Built To Bowl
FOUNDATION ALLIED HEALTH
How exercise science keeps pace bowlers strong, mobile and in the game, plus an 8-week program you can start this week
Every cricket season, roughly one in four adolescent pace bowlers picks up an injury. The one coaches and parents dread most is the lumbar stress fracture. It affects around 12% of young quick bowlers each year and typically means several months out of the game. For a 15-year-old with big plans, that can derail an entire career.
The good news is that a lot of what makes a bowler injury-prone is trainable. A recent Australian trial shows what a short, structured warm-up can do.
What the research found
Researchers at Murdoch University ran a cluster-randomised controlled trial with 65 community-level pace bowlers aged 14 to 17. Eight cricket organisations were split into two groups. Four performed an eight-week injury prevention program at training, and four carried on as normal.
• Twice a week, 10 to 15 minutes, in place of the usual warm-up.
• Minimal equipment: cricket balls and resistance bands only.
• High uptake: 83% session attendance and 98.8% of exercises completed.
Compared with the control group, the exercise group improved in shoulder strength (at slower speeds), hamstring strength, hip adductor (groin) strength, single-leg balance reach and back endurance. The control group, who just kept playing cricket, mostly went backwards over the same period.
The key message Playing cricket alone did not maintain strength. Bowlers who skip conditioning through the season may be quietly increasing their injury risk factors. The program did not just build strength, it stopped the decline. |
Where an exercise scientist physiologist fits
• Assessment. Strength testing of the hips, hamstrings and shoulders, plus balance and trunk endurance, shows which bowlers have gaps before they become injuries.
• The right dose and progression. Growing teenagers need sensible progressions. In the trial, two players felt back pain on a harder trunk exercise and were stepped back to an easier version. That judgement call matters.
• Technique and feedback. Knee control during single-leg squats did not improve in the study, which the authors linked to a lack of visual feedback. It is hard for one coach to watch 12 players at once.
• Working with coaches. Some sessions were missed because a coach chose skills work instead. Showing that a 10-minute warm-up swap protects the players being developed helps the program stick.
A note on limits: the trial measured injury risk factors, not injuries themselves, so it cannot yet prove fewer injuries. Bowling workload and technique matter too. Strength is one piece of the puzzle, but it is a very trainable one.
The 8-week home and club program
This program follows the same six components used in the trial. It can be done at home, in the backyard, or run by a coach at the start of training in place of the normal warm-up.
How it works When: twice a week, before cricket training or bowling (16 sessions over 8 weeks). Time: about 10 to 15 minutes. Equipment: a resistance band (light to medium), a cricket ball, a mat or grass, and a partner or sturdy anchor for two of the exercises. Progress: start every player in Phase 1 and move up together. Suggested timing is Phase 1 weeks 1 to 3, Phase 2 weeks 4 to 6, Phase 3 weeks 7 to 8. Do the six components in order each session, every session. |
1. Dynamic warm-up (about 3 minutes)
Raise body temperature and move through the joints bowlers load most.
• Easy jog or skipping for 1 minute.
• Leg swings forward/back and side to side, 10 each leg.
• Walking lunges with a trunk rotation, 5 each side.
• Arm circles and cross-body swings, 10 each.
2. Shoulder external rotation strengthening
Builds the rotator cuff muscles that control the shoulder through the bowling action. The trial emphasised slow, controlled strengthening.
Phase | Exercise and how to do it | Dose and cues |
Phase 1 | Band external rotation at the side: elbow tucked to ribs and bent to 90°, band anchored at elbow height. Rotate the forearm outward, then return slowly. | 2 sets of 10 each arm. Take 3 seconds to return. Keep the elbow pinned. |
Phase 2 | Band external rotation with the arm out to the side at shoulder height (elbow at 90°). Rotate the hand up toward the ceiling, then lower slowly. | 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 12 each arm. Slow lowering, no shrugging. |
Phase 3 | As Phase 2 with a heavier band or a longer slow lowering phase (4 to 5 seconds). | 3 sets of 8 to 10 each arm. Stop if you feel a pinch at the front of the shoulder. |
3. Hip adductor (groin) strengthening
Protects against groin strains and builds the stable base the front and back leg need in the delivery stride. The Copenhagen adduction exercise is the one highlighted by the authors.
Phase | Exercise and how to do it | Dose and cues |
Phase 1 | Short-lever Copenhagen: lie on your side, top knee resting on a partner's hand or a low bench, bottom leg hanging below. Lift your hips and bring the bottom leg up to meet the top leg. Lower slowly. | 2 sets of 6 each side. Hips in a straight line, no twisting. |
Phase 2 | Short-lever Copenhagen with a longer hold at the top. | 2 to 3 sets of 8 each side, with a 2 second hold at the top. |
Phase 3 | Long-lever Copenhagen: top leg straight and supported at the ankle or foot on the bench. | 2 to 3 sets of 6 to 8 each side. Drop back to short lever if form breaks down. |
4. Hamstring strengthening
Slow lengthening strength helps protect the hamstrings. The Nordic hamstring exercise is the one highlighted by the authors.
Phase | Exercise and how to do it | Dose and cues |
Phase 1 | Kneel on a mat with a partner holding your ankles (or hook your feet under a sturdy object). Keeping your body straight from knees to head, lean forward as slowly as you can, then catch yourself with your hands. | 2 sets of 5. Expect some muscle soreness after the first week. |
Phase 2 | Nordic lean as above, going further forward before catching yourself, and use a hand push to return. | 2 to 3 sets of 5 to 6. Keep the hips extended. |
Phase 3 | Nordic lean, lowering as slowly and as far as you can control before catching yourself. | 3 sets of 5 to 6. Stop the set when you can no longer control the lowering. |
5. Single-leg control and balance
Trains the hip, knee and trunk to work together on one leg, which is the position a bowler lands in. Add visual feedback: use a mirror, or film a side and front view on a phone.
Phase | Exercise and how to do it | Dose and cues |
Phase 1 | Single-leg reach: stand on one leg and reach the other foot forward, then back to the side, then behind you, tapping the ground lightly. Stay tall. | 2 sets of 5 reaches in each direction, each leg. |
Phase 2 | Single-leg squat to a chair or box, slowly. Keep the knee tracking over the middle toes, not collapsing inward. | 2 sets of 6 each leg. Check your knee in the mirror. |
Phase 3 | Single-leg squat from a low step, finishing with a controlled reach, or hold a cricket ball and pass it around the body while balancing. | 2 to 3 sets of 6 each leg. Quality over depth. |
6. Trunk extensor (back) endurance
Builds endurance in the muscles that support the lower back through repeated deliveries. Take this one carefully.
Phase | Exercise and how to do it | Dose and cues |
Stage 1 (start here) | Lie face down with arms by your sides or under your forehead. Gently lift your chest a few centimetres off the ground, keeping your neck long. Hold, then lower. | 3 holds of 10 to 20 seconds. Build toward 30 seconds. |
Stage 2 (only if Stage 1 is pain free) | Lie face down over a bench or cushion with the hips supported and a partner holding the legs. Raise the trunk to level with the legs and hold. | 2 to 3 holds of 15 to 30 seconds. Stop and return to Stage 1 if you feel any back pain. |
Safety first Stop any exercise that causes pain, and do not push through back pain. In the trial, two players had back pain on the harder trunk exercise because they had already hurt their back bowling. They dropped back to the easier version. Some muscle soreness in the hamstrings in week one is normal. Sharp or persistent pain is not. Do not use this program as a rehab program. If a bowler has current or recent pain or injury, get assessed before starting. This program is general information and is not a substitute for individual advice. |
Keep it going all season
The trial ran for eight weeks only because of season scheduling. The researchers suggested that continuing the program across the whole season may be even more effective, especially since the control group lost ground when they did nothing. Once the 8 weeks are done, keep two short sessions in the weekly routine, and keep progressing the loads and holds.
Need a hand? Let Foundation Allied Health help
Not every club has a coach with the time to run this, and not every family has the confidence to do it at home. That is where we come in. Our exercise physiologist and scientist can:
• Assess your bowler's strength, balance and trunk endurance so the program targets their real gaps.
• Teach the exercises with hands-on technique and feedback, and set the right loads and progressions.
• Adjust the program around growth spurts, previous niggles and match workloads.
• Run sessions for your team or club, or train coaches to deliver the program themselves.
Book an assessment Foundation Allied Health Phone: 0466 344 866 | Email: hello@foundationalliedhealth.com Web: https://www.foundationalliedhealth.com/ Ask about junior and senior cricket assessments and club group sessions. |
Reference: Forrest MRL, Hebert JJ, Scott BR, Dempsey AR. Exercise-based injury prevention for community-level adolescent cricket pace bowlers: a cluster-randomised controlled trial. J Sci Med Sport 2019. doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2019.12.009. The exercises above are adapted from the six program components described in the study and are suitable as general guidance only.
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