Batting Tips.

[freddy mercury]

I haven't seen a thread about tips so I am going to start one. Hopefully I get some feed back. Season starts in two weeks and we are up in A grade now and I have a serious problem playing the ball off my pads or anything full on my legs I either get bowled, hits me in the pads and probably 1-10 times I play a pathetic on drive. How can I fix this or any tips. I bat right hand and at number 5. Thanks lads.

 

[Kyptastic]

I've had the same problem in the past (although I'm not in the same level as you). I was always trying to hit the ball to hard and, whilst my on drive was fine, when it was at that awkward length where it was too short to drive, but not short enough to pull I was struggling. I've generally found to just rely on letting the ball coming to the bat and glancing, rather than playing the big flick off the pads and rely on other shots to get bigger runs.

 

[Wallaby]

Watch the ball. Watch the ball. Watch the ball.

Really - watch the ball.

Most amateur batsmen don't - they watch the bowler. After all, 'he's the one coming towards me and I can't see the ball, and I time my stroke from his delivery'.

Watch the ball. Force yourself to focus on his hand while he's running up. Watch the ball in his hand during the bowling arm swing. Watch the ball right out of the hand. It feels a bit un-natural at first, but it makes the biggest difference. You pick up the flight so much earlier and get in position for your shot significantly quicker.

 

[freddy mercury]

Watch the ball. Watch the ball. Watch the ball.

Really - watch the ball.

Most amateur batsmen don't - they watch the bowler. After all, 'he's the one coming towards me and I can't see the ball, and I time my stroke from his delivery'.

Watch the ball. Force yourself to focus on his hand while he's running up. Watch the ball in his hand during the bowling arm swing. Watch the ball right out of the hand. It feels a bit un-natural at first, but it makes the biggest difference. You pick up the flight so much earlier and get in position for your shot significantly quicker.

So just watch it right onto the bat I struggle with the real awkward length balls it is so hard. But I shall take your advice tomorrow night and work on just watching the ball. Thanks for your help.


More tips from anyone else would be great thanks

 

[Kurtley Beale]

I haven't seen a thread about tips so I am going to start one. Hopefully I get some feed back. Season starts in two weeks and we are up in A grade now and I have a serious problem playing the ball off my pads or anything full on my legs I either get bowled, hits me in the pads and probably 1-10 times I play a pathetic on drive. How can I fix this or any tips. I bat right hand and at number 5. Thanks lads.

Do you sort of plant your foot on the offside and find yourself falling over when the ball's on your legs ??

Do you play for East Ivanhoe Saints ?

 

[freddy mercury]

Do you sort of plant your foot on the offside and find yourself falling over when the ball's on your legs ??

Do you play for East Ivanhoe Saints ?

I don't have that problem I think I just don't move my feet and try drive it. If I fix this up ill be so happy. I went out LBW at least 4-5 times like this and bowled a couple too. KILLS my game.

And I don't play for east ivanhoe. A mate of mine does however

 

[Kurtley Beale]

I don't have that problem I think I just don't move my feet and try drive it. If I fix this up ill be so happy. I went out LBW at least 4-5 times like this and bowled a couple too. KILLS my game.

And I don't play for east ivanhoe. A mate of mine does however

Yeah i used to play there it's a good club

 

[Fastback]

Have someone throw balls at middle/leg stump to you and do the following:


Just on what I've been taught..

1 - If it's a fullish ball step out toward the pitch of the ball, keeping your left foot slightly left of the line of delivery - whether its heading towards middle or leg.

2 - Practice putting your bat/pad together with the aim to blocking the ball with bat only. Your foot placement being slightly left should on almost all occasions see to it that the ball never hits your pad and only your bat. If it hits your pad then you should be ok as you are too far forward.

3 - Once you feel comfortable defending with this movement, practice hitting through the line of the ball with the same technique. Never stop working on your hand eye co-ordination.

4 - If It's a good length ball you can either play the same shot as in point 2 from a smaller step fwd angling your bat down to defend.
or step your right foot back toward off stump, opening the stance and either defend or glance.

5 - The best way to change a bowlers tact is to attack, ie a good length ball on leg/middle stump can be played positively by opening your stance (by placing your right leg toward off stump) and either playing it toward/over square leg depending on how well you can roll your wrists - practice this one !! or you can drive it through the on side on the front foot - hitting through the line.

Get over any insecurities by having someone bowl/throw you 100's of varying deliveries on your leg/middle stump and work out whether to play back/fwd and open/normal stance with the view of defending first if it's at a tricky length or unpredictable bounce/swinging, attack 2nd if the bounce is true and the ball isn't swinging much.

Always aim to hit through the line of the ball where possible, hitting across the line is much harder and takes a lot of practice.

Good luck.

 

[Simple Jack]

How are you at playing a leg glance?

I was having troubles with them (a ball on leg stump really should go for 4) and I found I was closing the face of the bat too early, worked on keeping the face really forward on until the ball actually impacts the bat and it helped a lot. Similar thing may help for you.

 

[Ill Chicken]

Just play straight, once you're in, it shouldn't be a problem.

 

[policegetthatman]

I haven't seen a thread about tips so I am going to start one. Hopefully I get some feed back. Season starts in two weeks and we are up in A grade now and I have a serious problem playing the ball off my pads or anything full on my legs I either get bowled, hits me in the pads and probably 1-10 times I play a pathetic on drive. How can I fix this or any tips. I bat right hand and at number 5. Thanks lads.

1. Try to keep footwork minimal when it's full and at the body, just let the ball come to the bat and the timing will be there.
2. Make sure your head is directly over your shoulder and your shoulder is facing the bowler.
3. Watch how Simon Katich plays the ball off his pads.

 

[freddy mercury]

How are you at playing a leg glance?

I was having troubles with them (a ball on leg stump really should go for 4) and I found I was closing the face of the bat too early, worked on keeping the face really forward on until the ball actually impacts the bat and it helped a lot. Similar thing may help for you.

Leg glace is horrible too. I honestly cannot play off my pads or when its wide down leg I can't hit it. If teams in A grade this season figure it out ill be looking at a 60 run season!!

 

[imadodgyumpire]

Not that I'm a cricket coach or anything, but you could try to bat at leg stump or even wider, and create a ball with a different angle? It might look and feel odd but it's no big deal. Don't worry about the stumps so much as I've found that if you're playing well and confidently you're not as conscious of them. Also for anybody interested, even when I hit boundries my drives are too often uppish. My coach has been useless in this regard. Too much bottomhand maybe?

 

[Tassieboy]

OP - do you have your bat coming from gully? Or a high grip?

 

[Simple Jack]

Leg glace is horrible too. I honestly cannot play off my pads or when its wide down leg I can't hit it. If teams in A grade this season figure it out ill be looking at a 60 run season!!

Ok, I'm pretty sure you're having the same problem I was. Get a video camera (or y'know a phone) and get some guy to stand where the umpire does and video yourself playing leg glances, if you are turning your bat too early you will see pretty much only the leading edge (or even the back of the bat) when the ball goes past.

It's damn hard to hit it that way I discovered.

To fix this you just have to make sure you keep the face of the bat as forward as possible. Start by just hanging the bat out infront of your pad with the face perfectly straight and feel the ball coming onto it. If you keep practicing this you will get the feel for it, fix the basic problem and then you can work on it to get more control etc.

In A grade any half decent bowler will figure it out in less than an over. Luckily for me my arseh*le mates were perfectly aware of this when bowling to me in the nets which forced me to fix it.

I disagree that moving your stance further down leg will help, it will just leave you vulnerable to full balls on off and might get you edging the ball a lot.

Instead of trying to hide your weakness you should work on it to get it out of your game. This particular one isn't that hard to fix.


imadodgyumpire - That's an easy one, you are playing your drives too early. You might be playing them too far infront of your body and 'reaching' for them.

Fix is just to play them later, but I haven't got a ****ing clue how to practice doing this sorry.

 

[Tassieboy]

Also for anybody interested, even when I hit boundries my drives are too often uppish. My coach has been useless in this regard. Too much bottomhand maybe?

As Simple Jack said, you may be playing too far infront of your body. Get a ball on a string and practice playing just in front of your eyes.

Also, as you said you may be using too much bottom hand, so I suggest grabbing the bat with your top hand then using your bottom hand for support, instead of grabbing the bat with both hands at the same time.

When playing your shot, make sure your top elbow is high, as they always say.

 

[Teffy]

I haven't seen a thread about tips so I am going to start one. Hopefully I get some feed back. Season starts in two weeks and we are up in A grade now and I have a serious problem playing the ball off my pads or anything full on my legs I either get bowled, hits me in the pads and probably 1-10 times I play a pathetic on drive. How can I fix this or any tips. I bat right hand and at number 5. Thanks lads.

Open your stance.

Are you right or left handed?

Better yet, get someone to take a picture of you from the waist down whilst you are in your batting stance and upload it here.

 

[Teffy]

Leg glace is horrible too. I honestly cannot play off my pads or when its wide down leg I can't hit it. If teams in A grade this season figure it out ill be looking at a 60 run season!!

Yep, either your stance is up shit creek or (you're frightened of the ball).

 

[western royboy]

Most of the potential problems have been identified here but in summary;

Stance: Are you standing up tall with your head centred over the balls of your feet? Get someone to check your stance and ensure there is some alignment between the two. Make sure you are side on - cricket is a side on game!

Backlift: Hopefully in your stance your back lift comes down in a fairly straightish manner and not from way out west. Arms should be tucked tightish into your side to aid this.

Feet: Step to the ball not inside it - set up a crease with middle stump marked. Try and be as square as you can to start with. Have someone roll some balls at you at various areas (ie. outside off, middle stump, leg stump, outside leg). Address each ball as you would in a game - watch the ball - step out to it and drive it accordingly. You should be able to drive it to mid wicket if you get it right.

Play with the full face of the bat.

Good Luck

 

[Kurtley Beale]

Another thing is just practice playing your shot's in front of a mirror. If it worked fro Tendulkar i'm sure it will work for you

 

[Furn]

If your getting bowled your most likely playing across the line.

Remember, those glorious "clips" off the pads you see the pros play only go square or through mid wicket because the bowlers are so quick.

Look to hit the ball through mid on and play straight with a full face.

Get on a bowling machine or a mate to throw some and start by just blocking the ball but with a back swing and look to time it. make sure you keep your elbow up and hit the ball out in front of your pad and hit it down. Dont close the face.

Once you get that, look to follow through but follow through stragith down the pitch. You should finish with your bat face facing the bowler so the bat twists in the follow though but make sure at impact you present the full face.

Juts remember with the pace club bowlers bowl its not going to fly to the boundary. Just look to push a 1 or 2 and aim to hit it straight.

 

[imadodgyumpire]

Get a ball on a string and practice playing just in front of your eyes.

That would seriously help me? Sounds like something you teach the kids, then again, I've never played juniors (started at 24) so I suppose I've missed out on some fundamental groundwork.

 

[Simple Jack]

That would seriously help me? Sounds like something you teach the kids, then again, I've never played juniors (started at 24) so I suppose I've missed out on some fundamental groundwork.

You would be amazed at the things that can help. Cricket can be a very simple game, and often when we (all of us) are making basic, junior mistakes, a basic junior solution is best

 

[imadodgyumpire]

Got it.

 

[imadodgyumpire]

Thanks for the help, realised another problem today, playing in a practice game. Balls short and outside off-stump, especially slow bowling, I automatically hit it to cow corner. I know the theory, back-foot step across to the ball, smack it for four between gully and cover. It's just hard to make the adjustment in the moment.