KS3 · Physical education · Year 8
Overarm bowling from a standing position
Striking and fielding games: competition and performance analysis in cricket
Learn it. Recall it. Make it stick.
IllumED Slides
IllumED · 1/10
Your learning goal
I can bowl a ball with an overarm technique and follow through.
1 of 10
Overarm bowling from a standing position: slides adapted from the imported teaching text; recall questions created from its keywords, learning points and common mistakes. Self-check practice, with no automatic grading or XP. Answers stay on this page and are cleared when you leave.
What you’ll learn
I can bowl a ball with an overarm technique and follow through.
Key learning points
- Move: bowling a ball requires a side on stance with a straight arm which follows through to point at the target.
- Move: releasing the ball at the highest point of the bowling action will contribute to ensuring it is a legal ball.
- Think: bowling the ball to the correct areas of the pitch will ensure it is legal and not a no ball or wide.
- Feel: focusing on learning a complex skill can be a great distractor from everyday stress.
- Connect: providing feedback to a partner helps them understand their performance of a complex skill and correct errors.
Words to know
- follow through
- a bowler’s body actions after the release of the ball to stabilise their body
- straight arm
- the bowling arm stayed extended as you bowl
- grip
- how the ball is held in the hand using index and middle finger, and the thumb
Common mistakes
The most common error made when beginning to learn how to bowl in cricket is that pupils throw the ball with the elbow bending in the action which is not allowed.
Pupils need to understand that the action requires a straight arm and this should be emphasised throughout the lesson. It is perhaps a unique throwing action which takes time to adjust to.
For parents, carers and teachers
- Any pupil in your class who plays at a club cricket has quite likely gone beyond the content of this lesson and may have an accomplished bowling action. Call on their experience to coach their classmates in what is a difficult skill to learn as beginners.