I would like to know why coaches emphasise taking a large stride to the pitch of the ball when you can play it just as well from the crease with little footwork. As it seems easier/and efficient as well as less risk of getting caught trapped between lengths of ball( if its too short etc.)
Footwork
- Thread starter lower11
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Neville Young
Active Member
Lower I don’t believe that statement is good advice. A long stride to the pitch of the ball makes it difficult for the batman to keep the ball down and not pop it up for close in fielders. Getting to the pitch of the ball is something that coaches encourage because if you can get to the pitch of the ball you can then eliminate any movement off the pitch. If you need to take a long stride then it should be done in perhaps 2 steps and not one long stride. That is something that can be done to slower bowlers. For faster bowlers it would probably be better for most batsmen to play back to give themselves the maximum amount of time to play the ball. Staying fixed to the crease will mean you have less time to play the ball.
How long should your stride be? Something around this long. Stand up straight with your feet together (no gap between). Get someone to stand on your right (for right handers) or on the left (for left handers). Get that person to push on your shoulder with enough force to make you lose balance. When your relocate your foot to maintain balance, that is around the distance your front foot should move to the pitch of the ball.
I can say that bowling to a batsmen who played from the crease always encouraged me to bowl at my best because I always felt certain that I would soon have a wicket.
How long should your stride be? Something around this long. Stand up straight with your feet together (no gap between). Get someone to stand on your right (for right handers) or on the left (for left handers). Get that person to push on your shoulder with enough force to make you lose balance. When your relocate your foot to maintain balance, that is around the distance your front foot should move to the pitch of the ball.
I can say that bowling to a batsmen who played from the crease always encouraged me to bowl at my best because I always felt certain that I would soon have a wicket.
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But if its like a cover drive or straight drive you want to play (front front shots generally) would you recommend stretching your leg all the way to the pitch of the ball, or just where you see comfortable and then use your 'wrists' per se.
I heard getting to the pitch is better for momentum/weight transfer, generally, when i tried this the ball goes further, but theres also a chance i have misread the length and could stuff up the shot altogether.
edit: why does the coach always recommend bending the knee also, i dont understand
edit: why does the coach always recommend bending the knee also, i dont understand
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Neville Young
Active Member
If it is at that length then you would probably defend. However, if you are going to attack it is more likely that the ball will go in the air, so you will need to aim to hit the ball into an area without fieldsmen. Which is more than likely to straight back past the bowler, at least for the first couple of shots anyway.
Neville Young
Active Member
Most players hit the ball in the air because of poor positioning of the feet when driving. They tend to step too far forward and straighten their front leg. This leaves little margin for error and only a small window in the bat's arc where the ball will go along the ground. To ensure that the front foot goes to the correct position both for length and width, use the front shoulder to point at the ball as it comes to you. Imagine that there is a elastic band connecting your front shoulder and the ball. Track the ball with your front shoulder as though the elastic is trying to pull your front shoulder towards the ball. Your foot will go automatically towards the ball. It will land the appropriate distance down the pitch and across the pitch to the line of the ball. You will end up properly balanced with your head over the line of the ball and you will strike the ball just behind your front leg, ensuring that the ball goes along the ground. The window for hitting the ball along the ground with a bent front leg will now be much longer, allowing for a greater margin of error. It also closes the gap between the bat and your front leg.
Place a ball on a good length on the pitch. Point your front shoulder at the ball and step forward to maintain balance. You will automatically place your front foot next to the ball. Try it on a team mate, with you as the coach grab the batsman's front shoulder and pull it towards the ball on the pitch. They can't help but put their front foot into the correct position. Try it for yourself.
Neville Young
Active Member
To find out why you need to bend your front leg try this.
Step forward with your front leg (don’t go excessively long) so it is straight. Slowly swing the bat down from your normal back lift. Observe where you can first contact the ball and hit it forwards and along the ground. When your hands are directly below your head the bat will be vertical. Once you go past that point the bat will be angled up and in a position where you will have to hit the ball in the air. From where you could first hit the ball along the ground to where the bat is below your head, is the strike zone where you can hit the ball along the ground.
This time step forward with your front leg to the same position. Lean forward with your front shoulder and bend your front leg. Try the same exercise with the bat. Bring it down from your normal back lift, noting once again where you can first hit the ball along the ground. Continue along with the bat until your hands are directly below your head. This time you will see that the bat is still angled and you will still be hitting the ball along the ground. As you continue with the stroke you will see that it is only once the bat passes your front leg that is starts to be angled up and you will start to hit the ball in the air.
If you compare the length of the hitting zone where the ball will be hit along the ground in both methods you will find that you have a hitting area about 3 times the length if your front leg is bent.
This gives you a longer hitting zone that will allow for some timing errors in your shot and still enable you to hit the ball along the ground.
Thanks for taking the time for your detailed response neville
99% of the time*, moving your feet is simply a means to an end, the end in this case being to get your head and arms into the ideal position to hit the ball. That might be front foot or back foot, straight bat or cross bat, off side or leg side. As a general rule:
Hence the reason that the hardest bowlers to play are those that are both quick and generate good movement.
*The other 1% of the time is when you're using your pads as a 2nd line of defence against a spinner who is pitching wide of the stumps. I wouldn't worry about that until you have mastered the basics.
- The slower the bowling, the more time you have to move into the ideal position and hit the ball confidently.
- The straighter the bowling (and the flatter the pitch) the more you can get away with playing from the crease.
Hence the reason that the hardest bowlers to play are those that are both quick and generate good movement.
*The other 1% of the time is when you're using your pads as a 2nd line of defence against a spinner who is pitching wide of the stumps. I wouldn't worry about that until you have mastered the basics.