The science of fast-bowling

[Hiraeth]

I’ve had an extended break off work, snd consequently have had a lot of thinking time. One of those things have been the science of fast bowling and whether taller bowls have an advantage over shorter bowlers in terms of pace. If both Fr = Fe that is the force applied to the ball by both the short and tall bowler is the same and the shoulder is the fulcrum the advantage the tall bowler will have is will be based on the arm length.

Now this poses another question what is the ideal height for bowling fast? As people overly tall may be able to generate pace but would struggle to sustain it, due to the extra pressure on their body.

 

[Ellipsism]

If you are tall, you might be stronger than shorter bowlers, more muscle mass, but strength does not equate to pace. Generating pace is about stretch reflex and elasticity of the muscles. When you bowl a ball stretching your bowling arm, it creates a phenomena called stretch reflex, which creates an elastic like effect. Like when you use a catapult and stretch the rubber back and upon release the speed of the stone is dependant on the elasticity of the rubber band itself. This is the same mechanism that is in play when we bowl. Our fast twitch fibers, which are thinner and stronger in nature with more elasticity create the same catapult effect. Because these are very thin, we see some of the thinnest, leanest guys bowling quick ala Zahid, a young Shoaib etc.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

More than anything, as an old fashioned cricket fanatic, I still like to believe pace has to come from within. You have to be born as a fast bowler. Surely you can increase your pace to a certain degree like Woakes did from 2011 till 2014(his average pace increased from 129 to 139 i think), Bhuvneshwar increased his pace considerably in last 2 3 years.

But still, you cant just teach fast bowling. Mohammad Sami is 37 and quite unfit, yet still effortlessly bowls over 145kph consistently being of average height.
Wahab Riaz's pace increased progressively from 2006 till 2015 as far as i know. He used to be medium fast when he started, became fast medium around 2010, and finally fast around 2014.
Bilawal Bhatti could easily hit 140kph when he is short for an athlete's height.

 

[Ellipsism]

There have been studies which have proven that a longer delivery stride equates to more pace, a prime example is Starc. I’ve never understood the reasoning behind this, wonder if anyone could explain why this is the case.

 

[Fahdi]

There have been studies which have proven that a longer delivery stride equates to more pace, a prime example is Starc. I’ve never understood the reasoning behind this, wonder if anyone could explain why this is the case.

Maybe if I have the time I can do a more detailed study on this with more research.

But just using my limited knowledge now I believe it has to do a lot with stopping force. The runup to the crease lends you momentum and what the bowler wants is to transfer that momentum into the delivery. To do that you need to come to a sudden and abrupt stop. The longer stride helps you in doing so. Think of the body as a giant triangle which your momentum is trying to tip over. The wider base will be more difficult to tip and hence offer greater stopping power; which is then transferred to the ball. Though saying that the longer the stride the more pace will be wrong. Indeed there will be more stopping power but you actually do want your body tip over otherwise there will be no transfer of force. Hence there is a zone where you want to be, too long a stride and you don't get the proper transfer of momentum and too small a stride and you don't generate enough stopping power.



Your Front foot acts like a pivot about which you entire body rotates. Too long a stride and that rotation gets interrupted. But with a short stride there is too little stopping power and the momentum of your runup doesn't properly transfer to the ball instead the body retains the momentum as if you are walking.

 

[Dulex9]

Brett lee said in a video that it also depends on how you bring down your non bowling arm.

Also I read your 'butt' muscles are very important.

In a cricket mag it stated to not lift heavy weights and do not allow muscle to develop in your stomach/torso area.

 

[barah_admi]

In terms of height, from what I've seen of fast bowlers, those who were lightning quick normally fall into 5'10 to 6'2'' range. Waqar, Marshall, Khan, Akhtar, Donald and so on. Those like Akram who were a lot taller but also lightning quick are rare.

But ultimately science and all that rubbish aside, fast bowlers are bred through adversity, harsh environments and the need for speed. Pakistan, Aus, SA and in the past, WI were the perfect breeding grounds. India, England, Bang and SL have never been. It might all sound mythical but fast bowling is like running fast, it can not be taught, in most cases anyway. It has to be there.

I think Usain Bolt is a great modern example. As a kis he was a terrifically fast bowler before switching over to another sport...sprinting. He just stepped up one day and ran fast, faster than anyone. Yes training, the right diet etc all helped, although he trained less than many of his contemporaries.

 

[Ellipsism]

Brett lee said in a video that it also depends on how you bring down your non bowling arm.

Also I read your 'butt' muscles are very important.

In a cricket mag it stated to not lift heavy weights and do not allow muscle to develop in your stomach/torso area.

The glutes (buttocks) are very powerful. They help you to sprint, to jump, and land with greater stability. All of those motions are evident in fast bowling.

Failure to strengthen your glutes places added stress on your lower back and hamstrings. Your spine is already experiencing anywhere from 7-13 times your bodyweight of force in a flexed and rotated position, so it needs all the support it can get to minmise the damage.

 

[Ellipsism]

Maybe if I have the time I can do a more detailed study on this with more research.

But just using my limited knowledge now I believe it has to do a lot with stopping force. The runup to the crease lends you momentum and what the bowler wants is to transfer that momentum into the delivery. To do that you need to come to a sudden and abrupt stop. The longer stride helps you in doing so. Think of the body as a giant triangle which your momentum is trying to tip over. The wider base will be more difficult to tip and hence offer greater stopping power; which is then transferred to the ball. Though saying that the longer the stride the more pace will be wrong. Indeed there will be more stopping power but you actually do want your body tip over otherwise there will be no transfer of force. Hence there is a zone where you want to be, too long a stride and you don't get the proper transfer of momentum and too small a stride and you don't generate enough stopping power.

View attachment 80089

Your Front foot acts like a pivot about which you entire body rotates. Too long a stride and that rotation gets interrupted. But with a short stride there is too little stopping power and the momentum of your runup doesn't properly transfer to the ball instead the body retains the momentum as if you are walking.

View attachment 80090

Thanks, explained very well. This triggered a lot of the physics one learns in h/s, I’ve always had an interest in such things but external pressure forced me down the route of medical research.

This also essentially proves that running in faster allows you to bowl faster (as long as it is still rhythmical). A faster run-up simply means you have a longer delivery stride. And as you pointed out increasing the braking force, which allows for the transfer of energy to the ball.

Tha second picture of Lee points out that you need a braced front leg. This simply absorbs a lot of the energy you have tried to generate in the run-up. If you want to bowl fast, you cannot be absorbing so much energy, but rather, transfer this energy with a straight front leg all the way to the ball.

 

[DeadBall]

I’ve had an extended break off work, snd consequently have had a lot of thinking time. One of those things have been the science of fast bowling and whether taller bowls have an advantage over shorter bowlers in terms of pace. If both Fr = Fe that is the force applied to the ball by both the short and tall bowler is the same and the shoulder is the fulcrum the advantage the tall bowler will have is will be based on the arm length.

Now this poses another question what is the ideal height for bowling fast? As people overly tall may be able to generate pace but would struggle to sustain it, due to the extra pressure on their body.

Calling [MENTION=132916]Junaids[/MENTION]

 

[Fahdi]

Thanks, explained very well. This triggered a lot of the physics one learns in h/s, I’ve always had an interest in such things but external pressure forced me down the route of medical research.

This also essentially proves that running in faster allows you to bowl faster (as long as it is still rhythmical). A faster run-up simply means you have a longer delivery stride. And as you pointed out increasing the braking force, which allows for the transfer of energy to the ball.

Tha second picture of Lee points out that you need a braced front leg. This simply absorbs a lot of the energy you have tried to generate in the run-up. If you want to bowl fast, you cannot be absorbing so much energy, but rather, transfer this energy with a straight front leg all the way to the ball.

It always makes me sad when I hear people were unable to pursue their interests when choosing a profession. A very common story in Pakistan. Well I hope you come to enjoy what you do and make good friends in your profession. Even if one doesn't enjoy his work the camaraderie among fellows can make things a lot better.

On the topic a faster run-up does allow you to bowl faster as long as it's rhythmic and your body can handle it. There is only so much your body can take and if you try to run-in too fast you might have to slow down when you approach the crease which is counter productive to say the least. Actually from the little bit I know you don't actually need a very long run-up or run very fast as there is only so much force that can be transferred into the delivery, most bowlers have an unnecessarily long run up as far as physics goes but they do it because it helps them build good rhythm. Bowlers who can build up their rhythm more quickly can bowl just as fast from a shorter run-up a prime example would be Wasim Akram who shortened his run-up as he was able to bowl just as quickly with the shorter run-up.

Another interesting phenomenon somewhat related to stride length is the type of front foot contact. I did a project on the front foot contact forces of fast bowlers a couple of years back and read a few research papers on the issue. Essentially there are two ways your front foot can hit the turf:

1) Flat foot: Your front lands flat onto the pitch. This is quite detrimental to your knees and bowlers who have this style of landing are quite injury prone.

2) Heel-toe: This is when your heel hits first and then you role onto the toes. This is much more easier on your knees as the impact is spread over a larger interval.



At first one might think that the flat foot contact will allow one to bowl faster but there is no evidence of the sort. As I pointed out before the front foot acts like a pivot and the heel-toe style contact allows one to to perform a smoother rotation I believe. But I will write that I haven't discovered any research stating outright that flat foot contact hampers the speed either. As far as established research goes (that I know of, remember this project was 2 years back and I don't claim that my literature review was extensive) there is no appreciable effect on the speed of the delivery but there is an appreciable detrimental effect on the knees of the bowler.

I would like to point out that a perfectly flat foot contact is an extreme scenario and hardly ever occurs. When I say flat foot contact I mean the angle of the foot with the ground is close to zero and angle with the leg is appreciably greater than 90 degrees.


I watched a few videos at the time and a few notable bowlers who had flat foot contact were Shoaib Akhtar, Junaid Khan and Mohammad Amir. Brett Lee also tilted towards this sort of contact but his was more mixed. And looking at their history of injuries the correlation is easily recognizable.

Junaid Khan: This is the best I could find. Look at his front foot and how it is almost parallel to the ground before contact with the ground.


Here's one of Amir. Look how it's almost parallel to the ground. And we have seen Amir hobble off quite a few time recently.


A few bowlers who had a heel-toe contact were Dale Steyn, Mitchel Johnson and Mitchell Starc. All bowlers who could bowl pretty fast.

Dale Steyn: Look how his heel hits first and there is an almost 90 degree angle between his leg and foot.


Also look at Mitchell Starc.