Why is a tendency to bowl short so common?
A common cause of continual short bowls is a desire to deliver the delicate ‘resting toucher’. The trouble is that many bowlers get too delicate, and bowl after bowl finishes short. Instead, bowlers should try to reach a position 0.3-0.5M behind the jack. This is not achieved by consciously changing the mechanics of the delivery movement, possibly with feelings of distracting anxiety. Adjustment should be a mental task. Having identified the required finishing spot, bowlers should visualise the retarding effect of the green, and ‘feel’ the arm movement needed for their bowl to run the distance. In other words, they get their marginal extra ‘weight’ by thinking about it. Their limbs should automatically or subconsciously respond by subtle changes in the delivery movement.
