Ways to keep motivated

We all have times where we don't want to do it (even me).
Whenever I get a little low in the motivation stakes I try these tricks to get me back into the swing of things.

1. Don't make assumptions. Don't assume you are too old, you don't have the time or you are not fit enough. Those factors make no difference. With the right work EVERYONE will improve, even you.
2. Train with a buddy. If you have someone to train with then you are not going to leave them standing at the gym or net on their own.
3. Know the difference between a reason and an excuse. Going on a work trip may stop you training, but not going because you 'don't have the time' could be an excuse in disguise.
4. Learn more. I find that when I get stuck in a rut getting online and finding out some new training technique or theory gets me wanting to head back. So learn more about your training. You could subscribe to harrowdrive for a daily dose of motivation?
5. Do something new. Just as finding out something new is great, so is actually doing it. I always recommend changing your training every few weeks. That includes your gym workout and what you do in the nets or practice field.
6. Reward yourself. Psychologists call this 'extrinsic motivation'. It means rewarding yourself for training hard, for example; promising yourself a new DVD if you train without fail for a month. Itdoes work but it can be counter productive in some cases so handle with care (i.e. great workout, lets go to McDonalds!)
7. Remember the positives. Playing and training will make you fitter, healthier and give you a better outlook on life. Skipping your commitments to improve will do the opposite. So just remember the reasons why you are trying.
8. Involve your family, friends and work. Letting your friends and family know what you are doing is better than keeping your plans to yourself. Why? Because if you slack they will be the first to pass comment. Workmates, I find, are even more brutal in this respect. It also helps when your work know you have an external commitment as they are more likely to accommodate you (hint: make your training a charity fundraiser if your boss is really tough to get around).
9. Train closer to home. A big reason for people dropping out is the distance to travel to get to training. So, find a gym close by and find a club near your home. You could even train at home with a few key bits of equipment.
10. Get a coach. Personal trainers and coaches are expensive, but good ones will motivate you in the way you need.
11. Slow down. Heavy training causes soreness, which can lead to reluctance to try again. After my first game of last season I literally couldnot walk the next day through soreness. The answer is to slow your training down to a more comfortable level. Body builders may like the pain of training, but you don't have to put up with it to become a better cricketer.

And the most important motivational tool of all: Goal setting. Without goals you are training or playing for nothing. Set goals for everything: How much weight you can lift, how many runs you plan to get, how much body fat you have, how fast you are and anything else you can think of.
Once you have those goals in mind record and review them obsessively.

Steps to bowling spin against an attacking batsman

1. Stay confident

Spin is a mental battle as much as a physical one: The spinner is trying to tease a mistake and the batsman who is playing a few shots is more likely to make one. That's why you have to stay confident in the face of an assault.
This is easier said than done. The captain suddenly can't look at you, the batsman has biffed your best ball to the boundary and you don't know what to do next.
The secret is to clear your mind, set a plan in your head and bowl that ball. A classic cliche in cricket is to play the ball not the man. This is just as true for the spinner under the pump. Keep bowling to your plan and you can force an error.

2. Cut off the big shots

Speaking of a plan. What is it?

All players, even at Test level, have their favourite and less favourite shots. Club and school players are even more limited than the professionals. This means the first job is to cut off the big shots, especially if they are with the spin.
For example, if you are an off-spinner bowling to a right handed batsman who plays with a lot of bottom hand you might put boundary fielders out at long on, deep midwicket and deep square leg. This suddenly makes it a lot riskier to play the big shot through the leg side.
In this example, you can accentuate the point by bowling around the wicket, pitching on off and turning to hit the stumps. The arm ball will slide across a batsman making it possible for it to be sliced straight up.
Your foe may still go for it, and with a big enough hit may even succeed, but suddenly they are the one taking the risk. If you get hit for a six and a four and then get a catch on the boundary your average is 10 and you are having a good day!
For leg spin and left arm spin against right handers the big shot with is more likely to be with the spin through the off side.
3. Keep the weaker areas open
The other side of blocking off a batsman is tempting him or her with a gap in the field. Let's imagine our off-spinner again bowling to this field:

As you can see from the yellow "danger zone" area, there is a large gap between slip and extra cover. Remember the batsmen plays with a lot of bottom hand? They will see the gap and look to play the ball into it for boundaries.
As long as you bowl well (pitched up, round the wicket, turning a little) it's very difficult to hit the ball into that area and the chances of bowled, LBW, caught at slip and even caught on the leg side are massively increased.
The left arm spinner can use a similar plan, keeping mid on up and inviting the on drive over the top. Not many batsmen can play this shot well, especially against the ball turning away and can slice it to the off side or bring the bottom hand in and hit it to deep midwicket.

4. Use variety

The final element is what type of ball you bowl. Each batsman has a different pace and flight that they are least comfortable against. So like it thrown up but hate it fired in. Some are the opposite. Even when you are under pressure you can experiment with how muchspin, pace and flight you give the ball.
Tossing one up might seem like the last thing to do when you are being hit. Most bowlers tend to bowl flatter and more at the stumps in this situation. However, if you have confidence in your plan (which is the first three steps) you can risk trying something different.
All batsmen are better when they know the pace of the ball. Adding a little or taking some off in the flight it a great way to disrupt their rhythm, especially if they have their best shots cut off and are trying to do something unfamiliar.
The captain isn't going to take you off in the middle of an over so you have at least 6 balls to tease even the biggest hitter out.

How to bowl an arm ball

Variety and spice: How the arm ball can turn you from stock spinner to strike bowler

The arm ball, or floater, is probably the single best weapon an orthodox finger spinner can have. Ray Illingworth says he once took 41 wickets of 135 in a season just with the arm ball.

At first the ball seems counterproductive. Spinners should spin the ball hard, hoping to impart enough revolutions on the ball for it to dip late in its flight and move off the pitch. This is true for the stock delivery and is what you should do at least 80% of the time.

The arm ball gives you the perfect suprise variation from this.

The batsman is expecting the ball to spin as normal but you have bowled a ball that swings in the opposite direction with almost no change to your action: The off spinner's arm bowl swings away from the right hander, the left arm spinner's swings in.

This brings in the possibility of deceiving a player. Getting him bowed or caught at slip (in the off spinners case). In short, a true wicket taking delivery.

How to bowl an arm ball

The key difference between the arm ball and the stock ball for a finger spinner is the grip. The basic grip looks like this:



As you already know, this grip allows you to roll your fingers and wrist around as if turning a key in a lock. This imparts spin on the ball. The more you 'rip' it, the more spin is possible.

The arm ball is best bowled with no change of action, however your grip changes to one that looks like this

This allows you to swing or drift the ball using the seam as a rudder in the same way as a medium pace bowler. However you still look like you are bowling a stock spinning delivery. The shiny side of the ball should be on the leg side if you are an off spinner.

While you no longer use your fingers or wrist to impart turn, according to Ray Illingworth, it's still important to follow through in the same way. This is mainly to trick the batsman, but it also helps the ball swing.

Line and length for an arm ball

The arm ball is a shock wicket taking delivery. As a result you should be prepared to take more of a risk with it by pitching it further up. This makes the ball hard to sweep (bringing in bowled and LBW dismissals) and tempts the drive.

The line for off spinners to right handers is best on middle stump. If the batsman plays for spin he will edge it or be bowled.

The line for left arm spinners is outside off stump, swinging it back in to bowl the batsman through the gate.

Using the arm ball

It's important not to overuse this variation as it loses its element of surprise. Your main variations will come from the amount of flight and turn you impart on the ball.

However, used now and again you can have great success. It's especially effective early in a batsman's innings. You can use it on almost any kind of wicket, but if conditions do not suit swing think very carefully before trying it.

It certainly will not allow you to rip through an opposition order in itself, but when used in combination with excellent control can put doubt in a batting team and give you the chance to bowl a side out.