BIOMECHANICS OF
CRICKET
BY-
Dr. SURYAMANI
BPT, MSPT(HONS.)
MECHNICAL ANALYSIS OF SPORTS SKILL
IN-SWING/OUTSWING BOWLING IN CRICKET
NECESSITY OF UNDERSTANDING
BIOMECHANICAL PRINCIPLES IN CRICKET
Difficulty of the skill dramatically increases
when the young players move from batting
slow-moving or stationary(batting
tee)objects,to balls thrown with greater
speed and spin.
Principles like strength, balance, inertia and
coordination, force-time and force –motion.
CONTENTS:--
Brief description of skill
Objective of the skill
Mechanical principle of the skill
Objective of the principles
Analysis of the skill
Application of the principles
Brief description of the skill
Swing bowlers are pace bowlers who,apart
from being fast. Also use the seam of the ball
to make it travel in a curved path through the
air. Make the swing of the ball towards the
batsman or away from batsman.
Objective of the skill
The main objective of the bowler is to take
wickets by tight line and length.
Mechanical principle of the skill
Momentum
Arm force
Inertia
Gravity
Magnus effect
Analysis of the skill
The grip
Back foot contact
Point of release
Use of the swing
The grip- In swing
An in swinger is bowled by holding the ball with
the seam vertical and the first two fingers slightly
across the seam so that it is angled a little to the
leg side.
Once the ball has worn and been polished so
that one side is rougher than the other, the rough
side is placed on the leg side. The ball is placed
on the pad of the thumb. This thumb position
locks the wrist in a position inclined to the leg
side.as shown in fig.
The Grip- Out swing
A Right-armed bowler bowling outswing will
move the ball away from a right-handed
batsman. The 1st and 2nd fingers are placed on
the top of the ball and spread either side of the
seam.
The side of the thumb is placed on the
underneath of the ball directly on the seam. To
make the ball swing, ensure that the seam
remains vertical and angled away from the
batsman.
Back foot contact – in swinger
In swing can be bowled from side-on, mid-way
or chest on positions. But bowlers usually tend
to pitch it in the good length spot or up to the
batsman. It is the wrist position that is crucial,
not the position of hips or shoulders.
Back foot contact – out swinger
The bowler attempts to get as side on as
possible. A high arm action is also required. The
shiny side of the ball must be pointing away
from the body, so that the rough side is on the
bowlers side. The seam is usually held at a
slight angle with the seam pointing to around
second slip.
Point of release- inswing
When the bowler delivers the ball, he angles
the seam so that it points slightly to the leg
side. To help achieve this position the bowling
arm should be near vertical, brushing close to
the ear.
At release the wrist should remain cocked so
as to help impart backspin along the orientation
of the seam. The angle of the seam to the
direction of motion produces an aerofoil effect
as the ball moves through the air, pushing it to
the leg side.
This is enhanced by differential air pressure
caused by movement of air over the rough and
smooth surfaces, which also tends to push the
ball to the leg side. The result is that the ball
Point of release- outswing
To bowl outswing, the bowler attempts to get as
side on as possible. A high arm action is also
required. The shiny side of the ball must be
pointing away from the body, so that the rough
side is on the bowlers side.
The seam is usually held at a slight angle with
the seam pointing to around second slip. The
arm in which the ball is held usually comes down
across the bowlers body to the off side after
delivery.
Application of the principles
Momentum
P=m*v
“Product of mass and velocity”.
In bowling long run and forward flex gives
momentum to the bowler.
Arm force
From back foot to ball release
A bowler get Force mainly from shoulder and
wrist.
Inertia
From run up to back foot contact.
By Newton's law
“A body at rest/motion remains in rest/motion
unless& until external force is applied to over
on it”.
Gravity
The force external by earth
The centripetal (pulling force)
Magnus effect on ball
Magnus effect
The Magnus effect is the phenomenon whereby a
spinning object flying in a fluid creates a whrilpool
of fluid around itself, and experiences a force
perpendicular to the line of motion.
BATTING
STANCE
The stance is the position in which a batsman
stands in order to have the ball bowled to him.
An ideal stance is "comfortable relaxed and
balanced," with the feet 40 cm apart, parallel
and astride the crease.
The front shoulder should be pointing down the
wicket, the head facing the bowler, the weight
equally balanced and the bat near the back
toe.
As the ball is about to be released, the
batsman will lift his bat up behind up in
anticipation of playing a stroke, and will shift
his weight onto the balls of his feet.
By doing this he is ready to move swiftly into
position to address the ball once he sees its
path out of the bowler's hand.
BATTING
Front foot
Back foot
FIELDING
Catching.
Ground fielding.
Wicket keeping.
FRONT FOOT
TAPING- legs in same line, hip, shoulder
pointing towards bowler, taping bat on point
of the right toe.
(Friction ,leverage system, stable
equilibrium, zero acceleration.)
BACK LIFT- bat pointing towards ‘point
region’, Bat should be raised on hip level,
top hand fore arm parallel to the ground,
both hands not to touch the body.
(Friction, leverage system, stable
equilibrium, zero acc., high centre of
gravity)
FOOT MOVEMENTS- foot moves towards
the pitch of the ball.
(positive acc., negative acc, friction, impact-
elasticity , spin, velocity)
DEFENCE- no gap between bat and pad,
leg movements always along with the front
foot, At the time of contact body weight
shifted from heel to toe, simultaneously front
foot knee slightly bend, back foot stretched.
(high cog, unstable equilibrium, friction, zero
acceleration)
Vertical Bat Strokes
Vertical bat or straight-bat shots can be
played either off the front foot or the back
foot depending upon the anticipated height of
the ball at the moment it reaches the
batsman.
Defensive Shot
Having taken a long stride, a batsman blocks
the ball with a forward defensive shot.
Horizontal Bat Shots
The second class of cricket stroke are the
horizontal bat shots, also known as cross bat
shots. These comprise the cut, the square
drive, the pull, the hook and the sweep
FIELDING
CATCHING-
Running towards the ball direction-
(Speed, velocity, distance, friction, linear
kinematics)
Eyes fix on ball-(velocity , power, force,
friction.)
GROUND FIELDING
Moving quickly on the line of the ball
(acc., friction, inertia of motion)
Throwing (fluid mechanism, tailwind, head
wind, spin, parabola, projection, projectile,
horizontal velocity.)
STATIC & DYNAMIC BALANCE
‘Natural Balance’ can involve controlling the body in a fixed position
(static balance),
and maintaining body control during movement (dynamic balance)
STABILITY PRINCIPLES
A body is balanced when its centre of gravity is vertically within its
base of support
Base of support
Centre of gravity outside base of support - fall over
STABILITY PRINCIPLES
A body loses balance when its centre of gravity is vertically outside its
base of support
MAINTAINING STABILITY –
CONTROLLING DYNAMIC BALANCE
Head to ball when stepping forward
Leaning forward to begin run up
STABILITY - CONSEQUENCES
Balance is affected when any body part is moved away from the
centre of gravity
When balance is lost or affected a readjustments must
occur ….. “WHAT DO YOU SEE ?”
“ACTION Vs REACTION”
WHAT DO YOU SEE ?
STABILITY
A STABLE BASE produces POWER and CONTROL
The bat should start to move FORWARD only after the front/ back FOOT has
made CONTACT with the GROUND
The legs remain BRACED to ensure maximum force generation
STABLE BASE
A stable base ensures :
Head remains still, so eyes can see and focus
Body is still and stronger and provides more resistance for
POWER
Energy is easily transferred into ACTION
LEVER ALIGNMENT
To maximise POWER and CONTROL all body levers
(arms and legs) must move towards the target line
“Direct the energy / core of the body at the target”
BATTING
Keep bat and hands close to body
Step towards target line
Rotate shoulders and bat in the direction
of target
Align front elbow and bat with the target
Swing bat down target plane
BOWLING
Work arms and legs down target line
Keep ball in close to body
Drag front elbow down target line
Rotate shoulders vertically towards target
Follow through towards target
BALANCE & STABILITY - BATTING
STANCE
The line of gravity is over the centre of the feet
ALIGNMENT
The base of support is aligned with the intended generation of force
BALANCE & STABILITY - BATTING
THE STEP
The LOWER the centre of gravity, the GREATER the stability
The wider the base of support, the GREATER the stability
LEVER ALIGNMENT - BATTING
It is important to align the body levers with the
oncoming ball and choice of stroke (vertical or
horizontal). This allows the player to hit the ball
with POWER and CONTROL
BOWLING
BOWLING :
To bowl / spin the ball fast (power)
land it where we want (control)
with the variations we want (control)
BALANCE & STABILITY - BOWLING
Spinners use shorter delivery stride lengths to increase height at release
Delivery strides too long - loss of height and leg collapse
LEVER ALIGNMENT - BOWLING
It is important to align all body levers toward the line of the target to
ensure a balanced delivery. This allows the player to generate POWER
and CONTROL
Poor lever alignment produces inconsistent performances
FIELDING & WK
Fielding
To gather the ball cleanly
(control) and throw it quickly
(power) and accurately (control)
Wicket Keeping
To catch the ball cleanly
(control)
BALANCE & STABILITY – FIELDING &
WK
Fielding requires a trade off between stable bases:
Base of support too narrow Base of support too wide
Movement towards the ball in a balanced position allows the player to move quickly
in all directions
1-2 steps with the bowler Balanced “Step Jump” “Base Up”
THANK YOU
