The process of talent development of a fast bowler

I often get asked how do I develop fast bowling talent at school or with the young bowlers of all abilities I coach.  This is a long and extensive article but I feel it's essential for me to explain how I do things and I'm not just sat writing articles on a computer everyday! I do actually have 70+ bowlers of varying standard around the world that I coach and advise.

Before the process of developing talent begins the bowler needs to be identified, detected or selected. This is how that process occurs. Bowlers are either;

1. TALENT IDENTIFIED

These are the bowlers I identify as having certain attributes to succeed in bowling quickly. It is based on physical, technical and mental attributes but also a gut feeling I have based on experience. In terms of school players this may take the form of a cricket scholarship. This is the 'screening', assessment and needs analysis form of identifying talent. As their potential fast bowling coach do I ultimately think based on the data if they have the potential to succeed and bowl quickly? If I was coaching an external bowler I would firstly send them a questionnaire or ask initial questions regarding the level they play at and the pace they think they bowl [I also ask other peers, parents or coaches] and also ask them to send a  video clip in practice and in a game situation. Having identified potential talent I will invite them along for a one to one assessment day [scholarship day] and perform various tests which I will cover later. However, more often than not I have already decided on which bowler will benefit form a rigorous development plan. This process is ultimately based on my opinion as more often that not young talent is missed due to poor identifying methods from coaches and clubs who may have their opinion swayed from other sources. A large amount of natural talent in the UK gets missed in my opinon.

2. TALENT DETECTED

I often observe an athlete from another sport who I feel may have the physical potential and athletic qualities to become a fast bowler . Bowling fast isn't currently on their radar but with coaching they could excel. However more often than not they are in the game but are primarily batters who bowl a little. However as they develop physically they find they have the desire and the raw talent to bowl quickly. I have detected one thus far. I do have a potential project on the horizon with various javelin coaches to maybe detect talent in javelin who may try their hand at fast bowling. Watch this space.

3. TALENT SELECTED

This is often the least used process in my development process. These bowlers are already in the system and have been identified by other as having talent. They have been selected for representative honours whether academies, county or national honours, but to be honest I tend to make my own mind up and will revert back to criteria 1. From there I will then progress onwards.

After this process is followed the talent within bowlers can then be developed.

 

The five key factors of talent development

How do I develop the talent? It is a careful and individualised program that requires honesty between myself, parents ,the bowlers themselves and an understanding of five key factors.

A fast bowlers performance enhancement program should be based on their physiological structure [fibre make up, deficit and disfunction], training age, training history, their bowling type and their technical framework.

As I earlier mentioned there are key factors within each that need to be identified and discussed before embarking on a performance enhancement program that will enable a bowler to reach their full potential.

Factor 1; Physiological make up

In terms of physicality it's a simple question, are they brutally strong or are they simply fast? What do they need to improve? Contrary to common belief, having played with various sportsmen over the years who have never lifted a weight but bowled rapidly and also ran like a cheetah whether on a rugby field or in the outfield in cricket, I believe heavy strength training is over emphasised in a fast bowlers program [I used to be a massive advocate of it!] So, how do the 'lazy' group do it. The non-lifters? How is it they're rapid and demonstrate great athleticism when bowling? Firstly it's to do with their fibre make up [fast or slow twitch] and also their CNS efficiency in recruiting the appropriate muscle fibres. Secondly I believe they are fast because they are skilled at it. Running fast and bowling fast. They are well trained in the spring end of the static-spring continuum. That's all they've ever done .They are never in an accumulation phase of heavy CNS dominant training because they don't do any! However at some stage to encourage adaptation and increase in performance they will have to move towards the absolute strength [static] end of the static-sprint continuum and they will lap it up and progress. The ideal athletic qualities lie in the middle of this contiuum. Adding a different stimulus to a training novice will guarantee progression. Getting the buy in from the bowler for a change in training preperation is another issue. More often than not, young bowlers' limiting factor for progression will be strength and it should be addressed. All young bowlers need a general strength phase to begin with. This is to develop robustness and improve structural integrity. There has to be a strong base for the later training method of special strength work to be effective. This is why general strength training becomes before special strength in the process. However it can never be to the detriment of speed, power, mobility , coordination and technique.  Training needs to be focused on the CNS. The limit in force production and the pace a bowler can bowl lies in the nervous system [CNS].

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/training-bowl-fast-all-managing-cns-steff-jones?trk=prof-post

It's the CNS , not the muscular apparatus is the limiting factor in force production. Tsatsouline stated that “Your muscles already have the strength to lift a car, they just don’t know it yet” (Tsatsouline, 2000)

In simpler terms, the more efficient your CNS is, the more you can get out of the muscles you already have! So the stronger you are the more potential you have to exhibit a large amount of force in a technical skill like fast bowling. This is also the same with muscle size, the more muscle you have the stronger you could get. In simple terms , yep, but cricket gets in wrong. Bowlers tend to do the 'mirror' test and the 'gym board' test. They spend too long in each phase focusing on a training a capacity that is already good enough. Due to incorrect training methods and training techniques the modern fast bowler has a large ever increasing STRENGTH DEFICIT and also lack mobility in key areas due to an overemphasis on 'bodybuilding' techniques [the mirror test]. Until there is a 'joined up' thinking in what's needed to succeed as a bowler a players career may be determined by where they play and who trains/coaches them. That's not fair in my opinion. All bowlers should receive the same message. The success of the program will then be determined by the skill of the trainers prescribing it and the attitude of the bowler. Just my opinion.

How can you determine the bowler's fiber make up?

Test no.1: The 80% reps test

This is an old fashioned and basic method of determining the fiber make up but still effective. It’s probably the easiest, and most objective way of determining muscle fiber dominance. The procedure is simple, after a proper warm-up, load the bar to 80% of your maximum and perform as many reps as you can in good form. The number of reps achieved will indicate the % of fast twitch or slow twitch fibers according to a standard chart. It is important to note that this test is better used with more trained bowlers because most younger bowlers actually need strength foundation anyway and this test needs the bowlers to know their 3RM on basic compound lifts of choice.

For best results using this test you should include exercises for all body parts with as little cross-over as possible. Not all muscles in the same individuals will have the same fiber dominance.

Younger bowlers are best served using 'beast'. This is a power output monitoring device which I'll cover later.

Test no 2; The Upper body box jump and Depth drop return test

The second test is a simple single response press up jump onto benches or boxes [lie in press up position between 2 benches/boxes]. Measure the height you can reach. Take a few trials with adequate rest and record the best effort. This tests the long stretch shortening cycle [Greater than 250ms ground contact time]

The second test requires you to start on the benches/boxes and fall into a press up position on the floor. On touching the floor you need to explode back up. The idea is to minimise ground contact time as much as possible. This tests the [Less than 250ms ground contact time]

If your depth drops return score is less than you Upper body box jump it’s a sign that you’re using too much STATIC and not able to use the SPRING because you lack reactive ability. The CNS isn’t prepared to store and then release the elastic energy. Your training should be spent on utilising the SSC. Reactive training and Plyometric training should constitute the majority of your time.

On the other hand If your Depth drop return is equal or greater than the SR upper body box jump then you have established you are very spring-proficient and need to train maximal strength. Heavy weight training using various techniques like partials, isometrics and low rep high set lifting protocols fits the bill here.

This is an advanced method but bowlers are unique and educating coaches and trainer to move away from generic programs is key. In saying all of the above it’s essential to note that all bowlers should carry out a good foundational phase of training.

This process is also done for the lower body. However to test arm speed ability and potential the upper body box jump test is perfect.

Let me explain briefly about the difference between a spring proficient bowler and a static proficient bowler and how as a bowler/trainer/coach you can determine what your limiting factor is.

When a cricketer bowls a ball, throws the ball from the outfield, dives to take a catch, hit a ‘6’ or push himself off the ground after sliding to stop the ball going for ‘4’, his/her central nervous system [CNS] relays a message to the peripheral nervous system, which calls into action the appropriate muscle fibres to get the job done. This voluntary action constitutes the static on the static-spring continuum. The more trained you become, the better you are able to recruit muscle fibres. Powerlifters are generally very static but don’t have much spring. This is why the westside training system advocates a dynamic lifting day for the main lifts.

On the other end of the continuum we have the spring proficient athlete. On the whole and to keep it simple the static end of the continuum is voluntary. However the spring end of the continuum can be regarded as involuntary. An athlete who is very spring proficient has excellent reactive ability, meaning that the more force he takes in, the more force he’ll put out!

We have a really smart built in feature in our neuromuscular system that allows us to become more efficient and explosive in the sporting arena and even activities in everyday life. It’s called the stretch shortening cycle [scc].

In very simple terms it means every time a muscle lengthens [eccentric action] the muscle stores energy like an elastic band. This energy is then used when the muscle shortens [concentric action]. Learning to use this SSC, as a bowler is key to increasing your bowling speed.

 

Factor 2,3 and 4; Training age, training history and physical structure

In my view there is a working trend in the cricket world where the majority of bowlers spend most of their training time in the general preparation phase [GPP], lifting heavy weights and performing endless strongman circuits . They spend too little time in the specific preparation phase and performing ballistic training like throwing medicine balls and bowling OU weighted balls. They ultimately spend time on methods that don't have a long lasting impact on performance and are simply 'time filers'.  This is why I get frustrated when people say no bowler will ever bowl 100mph consistently, maybe they won't, maybe there is a ceiling, but we can't dismiss it because we haven't got the preparation right yet. In my opinion the best trainers , both athletes and S+C coaches in the world are javelin throwers. How close are our methods to theirs? Not that close I suggest. Until the cricket world get it right at the top end, I fear the more current bowlers train, the greater they increase their strength deficit and the further they go away from their speed potential. Is this why over the last 20 years, since strength training as entered into the cricket domain that bowlers are getting slower? I think it's partly due to this along with other constraints. I believe bowlers will in fact keep getting slower as they move further away from the spring end of the continuum and increase their strength deficit until everyone realises we are getting it wrong. When I tell cricket S+C's my young bowlers at Wellington School, yep, non professionals and don't play at the top yet, throw 200-500 reps of medicine ball drills and the same amount of 200-400g balls, based on the phase of training they think I'm crazy and a maverick. However this is the norm in javelin. I witnessed one of the finest S+C coaches in Britain, Dave Parker taking young girl throwers through a similar session. It's the norm for them.

What is the strength deficit?

The greater the proportion of the strength potential a bowler can use, the better they will be. The difference between absolute strength (the full potential for strength production) and limit strength (the actual maximum strength that an individual can voluntarily produce) is termed the strength deficit. The strength they can actually use and what will have a positive influence on their performance. Once again, unfortunately the 'gym white board syndrome' currently rules in cricket due to the fact training in cricket is in its infancy and the success of a program still gets judged on lifting numbers. Lifting numbers is the KPI [key performance indicators] as opposed to on field performance, bowling statistics and speed in this case.

Absolute strength – Limit strength = Strength deficit ["the percentage of maximal strength potential which is not used during a given motor task".

So why wouldn't a bowler be able to use all of his/her strength potential when bowling?" Well, let's take a look at some research in explosive sports which fast bowling in cricket is. Below is a list of various sport motions, and the time it takes to perform these tasks in seconds.

Movement Time (s)

• Shot put 0.15-0.18
• Javelin 0.16-0.18
• Sprinting  0.08-0.10

As you can see, these explosive sports movements occur extremely quick. Fast bowling occurs even quicker. It's around 42 to 58 milliseconds [0.042-0.058]! To fully grasp why it isn't possible to express maximal strength fully one must be aware of the time it takes to display maximal strength and force. Research has shown that maximal force is reached between 0.3-0.4 seconds. In some instances, it may be slightly longer than 0.04 for a small minority. What does this tell us?

Looking at the skills listed in the chart above and including fast bowling its clear that they are executed at a significantly faster rate than that of maximal force. It is therfore apparent that we simply cannot utilize all of our muscular force within these time parameters. Strength doesn't have time to ultimately impact on fast bowling at the performance end of the scale, it's the other end of the continuum. The absolute speed[spring] end.

This is why the whole continuum needs to be trained. After a time spent on the absolute strength end of the continuum my bowler's needs become more specific and individualised in his/her training. Its based on their athletic profile and their bowling type. In simple terms, as its not the scope of this article to talk about the training methods, but if a bowler is strong enough then they need to move across the continuum covering all bases. Medicine ball throws, jumps, weighted jumps, dynamic lifts and weighted ball bowling need to occupy the majority of their time. By ticking every box, their limiting factor then becomes obsolete. Success or failure will then be decided by technique, skill, tactics or mindset.

But how strong is strong enough? Thats a great question and will also depend on the bowlers technique. For example for a bowler to brace their font leg on FFC they will need a massive amount of strength and structural integrity in their lower body. They may be able to do it due to effective motor learning but they will need to maintain strength for the body to be able to keep doing it effectively, otherwise it may lead to injury further down the line. 

So in fact it is always  advisable to spend longer in the maximum strength phase for the lower body as the majority of bowling pace comes from the earlier part of the kinetic chain [legs] but also this is the area where more forces are absorbed. However it must never become a powerlifting or an olympic lifting event , thats a sport in itself. Bowling strong is different to powerlifting strong.

I've attached a clip below of the highly talented and respected Eric Cressey explaining the Strength -Speed continuum and how it relates to his baseball methodology.

Fortunately the bowlers I normally coach have no training background or the professional bowlers I help have a low training age or poor training history. So anything I do has a positive effect. However I will always assess them in various tests . There are various physical tests I use, including the SSC [Stretch shortening cycle] test and the 80% test for the upper and lower body which I explained earlier .I also perform a medicine ball throw tests , pull ups repetition test, long jump test and various mobility test which I'll explain in the next paragraph. Every test is monitored by 'beast' or a similar power output monitoring device. We are fortunate to be affiliated with 'Intelligent trainer' at Wellington school. However, I will add at school, there is currently no one who is ready to be worrying about the strength deficit yet. They are one year away from being 'strong enough' in my opinion. I did use it on the 'build a bowler' cricket strength day which showed interesting results. The main use for me will be to measure the 'strength deficit'. It will take the guesswork out of it. I will know what their physical limiting factor actually is. How many professional cricket clubs monitor power output? In my opinion, they all should. I genuinely believe too much money is now spent on 'power racks' and 'olympic platforms'. The money should be spent on a 'kaiser functional trainer' machine , power output monitor and a huge array of medicine balls and weighted balls. The power in the bowling action itself is 80% hip-shoulder separation. Which part of an olympic lifts train rotational power? Yes I know it's a great power builder but in my mind, time , effort and money would be better spend doing rotational power work, medicine ball throws , OU weighted ball bowling, shock work like depth jumps and lateral jumps.

Ultimately my KPI is the speed gun. That's my 'go to' monitoring tool and never lies!

I only recently purchased 'beast' monitoring system and up until now I've used a more basic, but effective method of testing how effective my bowlers are at utilising their CNS which in turn indirectly estimates their strength deficit. This takes me onto the third key test

Test no 3; Nervous system effectiveness. Testing the Strength deficit without technology

Testing for nervous system efficacy without technology is much harder because it’s impossible for a coach to quantify the actual neural drive to the muscles. However we can estimate the efficacy of the nervous system indirectly by using the strength deficit.

I already explained that the strength deficit is the difference between your muscles’ potential for force production and their actual maximal force output. How can this clue us in on the efficacy of the nervous system? It’s fairly simple. A large strength deficit means that you cannot use most of the potential of your muscles. This indicates that your nervous system does not have the capacity to recruit a lot of motor units, thus it is less efficient. A small strength deficit means that you can utilize a great proportion of your muscles’ potential, thus your nervous system is efficient.

There is a simple table for calculating the strength deficit which is based on finding out the bowlers 1RM in the squat and the bench press [this can be calculated from 3RM, 5RM or even more], evaluate their build and body size, then divide the total (bench + squat) by their bodyweight and see where that places the bowler. Simple but does give an accurate measurement.

Structural disfunction

The older and higher the training age of the bowler who asks for my help the more often than not I will feel the need to perform a postural analysis and flexibility assessment with them. Following years of incorrect and dysfunctional training methods I will need them to understand the difference between various muscles and joints with regards functional athletic movement. Sometimes they have technical flaws due to the fact they cannot actually get into the right positions due to flexibility issues. This was one of my organismic constraints in all honesty. I remember Dermot Reeve, my first coach at Somerset CCC insisting I attended yoga classes to improve my flexibility. Unfortunately I only committed to it for year.

The best program for developing functional movement is cricket strength's very own OCD program. Ross Dewar has developed a unique program that blows all others out of the water. I've witnessed bowlers add 5mph without dong anything else apart form accessing hidden power within their action through the OCD program. 

 

Test no 4; Postural analysis and range of motion testing

Analysing a bowlers' posture and the relative extensibility (flexibility) of his/her various muscle structures can greatly help you in their development program. A hypo-extensible (or hyper-tonic) muscle presents an increased risk of injury or negatively effects technique. For example a lack of external rotation [less than 40-60 degrees] in the rotator cuff region when delaying bowling arm may lead to lateral flexion of spine on delivery] and a lack of hip external rotation [minimum should be 60 degrees] leads to  bowler being unable to access fully the power in the to hip region [80% pace comes from hip shoulder separation]. On the other hand, hyper-extensibility (or hypo-tonicity) [hyperextension of knee on FFC] can also lead to an increased risk of injury because of joint laxity and instability. So making sure each muscle group or joints are functioning properly is key.

There is nothing more important to a bowler's sustained progress than being injury-free as much as possible. When injured, a bowler cannot progress both on the field and in the gym. They cannot gain size, strength, power, or skills. So injury prevention has to be part of a development plan. However never to the detriment of performance enhancement. Too many programs now are prehabilitation programs and don't stress the bowler adequately to encourage adaptation. I cover this extensively in this article.

http://cricketstrength.com/532/

One of the current problems with flexibility training is that we seem to either devote way too much time to it, or no time at all; there is no middle ground. Stretching for stretching’s sake can be counterproductive. Recommending a generic stretching program can have some problems, not the least being that some muscles that should not be stretched will be stretched, and others, which need an improved range of motion, are neglected. This is where muscle testing and postural analysis comes in. By conducting a brief series of range of motion tests on the major muscle groups and the key muscles involved in fast bowling, you can pin point which muscles are hypo-extensible (lack range of motion), hyper-extensible (too much range of motion), or adequate. This will enable the coach to select the proper stretching exercises needed.

What we want to do is stretch the muscles that are too tight (and thus have an excessive tension buildup) and strengthen the muscles that are too flexible. While strengthening exercises should be included for all the major muscle groups, a special emphasis should be placed on the muscles that are hyper-extensible. This special emphasis will help reduce joint instability and thus the risk of injury. One should never stretch a muscle that is already too flexible, unless his activity of choice demands it (e.g. circus performer, gymnast, etc.).

The key to remember is that for maximal performance the range of motion of each muscle should be optimal, not excessive or insufficient.

Performing postural and ROM tests take about 10 minutes and the information I gain form them provide me with invaluable information in the proper planning of the fast bowlers development plan..

From initial observations of all my bowlers how can I tell if someone is fast twitch dominant or slow twitch ,and is there a point in my screening where I actually decide if there is any point in a bowler who exhibits traits reflecting a slow twitch athlete trying to bowl fast? This is where talent identification, talent detection, talent selection and ultimate development are key to the success of the fast bowler. Sometimes I do make it clear that even though I can help the bowler add pace, they will in fact never be able to bowl genuine pace. This way I can give them a realistic expectation. 

Factor 4; Bowlers' type

The fourth factor in talent development is identifying what type of bowler each individual is. 

FAST BOWLERS are a unique breed and deserve a lot of respect, time and effort for what they put their bodies through. I categorise bowlers into 3 types.

A, MUSCULAR AND EFFORT [Static] BOWLERS

B, BALLISTIC [Spring] BOWLERS

C, RHYTHMICAL AND LEAVER BOWLERS

The training these 3 types do should not necessarily be the same. this is where the spring [speed]-static [strength] continuum becomes evident again.

At the static end of the continuum, we have/had bowlers like Shoiab Akhtar, Darren Gough, Graham Napier, Simon Jones, Tim Bresnan, and Shaun Tait. These bowlers are the ones who ‘muscle’ the ball down and are, I believe good weight trainers and spend a lot of time lifting some ‘tin’. Getting stronger might help these guys a bit, but may ultimately be detrimental and increase their strength deficit. They would benefit more from getting more spring by focusing on arm speed with reactive upper body training and would have definitely increased their bowling speed.

At the spring end of the continuum we have/had bowlers like Jimmy Anderson, Wasim Akram, Dale Steyn , Sami, Amir and Shane Bond. These bowlers have genuine fast arm speed. So I believe, doing a lot of arm speed work, ballistic and reactive training with these guys would be overkill. They already have it! These bowlers would and could have improved [they are/were obviously world class and legends anyway!] by increasing their maximal strength alone. Strength was /is their limiting factor.

The third category bowlers are fortunate to be blessed with long arms and legs. They have great leavers and a mix of all training methods would help them as long as it doesn’t hinder their mechanics, flexibility and rhythm. Think of Andrew Caddick, Ambrose, Morkel and Irfan

At the beginning of every preparation phase of training every bowler observed and also should be tested to assess are the spring or static proficient? The training program can then be tailored on their needs based on their bowling type fiber make up and athletic capabilities.

 

Factor 5; The technical framework

After an initial period of physical and biomechanics assessments and observations I may actually not do any technical drilling with a bowler for over a month. My aim will be to make sure they are physically able to cope with the stresses the 'technically correct' framework will exert on their body. I need to control the 'organisms constraint' that the process of learning the ideal model of bowling may place on them. Control the controllable's. I need to make them robust and adequately 'bowling strong'. After an initial phase I will then progress to tougher more rigorous techniques of physical training along with technical drilling.

“There are key organismic constraints, which along with environmental and task constraints determine technique’- Dr. Paul Glazier

However there will be a stage whereby I video the bowlers action and compare it to 'best practice' or the 'ideal framework'. Despite what others think, there is a best way to bowl quickly. Within this framework individuality, idiosyncrasies and tactical awareness can flourish. Its not about building robots, it's about acknowledging there is a technique that will help them bowl quickly, just like there is a best way to sprint 100m.

What is a 'perfect' framework?

A. Athletic run up

B. Gather towards target. Leading with the elbow

C. Soft landing on ball of foot into pre-turn [if side on/midway bowler]. Back leg/knee flexing towards target in drop step creating a longer arm pull [force over time=impulse]. Ball placed in the trouser pocket and not pushed out directly in front of the body. Pulled behind the body asap.

D. Braced front leg, heel contact [TRAM], feet aligned under hips. Large delivery stride [80-90% bowlers height]. Star position with the whole body on FFC. Front arm in line with shoulder height and pulling back on delivery.

E. Delayed bowling arm utilising SSC in the bowling arm side of the body. Arm pulling from below the waist and behind the body. Effective Hip shoulder separation. Square the hips up first.  Angle of shoulder rotation [torque] -Front hip and back shoulder is approx. 40-60 degrees [side on bowlers].

F. Large flexion at the waist parallel to the floor in delivery and subsequent follow through. Ball delivered directly above the hip [vertical line] and above the front foot.

These are the 'ideals' and what ultimately we should all be aiming for as coaches. We cannot coach with the aim of mediocrity or less than perfection. We may never get our bowlers to achieve this but it will guarantee improvement.

Very rare will a young bowler have all these key traits so everyone can improve. Having identified these traits a coach can then call on his coaching 'toolbox' to design a technical program working from the floor up. Well, thats how I do it.

Conclusion

This is how I currently develop talent, whether at my school, online , group coaching or with one to one aspiring or current professional fast bowlers. Other coaches may, and probably will disagree with some or all my methods but I've always been driven and focused and never doubted my ability. Both as a player and now as a coach of young cricketers. 80% of my bowlers are under 21, so there won't currently be on sky sports! Does that mean my methods don't produce professional fast bowlers? Maybe, but I know these methods, used in the hands of a coach/trainer at the top level will increase the chances of a large number of bowlers in this country bowling 90+mph consistently.

Whether my bowlers will ever become successful at the top isn't only down to physicality, there are other factors that determine a successful bowler from the rest of the field. But I can guarantee them special attention and a specific way of training to bowl quickly.

Think differently, specifically and keep questioning the status quo

Steff