How to Bowl a Leg Break

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: May 3, 2024 References

A leg-break in cricket is a difficult technique which involves turning a right-handed pitch from the leg side of a right-handed batsman. A leg break can be incredibly successful if bowled correctly.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Gripping the Ball

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1
Position your fingers. Hold the ball between your index and middle fingers. Slot the ball between these fingers, so they’re split wide but comfortably and the seam runs between them horizontally. Bend your ring and little fingers, so the inside of your ring finger touches against the side of the ball. Your little finger should rest along your ring finger. ^{[1]
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- “Two fingers down and two fingers up” is a quick way to remember the grip. Your index and middle fingers are straight and point “up,” while your ring and little fingers are bent and point “down.”
Make sure there is space between your palm and the ball. If it is pushed too far into your palm, then you won’t have the leverage you need to properly spin it. Your wrist and middle finger will do all of the work. ^{[2]
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Holding the ball too tight also prevents you from getting the right leverage and from controlling the spin. Let it gently rest between your middle and index fingers, with your thumb held close to the index finger but off the ball. Your whole hand will give the ball motion, but only these contact points will give it rotation and curve. Keeping your grip loose allows for more freedom of motion when you spin it. ^{[3]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Setting Your Approach

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Bend your wrist at a 90-degree angle to prepare your delivery, so that if you put your arm straight down and flat at your side, the palm of your hand (and the ball) face upwards. Holding your wrist at this angle will allow you to quickly rotate the ball from right to left when you release it. Remember that the leg break’s rotation comes from the motion of the wrist and middle finger, so set your wrist so you’ll be able to cock it correctly. ^{[4]
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Aligning the left side of your body with your target. This will help you aim and control your approach. It will also allow you to gather momentum when you rotate your body when you throw the ball. ^{[5]
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Get your stance ready for your approach. Your run up cannot too straight nor too angled. Either extreme will prevent you from rotating the ball properly and from using your non-bowling arm for momentum.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Releasing the Ball

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Right before you bowl, lift and slice your non-bowling arm down hard in front of you. Use your arm and the left side of your body to give you more momentum. Let this motion draw your bowling shoulder forward. ^{[6]
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Use the left side of your body to guide your motion. As you throw, bring your back foot around and step forward. At this point, bring your bowling arm up and over your head towards the front. ^{[7]
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3
Spin your wrist and ball from right to left as you release it. The movement is generated from your middle finger as your wrist turns, so the ball makes a counter-clockwise motion upon release. If bowled correctly, the ball will bounce quickly to the left when it hits the ground (in the direction of its spin). The back of your hand facing you the whole time, and your palm ends facing downwards. ^{[8]
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- Your stride should be shoulder-length apart.
- You should complete your follow-through with your bowling shoulder facing the target.

Community Q&A

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Question

What is wrong if I try to bowl a legspin, but it always turns in the offspin direction?

Community Answer

Simple! You're rotating your wrist in the wrong direction! Practice by doing slow wrist flicks in the right direction until you have found the right momentum.

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Question

How do I drift while bowling a leg break?

Community Answer

Drift depends on 4 (maybe 5) factors. The ball will drift to the right from a right handed bowler. The more spin you get the far more lightly you are to get drift, so get working on those revolutions. The ball is more lightly to drift on a clear, non-humid day. When trying to drift you have the get the seam as horizontal and upright to the pitch as possible. Make sure the ball gets lots of flight -- the longer the ball is in the air, the more time it will have to drift.

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Question

Is a leg spin or off spin better?

Community Answer

It depends on how much experience a bowler has had bowling the spin technique. Leg spin looks amazing if you can bowl around the legs of a right hand batsman/woman, but takes some skill. On the contrary, off spin when bowled well can keep the run total low as you'll keep on forcing the batsman/woman to block or face Lbw or to be bowled.

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Tips

Don't get frustrated if you're having trouble learning these. They are difficult to bowl and can only be mastered through a lot of patience and practice.

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Practice. This is a really difficult technique, so putting in the time and practice is essential to perfecting this move.

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Use targets and a net when you practice your bowling technique.

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Warnings

Don't try too hard to spin the ball as this will disrupt your action and lead to no-balls.

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Keep your grip loose and don't over-cock your wrist. Keeping both relaxed helps maintain flexibility and range of motion.

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Things You'll Need

A cricket ball
A crease-like area to practice on
A target (preferably a set of stumps)
A new to catch the ball

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How to Bowl a Leg Break

Steps

Gripping the Ball

Setting Your Approach

Releasing the Ball

Community Q&A

Tips

Warnings

Things You'll Need

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References

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