The term fast bowling comes from cricket, where it is defined as bowlers who are able to hit the target with the ball very quickly. This is not only limited to balls that go straight down the pitch, but also ones that veer off course or even those that break away sideways. These types of bowls are quite difficult to stop because they seem to have an outside force directing it towards the batsman.
Fast bowlers can take advantage of this by creating extra angle in their arm so when the ball is released, it moves more rapidly. More speed gives them an edge over slower bowlers because it makes the ball move faster when it hits the bat, and thus, takes longer for the batsman to get out.
This article will focus on some drills to help you develop your own style of fast bowling. You will learn how to implement these into your game during a match or practice.
Components of fast bowling
The components of fast bowling are quite varied, depending on what style you want to learn! There is no one definitive way to be a powerful fast bowler like Glenn McGrath or Dale Steyn.
What is important though is that you understand the skills behind being a fast bowler. By doing this, you will know how to put together your own unique style!
This article will go into more detail about some of these different components including: leg-spin, off-spin, swing, speed, and consistency. Each of these can be improved upon for greater success as a fast bowler!
There are many ways to improve your fast bowling by incorporating these parts into your game. Many coaches develop their own personal styles and strategies which they feel works best for them.
You should never limit yourself but instead strive to find your personal groove! And with technology making it easier than ever to track stats and research techniques, this too can help you in your quest to become a faster bowler.
Identify the key points of the fast bowler’s action
The second part of this process is to analyze the key parts of his arm stroke. When he bowls, what are the length of his arms? How much does he drop the ball as it comes down? What speed does he get the ball moving at?
These questions and others like them can be answered by studying the mechanics of the bowling arm. By looking at still pictures or videos, you will know how quickly the muscles in the elbow contract and relax, as well as how long the forearm stays extended while the hand drops.
By analyzing these components of the arm movement, we can determine if the bowler has smooth transitions from one stage of the swing to the next, or whether there are kinks that prevent him form completing his motion fully.
Practice makes perfect
The way to become a fast bowler is by spending time doing it, period! This can be difficult as most people have other commitments that limit how much bowling you can do, but there are ways to manage your game when you’re not able to go every day or even several days in a row.
Match practice is an efficient way to ensure your ball speed doesn’t deteriorate too quickly after being rested. A one-day match is three 20 minute games back to back, so each game needs to last at least five minutes longer than normal to give your arm enough rest.
On average, a professional bowler will play around 250 balls in a match which equals out to about eight full deliveries.
Fast bowling in cricket
While not every player will be able to run fast, all players can throw the ball very hard. Therefore, it is important to understand how fast bowlers are able to do this!
Fast bowlers use two main strategies when throwing the ball. They either drag their elbow down or push their shoulder up while rotating their upper body as they release the ball.
These motions combine into what is known as the “swing” of the arm. The faster the bowler swings his/her arm, the more speed he/she will get behind the ball. And since momentum is an integral part of throwing a moving object, this means that the harder you swing your arm, the farther the ball will go!
There are some things that limit how quickly a person can spin the ball. For instance, if someone was very strong, they could pull off a really quick spinning motion, but then they would not have much power because they would not hold onto the ball long enough.
Alternatively, people who are very light weight cannot physically rotate their bodies enough to achieve a lot of swing.
Bowl consistently
The second key to bowling fast is being able to bowl with consistency. You need to know how to throw your ball at a steady pace, and you must be able to get the same result every time. When you are bowling, there will be times when you’re just not feeling it and you can’t seem to hit the target properly.
When you feel like this, try to take more control over the ball by throwing it lighter or using a smaller size ball. Or maybe you could try shooting it straighter or bending it slightly less so that it comes out faster.
Whatever changes you make, don’t use too much force when throwing the ball because then it won’t come out as quickly! Sometimes, when you’ve run out of steam, taking some time off can help give you the push you need to re-focus. And remember, even if you aren’t feeling very well, you shouldn’t stop what you’re doing; keep going until you’re feeling better.
Use the crease
The most important thing to know about bowling’s famous style is that you use your thumb, index finger, and middle finger to create the ball’t-ball curve. You spread out your fingers as if holding up a barbell with one hand while rolling it across your palm with the other.
As you push down with your index finger and roll forward with your middle and ring fingernails, creating more friction at the surface, the ball will begin to curl away from your body. As you pull back with your thumb, the ball will start to curve towards your body, making it go higher.
The faster you can do this, the faster the bowler will get the same degree of curvature in his or her ball. This is why very fast bowlers have used their hands a lot for the power source – they rely mostly on how quickly their muscles contract and relax to launch the ball.
Attack the batsman
The way to win a cricket match is by scoring more runs than your opponent. If you watch a lot of cricket, you will see that some players have fun attacking the opposition as hard and fast balls are their style. These types of bowlers are referred to as being in an attack mode or using an aggressive bowling technique.
Fast bowlers use different strategies to gain an advantage over the batting side. Some focus almost exclusively on speed, trying to hit the stumps with every ball for a big run out. Others drop the arm slightly more slowly, which gives the bowler less power but makes it easier to get away from the bat if they try to play back.
The final type of fast bowler uses both tactics at once. They’ll start off dropping the elbow a little bit more slowly before quickly raising it up and smashing the batsmen. All three of these styles can be used effectively in a short game situation where there is a limited amount of time left for the end-game.
Be unpredictable
As mentioned before, fast bowlers are very versatile players that have fun ways to get the job done. One way they do this is by being unpredictible or having different styles you can rely on in the game.
Fast bowling often times comes down to speed. The faster you bowled the more quickly your team will lose the ball so it’s important to be able to bowl as quick as possible without losing too much pace.
But how fast should you be? There isn’t really an exact number like there is with batting where everyone has their own personal best but we can give some tips about what may help you go even quicker.
You can look into certain things like how Vince van Gogh pitched or any old cricket videos to see what he did or didn’t do while pitching.
However, most of these pitchers don’t usually talk so looking at their actions on the field is pretty limited. What we can learn from them though is keeping our arms tight which helps us gain velocity.
By doing this, we aren’t using as much energy to throw the ball so we can save what little strength we have for moving around the crease instead. By saving this energy we can get rid of it slightly faster which adds more velocity.
