Essex and England Bowler

I'm often asked what my advice is on becoming a fast bowler.

I say, "think about packing it all in and become a batsman!

And if you're not any good at batting, get some boots and play football!"

I'm only kidding!

The first thing you should work on is your run-up. It's so important. You'll get to find that out as you get older.

The run-up's where you get most of your speed from. It helps you get a nice steady approach to the wicket.

A smooth run-up is how you get your pace

One of the most common mistakes young fast bowlers make is stuttering as they run in.

They lose so much momentum because they're concentrating too much on their run-up rather than getting to the crease and getting the batsman out.

It's not an easy thing to get it right - I still change my run-up now.

You need to find what's best for you - whether you need a long or short run.

England's latest paceman Simon Jones runs in off only eight paces.

I run from 20 to 22 paces, while my Yorkshire colleague, Chris Silverwood, runs off 35 paces.

The world's fastest bowler, Pakistan's Shoaib Akhtar, runs from the sightscreen when he's bowling!

Everyone is different.

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Goughie's guide

It's all child's play

The fit fast bowler

Darren Gough factfile

Date of birth: 18 September 1970 Place of birth: Monk Bretton, Barnsley, Yorkshire Height: 5ft 11in Nicknames: Rhino, Dazzler County: Essex Test debut: New Zealand, 1994 Best Test bowling: 6-42 v South Africa 1998