Overarm bowling: windmill to wicket

Setup

1. Set lanes with stumps at one end and a cone as the bowling mark; start at 8–10 m and lengthen as the action settles (check your association's junior format for pitch lengths).
2. Pairs per lane: a bowler and a partner standing well back behind the stumps to collect.
3. Start with no ball: everyone practises the windmill on the spot first.

How it runs

1. Stage 1, on the spot: stand side-on with the front shoulder pointing at the stumps, front arm up high, ball held near the chin. Swing the bowling arm down, back and over in a big circle and finish across the body.
2. Stage 2, with a ball: same windmill, letting go as the bowling arm passes the top, aiming to bounce the ball once before the stumps.
3. Stage 3: add a step: walk in two paces, land side-on, then windmill and bowl.
4. Six balls each, count hits on the stumps, then swap with the partner.

Coaching points

• Point the front arm at the target, then pull it down past the hip as the bowling arm comes over.
• Keep the bowling arm straight all the way round: bowling, not throwing.
• Let go high, with the arm brushing past the ear.
• Finish with the bowling hand down by the opposite hip and walk through.
• The collector waits behind the stumps until the ball has stopped; nobody walks in front of a lane while someone is bowling.

Common mistakes

• Bending the elbow and pushing the ball like a dart.
• Facing the stumps chest-on so the arm swings round the side.
• Letting go too early, so the ball loops high, or too late, so it hits the ground at the feet.