Fast Bowling Drills
Fast Bowling Drills
Drills
Specific Outcome Area of Game Name of Activity Explanation/Diagram
Learning to bowl an off- Skill / Bowling down the line With two stumps placed out on the oval covering a
stump line Technique normal pitch distance, place a canvas line from
around 15cm outside leg stump at the bowlers end
and run it down to 15cm outside the off-stump at
the batsman end. Obviously you will need someone
to take the ball, either a keeper or someone with a
baseball glove. Aim to hit the line every ball.
Learning to bowl line and Skill / Line and length With a board (target) 1m x 30cm place it on a good
length Technique / bowling line and length on a pitch, marked out on the oval.
Variations The aim is to hit the target as many times as
possible.
Learning to bowl accurately Skill / Using the Crease With a board (target) 1m x 30cm place it on a good
from different positions on Technique / line and length on a pitch, marked out on the oval.
the crease Variations The aim is to hit the target as many times as
possible, but you are required to bowl from
different positions on the return crease. Even
though there is no return crease work-out from the
stumps up to a metre and then around the stumps
up to a metre. Also work in closer. Mix it up so that
you have one ball over and one ball around the
stumps whist still trying to hit the target. Try to test
yourself and see how many you can get in a row or
out of a defined amount, for example 10.
Competitive Practice Skill / When you’re out In the practice net, create the activity so that the
Variations / you’re out batsman notices that when they are out there it is a
Competition / consequence ie. they go out of the nets and another
Tactics batsman comes in. This gives a bowler incentive to
get players out and take wickets at practice.
Fast Bowling
Drills
Bowling at tail-enders Skill / Bowling at tail-enders In a net, learn to bowl at tail-enders. Work out how
Variations / to get them out quickly, if not how to keep them
Tactics from scoring.
Learning to bowl at the top Skill / Bowling Frame Set the bowling frame up and learn to land the ball
of off-stump Variations so that the ball goes through the middle of the
frame. Set a determined amount eg 20 and see how
many you can bowl through the frame.
Learn how fast you bowl, Skill Extension Speed Test Out on the oval measure the speed that you bowl.
and see whether you can Try to bowl as fast as you can whist holding your
improve technique together. Bowl 6 deliveries.
Bowling for accuracy and Skill / Spot bowling Over a full pitch distance place coloured dots on
feel Technique / lines and lengths where you would expect to land all
Tactics / of your variations. Once in position aim to land
Variations your specific deliveries on the dots. Work hard until
you are hitting, 3, 4, 5 then 6 per over. Initially you
won’t hit any but keep working at it.
Bowling to your field Skill / Bowling to short cover Place a cone or marker in a position of short cover
Technique / drill about 12m from the bat. The aim of this activity is
Tactics / to bowl the ball so the batsman keeps hitting the
Variation ball in that direction. Occasionally you should get
catches to that position.
Learning to control the seam Skill / The Aggot This is a normal weighted cricket ball with the sides
and wrist Technique / taken off of it. Over a full pitch bowl the ball to land
Variation it on the seam. If it hits the flat parts you have
failed. You will need to control the seam and keep it
upright.
Learning to control the seam Skill / Red and White Ball Use the red and white ball in the nets to see how the
Technique / seam is coming out. Rotate the seam uniformly and
Variation ensure it is kept at right angles to the pitch.
Fast Bowling
Drills
To practice fielding off of Tactics / Skill Fielding off your own On an area out on the oval, practice bowling the ball
your own bowling bowling and as the ball is just released your partner throws
the ball at you (or tennis racquet and tennis ball)
and you need to field it – catching or ground
fielding
Ensuring your alignment is Technique / Alignment Out on the oval place a strip of tape 30m long in a
going towards the target Skill straight line. Ensure there is a set of stumps place
next to the line. Measure your run out along the line
and try to run along the line and bowl along the
line. With a partner and/or videotape look at what
body parts are moving not along the line towards
the target the make adjustments.
Variations Technique / Variations drill Find either a net or a spare patch of land on the
Skills / Tactics oval. Try bowling whatever new delivery you are
trying to improve. Get the fast bowling coach to
assist. Variation is only as good as your ability to
land it consistently well.
Bowling when you are tired Fitness / Fatigued Drill Prior to your session in the nets, make sure you
Mental / tactics have done the fitness session for the night eg, 10 lots
of 10 runs with a break of 90 seconds in between.
Then go into the nets and bowl making sure that
you consistently land the ball.
Getting a start when you Mental / tactics Getting a start drill One of the hardest parts about bowling is settling
bowl down and getting through the first over to get into
the game.
Bowl an over, go off and do some other drills eg.
fielding and then come back and bowl another over.
Do this half a dozen times so the drills interrupt
your routine, then you have to get through an over
like the start of when you bowl.
Fast Bowling
Drills
Learning to have a fall back Skill / Tactics / Stock Delivery See how many balls you can land on a good line and
or stock delivery Mental length that are your natural swing delivery. The aim
is to keep landing the ball in good areas so that we
keep the pressure on the batsman to defend the ball,
then they have to try and score.
Spotting batsman Tactics / Skill Spotting Batsman In the practice net, bowling in pairs, try to work out
weaknesses weaknesses the weaknesses of the batsman. Look at their setup-
grip, stance backlift, pre-movement, balance and
where they hit the ball (zones). Also look at whether
they play back or forward to certain deliveries.
Remember you start the play, they respond to the
situation you give them. Learn to find a weakness
and then set the player up for that. Learn to bowl
the right ball at the right time.
Learning to affect run-outs Tactics / Skill Run out Taking the ball at the bowlers end stumps needs to
at the bowlers end be practiced. This can be done in the fielding
stations but must be done regularly. Make sure the
stumps are always in front of the bowler and balls
are thrown high, wide, short etc. so they have to
learn to take them. Also make sure when taking the
ball you get used to knocking the tops of the stumps.
Learning to bowl in different Tactics / Skills/ Game simulation drill Given certain situations you need to respond in an
situations Mental / alternative manner. This could mean any of the
competition following scenarios:
1. You have three overs to bowl, need one
wicket and the batsman need 20 runs.
2. The batman are tail end sloggers and hitting
consistently across the line to hit the ball
through mid wicket
Fast Bowling
Drills
3. The wicket is soft, seaming and bouncing so
go and bowl on the normal out field against a
batsman with an off side fielder and a keeper
(2 sets of stumps).
4. You don’t like bowling to left handers and
the opposition has 5 left handers in the top 7.