Bowling Tips for Beginners: Run-Up, Action and Length

The basic seam grip

Hold the ball with your index and middle fingers either side of the seam, close together but not touching. The seam should point straight down the pitch, or slightly towards the slips. Rest the ball on the side of your thumb underneath, roughly in the middle of the seam.

Keep the ball in your fingers, not deep in your palm. A little space between the ball and the palm lets the wrist work freely and helps the ball come out with backspin, keeping the seam upright. That upright seam is what makes the ball move off the pitch or in the air.

If you want to bowl spin, the grip is different. Learn one style at a time, and stick with seam-up until you can land the ball consistently.

Building a repeatable run-up

Your run-up should be just long enough to reach a comfortable, rhythmic speed at the crease. Beginners often run in too far and too fast, then lose balance at delivery. Most medium-pace beginners do well with eight to twelve strides.

Mark it out properly. Stand at the bowling crease, turn round, and run away from the stumps at your bowling pace for the number of strides you want. Mark the spot, then run back in towards the crease. Adjust until your front foot lands just behind the popping crease every time, then measure the distance in foot lengths so you can repeat it.

Accelerate smoothly, with your last few strides the quickest. A sudden jump or stutter near the crease is a sign the run-up is the wrong length.

1. Start at the crease and run back at bowling pace for about ten strides.
2. Mark your starting point with a marker or a scratch on the ground.
3. Run in and bowl five balls, watching where your front foot lands.
4. Move the mark forward or back by the distance you are over or short.
5. Measure the final run-up in foot lengths and write it down.

A safe and legal action

Most coaches describe actions as side-on, front-on or mid-way. All three can be effective. What matters for safety is that your hips and shoulders line up with each other at back-foot contact. A mixed action, where the hips face one way and the shoulders twist another, puts extra stress on the lower back and is a known injury risk for young fast bowlers. If you are unsure, ask a qualified coach to watch you.

The action must also be legal. Under ICC regulations, the bowling arm may not straighten by more than 15 degrees between the point where it reaches the horizontal and the moment the ball is released. In plain terms, you must bowl, not throw. A straight, relaxed arm that rotates over the shoulder is the safest way to stay legal.

Finish with a full follow-through. Let your bowling arm swing across your body and keep moving towards the batter after release. Stopping suddenly at the crease jars the body and often drags the ball down short.

Front foot, back foot and no-balls

For a fair delivery, some part of your front foot must land behind the popping crease, whether it is grounded or in the air. Landing with your whole foot over the line is a no-ball. Your back foot must land within the return crease and must not touch it.

Front-foot no-balls usually come from a run-up that is too long or a stride that lengthens when you try to bowl faster. Fix the run-up first. If it still creeps, mark a spot a few centimetres behind the popping crease in practice and aim to land on it.

Line and length

Line is where the ball travels across the pitch. Length is where it bounces. For most seam bowlers, the target line is on or just outside off stump, which makes the batter play and brings bowled, lbw and caught behind into play.

A good length is one that leaves the batter unsure whether to go forward or back. Its exact distance from the batter depends on your pace and the pitch, so use your eyes. If batters are driving you comfortably on the front foot, you are too full. If they are rocking back and pulling or cutting, you are too short.

Measuring your progress

Accuracy is easy to measure and hard to argue with. Put a target zone on the pitch with cones or a towel, about a good length on an off-stump line, and count how many balls land in it. Do the same over several sessions and you will see real progress.

In matches, look at your bowling figures and how many extras you gave. Cricket Score Counter records each bowler's overs, maidens, runs and wickets, and wides and no-balls are charged to the bowler, so you can compare one game with the next.

Workload, warm-ups and staying fit

Bowling is physically demanding, especially for teenagers whose bodies are still growing. Warm up properly before every session with light running and dynamic stretches, then bowl a few balls at half pace before going full out.

Many national boards publish guidelines on spell lengths and balls per day for young fast bowlers. Follow them, even when you feel fine. Most bowling injuries come from doing too much too soon, not from one bad ball.

Finally, strengthen your core and legs. Simple exercises like planks, lunges and squats help you stay balanced through the action and recover faster between spells.

• Warm up for ten minutes before bowling at full pace.
• Increase your bowling load gradually from week to week.
• Stop and tell a coach if you feel back pain while bowling.
• Rest at least one day between heavy bowling sessions.