Cricket Coaching Spin Bowling Tips / How To Bowl Leg Spin

by Richard Pybus
(Suraj Narwariya, Sanawad, Madhya Pradesh, India )

Shane Warne – The Master

Hello Coach,
I want to become a leg spinner. I want to learn how I can turn the ball as much as possible with speed. When I want to speed up my ball it slips in my hand. I want to learn what is the best grip to spin the ball and also how to bowl the flipper.

Hi Suraj,
I am not sure how old you are, but I am loving the fact you want to be a leg spinner ! It’s a long, exciting journey, so you’re going to need to be patient.

See the attached picture of Shane Warne, how the ball is set in his hand with the third finger running along the seam.

See the next photo where I have my first and second fingers on top of the ball and the third and fourth fingers to the side. This is the standard leg spinners grip.

Warne talks about not gripping the ball too tight, of not squeezing the ball so it creates tension, rather that he is relaxed and the ball sits comfortably in his hand.

There are a variety of grips, but I think for a beginning leg spinner, the standard grip will serve you well.

What you need to begin with is mastering your stock ball, a hard spun leg spinner. I would suggest you wait to develop deliveries like the flipper until you have control over your stock ball and then develop your googly as your variation, which turns the other way to your leg spinner.

As you’ll see in my other cricket tips posts on bowling, until you can land your stock ball repeatedly you don’t have a variation, because every ball is different!

Read the other posts on learning how to control line, length, flight and variation here … Cricket Spin Bowling Tips/ Controlling Line And Length and Cricket Spin Bowling Tips/ Improving Flight And Variation

This will help you to learn how to build your bowling action, stock ball and control.

From these basics you start to be able to put game plans and strategy together and improve your ability to take wickets, which is your primary job … Cricket Spin Bowling Tips/How To Take Wickets

Regarding your bowling action, I am a great believer in copying the best, so use youtube to look at bowlers like Warne, Anil Kumble and Mushtaq Ahmed to see what appeals to you. They were all great leg spinners and all different. In copying their actions you have an opportunity to see and feel what may work for you.

Happy Spinning, 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.