England's Paul Collingwood was a master at this throw, changing games in a matter of seconds with a direct hit.
It's called the Attacking Side technique. It works when the ball gets dropped into the cover point fielders attacking side (throwing side) and the fielder runs onto the slow moving ball at pace to throw the stumps down at the keepers end.
Here is how you coach your budding Rainas, Collingwoods or Kohlis.
1. Approach to the ball
The fielder takes off from his position at cover point and approaches on a sharp angle to reduce the distance to the stumps and to give the fielder more time to execute the throwing technique. The more direct the line to the ball the more pressure is placed on the runners between the wickets.
2. Pick-up
The fielder adjusts their stride pattern in the last 3 strides before pick up enabling the non-throwing side foot to be placed next to the ball as the hand makes contact.
This is different from some coaching methods yet enables the fielder to use their stride pattern to quickly release the ball from a balanced position later in the throwing action.
3. Next step
With ball in hand, the fielder starts to shift the torso upwards whilst the opposite foot - right leg for right handed throwers and left foot for left handed throwers - makes contact with the ground.
This phase allows the fielder to create balance prior to ball release and get a good early look at the target ahead of ball release.
4. Non throwing side leg-kick
As the throwing action goes from aim to fire, the fielder kicks his non throwing side leg across the body. This action does 2 things:
- Increases the pace of the shoulders by using the biomechanical principle of "action/reaction".
- Creates dynamic balance by keeping the torso and head on the same level as the leg and the shoulders/arms work against each other.
5. The amateur and professional side of the target
The momentum created on the way to the ball and then into the throw makes it easier for the fielder to miss the stumps on the nearside as the ball tails and curves under the influence of momentum. This is called the "amateur side" of the stumps to miss.
The aim is obviously to hit the stumps yet the adjustment on this type of throw when you miss on the "professional side" of the stumps is small. The ball curves from the outside of the professional side rather than sliding across the face of the stumps from the middle of the target into the amateur side.
So now you have 3 throwing techniques to master.
I have set my team 10 direct hit run outs in the season (we only got 4 last season), so the heat is on!
What is your target for the year, and how will you coach your team to achieve run out success?
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