When a return to bowling stalls

Returns to bowling rarely run in a straight line. The useful question is not "am I behind?" but "what changed, and which step do I go back to?"

Symptoms came back

Pain during bowling, or the next morning, that was not there at the previous step.

• Stop progressing. Do not push through to see if it settles.
• Go back one step, to the last level that was symptom-free the next day, and hold it for several sessions.
• If symptoms appear at a level that was comfortable before, or keep returning, get it reassessed.

A gap: weather, illness, travel, exams

• The tolerance you built fades with time off bowling. How much depends on the length of the gap and where you were in the progression.
• After a short gap, repeat the last completed step before moving on.
• After a longer gap, drop back further, then build again. Long gaps followed by a big week are a recognised pattern before injury.

Pressure to speed up: selection, a final, a coach

• The most common mistake is adding volume and intensity in the same week. Add one at a time.
• If the date is fixed, change the target, not the rules. A player who bowls short spells at full intensity in the final is often better placed than one who rushed to full volume and broke down in the semi.
• Put it in writing for the coach: where the bowler is, what the next step is, and what has to be true before a match spell. I am glad to have that conversation with the coach, with your agreement.

What to record

• Balls bowled per session, nets included, and at what intensity.
• How the area felt during bowling and the next morning, on a simple 0 to 10 scale.
• Anything that changed: a new ground, a new ball, a growth spurt, extra gym work, sleep.

The free Bowling Workload Tool logs the first two.

What the evidence does and does not say

Rapid rises in bowling load, and bowling after a long gap, have both been linked with injury in fast bowlers. The evidence does not give a safe weekly number that transfers from one bowler to another, and workload ratios are a guide, not a rule. That is why returns are judged by the bowler's response, one step at a time, rather than by a formula or a date.

Where I fit

A stalled return is a good use of a review, in person or by video. Bring the log. We work out what changed, which step to go back to, and what the next few weeks look like around your fixtures.

Further reading