It seems inevitable that a fast bowler will suffer an injury during their career. But, you can prevent many injuries by physically preparing your body to the demands of the game (strength, endurance, flexibility, aerobic conditioning). You also need a safe and effective action. Of controversial topic is bowling workload. My take on it is this... Junior bowlers who have not fully grown yet, should bowl conservatively (6-8 overs max), and try to avoid hard wickets (get on the grass or turf). Many skills can be learnt from a shortened run-up, and the load does not need to be put on them early. I think there is a risk of bone stress reactions that can occur in the spine, that might predispose a bowler to future problems (stress fractures etc). Concentrate on core stability training, leg strengthening, and upper body strengthening - body weight exercises work well (push-ups, lunges, dead bugs, planks, bridges). At 18 or above (or whenever you stop growing), start to gradually build your bowling workload to a level where you can easily meet the demands of the game. You should be engaging in heavier strength training, because body weight exercises will not be as effective. You need to learn how to bowl when fatigued, so your action holds up, and it gives you the confidence in a game to be able to maintain pace and accuracy from the first spell to the last. Anyone can bowl rockets in their first spell, but the mark of a great bowler is if they can do it repeatedly throughout a day or over a number of days. Therefore, I challenge you to do this: At training, in-between every 6 balls, complete a series of push-ups, sit-ups, or lunges etc. You can opt to do short sprints too. You will find that you will eventually fatigue, but now you must concentrate harder to bowl accurately. I would do this on the Tuesday night session, and have a lighter bowl on Thursday, to freshen up for Saturday. Good luck, if you try it, let me know how it went, and if you feel mentally stronger and more prepared for the game.
Posted on: Wed, 01 Oct 2014 23:56:20 +0000
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