So if you’re a right-handed bowler, you are evidently going to be using your right arm to release and propel the ball… pretty obvious there. However, let’s not forget about your non-bowling arm. This arm is almost as vital as your bowling-arm and should not be forgotten about.
Every bowler, whether you are the slowest of spinners or the quickest of launchers, will use the opposite arm (the non-bowling arm) through delivery. The non-bowling arm is used in the capacity of helping you rock-backwards/forwards and helping to pull you through the crease. I admit that sounds like Latin, but the point being that the non-bowling arm helps keep balance and generate pace.
On the image by this article, you’ll observe that the arm holding the ball will start around the chest/belly area when at the start of delivery, however the non-bowling arm will lift up in front of the body (between your head and the target) and move down in a ‘chopping motion’. This will help rotate your bowling-arm and bring momentum to your delivery and, in turn, increase both stability and pace.
Yes this is a pretty dull point to make, and it’s not very rock and roll: we aren’t talking about knocking stumps out and generating reverse-swing… but we are working on the basics of getting a consistent and easily-repeatable action so that you can become a Shoaib Akhtar or a Shaun Pollock.
There are varieties of using your non-bowling arm to generate pace: meaning, you can either concentrate on getting your non-bowling arm nice and high so that you have maximum strength in your ‘chopping motion’; or you can, almost, point your non-bowling arm at the target and pull it back towards you (like you were rowing). However, the ‘pulling motion’ can make things a little complicated and has been used mainly by bowlers trying to avoid stress of the back (notably England’s Darren Gough, who in later years wanted to extend his career).
Try and stick to the chopping motion and keep it simple, but above all, make sure you are comfortable with your action and, finally, keep practicing.
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Conrad Chandler is by no means the best cricketer in the world, in Europe, in England,
or in London, but what he is, is an experienced qualified ECB Coach progressing through
his badges with a keen eye for detail and a passion for improving others’ techniques,
attitude and, above all, enjoyment of cricket.
Conrad currently works for ESPN Classic UK, coaches in London, and plays cricket for Shepherd’s Bush Cricket Club.
