In the sport

Sport

A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...

 of cricket

Cricket

Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...

, back foot contact is position of the bowler at the instant when the back foot lands on the ground just prior to delivering the ball. For a right-handed bowler, the back foot is normally the right foot.

An alternative name for back foot contact is coil.

Alignment

To avoid back injury it is important that the hips and shoulders are aligned at back foot contact. This can be done in any of the following positions:

• Side on: the back foot is parallel to the bowling crease
  Crease (cricket)
  In the sport of cricket, the crease is a certain area demarcated by white lines painted or chalked on the field of play.The term crease also refers to any of the lines themselves, particularly the popping crease. Law 9 of the Laws of Cricket governs the size and position of the crease markings...
  
   causing the hips to be side on. The non bowling arm is positioned in front of head so causing the shoulders to align with the hips. A classic example of a side on bowler is Dennis Lillee
  Dennis Lillee
  Dennis Keith Lillee, AM, MBE is a former Australian cricketer rated as the "outstanding fast bowler of his generation"...
  
  .
• Chest on: the back foot points straight down the track towards the target, aligning the hips parallel to the bowling crease. The non bowling arm is positioned to the side of the head. This aligns the shoulders and chest parallel with the bowling crease and hips. Malcolm Marshall
  Malcolm Marshall
  By 1984 Marshall was seen as one of the finest bowlers in the world, and he demoralised England that summer, especially at Headingley, where he ran through the order in the second innings to finish with 7-53, despite having broken his thumb whilst fielding in the first innings...
  
   is an example of a chest on bowler.
• Mid-way: the back foot is in between the side on and chest on position. A fine example of a mid-way bowler is Allan Donald
  Allan Donald
  Allan Anthony Donald is a former South African cricketer and one of their most successful pace bowlers.In his prime, he was one of the best fast bowlers ever seen in Test cricket, reaching the top of the ICC Test rankings in 1998 and peaked with a top ICC ranking of 895 points the next year, the...
  
  .
• If the bowler's back foot is behind parallel to the bowling crease, the bowler loses momentum and speed when delivering the ball. This is because the bowler's back foot bends at the knee and causes momentum to be lost and the bowler then has to go back and lift their whole body back upright.

An action that fails to align hips and shoulders at back foot contact is termed a mixed action.

Other coaching points

• The body should be upright or just slightly leaning back. Leaning back too far causes momentum to be lost as it takes too long to transfer from back foot contact to front foot contact
  Front foot contact
  In the sport of cricket, front foot contact is the position of the bowler at the moment when the front foot hits the ground just prior to delivering the ball. For a right-handed bowler the front foot is normally the left foot.-See also:*Grip*Approach...
  
  .
• Head still and looking at the target.
• Ball held close to the chin. This tucked in position allows the ball to be brought through in an arc that is aligned with the target. This is obviously important for accuracy, but is also important for power.
• The non bowling arm should also be inside or close to the line of the trunk. Traditionally the non bowling arm is held vertically. More recent bio-mechanical theories have suggested that the non bowling hand touching the bowling shoulder provides a shorter lever, permitting greater pace for quick bowlers. Shoaib Akhtar
  Shoaib Akhtar
  Shoaib Akhtar is a former Pakistani right arm fast bowler in cricket, who is regarded as the fastest bowler in the history of cricket. He set an official world record by achieving the fastest delivery, when he clocked in at 161.3 km/h in his bowling speed, twice at a cricket match against...
  
   uses this technique.

See also

• Bowling action
  Bowling action
  In the sport of cricket, the bowling action is the set of movements that result in the bowler releasing the ball in the general direction of the batsman.The bowling action can be broken down into a number of parts:*Grip*Approach...
  
  
• Grip
  Grip (cricket bowling)
  One of the key factors in cricket bowling is the grip. Variation in grip has a major influence on the outcome of a delivery. Below is the grip for an inswing delivery....
  
  
• Approach
  Approach (cricket)
  In the sport of cricket, the approach is the motion of the bowler prior to bowling the ball. It is also known as the run-up.A spinner's approach differs from that of a medium pace or fast bowler, but certain principles remain the same:...
  
  
• Bound
  Bound (cricket)
  In the sport of cricket, the bound is a jump that allows the bowler to transition from the run-up to the back foot contact position. For a chest on bowler not much transition is needed. So, many chest on bowlers have a low, short bound. In contrast, side on bowlers need to rotate their bodies...
  
  
• Front foot contact
  Front foot contact
  In the sport of cricket, front foot contact is the position of the bowler at the moment when the front foot hits the ground just prior to delivering the ball. For a right-handed bowler the front foot is normally the left foot.-See also:*Grip*Approach...
  
  
• Point of release
  Point of release
  In the sport of cricket, point of release is the position of the ball in relation to the body at the moment when the ball is released. It is crucial for the arm to be stiff, not bent, and the wrist rather looser, to ensure smooth release of the ball, and sufficient bounce off the pitch...
  
  
• Follow through
  Follow through (cricket)
  In the sport of cricket, the follow through is the motion of the bowler after releasing the ball.-See also:*Grip*Approach*Bound*Back foot contact*Front foot contact*Point of release*Cricket terminology...
  
  
• Cricket terminology