Mark Wood’s coaching clinic: England fast bowler offers tips and advice to future stars!
Ever dreamt of steaming in and bowling 90mph in a Test match for England? Then listen up!
England fast bowler Mark Wood joined Ian Ward and Mike Atherton in our latest coaching clinic, looking over the clips you sent in to @SkyCricket on Twitter, to offer help and advice for a number of very talented young seamers!
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An Ashes winner, a World Cup winner and bowler of some of the most ferocious spells by any player in recent times, Wood is the perfect man to talk to when it comes to bowling fast.
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However, the 30-year-old started out as a batsman and only came to fast bowling relatively late, so to any kids out there – don’t give up yet, you don’t have to be bowling rockets by the age of 13 or 14…
We'll get into the coaching clinic very shortly, but first @MAWood33 explains how he went from a No 3 batsman in junior cricket to an England fast bowler!#ENGvPAK ?????????
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The first clip came from five-year-old Adam, who was playing in an under-11s match, and Wood had a simple piece of advice for youngsters on how to figure out their run up.
“Start at the stumps, close your eyes, run back from the line and bowl the ball,” he said. “Do that two or three times, mark it every time where you’re landing, and you’ll get a rough idea of the natural length that you do.
“When you’ve done that two or three times and you’re happy with it as your run up, mark it out and then try it out, running in and bowling. The start is key, always remember which foot you push off.”
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Right, first up we've got 5-year-old Adam, bowling in an U11s game and @MAWood33 explains why closing your eyes can help you figure out your run up! ?
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Of course, a big thing for any fast bowler is to have a convincing appeal – just ask Stuart Broad! – and Lachlan looks to have nailed his!
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Next up is Lachlan and an appeal that @StuartBroad8 would be proud of! ?
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Sibling rivalry can also help spur you on, it has taken Tom and Sam Curran all the way to the England team, and it is very evident here as 11-year-old Percy doesn’t let up as he bounces his younger brother, Charlie.
He really is giving Wood a run for his money with some of these bumpers!
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?I better watch my back; this lad is going to take my place! Some of these bouncers are lethal?@MAWood33 is impressed by Percy steaming in – younger brother Charlie is the one who has to face him though!
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Meanwhile, Olivia showed a good action in the nets and Wood has a straightforward drill that could prove very useful and give her an extra yard of pace…
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A good action from Olivia! @MAWood33 has a quick and easy drill that could help her add an extra yard of pace too!
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As for Rahul, there isn’t much to say – “perfect!” was Wood’s description of the 13-year-old’s action and follow through!
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Keep doing what you're doing, Rahul! "Perfect" is message from @MAWood33 #ENGvPAK ?????????
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Finally, we often hear commentators talking about a fast bowler having a braced front leg when they deliver the ball to help them generate more pace. But how do you do that? Fortunately, Wood was on hand once more with another handy drill to help all those bright young seamers improve their speed…
?? KIDS COACHING CLINIC ??
We hear a lot about how a braced front leg can help fast bowlers generate pace – but how do you get into that position?
Fear not, @MAWood33 has a drill to help you!
? Watch live ? https://t.co/3V5xD5O02D
? Blog ? https://t.co/Ohqb5x5fuT pic.twitter.com/Vow26oL4YH
Most important of all though, says Wood, is to enjoy it: “Everybody plays to have fun! Try new things, try new actions, try holding the ball a different way and see what it does – and try and bowl fast!”
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