by Khalique
(Orissa, India)
Morne Morkel: Shadow Bowling
Hi Sir, I’m 6.3″ fast bowler, I weigh 62kg and I’m 18 years of age.
My coach says I have a very smooth action, but my problem is that I’m not able to increase my pace.
I actually think that I’m losing pace when I bound and land in the crease when I should be setting myself to bowl. I don’t feel stable.
Any suggestions to be stronger and more balanced in my action, my run up is 15 step and I have a quick action.
Thanks in advance. Khalique
Hi Khalique,
the pace of your run up builds momentum into the crease, as you rightly point out, you want to be able to transfer this pace from your run up, through your action, into ball speed when you bowl.
To maintain and control your pace we need to make sure you are balanced and in a stable position in your action, from your bound, to landing, to ball release and follow through.
I want you to think of your energy when your bowling (energy) moving in a straight line, like a beam of energy or light.
This beam of light goes from the top of your run up, all the way through your action and down through the completion of your follow through.
To work on your balance and control I want you to ask your coach to help you with these drills at the nets.
I want you stand in the crease to start to work on this, we are going to begin with 1 step bowling from a stationary position.
Then 3 step bowling…. working backwards through 5 steps, 7 steps, 9 steps to full run up.
Beginning with one step bowling:
I want you to stand in the crease as if you are going to bowl to the batter at the other end. Your coach is going to stand at the batters end and watch your action when you bowl.
Align your body, beginning with your feet, exactly as they land when you bowl. Now set yourself to bowl, rock back slightly and bowl the ball at off stump at the batters end.
Ask your coach to check to make sure that your body alignment is right, that you are getting your front arm up high and your front knee up, to snap them down hard when you bowl and then drive hard over your front leg.
Practice this a few times till you feel stable and have control over where the ball is going.
3 Step Bowling:
Then take two paces back, now step and jump into the crease and bowl the ball to your coach.
Again, ask him to check to make sure that your body alignment is good and that your action is strong. That you are bowling the ball straight and that you have a full and strong follow through.
5 Step Bowling:
Go back another 2 steps, continue the same drill. Lean forward into your run up:
Now your beginning to increase your run up speed and work on the transfer of pace from your run up and through your action.
Continue this, work back adding two paces at a time to your run up until you are off your full run up.
Monitor your control and accuracy, you should be much stronger in the crease now, your jump and landing ( your bound ) should be in a straight line and you should find that the ball isn’t losing pace.
See that attached picture of Morne Morkel who is doing some shadow bowling, visualizing and focusing on some check points in his action before a game.
Like the above pic, you can copy and model the fast bowler who is most like you and your action, whether its Morne Morkel, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Dale Steyn or Brett Lee.
Looking at their action and copying them gives your Brain a picture of what your action should look like.
Copying their action allows you to train your body to get close to the bowling technique and bio-mechanal model of excellence that they have built their bowling success upon.
With regards to getting stronger for fast bowling and for filling out your growing body, see Greg King’s pages on Cricket Fitness..
Work hard and smart … Happy Fast Bowling.
best wishes Coach
Join in and write your own page! It’s easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Ask Coach?
About Richard Pybus
I'm Richard Pybus, I've coached Pakistan, Bangladesh, Middlesex, Titans and the Cape Cobras in South Africa and the goal of this site is to help you to play winning cricket.