Mike Selvey, cricket writer, commentator and England international knows a thing or two about fast bowling. He took over 1000 wickets.

But he’s perpetuating a myth will harm upcoming young bowlers if they follow his advice.

So it’s time for a rebuttal; long, slow distance running is not the way to get fit for bowling.

In this article Selvey eloquently outlines his arguement for England bowling talent Steven Finn. Rightly he points out that Finn is young. He has not developed the strength and stamina for ardous bowling tasks. He risks injury because he has not bowled enough.

The answer appears simple, follow what Bob Willis did:

“A German, Ernst van Aaken, who having studied the great Czech runner Emil Zatopek, became a proponent of stamina being built by long, slow distance running: LSD. It was at a barbecue in Australia in the mid-70s that Bob met another doctor, a hypnotherapist and disciple of Van Aaken called Arthur Jackson, who gave him the book on the subject that was to alter his career. He did his laps and roadwork, mile after plodding mile, and went on until 1984, taking 325 Test wickets with hardly a breakdown. It was a remarkable transformation.”

If it worked for Bob (and Selvs too) then why wouldn’t it work for Finn, or you?

1. Distance running doesn’t prevent imbalance injuries

Running may strengthen joints but it does nothing for some of the big causes in injuries in bowlers: imbalances.

Because you only bowl with one hand, over time problems creep in. Typically a bowler, even with a good action, can find tightness in their front leg muscles and bowling arm shoulder. The greater the tightness the more likely you are to be injured.

In short, jogging makes no difference to your chance of getting injured in this way.

We all know how important it is for a bowler’s pace to have mobile hips. Good hip health also means less chance of injury, so we love hip mobility.

The problem with distance running here is that at best it makes no difference, at worst it reduces mobility. This is because it is repetitively making your hips move through a small range of motion. Certain muscles work hard (rectus femoris) while others do nothing (psoas). Over time your body adapts and your hips get stiff.

Or to put it another way: You end up with an ouchie.

Bowling fast is like pinging a rubber band. 

To get maximum effect you need to stretch it before it fires (contracts). All really fast bowlers have a fearsome ‘pre-stretch’ in their action. The fast you can stretch-contract the quicker the ball goes.

And guess what exercise is the opposite of a fast, quick action? Can we all say “long slow distance” running?

4. Distance running is boring

Finally, let’s be honest. Running is dull for cricketers. To run you need a certain mindset that is different from playing competitive team sport.

Young players don’t want to spend their time running round the outfield. Heck, old players don’t either. Fitness should be as much of a challenge as playing, so don’t waste time plugged into your ipod, so something engaging and interesting.

Of course, Finn’s strength coaches already know this and won’t be programming much road work for the young man.

But now you know why too, and can work on other ways to get fit that give you more bang for your buck.

For a training guide that focuses on reducing injury risk and increasing performance based on the latest research and proven methods of success check out Strength and Conditioning for Cricket at all Levels by county strength coach Rob Ahmun.

image credit: SarahCanterbury