A bowling machine is the most underrated tool in cricket. Unlike a net bowler who tires and loses accuracy, a machine delivers the exact same ball as many times as you want — same pace, same length, same line. That repetition is gold for grooving a technique. The trick is to practise with a plan, not just stand there blocking deliveries.
Here are five drills to get real value from your machine session at KGC Sports.
1. The grooving drill — repeat one shot
Set a consistent good length on off stump at a comfortable pace and play the same shot 20–30 times in a row — say, the front-foot drive. The point isn't variety, it's repetition. You're building muscle memory so the shot becomes automatic. Only move on once it feels effortless.
2. Footwork ladder — vary the length
Now keep the line and pace fixed but change the length every few balls: full, good, short. Your job is to move your feet correctly for each — forward for the full ball, back for the short one. This trains the single most important batting skill: getting your feet to the right place before you play.
3. Pace step-up
Start at a comfortable speed and increase the pace every over. This sharpens your reaction time and trains you to pick up a quicker ball early. Don't chase the fastest setting — push just past comfortable, where you're challenged but still in control.
4. The defence test
Set a probing good length around off stump and practise soft-handed defence — getting forward, playing late, dropping the ball at your feet. Good defence wins matches and survives bad surfaces. It's the least glamorous drill and the one that separates batters who last from batters who don't.
5. Shot-call reaction
Have a partner call a shot — "drive", "pull", "leave" — a split second before each ball arrives. This bridges the gap between mechanical repetition and match decision-making, where you have to read, decide and execute under time pressure.
Setting the machine
At KGC the machine is programmable for pace, line, length and seam, and runs in Practice Net 3. Start every session with a few balls at a slow setting to get your eye in, then build up. Book your overs in advance and you only pay for what you bowl.
Twenty minutes of focused machine work beats an hour of aimless net time.
