Keeping your back foot on the ground

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Jonesy

Jonesy

Active Member
Keeping your back foot on the ground

This is the problem I'm having at the moment, the good thing is I have 6 months or so to work through it. Whenever I play a shot on the front foot my back foot slides forwards heaps, putting me off the shot and increasing my chance of getting stumped, the keeper in the grand final was just throwing the ball after every ball at my stumps, it felt so bad. Argh, any advice? Thanks.
 
Re: Keeping your back foot on the ground

What are you wearing on your feet? Spikes, rubbers or trainers and what surface you playing on?

(I'm going for the easy solution here!)
 
Re: Keeping your back foot on the ground

Yeh just normal runners and I play on synthetic. I'm guessing I should wear rubbers? I'm not a big fan personally, feels weird when I'm bowling.
 
Re: Keeping your back foot on the ground

Jonsey, This is symptomatic of any of these - tight bottom hand grip, wrong grip, heavy bat or all the three. Try and practice using your top hand to load the bat with a light bottom hand grip. This is only while loading the bat as you need both hands to hit the ball :) See how it goes. It should improve your balance which is an obvious issue for you.
 
Re: Keeping your back foot on the ground

You could swap them over, I tend to wear spikes for bowling and then rubbers for batting (but that is on turf wickets). As stupid as it sounds if you feel confident that you're not going to slip it can makes things a lot easier (well, at least from a bowling point of view).

It's seems the easiest solution to the problem and I'm guessing that it's partly to partly to blame. Other than that, you can try 'clamping' your back foot down and just playing front foot shots but I'm always wary of impeding foot movement with that option.

Other thing is overbalancing (sorry, had to re-read your post), which may be making you topple forward slightly.
 
Re: Keeping your back foot on the ground

This is a common problem with batters having a poor/ tight bottom hand grip and the lack of proper use of the top hand while loading the bat i.e. preparing to play the ball. Shoes are not the solution.
 
Re: Keeping your back foot on the ground

So is having a stronger top hand grip be better for a young player ? The reason I ask is because I'm quite top-handed myself, what shots should the bottom hand come into play most ?
 
Re: Keeping your back foot on the ground

My coach last season described using your bottom hand on the bat as if you were holding a pencil, thumb and index finger, without the palm touching the bat.

On the issue of top hand grip, I'm a RHB and I have a very dominant right hand in everyday life, so when I'm batting, my left hand being considerably weaker/less co-ordinated, my bottom (right) hand has too much control over the bat (I know, right hand is power, left hand control :p)... does anyone have any advice for improving the control of my top hand when batting?

Man these forums are handy!
 
Re: Keeping your back foot on the ground

bitsandpieces said:
My coach last season described using your bottom hand on the bat as if you were holding a pencil, thumb and index finger, without the palm touching the bat.
Click to expand...

great piece of advice there bitsandpieces...

i had a problem sorta like this... mine was due to over stepping... i was stepping 2 far out 2 the ball.. then when i tried to transfer my weight forward or head over the ball... my foot either lifted or slid forward... i might be wrong but it could be worth a look...
 
Re: Keeping your back foot on the ground

i kinda do have the same problem but i dont see it as a problem!

Most of my shots on the off side i tend to drag my back foot in a curve! bit like ten pin bowling! my groundsman hates it! but in the same situation i'm a very bottom handed player! i have more control over my shots and placement with my bottom hand leading the way! i used to play more top handed but found i hit the ball in the air more. With bottom hand (and being right handed) i stopped it ! :laugh:
 
Re: Keeping your back foot on the ground

lol thats weird that a top hand batsmen hits the shots in the air more then a bottom hand player.... 1st ive heard of this.... lol
 
Re: Keeping your back foot on the ground

Yeah that's bizarre... But if it works! :D

Aren't bottom handed players usually quite wristy? Maybe you're the next thorpe or chanderpaul ;)
 
Re: Keeping your back foot on the ground

lol.... bottom hand players are usually wristy... but also usually know as "tonkers" if they are lofting their shots often
 
Re: Keeping your back foot on the ground

lol does that make you a "tonker" then? :p But if you're good enough to place the lofted shots... :D

Aussie boy how did you correct the problem with your KP flamingo back foot?
 
Re: Keeping your back foot on the ground

i have a tendancy to hit the ball along the ground or over the boundary there is no in between.

i was reading an article about the trail of thought switching on bottom and top handed palyers, cant find it now
 
Re: Keeping your back foot on the ground

bitsandpieces i corrected this probem by doin ALOT of sock cricket and using the eye in of the eye in 4 of the 5 week days..... just practiced getting on the front foot, either defending or driving....

i measured out the "right" length i should be using then placed a piece of chain at the ladder end of the marking... i then played my shots, aiming to have the tip of my foot just touching or short of the chain...

worked 4 me :)
 
Re: Keeping your back foot on the ground

Ironically i was netting last night and our coach was working with me on my back foot. As i said i tend to move it forward after shots and slide it round slightly.

So basically pinning my foot down. and Holding my shots afterwards as if there was a camera taking pictures all the time. And starting to lean into the ball.

One thing i noticed to do thie properly i had to wait on the shots more. almost as if i was going through my shots to early infact. ::)

it will take a bit of getting used to......
 
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