips out of the back of the hand with the thumb finishing it off.

Bowling a googly, it’s natural to fall away but you want to try and make your action look as similar to your leg-spinner as you can. Your front arm needs to be as strong as possible to stop you from falling away. You can’t try to spin it too much, which is the natural tendency, because then your shoulder goes back too much and it’s easier to pick.

You want to get that line right outside off-stump and above his eye line so you can get the batsman driving and bowl him through the gate.

TOP SPINNERAgain, a similar grip to the leg spinner but instead of coming around you go over the top. The seam is pretty much straight, and if the ball’s got some shine on it then it might curve in.The length is key – you want him coming forward so if it does bounce you might get a catch – or if the ball skids on, an lbw.

BE BRAVEAs a leg-spinner it’s hard and you have to accept that people will want to come at you and you’re going to bowl bad balls. The biggest thing is to be brave, have a big heart and accept that you’re going to have good days. And when you do have good days, try and make them very good days, as they might not come round that often.

THE BALLYou want it to be hard as the harder ball might spin a bit more. In the subcontinent the ball tends to get soft quite quickly which actually doesn’t help us spinners.

PACE AND LINEYou want to try and make your pace as different as possible so the batsman can’t settle. The slower one is also likely to spin more, which is useful. With your line, sometimes as a leg-spinner you want to chuck one wide so the only option is to clip it for one, but if they do try and slog it, it’s spinning away so it’s hard to control.



92 | AOC | fEBRuARY 2013

C O A C H I N G

THE OPENING SPELL

• The first delivery of the innings is always tough, but you have to back yourself. It’s a new ball, and it might not swing for long, so you need to use it as well as you can.

• In general I’m aiming as straight as possible, giving the batsman no width, bowling as heavy as possible into the wicket. If it’s really swinging then you can be a touch fuller, bowl a bit more of an attacking length, but the basic is just to bowl as heavy as you can over off stump.

• Setting the field in those first overs you have to go for two catchers, so you’d probably have two slips, then a third man, a square fine leg. Then just a ring: point, cover, mid off on the off side, square leg/mid wicket and mid on on the leg side.

• You don’t necessarily need to be varying things too much in these opening overs if you’re getting plenty out of the conditions by bowling normally. In places like India we often want to be bowling slower balls from the off, but in England, particularly the early starts, you can use the conditions to your advantage, bowl fuller and more orthodox for longer, and look to get something out of the wicket.

THE MIDDLE OvERS

• By this stage your slips have gone out – you might have one, depending on the situation. You’re trying to squeeze the batsmen to try and make them make a mistake or go for a big shot. Just try to keep the runs down; go for less than four an over and you’re winning. You’re building pressure, the fielders are hunting on the single, you’re squeezing. It’s a time when you’re usually bowling with a spinner

as well, so you can get through your overs quickly. Before he knows it the batter looks up and there’s another six or seven overs gone and he’s got to try and do something.

• You’ve got one man on the boundary on each side, third man, fine leg and maybe mid on or mid off back, depending on the situation. If the first four balls are singles or dots you might throw mid off back for the last couple just to get out of the over. You can bowl fairly full and hopefully he’ll just knock it to long off for one, and then you’ve just gone for four, say – you’ve bowled five overs for 15 or 20 – and the squeeze is really on then.

• When there’s a wicket and the new guy comes in you can attack more at that end, bring a few more men in and not give any easy runs. If they’re not getting anything to score off then they’re more likely to make a rash decision and get out.

BOWLING

Slazenger’s Tim Bresnan celebrating the succes of the squeeze

FAST BOWLING IN ONE-DAY CRICKETEngland’s man for all occasions Tim Bresnan shows us how to bowl and set the field during each stage of a one-day game.

POSSIBLE FIELD SETTINGS

OPENING OvERS MIDDLE OvERS


AOC’S CONSULTANT COACH: IAIN BRUNNSCHWEILER EnglAnD DEvElopmEnT pRogRAmmE unDER 17 CoACH; ECB lEvEl 4 CoACH AnD AuTHoR of THE InspIred CrICket Manual

If the tail’s in you might bowl the odd bouncer to keep them honest

“

DRILL IT!

nAIlIng THE YoRKER

“David Saker [England bowling coach] set up this drill when we were in Sri lanka for the World Twenty20 – all the bowlers had a bit of a Ryder Cup going on. He puts two bricks on the popping crease and lays a bar on top of them along the crease line. Every ball you get under the bar it’s a par, under and hitting the stumps is a birdie, and over the bar is a bogie. The bar is probably a ball and half’s width above the ground, and it’s quite hard to get it underneath, but it helps you nail that skill.”

tim Bresnan uses the slazenger V100 ultimate bat, part of the new 2013 slazenger cricket range which is available to buy at store.slazenger.com

THE DEATH

• You need to adapt your bowling in the final overs, but how you do that still depends on the state of the game. If the tail’s in you might look to go heavy, bowl the odd bouncer to keep them honest. On the other hand, if you’ve got a batter in who’s striking it well, you’re looking to go more obvious ‘death’ bowling, with straight fields (straight fielders on the boundary), bowling it full, in the blockhole, and if there’s a boundary one side or the wind’s blowing a gale, you’ll be protecting one side more than the other. The death is where you’re looking to out-think each other a bit.

• Deciding which balls to bowl when in your over is mostly down to gut feeling. You’d usually save your bouncer for the middle because that’s usually a dot ball. You probably wouldn’t bowl it up top because then the batsman can set himself because he knows you’ve had your one for the over and everything else has got to be pitched up. You’ve got your two different slower balls and then a heavy ball over the top of off stump. It’s a case of working out the batsman and making it as hard for them as possible..

THE DEATHSloWER BAllS: THE off CuTTER AnD THE lEg CuTTER

THE PRO TIP

The one out of the back of the hand is in its infancy for me! I do practise it but it’s not ready for a competitive match yet. I’ve got a leg cutter and an off cutter.

How: “I use the same regulation grip for both, and roll my fingers down one side or the other.”

When to bowl which: “The leg cutter is naturally slower than the off cutter; but you get a bit more purchase on the off cutter. Either way, I like the ball spinning away from the bat, so for a right-hander, unless there’s a big boundary one side, I’ll predominantly go for the leg cutter, and

if it’s a left hander I’ll bowl the off cutter so that it’s-going away from him, too. “

Aim: “You’re trying to spin it out of the hand enough not only to slow it down but actually to make it move off the pitch. You might just get a bit of bounce too, if you get a bit of purchase off the seam. It’s still a decent delivery even if it doesn’t move that much, you’re bowling it length in general, so the batsman has to slow down his swing if he’s trying to hit you out of the ground. And aim just outside off stump – there’s more chance of him hitting it up in the air if you make him reach for it.”


84 | AOC | JUNE 2012

MAKING IT TALK:OLIVER HANNON-DALBY’S FIVE-POINT GUIDE TO MAXIMISING THE NEW CHERRY

THE TALLER THE BETTER

Aim to stay nice and tall in your action and keep your bowling arm straight. You want your bowling arm to come over in line with your front leg as this will ensure you are in an ideal position to release the ball, and for it to swing.

KEEP IT STEADY

Don’t try to bowl too fast as this tends to make you lose the ability to swing the ball. You will also lose your body shape if you are only focused on trying to bowl quickly, which is a key component in being able to move the ball.

WRISTY BUSINESS

Wrist position is key when trying to swing the ball. Make sure you keep your wrist in a good, upright position throughout your action. The seam needs to stay in an upright position if the ball is to swing.

GET YOUR RUN-UP RIGHT

Keep your run-up simple and attack the crease. Tuck your elbows in to your body and focus on running towards a target. As an example, watch Brett Lee running in to bowl, he is really rhythmical and generates a lot of pace from his run-up. The run-up is a key part of your action, so keep it simple, run properly, and use it to your advantage.

MOVE IT OFF THE PITCH

Even on days when there’s no movement in the air, it’s important to get your release spot on. If you present the ball angling towards the slips, as for an away swinger (see opposite page) the ball will come out in a way that gives it the best chance of hitting the seam when it lands – seaming away off the pitch even when there’s no swing.

MOVING THE NEW BALL

1

2

3

4

5

C O A C H I N G

THE PRO COACH: OLIVER HANNON-DALBYYoung 6ft 8in quick from Yorkshire who made his first-class debut in 2008. As well as being part of the White Rose’s pace attack, he helps coach the county’s best bowling talents.

p81-88_COACHING_AOC92.indd 84 08/05/2012 14:54AOC92.indd 84 18/05/2017 16:04


DRILL IT!

THE PRO TIP

It’s all in the wrist

“It’s a common misconception that you have to angle the seam a lot across your fi ngers in your hand (towards the slips for an outswinger, towards fi ne leg for an inswinger). If you do that too much the seam will come out scrambled, and the ball won’t swing. The important thing is the strength and angle of your wrist.

Rather than point the ball towards the slips in your hand – hold the seam upright (using the grips outlined below) and then angle your wrist accordingly. That’ll mean the seam’s not scrambled, but the ball is still set up to swing.”

Boasting a dedicated stable of high-quality coaches made up of former and current professionals, Pro Coach Cricket Academy offers first-class cricket coaching to all cricketers up and down the country. For more information, go to www.procricketcoachingacademy.com or ring 01132 033 609

Move it sideways with this practice exerciseIN FOCUS:OUTSWING GRIPHold the seam upright, with your index and middle fi ngers on either sides of the ball. Tuck your thumb under the ball so it holds the seam in an upright position. Hold the shiny side of the ball on the inside (on the right-hand side as you look at it) and aim your wrist towards fi rst slip (this should be made easier by having tucked your thumb under the seam). Try to hold this position throughout your run-up and action, then aim for around middle and o� stump to enable the ball to swing away from the batsman.

INSWING GRIPFor the outswinger the thumb is tucked underneath. The only di� erence for the inswinger is to move your thumb slightly onto the shiny side of the ball (for the inswinger the shiny side will be on the outside) – that naturally relaxes your wrist, allowing you to point it slightly more down the legside of the batsman. Again, if you keep that wrist position throughout your run-up, as you bring your arm over the top, the ball will be presented with the seam angling to the legside, and swing in. You’ll need to bowl a slightly di� erent line – set it o� about a foot outside o� stump to enable you to shape it in and hit o� stump.

REMEMBER: The ball will always swing towards its rough side!

TARGET PRACTICEPlace four cones in a small rectangle on a good length (as a general rule, around three large paces from the batsman – this obviously varies according to your age group) and aim to hit this area repeatedly. This will make you focus on pitching the ball up, giving it the best chance to swing. You could also place four cones on a short length and aim to bowl five full-pitched balls and then mix it up with a bouncer. Keep score of how many times you manage to hit the designated areas in each over and challenge yourself to improve this number each time.

SHINY SIDE

SHINY SIDE

ROUGH SIDE

ROUGH SIDE

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Club training sessions generally last for around two hours. As a coach, you will get nothing from making your bowlers bowl all the way through them. If you tell a bowler they’re supposed to bowl for even an hour, they’ll just try to get through it and bowl within themself instead of focusing on honing their skills.

Bowlers get most out of short, sharp sessions. You want your bowlers to give you 100 per cent all the time, rather than just bowl for an extended period of time without any aims.

The following session is one of my favourites and is designed to get our bowlers at Middlesex to prepare properly for a one-day game.

WARM UP - THE MEDICINE BALLThe biggest mistake made at club level is bowlers going immediately into a net without warming up. But even when you do a warm up, it’s important to do it as quickly as you can.

More and more bowlers incorporate the medicine ball into their pre-net and pre-match routines. Slamming the ball down on either side activates your core and side muscles in anticipation of the pressure and force you’re going to exert on them.

SIDE SLAMSHolding the medicine ball above your head, with your legs shoulder width apart, slam it down to your left so that it hits the ground about a foot away from your left foot. Pick up the ball and repeat to your right. This is one “side slam”. Do the whole thing five times.

FRONT-ON SLAMSAdopt the same start position with the ball but this time place one foot forward, with your head above your knee. Slam the ball in front of your front foot then repeat with your other foot forward. This is one “front-on slam”. Do the whole thing fi ve times.

WALKTHROUGHSYou can warm your arms, shoulders and legs up, but ultimately, there are muscles you use when bowling that you only use when bowling. It’s very hard to loosen these particular areas individually – bowling is the best way to do that! Start by bowling off one pace, then five, gradually working yourself into your full run-up, without going all out.

At Middlesex, we do this on the outfield into a baseball mitt, but it can also be done in a net. It’s important that if you do use this drill in a net that there’s not a batsman at the other end. As soon as you put competition down the other end, a bowler will start to over-exert themself.

Start with just one pace before going into your bowling action. Do this two or three times and then extend to half the length of your run-up and repeat. Then three quarters and, finally, your full run-up. Gradually increase the intensity as the drill goes on, but you should only be going 100 per cent in the final walkthrough. Now you’re ready to bowl.

MAKE THE MOST OF TRAINING BowlingIn the � rst of a monthly series that sees professional coaches recommend the optimal approaches to practice, Middlesex bowling coach Richard Johnson talks us through a genuinely e� ective bowling workout when preparing for one-day cricket.

COACHING

84 | AOC | OCTOBER 2013



TARGET PRACTICE This is one of my favourite drills to do with our bowlers. Here, we’re looking for them to practise hitting those di� erent lengths that you’ll have to hit on a Saturday. You can have has many as two to six bowlers in a net doing this. There’s still no batsman.

Set up target discs, or even sheets of paper, on a good length, wide yorker and yorker length, and a bouncer length. For the yorker, you can use the base from a set of Kwik Cricket stumps. It makes it a larger area, but any ball in that area is always going to cause trouble. Also, it’s important not to make these drills too hard because you want your bowlers leaving these sessions with confi dence.

Standing as the umpire, call out a target for the bowler to hit (good length, yorker, wide yorker or bouncer) when the bowler is at the top of his mark. He or she will then run in and attempt to hit the designated target.

After a bit of time, introduce a bit of competition into the session by keeping score, which will in turn create a bit of pressure. Get each bowler to remember their score – or note them down if you don’t trust them! I did this drill the other day with a few of our young second team

bowlers, who all put money into a pot, winner takes all. Do this over three rounds, with each bowler getting six goes in each.

For the fi nal round, make things more di� cult by calling the target as the bowler enters his jump/gather, so they have to react and adjust instantly to the call. This also replicates when a batsman moves in or around his crease as the bowler’s running in, trying to disrupt his length and or line. This enables them to practice making snap decisions on where they are going to put the ball and still do it with quality.

BATSMAN COMPETITION Now we introduce a batsman and set up match scenarios which he and the bowler have to play out to see who comes out on top.

A net can often be crowded, especially at club level when you only have two or three lanes. The best way to ease congestion is for two bowlers to work in tandem for one over, then two others swap in, giving the fi rst two a rest period. Within the pair, each bowler bowls six balls each – when the fi rst bowler has bowled, he will walk back to his mark, by which time his partner would have already gone through. Therefore each bowler’s six balls are being bowled in the same amount of time as a normal match over.

Start o� with the fi rst fi ve overs of a game and bowl in your pair with a new or newish ball – if the batsman allows it! Inform the batsman of the fi eld set, and he will try and get the target you set.

Afterwards, move to a death situation, bowling with an older ball, again in your pair, changing the fi eld setting to one that’s a bit more spread out given that it’s the latter overs.

Keep score by setting targets that have to be defended and try and make it as realistic to a match situation as possible. This is a

di� cult one because sometimes you have to have a few bowlers in your net. But provided you can all keep score, there’s no reason why this won’t work.

Turn this into a consequence session if you like; if the batsman gets the runs or the bowler restricts the batsmen, they have to do a forfeit. It’s usually a physical challenge. Generally, the more tiring the better!

By this time, you’ve bowled about 10 overs. This is perfect for match preparation, especially when you take into account how focused each of those overs were.

WARM DOWNAs well as your normal cool down, elastic Therabands are a great way to stretch out the muscles, especially your back and shoulder muscles. Another key part of recovery is rehydration. Make sure you have a water bottle at hand throughout training and continue to use it after the session is over.

GOOD LENGTH

YORKER/WIDE YORKER

BOUNCER HOW I TRAIN Middlesex seamer Toby Roland-JonesLEARN YOUR GAMEThese days you have a responsibility for how you’re feeling and some days you might not want to do too much because you’re in great rhythm and just turning your arm over is good enough to keep that good feeling going. On other days you might get quite technical, if you feel it’s not quite clicking and you want to work at a specifi c side of the game. If you’re being inconsistent, then just try di� erent things out to see what works. Feel what is producing the right results and then repeat, repeat and repeat that again, and try to make that a natural feeling.

ADAPTAdapting to the right length for a certain pitch is important, as is target practice, particularly for one-day cricket. Having the coach shout out what length to hit at the last minute and having to adapt is very useful and will help you deliver in the crucial moments of a match out in the middle. In all your preparations, you’re trying to make sure that when it comes to performing in a game you’ve got a clear head and are confi dent about bowling to any particular plan.


www.alloutcricket.com 2322 AOC PERFORMANCE GUIDE

KEEPING &FIELDING

84 | AOC | MAY 2014

WICKETKEEPERS: STAND UP

More useful glovework drills for all levels with Paul Nixon.

SKILLSMORE! Drills, advice and video demos at alloutcricket.com

OVERARM THROWS UNDER CHAIR DRILL

• Place the chairs at half-volley length and have your thrower kneel a few yards back, throwing overarm under the seats.

• You need to keep your head low to watch the ball bounce under the chair and try to see it early.

• The half-volley length is hard to take when you’re standing up and this drill is a good way to develop the simpler work you’ve been doing in the build-up to the season.

• This drill adds a bit more bounce, because the throws are overarm, and it’s preventing you from viewing the ball for just a second, so it’s creating a bit of mystery and putting you under pressure.

• Sometimes, your thrower can send one through the other chair, forcing you to move quickly down the leg-side.

LOW-HIGH CROSS-HAND CATCHES DRILL

• You’re using one hand to catch the ball here, with the other hand placed behind your back. If the ball’s to the right, you use the left and vice versa.

• With your coach or a mate a few yards away on one knee, get them to throw underarm on the full: one at shin height on one side, the next at shoulder height on the opposite side, and so on.

• If you can catch it with just the opposite hand in practice, then standing up to a spinner or a seamer – using two hands – when there’s turn and bounce, will be much easier.

SHIRT SUBLIMATION SUBLIME IN THE SHIRES

We all want to wear gear that makes us play (and look) our best. Now there are clothing options that can help make your club a whole heap of cash, too.

Director at teamwear specialists Romwear, Paul Hutchison is a former Yorkshire, Sussex and Middlesex seamer, and also chairman of Bradford League giants Pudsey St. Lawrence CC. And his desire to raise money for his beloved club institution gave him an idea about how to produce the playing shirts.

He tells AOC: “With a standard cricket shirt you’re buying the garment, there’s an extra cost to add your club badge and then an extra cost to add a centre-chest print and then additional charges if you want any other prints. So if you’re lucky to get two or three sponsors, the costs just spiral out of control. If you do manage to get £400 or £500 out of a sponsor, it all gets sucked into the production of the garment.

“This way (sublimation), the whole shirt is designed by you before production, so you can add as many sponsors to the one design as you like and the cost doesn’t change.”

That means that clubs who work hard to generate sponsorship income can keep a lot more money for themselves.

“I really believe that this will become the norm in the next five years, because it is a vehicle for clubs to generate money.” And all clubs are looking to raise a buck these days, that’s for sure.

If your fundraising committee really nail their brief, your biggest problem might be finding a patch of white space between the logos…

Check out shirt sublimation www.romidateamwear.co.uk


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80 | AOC | JULY 2014

FIELDING IN THE RING

A lot is asked of the club cricketer, especially when they’re at cover one week and point the next. Thankfully, Surrey and England fielding coach

Chris Taylor is on hand with his handy guide to fielding in “the ring” to

prepare you for wherever you might find yourself on Saturday.

SKILLS

THE BASICS EXPECTATIONSYou generally find when someone dives that everyone says ‘great effort’ and there’s applause. For me, you expect people to throw themselves around in the field. So the standards are: get the ball in your hand all the time, to not just stop the two but maybe even stop the single. And can you turn saving a run into a run out opportunity? Then, slowly but surely, the language the players use with each other starts to change.

ENJOY ITThere’s going to be a big improvement if a team enjoy being out there and getting stuck in. The players are responsible for that to a degree but so are the coaches. You should hear a lot of noise throughout the session. Maybe add some kind of competition into the drills – teams or players against each other, so they get involved and get into the spirit of it.

THERE’S GOING TO BE A BIG IMPROVEMENT IF A TEAM ENJOY GETTING

STUCK IN. YOU SHOULD HEAR A LOT OF NOISE THROUGHOUT THE SESSION

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TECHNICALTHROWINGThe most important thing in the inner ring is to release the ball as quickly as possible. It’s a race between the batsman and the fi elder.

A lot is made of players throwing with their arm at a lower angle and, while it is quicker, the injury implication (elbows and shoulders) and the lack of accuracy mean it is not worthwhile. Instead, persist with the over-the-shoulder throw but work on your speed of release, without compromising your technique. To do this, you will need to work on getting your feet realigned as quickly as possible.

QUICK RELEASE DRILLGet a coach or teammate to roll the ball to you three or four metres away. While you will fi eld the ball as you normally would, you are NOT allowed to move your feet until you have the ball in your hand.

As soon as the ball is in hand, use short, fast movement of your back-foot to set yourself. Then release the ball, over-the-shoulder, at one of the targets set up on your left or right. Make sure you focus on getting in line with the target as quickly as you can.

CATCHINGWith a variety of aerial and fl at catches in this region, it is important to adopt an athletic position. Be in a stable position with your head and eyes level, whether at slip, in the inner ring or taking a catch on the boundary. If you’re as stationary as possible then you’ll give yourself a chance to set yourself.

Often, catches come fl at and quick, so you’ll have to take them outside your body, while on the move. In this instance, focus on moving your head fi rst, especially when taking a catch away from your body, because then your legs will follow.

If you can, get your hips and shoulders in line with the ball and aim to take the catch in front of you. Try not to throw your hands at the ball or give unnaturally – let the force of the ball determine how far back your hands move on impact. Repetition of these sorts of catches in training will help all these movements become second nature.


SHORT-LEGGING WITH IAN BELL

A position “saved” for the young and supple – ie the debutant tossed into the front line by the elders – short leg is more than just a rite of passage. England’s bat-pad for many a year, Ian Bell gives us the lowdown on how to succeed in the line of fire.

GET YOUR HEAD AROUND ITIt ’s not a great position – some people like it but not many – so you have to get your head round it. It ’s something that you’re not doing for yourself but for the team and your mates.

POWER POSITIONSimilar to wicketkeeping, you need to get into a ‘powerful position’. That means having quite a wide base and your chest in a reasonably upright position. If you’re in a slightly crouched position that’s not very athletic and it ’ll take you longer to react. If you only have to move slightly then you can get there nice and quickly.

LOOK FOR SIGNS In terms of being aware of the bowler delivering the ball, it ’s a rhythm thing. If, say, Swanny was bowling I wouldn’t be looking at him but I ’d be aware of when he was about to deliver. You pick up a lot of information from the batsman, whether he’s playing forward or back, looking to defend or attack. However, not all batsmen give you the right information: Yuvraj Singh, for example, has a huge backlift, and would block from the same position as attack!

PERFORMANCE

POSITIONSIN THE CORDON

STANCE Like batting, if your stance is fl awed, your ability is hampered. In the slips, we talk about adopting a posture position similar to that of a wicketkeeper standing back, with your hands out in front. This position enables you to move quickly, cover your zone and still be ready to dive.

WHAT TO WATCHAs a general rule of thumb, the wicketkeeper and fi rst slip should watch the ball from the bowler’s hand. But, from second slip to gully, you should be watching the bat, as the ball will have to take a sizeable deviation to reach you.

CONCENTRATIONA lot of it is conditioning, actually. The position you need to adopt is a hard one to sustain; as a result, people get lazy and don’t maintain their posture and that’s when they drop catches, 10 or 11 overs into the match. Just like batting, have your routines that help you relax between balls and then switch on for those two seconds for the delivery.

POINT

STANCEFrom walking in, get into a crouched yet athletic position, so that you can react to whatever’s happened. My view is don’t think about setting, just walk through the shot and react to what you see. The more you practise it, the better you’ll get.

WHAT TO WATCHAlways the batsman from here; when you see them setting up for a cut shot, you automatically get “set” to either try and take a catch or stop a ground ball. If you see them ready to play a defensive shot and drop the ball, you will fi nd yourself running on to it in a bid to stop the single.

EXTRA COVER

STANCEJust as when fi elding at point. For here, you’re in a very specifi c position in front of the bat, in an area where the batsman wants to hit. Treat walking into position as you would if you were marking out your run-up. Figure out your fi nishing point and determine where you start walking in from, depending on the bowler.

WHAT TO WATCHWatch the batsman but be aware of where the bowler has delivered the ball. Generally you can tell by the shape the batsman is making before he plays a shot but, if you can, try and pick up the length that the bowler has bowled.

HALF-VOLLEY DRILL

As coach I stand with a bat and a bag of balls – using incrediballs allows you to do lots of catching without hurting your hands – and hit half volleys to the fi elder.

This way you get used to seeing the shape of the batsman and the way the ball comes off the bat. It really recreates what happens in the middle. I’ll stand there with a batting glove and bag of balls and just hit drives to them. And maybe even use a Katchet board ramp to simulate diff erent deviations.

With the cover region, you can add goals that the fi elder has to defend. Maybe even throw two players in an area and tell them to take catches or stop balls going past them. It inevitably turns into some kind of competition with the coach!

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