To get the best out of your bowling machine it is important that practice is both imaginative and instructive. The coach input is obviously vital and on these pages – which we will add to in coming months – we aim to pass on some ideas and inspiration.
   Our firsts port of call is innovative coach Gary Palmer who runs the Cricket Coach Master Academy and regularly works with international and County squads.
   “It is important that concentration levels are maintained for every shot. If the machine is feeding a particular stroke the batter can play the shot badly several times but forget this because he only remembers when he plays it well,” explains Gary. “A good way to encourage concentration is to include a couple of red balls in a bucket of yellow balls and have the player shout when the unexpected ball appears. This increases their awareness to the alternative delivery such as a bouncer or googly.”

SOME DRILLS:
1. Four batters rotate the strike. They are given a target score from a number of balls. They score through a specific target area marked with cones. A player blocking a ball through that area runs a single and looses the strike a player safely striking the ball for four retains the strike. This encourages concentration and teaches them to treasure every delivery.

2. Deliver balls that are not quite half volleys at a slower pace than normal. The batter has to play the shot along the ground. They hit the ball slightly on-the-up and this increases their hitting zone.

3. Deliver good length balls (which might normally be dealt with by a forward defensive) and encourage the batter to hit over the ‘bowlers head’ rather than hitting across the line. This stretches the player’s technique. Twenty20 cricket, which can force some players out of their shell and re-assess what is possible, can have a similar effect.