A visit to a Pace Lab that guides fast bowlers on effective techniques through well researched scientific methods

 By K.R. Nayar

There was a time when the term Lab or Laboratory was used only for scientific research. With technology playing a big role in the enhancement of performances in sports, labs are now being set up in every aspect of sport. So it was a unique experience to witness a Pace Lab organised by G Force Cricket Academy at the Velocity Sports and Recreation Club last week with Pachur Shukla, a Level-3 coach who specializes in shaping fast bowlers the right way. The knowledge that Shukla shared with the budding pacers were based on his in-depth study into the art of pace bowling. All youngsters who attended the pace lab would have returned richer in knowledge of the various techniques and motivated to work harder

Coach Pachur Shukla measures the speed of a young pacer at the Pace Lab

One of the most exciting sights in cricket is to see a fast bowler in full action. All legendary pacers are no doubt a treat to watch but to become a lethal and fearsome pacer and to get lauded is no mean feat. Modern day cricket is so demanding that one needs to have tremendous verve to reach heights in fast bowling.  Fast bowling is now being treated an art that has been scientifically analysed to help get the best out of every bowler. Hence they are groomed in a manner that they do not develop a wrong action and at the same time remain free of injuries due to the rise in the number of matches being played.

With this in mind, G Force Cricket Academy conducted a pacers lab at the Velocity Sports and Recreation Club with Pachur Shukla, a Level-3 coach who specialises in shaping fast bowlers the right way. A visit to this camp was truly educative. I was amazed at the knowledge passed on to the trainees during the sessions.

Bowling speed being recorded 

The trainees, all of whom were aiming to be pacers, were asked to bowl at their fastest, and Shukla was seen measuring their pace with a hand-held device. What followed was sessions on how to bowl fast accurately and effectively, and guiding each one of them on areas they needed to improve. It was a great journey into the various nuances of fast bowling.

Speaking to krbuzz.blogspot.com, Shukla said: “This is something that was started by Steffan Jones, who is one of the pioneers in research into pace bowling.  Major research on pace bowling has been done by Cricket Australia and England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the MRF Pace Foundation. TA Sekar Sir is the pioneer in India on shaping fast bowlers. Jones, who is a Level 3 ECB and Strength and Conditioning (S&C) coach blended the two aspects of accuracy and fitness together for pace bowlers. Thus it helps them to bowl fast and at the same time avoid injury.”

Preparing young pacers for the speed test 

Shukla not only assisted the youngsters on improvising their run up but also on how to generate the strength to bowl fast.  “The bio-mechanic technique makes one strong enough to bowl fast and at the same time keep oneself safe. It is important because fast bowlers today go through a lot of fatigue and stress fractures.  This is an area that Steffan has worked on and I am working under him as his mentee for the last one year. I believe learning is an ongoing process.  Last week I finished my Level One S&C course from Ramji Srinivasan (who was the Strength and Conditioning coach of the 2011 World Cup winning Indian cricket team). All that I am doing is trying to spread the knowledge among budding cricketers. I always try to make it simple for them to understand because if we use technical jargon they will not understand. So we need to transform it as applied knowledge and then share the tools and techniques with them to help them realise what they are doing.”

Pachur Shukla explains the nuances of fast bowling through videos 

What Shukla has also realised during this process is that most youngsters are under wrong assumptions about their bowling speed. “During this lab when I asked the children about their bowling speed, most of them said that they were touching 100 to 120 kmph. I was a little surprised to hear this because children only five percent of the under-16 can reach a speed of 115 or 120kmph. We normally see Indian swing bowlers bowl at around 120 or 130kmph…. so what they mention is a big speed for that age. It is only when we started measuring the right way did they realise the actual speed of their deliveries. And this realisation is very important so they understand that they have a long way to go.”  

Explaining bowling action through graphics 

While Shukla is happy for youngsters to be inspired to bowl fast by watching top pacers in action on television, he is of the firm belief that one needs to work very hard to bowl like them. “Kids gets inspired to play cricket by watching matches like the IPL on television and some videos. But what they must but understand is that a great deal of hard work and preparation goes behind these performances. They must realise that many hours of bowling is needed to become a good fast bowler.  For example, the legendary sprinter Usain Blot’s competitive running will be less than 10 seconds in the 100 metres, but for that he has been training for nearly 20 years. They must also be aware of the steps they need to take to achieve their objectives. Thanks to Gopal Sir and G Force Academy for having organised this lab. I also work as a volunteer for cricket and help the Bahrain Cricket Association by sharing my knowledge at their national camps.”

Responding to a question on fitness of the children, especially in the Gulf region,  to become a pacer, Shukla, said: “Let me explain this through an example. In 2010, I was in Nepal for a tournament in which the UAE and Bahrain teams were also participating. We had a coaches meet during the event and Roy Dias (Sri Lankan Test star) who was coaching the Nepal team also attended. He remarked that Gulf boys are ‘Pepsi and Burger boys’ since most of consume a lot of Burger and Pepsi. Parents are seen carrying their child’s cricket kit and stand outside the boundary line with drinks and food! But to reach high levels of performance one has to work hard withstanding all odds. These children would not have the real strength like those who come from core cricketing backgrounds. But things have now changed a lot with professional coaching coming to countries like the UAE, Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait. The Asian Cricket Council and the International Cricket Council have done a great job training coaches there so that their knowledge is now decimated to other places. Now strength and conditioning for cricketers has become an important factor. Fast bowlers are recommended to have a plan. One of the parameters is that they need to run 5km once a month in less than twenty minutes. That way there are many others to be fulfilled.”

Shukla also noted that pace labs can help fast bowlers from not developing bad habits like chucking. “This is where the bio-mechanics of bowling comes into play. Fast bowling and bio mechanics actually go hand in hand. So the coach must be educated and trained in bio-mechanics for him to guide the bowler to a correct action. For eg. normally children under the age of 14 should be bowling with a smaller ball that weighs 144 gms and is size 4.5. Under 10 kids should be bowling with a softer ball. And if the younger ones are given a heavier ball to bowl from 22m, he will overload his shoulder. Since he does not have the required strength, he might indulge in bending his arm to get the extra pace and that is how he could go on to develop the habit of chucking unknowingly. Cricket Australia has a very clear norm whereby ten year olds can bowl only from 16m and should have a smaller ball. ACC and ICC are also following this method.  And still if someone develops chucking, that is where Level 3 coaches like Gopal Sir and many others come in to correct those actions. For advance level coaching, one will need a full bio-mechanic lab and a 16 camera set up. We also have ultra-slow motion cameras that can help record the elements from where the wrong action is coming so that it can be worked on in a reverse spin manner. What we call reverse spin is going back step by step to develop a correct action.”

The trainees with Pachur Shukla (centre) and G Force's Gopal Jasapara and Swaminathan Kumaar 

So does that mean a scientific approach can help fast bowlers in a big way?  “Yes. It is evolving. Let’s consider another example. Until 2015, Cricket Australia was relying heavily on weight training; but then they had a lot of injuries.  Fast bowlers like Pat Cummins. Mitchel Starc and now Nathan Bracken, a lot of them got injured in a row. They soon realised that fast bowling is not about muscle building but is about muscle energy. How does one generate immense energy in your muscles and bowl fast. This is very critical.”  

Pachur Shukla demonstrates the use of sphere ball 

Shukla carries with him many gadgets that help generate energy. Demonstrating them one by one, he said: “There is a tool adapted from baseball called the sphere ball. Lately Ishant Sharma used it to improve his bowling and you have seen the vast improvement in his bowling during the last four years.”

All in all, this interaction with Shukla was an eye-opener and I am sure children who attended this Pace Lab would have returned stronger in knowledge and techniques and determined to work harder.