Stuart Broad recently went to the top of the ICC Test match bowling rankings after capturing 6-17 in England's emphatic victory at The Wanderers. Stuart has been England's best line bowler for years.

And he achieves this with a front arm that pulls away to the offside of the right handed batter.

But hang on a minute.

Isn't the front arm our "rudder"? The thing that we use to aim with?

I'm sure that's how I got taught when I was a kid!

Come to think of it, Broad does exactly the same when he throws. He pulls his front arm (left arm) to one side yet the line accuracy of his throws is also really good.

Are their others who do the same?

The simple answer is yes!

Consider your "aiming" shoulder

As you know, I enjoy a conversation about individuality and every single one of us has a specific shoulder that we aim with.

For me, it's my left.

So when I bat (I'm a right hander batter, bowler and thrower) I can use this front shoulder to aim with. This helps my cover drive and I turn my left shoulder to initiate my movement and aim into my cut shot.

My left "aiming" shoulder also helps me to get in a sideways position - which is conventional coaching wisdom - when I aim my throw or bowl.

But what happens when you are a right handed thrower and bowler whose aiming shoulder is also your right?

Enter Stuart Broad.

Stuart uses his left arm as part of his kinetic chain to transfer momentum, not to aim.

His right shoulder is his bowling shoulder but also his aiming one. Now that's not conventional cricket!

Defying convention

There will be many amongst you who are thinking "Shut up Garaway, you're mad!"

But before you send me to the doctor, have a look at some good throwers in your cricket team.

How many defy convention and find it easier to throw accurately when their throwing shoulder aims instead of the usual non-throwing shoulder?

Watch, watch again. Now call me mad! How many coaches only coach getting completely sideways and aligned to the target in order to throw accurately?

I was one of those until very recently.

Batting shoulders

As a left handed batter, Broad uses his right front "aiming" shoulder in a conventional way to play a cover drive. He's not alone. There are loads of great players whose back shoulder is their aiming one.

Two of the greatest left handed batters of modern times have a left (back) aiming shoulder.

Kumar Sangakkara and Adam Gilchrist would drive and cut through the offside without pointing their front shoulder in the direction of the shot. They were both strong through the point and cover region and didn't do it as per the "manual".

Similarly, Kevin Pietersen's back shoulder is his aiming shoulder. His cover drives and back foot drives are awesome, yet he doesn't turn his front shoulder into the drive.

So where does this awareness come from?

I am incredibly lucky to have been trained by Ralph Hippolyte and Bertrand Théraulaz in Action Type Approach. The approach does many things and helps facilitate natural movement for any given individual. It helps to provide strategies for solving technical and tactical problems. The role of the "dominant shoulder" is one of the aspects of the approach that helps me to better understand the players that I work with.

How many players do you coach that fall into this category without you even realising it?

How many times have you coached the conventional use of the front shoulder and actually made life more difficult for the player?

Can you fast track someone by using your enhanced observational awareness and knowledge of individuality?

I know I can now.

Thank you Ralph and Bertrand.