Bowl straight
Ready when: Bat grip and stance (b1) done.
What you are learning
Bowling at the stumps with a straight arm over the top: side-on, the front arm pointing at the target, letting go at the highest point. In cricket the bowling arm must stay straight; bending it to throw is not allowed.
Words on this card Stumps, Bowler, Wicketkeeper, Over, Side-on, Front foot, Length, No-ball, Follow-through
- Stumps
- The three upright sticks at each end, with two small bails on top. A bucket can stand in for them.
- Bowler
- The player who bowls the ball at the batter.
- Wicketkeeper
- The fielder who crouches behind the batter's stumps and catches the balls the batter misses.
- Over
- Six balls bowled by one bowler.
- Side-on
- Standing with the front shoulder, not the chest, toward the bowler or the target.
- Front foot
- Stepping forward toward the ball, or back toward the stumps.
- Length
- Where the ball bounces. A good length is hard for the batter to judge; a short ball bounces early and high.
- No-ball
- A ball that breaks a rule, such as the front foot landing past the crease or a bent arm. The batting team gets a run.
- Follow-through
- The arm or bat keeps moving toward the target after the ball is let go or hit.
Set up
A bucket or stumps 10 m away, two cones as a gate in front, a tennis ball or soft ball.
Weather: dry ground
Show it first for the one teaching
- Grip: first two fingers a little apart on top of the ball, thumb underneath.
- Stand side-on with the front arm pointing at the stumps.
- Swing the bowling arm straight up and over the top of your head.
- Let go at the highest point and follow through toward the target.
Your part while they practise
Keep wicket and roll the ball back.
Step by step
- From standing first.
- The grip: two fingers on top, thumb underneath.
- Side-on, front arm pointing at the target.
- Straight arm over the top; let go at the highest point.
- Follow through. 6 balls, then swap.
How much: 6 balls, 4 rounds 8 min a session 3 days a week
Say one thing Pick one line from "What you will see" for today and say only that.
The game: Bowl-a-goal
A point for each ball through the gate.
Who plays: 2: a bowler and a keeper; swap after 6 balls.
How to play, turn by turn
- Turns
- Two cones make a gate in front of the bucket
- Bowl 6 balls from the mark
- The keeper rolls the ball back. 4 rounds each
- Fair play
- A younger bowler bowls from 2 m closer.
- Points
- 1 point for a ball through the gate; 2 points if it hits the bucket or stumps.
- Fouls
- No points for that ball
- A bent arm (a throw)
- The front foot past the bowling mark (a no-ball)
- An underarm ball
- Winning
- More points after 4 rounds each.
- 8 points for 1 star
- 14 points for 2 stars
- 20 points for 3 stars
Easier or harder
Shorter distance, bigger goal.
Longer distance, a narrower goal or a target on a length.
What you will see, and what to say
- the ball goes wide
Point your front arm at the target
The front arm aims; the bowling arm follows the same line. - the elbow bends
Keep the arm straight
The arm swings like a windmill, never bending.
Self-check
4 of 6 balls reach the stumps or pass through the gate.
Stop and get a coach when
Pain in the back or shoulder after bowling.
Fitness for this
Warm up first: how to warm up, at workonfitness.com. For strength and stretching, its exercise library shows each exercise step by step, with an easier version.
This card trains bowling action, accuracy.
awiseathlete.com/sports/cricket/cricket-b3