10 top tips for Wrist Spin learners (Leg Spin)

214 views so far since the counter was put in place around a week ago. Not bad. Anyway we're coming up to the blog being a year and half old, so I've now been trying to bowl wrist spin for the same kind of period of time and I'm beginning to get it. So by way of a review/evaluation I'm going to state some of the key points which I believe are good starting points if you're trying to bowl wrist spin. If you've got a differing opinion by all means post a comment and put me right, I'm looking to learn after all. I'll also try and put the 10 key points in some kind of order too.


1. If you're starting out with Wrist Spin concentrate on being able to bowl the Leg Break. Don't worry about all the variations at the start, just make sure that you're able to bowl this delivery and that it's your main weapon against the batsman.

2. If you can, learn with a coach - someone that already bowls wrist spin affectively, or learn with another Wrist Spinner and learn together - bowling back and forth to each other and evaluating what you are doing.

3. At the earliest point borrow, steal or buy Peter Philpotts book - "The Art of Wrist Spin". Read it and follow the instructions!

4. Familiarise yourself with the videos that are available on-line via youtube - there's one with Shane Warne himself at the Wacca and 3 with Terry Jenner 2 from the BBC and the other is part of the Cloverdale video series. All of these videos are helpful.

5. Leg Spin/Wrist spin is acknowledged as being potentially the most difficult form of bowling so be prepared to put some hours in getting it right - be prepared for the long haul.

6. Look after your shoulder - check out the threads on www.simplycricket.net or subscribe to www.harrowdrive.com and follow thier advice relating to shoulder exercises to prevent injury.

7. When you're learning and playing at the same time don't try and be too clever - aim at the stumps don't bowl wide in the hope that it'll turn in to the stumps. If it doesn't turn you're still on target and the batsman has got to deal with the ball. If it does turn you're going to force errors.

8. This discipline rarely comes naturally and requires a great deal of concentration and the use of pre-visualising techniques - adopt the techniques and learn to focus utterly on what you do.

9. You never stop learning - wrist spin is a continual learning process.

10. Practice, practice and more practice. All summer, all winter flick and spin balls, apples, oranges anything keep flicking and spinning and bowling.

I think that covers the basics and should set anyone that is interested in bowling wrist spin on the right track?

Check out my other blog here - this is all about Leg-spin bowling and nothing else. Double click on the image below.