Bowling Skills

Bowling: 1. Target Bowling Learner: 28x year 8 male and female students at a developing level of skill in 14 pairs Equipment: 28 cones, 14 soft cricket balls, 14 sets of stumps Space: 40x20 meter space on oval Time: 10-15 mins

Explanation: • Each member of the pair stands on a cone 30 meters apart with a set of stumps in-between • At one end the bowler will bowl 6 consecutive balls whilst the player at the other end will field the ball and return it using an underarm pass • After an ‘over’ the partners will swap roles • Students receive 1 point each time they hit the wickets and get 3 overs each KTP’s: General bowling • Step, reach, roll and release • Straight arm, window and follow through • Point, step, release towards target • Fore finger and index finger on top of ball and use seam for grip/spin • Body side on, shoulder pointing towards target Underarm Throw • Step, stretch and swing • Lean forward and push weight onto front foot prior to release • Throw ball at low trajectory to minimise time spent in the air • Look at target before releasing the throw Fielding • Foot behind the ball to minimise chance of missing it • Fingers spread to increase size • Body low and centre of gravity close to the ground • Watch the ball

Variations: • Students can place a hoop in front of the wickets for the players to aim for

Individual progressions Low ability: Low ability students can come in closer to the wickets to give them a better chance of getting points High ability: If students are finding the activity too simple they can take two of the stumps out to make the target very small

2. ADF Drill Learner: 28x year 8 male and female students at a developing level of skill split into 4 groups of 7 Equipment: 14 cones, 12 soft cricket balls, 6 sets of stumps Space: 40x20 meter space on oval Time: 10-15 mins

Explanation: • Students will start at the green cone and then run to cone A and bowl at the wicket A, then run to cone D and bowl at the wicket D and then run to cone F and bowl at the wicket F • There will be a student behind each of the wickets to work as a wicket keeper, they will swap after receiving 3 throws • The student will then run around the other green cone and back to the back of the line • 2 simultaneous drills will be set up next to each other • Players receive a point for each time they hit a wicket KTP’s: General bowling • Step, reach, roll and release • Straight arm, window and follow through • Point, step, release towards target • Fore finger and index finger on top of ball and use seam for grip/spin • Body side on, shoulder pointing towards target Variations: • 3 more stations can be added once the first drill is mastered Individual progressions Low ability: Low ability students can come in closer to the wickets to give them a better chance of getting points High ability: If students are finding the activity too simple they have to use one spin bowl, one fast ball and one swing bowl

3. Dragon’s Den Learner: 28x year 8 male and female students at a developing level of skill are divided into two teams of 14 Equipment: 8 cones, 8 soft cricket balls, Space: 40x20 meter space on oval Time: 10-15 mins

Explanation: • Students on team one have to run from one end of the ‘den’ to the other without being hit by the bowlers • The bowlers line up evenly with 7 students on each side of the 10x20 meter rectangle and bowl at the running team • If a runner gets hit they become a bowler • The balls are soft and students cannot bowl off a run-up and must be slow • The last students in the den is the winner KTP’s: General bowling • Step, reach, roll and release • Straight arm, window and follow through • Point, step, release towards target • Fore finger and index finger on top of ball and use seam for grip/spin • Body side on, shoulder pointing towards target Variations: • Students can have to carry a bat when they run through that they can use to defend themselves from the bowling team Individual progressions Low ability: Low ability students can only be hit by rolling balls not bowled High ability: If students are finding the activity too simple they have to skip or hop through the den to make is slightly more challenging

4. Bowling Bullseye Learner: 28x year 8 male and female students at a developing level of skill are divided 9 groups of 3 Equipment: 1 cone, 3 hoops, 1 set of wickets, 2 soft cricket balls Space: 80x60 meter space on oval Time: 10-15 mins

Explanation: • Students are in groups of 3, within the group two are bowlers and the last member of the group is 15 meters back standing behind the stumps with the hoops around it as shown in the diagram below • The 2 bowlers take turns bowling until they have had an over each and then one of them swaps with the wicket keeper • Students record their scores for the over with the wickets being worth 6 and hoops worth 4 • Each player will have 2 overs all up and count up their score • The wicketkeeper will simply catch or collect the ball and return it to the bowlers KTP’s: General bowling • Step, reach, roll and release • Straight arm, window and follow through • Point, step, release towards target • Fore finger and index finger on top of ball and use seam for grip/spin • Body side on, shoulder pointing towards target Wicket keeping • Positioned appropriate distance behind wickets depending on type of bowl • Fingers in diamond shape ready to catch the ball • On the balls of the feet ready to dive in the direction of the ball • Watch the ball into the gloves and ensure it is wrapped up quickly Variations: • The distance from the target of the bowling cone can be increased or decreased • The Bowlers can get a run up rather than stationary Individual progressions Low ability: Low ability students can practice by bowling at larger targets or if they are really struggling they can roll or throw the ball High ability: If students are finding the activity too they can attempt different types of bowling; spin, pace and swing