Fast bowling, not for the faint hearted!

Two weeks back, in the Wanderers gym, a young, promising fast bowler began chatting to me about fast bowling. It's fascinating to listen to people talk about fast bowling. What's your opinion about fast bowling? Interesting question, which is not the norm in everyday life. This young man, loves the "art" of fast bowling. And it definitely is an "art". Watching the likes of our very own Proteas run in and excel in the IPL, brings chills and excitement in the tones of young aspiring South African fast bowlers voices. The master classes that Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel showed during the IPL, brought increased energy levels and excitement before a start to fitness sessions, and these debates proved a huge form of motivation. A motivation thats beginning to inspire the young and talented fast bowlers in the country. To me fast bowling is one of the toughest jobs in the world! Why would I say that? I believe to become a top class internatioal fast bowler one needs to be physically and mentally strong to take on the rigors of a busy First Class and international schedule. Firstly the physical aspect of a fast bowlers game is massive and cannot be taken lightly. As a fast bowler you will develop injuries that may keep you out of the game. The key to sustain longetivity in the game is to keep strong and place a huge emphasis on recovery. Cricketers mainly develop overuse (repetitive strain) injuries. Consider the fast bowler, whom repeats a similar action for a prolonged period of time. He not only bowls in first class cricket but also in the 50 over format, as well as in the exciting 20 over game and not to forget that in order to become consistent at the skill of fast bowling, they need to practice. Repetition and ground action forces (loading through the front foot), causes major impact forces through the front ankle, knees, hips and lower back. The most common sites of injury in fast bowlers are, lower back, ankles and soft tissues injuries in the lower limbs, i.e. hamstrings, quads, groins and calf strains and tears. Secondly, a fast bowler needs to be mentally strong as is any other discipline in the game. However due to the rigors and physical strain that the body takes a fast bowler has to be that much stronger to compete at a high intensity with fatigue and muscle soreness playing a role. Similarily, there needs to be mental strength to recover from an injury, as with any injury there will be a fear of reoccurrence initially. Look around at the international arena and notice which discipline of the game is most prone to injury. Hard work and dedication to the chosen profession of fast bowling is of utmost importance. The sight of a fast bowler charging towards a batsman and releasing a missile at 150km plus will always be a pleasurable sight for fans around the world.