In 'askthecoach' you can simply forward any cricket related question you need answering - technical or tactical.

Simply write to askthecoach@earpsports.com where your question will be dealt with accordingly and we will respond as soon as possible. 

MOST RECENT QUESTIONS:

Q. I am a left arm spin bowler, but the ball doesn't seem to be spinning very much. I am doing the right action and have the right grip, so why doesn't it spin? From Tom.

I have established that Tom is 13 years old and has played for his county team for the past four seasons, but has rarely spun the ball much.

Tom, from my experience the key factors in spinning the ball are:
a) the role of the main spinning finger, which is the finger next to the thumb applying significant rotation on delivery. A swans neck visual of the finger around the seam is often described in relation to the grip. The finger also rotates forwards leg to off for greatest effect. 
b) the presentation of the front arm and creating an angled position in the crease. An old coach of mine used to describe this as a 'braced front side'. The front foot pointing towards gully/backward point, which allows a significant body rotation which supports the use of the finger motion. A lot of spin bowlers run up quite straight nowadays and don't always create the correct presentation as a greater effort is required to turn into the delivery position.
c) the front foot pivoting. Ideally the front foot should rotate on the ball of the foot and have the heel in the air to support the body rotation required and release. Vic Marks (Somerset and England) used to pivot on his heel, rather than the ball of his foot but that worked very well for him. 
d) ensure the action is completed, with the bowling arm following through and a full stride.

Other questions would be, how big are your fingers? Therefore can you grip the ball adequately? What is your general pace? Sometimes bowling too quick doesn't allow the complete action to work effectively enough.

In truth it would help to see a video of you bowling, but if you could access a specialist left arm spin bowler locally to you I am sure that would be most beneficial.

Personally I would also recommend an old fashioned style of spin bowling coach. I think spin bowlers have become used in a different manner since the advent (and growth) of one day cricket and the desire to restrict batters ahead of dismissing them. Therefore the technique and general game plan has altered slightly.

I think the old fashioned spin bowler was both an attacking and restrictive bowler, but may have been allowed to attack due to the style of batting generally being less aggressive than today.    

Q. I am playing across the line of the ball - why is this and what do you suggest I do about it?

Whilst it would be easier to see you batting, playing across the line often comes down to one of a few things,
a) your head is falling to the offside and is outside the line of the ball,
b) your bottom hand is quite dominant (or the grip is in need of attention - understanding) and takes control over the stroke,
c) your front foot is 'planting' early and is often in the way of your bat - meaning you hit around your front leg,
d) you are basically misjudging the line

To address the problem, I would suggest you have a look at the video section on hand drills which is a good way of stabilising your movements and making you move a slate as possible to identify correct positioning.

The top hand drill helps with alignment and head positioning awareness and identifies the importance of the front shoulder for line and length judgement. The importance of moving late (slow feeds) stops the 'planting' movement and a more accurate front foot positioning.

The bottom hand drill will emphasise the bottom hand position on the bat and the need to keep teh wrist open through the stroke before turning.

Once you have spent some time on each drill, increase the pace (throw downs / bowling machine). However I would advise constant re-visiting of the drills to ensure consistency.

Incidentally - if anyone else has an idea or theory/remedy on any question answered, please feel free to e mail askthecoach and I will post.  

Q. My young bowlers (under 11s) are struggling with their run ups, a) they are bowling no balls and b) have really long run ups. Do you have any suggestions that may help? Name withheld (May 26th)

Answer:

In terms of a) I would ensure that all of your bowlers are made aware of the no ball rule and its consequences. Both the front foot rule and the return crease. In terms of b) I would suggest you implement a maximum length run up for your team.

A is important as the players need to understand other aspects of their team role and the team consequences, not just their own.
No ball consequences:
- an extra run to the batting team and an extra ball to be bowled
- runs scored to be added to the extra run for the no ball
- the batter cannot be dismissed conventionally from a no ball, notably the key dismissal being - bowled, lbw or caught. 

B would ensure that bowlers learn to maximise every inch of their run up. Measuring their approach to the crease for maximum control and impetus on delivery and an extended follow through. It is also likely that bowlers positional alignment will be better controlled as they have greater strength and energy on delivery. A team rule would also ensure no players are singled out and would allow easier management in training.

The longer the bowlers run up, the more likely it is for the bowler to struggle with numerous integral factors:
- their rhythm
- their run up (over striding, inconsistent stride patterns, stuttering)
- being tired on delivery (poor action, lack of consistency)
- inability to bowl for very long
 
Q.  Can you send me some fielding drills please? Name withheld (May 30th)

Answer:

I am looking at developing some drills in the long term that can be viewed as video segments. At this stage I do not have literature and feel that it often has less impact than an active visual aid.

All I would suggest at this moment in time is that your drills are, a) active and fun, b) relevant and mirror likely game style situations, c) drills are practiced prior to games and d) make sure arms are thoroughly warmed up before throwing.

A because fielding drills support warm ups and create excitement as it can raise energy levels through fun and competition.
B because players need to respond to match situation requirements. For example, try to avoid stationery ball drills as these are rare events in cricket and frankly are often boring drills. Ok for the very young but hardly encouraging skills at speed or developing hand eye coordination skills. Particularly look at including, catching for all positions (close, skimming to inner circle and high), attacking the ball from numerous angles (straight, left to right and right to left movements) and from two to three distances (15 metres, 25 metres, 40 metres). 
C because there is nothing worse than wasting time explaining what the drill is about and witnessing players struggling with understanding the needs of the drill more than the needs of their actual fielding skills. 
D because the last thing you want is players to injure themselves needlessly before the game.

• Personally, I like to include warm up games ball skill games in two teams. I also prefer to use a ball similar in shape to a cricket ball, rather than footballs or rugby balls. I do like torpedo style balls as they have a catching requirement similar to a cricket ball. Games like roller ball (stumps as targets and designated throwing distance) or team games where a ball has to be passed around and caught in a designated area to score a goal. (5-10 minutes)
• I like players to warm up in pairs, close catching from 2-3 metres, skimmed throws at 10 metres and longer (flat trajectory) throws from 25-30 metres. I tend to use lighter balls (incrediballs, orange bowling machine balls etc...) as these are ideal at not breaking bones in warm ups and encourage comfort and confidence with the ball skill (especially with youngsters). (5-10 minutes)
• Fielding drills can be set up and in two groups if necessary working on two different skills, therefore 5-10 minutes at each skill or 20 minutes as a group.
• I like to work one group of players from one cone to another at various distances (10, 15, 20 metres) which includes lateral movements to attack the ball and can include catching - a small group keeps players warm and ensures plenty of activity
• Another group can throw at stumps in pairs from 20-25 metres (either one v one or two v two) - where two v two fielders can incorporate lateral movements 
• Ideally a team activity should finish with a number of catches required, or stump hits and involve movements and changes of positions.  
• Involve specialist positional catching where possible, a) edges to the keeper, slips, gully, b) short leg and silly point catching.
  
  I realise I can offer nothing visual at this stage and I apologise for that, but I will add fielding segments in due course that will provide many ideas to help.