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4 Ways To Dominate Spin Bowling

“I already dominate spin bowling!” I can see you now, thinking that to yourself as you recall those couple of fours and maybe even a six you hit off a spinner during the season.

Now, before you get too carried away, I’d like you to delve a bit deeper. Jump onto MyCricket, those of you who have had good seasons will no doubt have this in your favourites and check how many times you were dismissed by a spinner. Three? Four? Maybe more!?

Now ask yourself what percentage of spin bowling did you face compared to pace? I would envision maybe 30%? All of a sudden, those handfuls of dismissals might be telling you that batting against spin is an area to improve on!

Sorry to be a bit of a wet blanket there, but no need to stress! We are going to look at 4 simple ways to dominate spin bowling!

1. MINDSET

LOOK TO SCORE! Yes, another cricketing cliché but this is vitally important when batting against spin. We can become a 10x better player of spin bowling just by rewiring our mindset.

All of the best batters have this mindset when facing tweakers. Now, this does not mean we attempt to hit every ball a spinner bowls us into next week.  It means that we have clear plans on where our scoring zones are, INCLUDING SINGLES, and look to score in these areas.

I guarantee you it is easier to have this positive mindset and then scale back to a defensive shot if required.

This leads me into the second key point…

2. MOVEMENT

I see it all the time, especially in junior cricket. Batters stuck on the crease and blocking every ball that a spinner delivers. More often than not, an ‘unplayable’ delivery comes along that knocks them over.

This ‘technique’ is directly aligned with having a positive mindset. Once your scoring areas have been identified, we need to find ways to access these parts of the ground effectively…. We need to MOVE!

Effective players against spin bowling are able to move forward, back, sideways and sometimes even both, to hit essentially the same ball into different parts of the field. While there are many components to being able to move effectively, at the end of the day it’s all about practising.

Explore how far you can advance down the wicket. Don’t be scared to move deep in your crease to create a bad ball. Shuffle back and towards leg stump to see if you can pierce the gap through the point region. Do all of this in a controlled environment, where mistakes are seen as a great opportunity to learn and discover what works for you.

3. SWEEP SHOT

SCARY I KNOW! If you’re like me and never actually practised playing a sweep shot as a young player, then the thought of getting down on one knee and ‘swinging’ across the line gives you nightmares. But now, heading into the off-season is the perfect time to see what you’re capable of!

I think the main reason the sweep shot isn’t in everyone’s repertoire is there is no real need to play it as a young batter facing loopy spinners, sometimes on concrete! Unfortunately, the Aussie selectors don’t pick the test side on your U/12 form, so it makes sense to develop shots that will allow you to score runs when you are 16 years old and over.

Start simple. Do drop drills from a stable sweeping position and progress as you gain more confidence. Again, you may find that it is not completely natural, but can you develop a lap sweep? A great technique to manipulate the field to open up other scoring areas in your stronger zones.

The mere sight of a batter attempting a sweep can send spinners and captains into a panic, shuffling fields and discussing a change of tactics.

So, get your broomsticks out this off-season and start experimenting with your sweep shot!

4. PRACTICE HITTING BAD BALLS

If you’re reading this, I want you to raise your hand if you’ve been dismissed by a half-tracker, full-toss or just a horrible ball from a spinner. All of your hands should be up!

It amazes me how many young players tell me they got out to an absolute stinker of a ball from a spinner, yet not one of those players ever practice hitting bad balls.

It is like any other shot or any life skill in fact; if you don’t practice it, how do you expect to execute consistently?

Next time you’re at the nets, or even better, an oval with a wicket, get your training partner to literally throw you pies. Half-trackers, full-tosses, wide and short. Focus on making good contact with the ball to either hit it hard along the ground, clear the infield or clear the boundary.

Once again, this drill will allow yourself to, improve yes, but also learn what your current strengths and weaknesses are so that you have a clear plan around despatching bad balls from spinners.

Fortunately, we have an abundance of videos that explore these shots and techniques, not only in our masterclass area of our website but our Facebook page as well.

Feel free to give us a follow by clicking on the link below or reach out if you have any questions on anything mentioned above.

 

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Now get in the nets and start practising!

Author: Peter Dein

National Programs Manager – Australian Cricket Institute

Peter Dein

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6 Things You Can Do To Finish Your Season Well

No matter how well you're going, it can be tough to stay motivated for a whole cricket season. A really familiar pattern is players starting the season well and then falling away after Christmas.

In this article, I'm going to outline reasons why this may occur and give you six things you can do (or encourage your players to do) to really finish the season strong.

There are a heap of different reasons players see a drop off in their motivation and performance, some of the most common are;

  • Your team is out of the finals race - it can be hard to keep putting in if you've essentially got nothing to play for other than pride and personal performance
  • You're burnt out
  • You're not having a great personal season
  • You have a lack of focus
  • You're not getting along with your coach or some teammates

And there are plenty more...

Now, how do we address them? I'm going to talk about six things you can do to fight burn out, lack of motivation and whatever else is causing you to drop off.

1. FIND YOUR OWN MOTIVATION

No matter how you've gone individually and where your team sits, you need to find your own motivation for the last few games and potentially finals.

Something that gets you up for training and drives you.

Even players who are having an awesome season can hit a flat spot towards the end because they've put so much time and energy into performing well so far.

If your team is in the finals race it should be really easy to find some motivation. Now is a great time to reset, refresh and give your finals campaign everything because there's nothing better than team success.

If you're not in finals, it might be small individual goals, putting your name in the spotlight for next season, getting selected in a rep winter training squad. Find something to push you.

2. SET NEW 'MINI GOALS'

Go back and look over your goals from the start of the season. You'll either be way off, way over or around the mark.

Now set yourself some mini goals for the last part of your season.

If you're way off, it's really easy to get despondent, write your season off and finish horribly. Don't do that. Set yourself some smaller, realistic goals so you can finish the season with some momentum and head held high.

If you've already nailed your goals, it's easy to get lazy and waste an opportunity to have an absolute breakout year. Challenge yourself and turn a good season into a great on.

If you're around the mark - you don't need any motivation, you're so close. Tick those goals off.

3. GET A TRAINING & ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER

Everything is easier with the social pressure and accountability of someone else driving you (plus it's more fun).

Grab a mate or mates and push each other outside of normal training times.

Call each other to do extra work - skills and fitness.

Send each other your weekly goals or checklist. We're weird creatures - we're happy to let ourselves down but not others. It's been proven that once we put something out to others, we're much more likely to act on it and remain true to our word.

4. FOCUS ON YOUR TRAINING PROCESS

It sounds silly but don't worry too much about your outcomes.

Take a look at your training process - are you doing everything you know you need to do to perform well? Normally when you are, results will take care of themselves.

If you're not getting your results, take a look at your training process first.

5. REVISIT YOUR PLANS

Now is a great time to revisit your game plans.

You should by now have a pretty good understanding of what your strengths are and what your general plan is when you go out to bat and bowl.

Is it working? If so, great - you don't need to change a thing, keep churning out results with a successful plan.

If it's not, now might be a good time to explore a little bit.

Try a new approach to your batting or bowling plans.

Talk to your skipper and/or coach and see if they'd be happy to try you in a new role in the team (e.g. opening the batting instead of 5 or vice versa).

You never know, you might unearth a new strength that opens up a massive opportunity for you next season.

6. SEEK FEEDBACK

Don't wait until the end of the season to get feedback!

Some great feedback that identifies something you may not be aware of could change the end of your season and give you momentum into the offseason.

Speak to people you trust - coaches, captains, teammates. No one will get angry at you for asking their advice on how you can get better and if they do, scrap them!

It shows you care and it shows you value their opinion.

Good luck with the rest of your season, keep enjoying it and finish well.

If you or your child would like to work with us to develop your game next season, make sure you're on the 'early bird' list for our 2020/21 Academy intake which starts in May - click here to learn more about the ACI Academy Programs

Author: Nick Fitzpatrick

Co-Founder - Australian Cricket Institute  

 

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4 Reasons To Encourage Your Child To Play Cricket

My life has revolved around cricket for a number of years now and I’ve recently been reflecting on how grateful I am that it has.

It started in the backyard at a very young age, I remember taping up tennis balls and tugging at my uncle's shirt to start the Christmas Day match from the age of about 6 or 7. I was actually too scared to start club cricket until I was 11 because of the hard ball but never looked back once I did.

My involvement has become deeper over the years. I had a decade playing premier first grade in Brisbane and putting everything I had into playing for QLD.  My whole professional career to date has been in cricket on some level - coaching, working in game development for QLD Cricket and now running and growing the Australian Cricket Institute.

During my reflection, a few things stood out that has had a big impact on my love for the game.  If you’re a parent reading this, here are 4 reasons why you should encourage your child to play or stay in cricket.

RELATIONSHIPS

Without a doubt, the number one way that cricket has positively influenced my life is the people.

I’ve made friends for life and have developed so many amazing relationships that have shaped my life through cricket.

I’ve had coaches and mentors that have instilled beliefs, habits and values in me that have ve made me very confident in who I am.

I’ve made a professional network in cricket that makes me feel like no matter what my situation, I’ll be able to get by.

I’ve got a social network in cricket that makes me feel happy, excited and provides a lot of fun.

Cricket has made me feel emotionally, socially and financially safe.

Out of all the sports I’ve been involved in (granted, none on the level I am with cricket), I can honestly say that cricket is loaded with genuinely good people.

TRAVEL

My first cricket trip was to a QJC U/12 Development Carnival representing the Sunshine Coast in 1997 and it hasn’t stopped since.

I was really shy as a young lad and remember being a bit apprehensive before the carnival but immediately loving it once we got there. Surrounded by 10 other ‘cricket nuffies’ and a couple of coaches I looked up to and talking cricket the whole time.

I love travelling for cricket in any capacity - to compete, work or play.

Since that first trip, I’ve travelled to basically every part of Australia you can think of to either play or work as well as a handful of overseas counties including Sri Lanka, West Indies, England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, India and Singapore (plus 10+ European countries while playing in England).

The great thing about cricket is, you don’t have to play for your country to do that.

Being such a global game and community, it opens up so many opportunities to watch cricket, play cricket or work in cricket around the world.

Those are two external factors I’m forever grateful for, the next two great internal characteristics I believe I’ve developed as a result of my involvement in cricket.

PATIENCE

The simple act of waiting for a bat or bowl as a youngster has a tremendous impact on your ability to be patient.

Of course, we all want to be involved in whatever we’re doing (cricket or not) and want our turn NOW, but that’s simply not how life works.

There are so many scenarios in cricket that force you to learn patience (or move on to another sport)…

  • Waiting to bat while your teammate scores a hundred.
  • Not getting a bowl while someone else is bowling the spell of their life.
  • A long hot day in the field.
  • Putting consistent performances on the board and not getting selected in the next grade up.
  • Learning that if you don’t perform you may have to wait for another opportunity.
  • Waiting around during rain delays.

This is something I don’t want to see phased out of the game but I think it has to an extent in more recent years.

Rule changes in junior cricket and the attitude of ‘everyone should get a go’, which I can understand the reasoning behind.

But I still think there’s something to be said for allowing the game to instil patience in players.

Patience is a skill that will have enormous ROI (return on investment) in every area of a players life, now and into the future.

RESILIENCE

Cricket is a harsh game.

If you’re not doing well individually, it can feel like there are 100 better uses of your time.

You get out for a duck and you’re sitting under a porch all day.

You get whacked for 20 off 2 overs and you’re standing out in the sun all day.

Getting dropped, dropping a catch, getting out to lose a game, bowling the last over to lose a game.

It can be rough!

I know it’s not limited to cricket, but I think cricket really highlights tough times because of the lack of opportunity. Most other sports give you an opportunity to make amends pretty quickly.

There’s a reason a lot of people insist cricket is a high percentage ‘mental game’.

Players that work through the tough times come out the other end with a strong sense of resilience which they can apply to other areas of their life (I certainly have anyway).

So there you have it!

Four pretty good reasons to encourage your child to start, or continue playing cricket and I hope they can look back, like me, in 10 or 15 years with the same sense of gratitude.

Our goal at the ACI is to provide players with experiences that foster all of the above (and we've got a heap coming up over summer). >> Check Out What's Coming Up at the ACI

I’d love to hear your experience and any other reasons you’d add to the list!

Author: Nick Fitzpatrick - ACI Co-Founder and Head Coach

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5 Reasons You Struggle To Bowl At The Death

It’s quite a common occurrence…

We have so many players in our Academy Programs that come to us and tell us that they struggle to bowl and restrict their opposition in the dying overs.

“They just got away from me”, or “no matter what and where I bowled they just seemed to hit boundaries off me!”.

Bowling at the death is a very, very different skill set to bowling earlier in the innings.

The earlier many players can understand that they need to bowl differently in different stages of the game, the better off they will be.

The better and more effective you become at it, you will be the star of the side and someone that your captain will throw the ball to, over and over again.

With that said, I’ve compiled 5 reasons many bowlers struggle to bowl at the death and a framework to help you become the death bowling legend you hope to be!

1. You Don't Have A Set Plan Before You Bowl

A very common one, where bowlers become flustered and often find that they lack the necessary clarity under the pump in the heat of the situation.

A simple way you can avoid this is to take some time to think about what your plans will be before you start your spell.

This may be before the game or during the overs preceding to make sure that you have some idea of what and where you are going to bowl.

The other reason for having a plan before you start bowling is it gives you the confidence to execute. You feel better prepared and more confident to tackle the batters movements.

This plan is very dependant on who is batting, the dimensions of the field, your strengths as a bowler, and the state of the game.

HOWEVER! If you can take the time to actually sit back and spend a few overs to think about what plan you are going to start your spell with you are going to be much better off!

2. Your Field Doesn’t Match Your Plan

Obviously this comes from a lack of clarity.

Meaning, you need to understand the ball you are trying to execute first, so you can set your field accordingly.

Many players set their field and just leave it through the over/s. This is probably the worst thing to do while bowling at the end.

Remember your aim in these final overs is to reduce as many runs as possible and build pressure to force the batter to make the mistake.

From a batter's point of view, they want boundaries and or twos/three’s. If you can starve them of that and take one a ball or dots then you will build pressure naturally which will hopefully bring wickets.

To do this you need to plug the holes in the field where boundaries may occur from the types of line and length you may bowl.

Think of it this way…

If you are bowling full and straight, where are the areas you're likely to get hit?

Answer: most likely straight back past you right? Or at the very least, in front of square. Setting your field to bowling full and straight at the death with 4 or 5 fielders covering - deep cover, normal cover, long-off, long-on, deep mid-wicket and mid-wicket etc. gives the batter a 1 or maybe 2 if they get it into the gap.

Now try thinking about bowling a bit shorter... Most of your fielders will be behind square or just in front on the leg side.

Why? Because if you execute they are certainly not going to be able to drive the ball so you are potentially (or more likely) taking the boundary option away from them.

Again think about what ball you are trying to bowl, what is the most likely shot they are going to have to play.

If you have your fielders there defending boundaries they are going to have to take higher risks, aren’t they?

3. You Haven’t Trained To Execute Bowling At The Death

A lot of the times many players find that they haven’t practised bowling under pressure.

Not confused with being tired, more so when batters are in that mindset to look to score quickly and are batting overly aggressive.

A really key ingredient to you improving your death bowling is to actually put yourself in that situation as much as you can.

This is where you learn from mistakes, whether that be field settings, types of balls to bowl or even just how to execute the types of deliveries.

Bowling in blocks of 6 to try and hit a shoe or cones away from batters is also something that will help you progress with your death bowling.

Allocate some time (12 or 18 balls) to just try and nail yorkers, slower balls etc. during your net session so you can become accustomed to it.

? *PRO-TIP*  ?

Don’t always just blatantly practice the one ball over and over again. Once you feel confident bowling yorkers or slower balls try to mix it up and execute it first go.

After all, you don’t normally get 2 chances to bowl them in a game.

You will get much better if you can nail your change-up or yorkers first go.  Keep practising because it will take time to develop this skill.

4. You Are Too Predictable (No Plan B)

Being adaptable is the key to performing well in this period of the game.

You need to have the ability to shift your plan or fields/lengths dependant on what the batter comes back with.

This may be based on two batting styles the current batters have. You may need to set a certain field or bowl a certain way to one batter, but totally different to the other.

You see a lot of players set in their ways and end up making the shift a little too late.

1, 2 boundaries later and then the change is made. If you find at this stage of the game that what you are doing isn’t working then you have to change it up.

This doesn’t have to be for the whole spell though, a simple change in pace or length can be something that gets you back and helps build pressure.

? *PRO-TIP* ?

Each ball is a contest in this stage. If you have to change your field for one ball to match the delivery you are bowling do it!

It’s one thing for the batter to know what may be coming, but it’s another for them to execute and hit it clean enough.

5. Lack Of Communication With Skipper

This is crucial during the final overs.

You need to make sure you are clear on what your plan is, based on what the captain wants or needs you to do.

It’s crucial to stay on the same page or at least understand clearly what needs to be done.

I suggest asking 3 simple questions during your conversation;

  1. What is our aim for this over? - It may be to get the set batter off strike, or to get them to hit to the longer boundary etc.
  2. How do we go about doing this? - Is there any changes to the field needed or my bowling plan. Communicate what you were planning to bowl.
  3. Agree on a plan of action. Re-iterate what it is you are going to do to make sure that the captain understands your intentions and the plan that you’ve both just agreed upon.

This is something that doesn’t happen with everyone but I have personally found this very beneficial.

It allows you to have common ground with the captain, come to a solution together and communicate the final plan so there is no confusion between bowler and captain.

If there is an uncertain feeling or anyone is unsure they can re-iterate and confirm what is happening.

So there you have it, a fairly simple yet effective framework for bowlers to make sure they are bowling their best, come the end of the innings.

Learning these skills are crucial and will definitely help you go a long way to improving your death bowling!

Author: Joel Hamilton - ACI Co-Founder & Coach

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Cricket Training - Why Making Mistakes is Necessary

A part of my role with the Australian Cricket Institute is to help design the most ideal training environment to encourage our player’s personal growth and development; as well as skill acquisition with the bat, ball, in the field and in the mind! It’s been a pleasure working across many Melbourne metro academy pre-seasons this winter. It’s wonderful to see our players learning how to give their best, I’m certainly still learning many lessons on the way! 

So let's have a chat about that;

Coach Learnings

One key take out I carry with myself throughout my coaching and mentoring, as well as my own personal training, preparation and attitude in life are that we must make mistakes in our training in order to develop.

Too often, we get caught up in perfecting the art, nailing each shot out of the middle of the bat or presenting the perfect seam each delivery as a couple of examples. Ever felt the frustration when it's ‘just not your day’ with the bat or ball?

This is such an innate part of our game, that we get hung up on far too often rather than embracing it. 

 

Mistakes Happen

Making a mistake is a vital progression in learning as a cricketer and growing as an individual. Recently, a young academy member, a talented pace bowler, came across this situation during pre-season.

He couldn’t land his stock ball and was being hit all over the park in a scenario net session. He wasn't used to this, he seemed quite bemused with what was happening. Yet after his self-identification of the issue and discussion with a coach to devise his own plan, he had a clear vision in his mind of what he needed to do to rectify the situation.

This gave him his best opportunity to put in practice and execute on skills our academies have been teaching.  The end result was that he was able to develop his own understanding of the task at hand even when confronted with an uncomfortable situation. 

 

It's Up To You!

Coaches can’t be out there in the middle with their players. I would prefer to see our players have difficulty grasping some concepts and help them by exploring their own capabilities within, rather than offering them a shortcut or an easier option.

The thought process a youngster goes through identifying when something is wrong and finding his or her own mechanism to be able to solve this is a key indicator for progress in cricket training and personal development.

That same young fast bowler then knows how to tackle similar issues head-on and won’t be making recurring mistakes or form bad habits with his training. 

Let's Break Down the Process

For common issues faced on the cricket field, the process we teach our players enables them to handle the pressures themselves! 

  1. Identify the Mistake (self) 
  2. Plan of Attack (discussion with the coach, ask questions) 
  3. Execution of Skill (do your best!) 
  4. Review (seek advice and be honest) 

Without noticing our mistakes, our training has limited structure and finding the next facet of your game to work on can be difficult.

Ask yourself if you’re really getting better, or are you just randomly hitting and bowling balls? Review every session you do, however simple, to guide the next step on your journey. 

Australian Cricket Institute coaches ask ‘why’ or ‘how would you?” and prompt our players to access their own skillset to overcome a challenge. This promotes a neutral environment where mistakes are encouraged.

We compete in various scenarios to discover the mental tools we need, so competition isn’t as daunting out on the field as it would seem. 

 

What Are You Waiting For?

My advice? Make mistakes! See what sticks, do your best to throw yourself in tough situations where you need to problem-solve.

I can assure you, constant growth in this area along with your developing skill set as a young cricketer will take you to the next level, much more effectively than being told what to do will.

We’ve talked the talk, now let’s walk the walk! See you out on the park this summer.

If you'd like to check out what we've got coming up at the ACI visit >> Upcoming Events & Programs

Author: Seb Contos - ACI Coach & Clinics Coordinator 

 

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