I know you love a drill, so here is one from one of our recent coaching additions at Millfield School, Dan Helesfay. Dan has recently been shortlisted for the ECB Young Coach of the Year and has made a really strong impact within our programme since joining us in the 1st week of the January.

Dan took the drill from another ex-work colleague of mine, Ross Dewar. Ross is the Strength and Conditioning Coach at Worcestershire. Dan adapted it and worked it into a session that was concentrating on the role of the hips within a spin bowling action.

You may recall a recent article which featured the research taken from the ECB's Spin bowling department. This drill is a good way of building a bowling action which promotes increased body rotation, increased revolutions on the ball and a more advanced release position: All good things for a spinner to have in their technical tool box.

Band on the Run (up)

Dan holds one end of a resistance band, wrapping it around his wrist. This ensures that the band will not slip from his grasp. It really stings if one of these pings you on the backside!

Dan finds a tension point behind the bowler and maintains his position behind the bowler so not to make the "pull" excessive. We can increase the resistance if necessary once the drill is mastered.

The bowler runs up and deliverers in their normal action with the intention of having their hips square or beyond square at point of release: This is something that isn't always coached yet research and slow motion footage demonstrates that the biggest spinners of a cricket ball use their hips to maximise the ability of the fingers or wrist in producing revolutions on the ball.

As you can see, the bowler is being forced to focus really hard to make those hips work in the drill. It takes more effort to rotate the hips and more effort to finish the action. Yet over the 6 attempts that this bowler had, he was able to complete his action well.

The bowler then, armed with his new kinaesthetic awareness, can bowl without constraints.

I have yet to find a bowler that doesn't start to fire the hips, which leads to us seeing a more advanced release position (not directly above the head). We are also hearing reports of more explosive sensations coming through the fingers and the wrist at point of release.

Give this drill a go. It's worked for Dan and our bowlers at school. It could work for you.