Customer Reviews

Bob Woolmer on Bowling

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

"On Bowling": 128 pages of everything you would want to know if you are a cricket player and want to refine your bowling delivery technique. Split into 4 separate sections covering an Introduction and "A Brief History of Bowling", "The Basic Action", "Medium-Pace and Fast Bowling" and finally "Slow Bowling" the book is beautifully presented with over-large pages measuring 25cm in length and 20cm in width and a lovely feel to the pages themselves. Highlighted through the book are hand-drawn illustrations, graphs and photographs which serve as a visual aid to mastering the art of bowling and these even to my uninformed eye are clear and easy to follow. Whilst I may not understand the techniques of the correct finger-placement on a bowling ball the book explains where you should position them if you want a variety of deliveries.

Each section features tips and explanations of the terms used and covers everything from the basics of selecting which foot to launch the delivery from, the run-up itself and the accuracy of shots bowled. The language used is knowledgeable but not overly technical and from reading some of the chapters myself I got the impression that Woolmer really did know what he was talking about and had a clear understanding of the nuances of the game. Psychology plays a big part in bowling as I was to discover reading the later sections of the book and a lot of detail goes into the "Deceit" of the game. I imagine that if you are an amateur player or just starting out in the game then you would pick up a lot of valuable information and tips which could enhance and improve your technique. Equally those who follow the sport and have more of an armchair-watching involvement would find the book to be a useful aid in identifying the techniques used and the psychology behind the delivery selections and overall I found this to be an interesting and insightful read although perhaps not something that I would personally refer to again in the future.

4/5 stars seems reasonable to me, I have no reason not to award a perfect score other than not knowing enough on the subject to confirm its usefulness to other people. As far as its presentation is concerned it is a lovely book.