Scared of the ball

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phil2oo8

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Scared of the ball

Hi, i'll be completle honest here with my batting ability is....Awful. In my defence i can play all the shots when a slow bowler or medium pacer is on and i have a very good eye. My problem i believe is i'm terrified of pace. I didn't know until i was taped that i strt battin on middle nd by the time the ball reaches me my bats out side leg because i've basically run away from the ball. Doing this makes me look crap because im just swinging me bat in thin air but if i didn't move away they would be good shots as i play roughly in the line of the ball, if i was batting on middle, and then because im frustrated with myself i start charging the slower bowlers and trying unusual shots to pace bowlers, getting me out causing more frustration. Do you know any tricks that will stop me legging it to square leg umpire and to keep my head when i do make mistakes.
thanks phil
 
Re: Scared of the ball

Put a bat (not yours obviously) outside your leg stump. If you back away, you'll trip over it.
 
Re: Scared of the ball

yer i used to use a bench indoors to stop doing it but i kept doing it ...feel over and felt sore and embarresed and i must av done it for 3 weeks. Oh, and don't forget bout my frustration/anger problems
 
Re: Scared of the ball

Get as much protective gear as you can (pads, thigh pads (inner and outer), box, chest guard, arm guard and helmet) so that you feel protected.

Then get someone to give you throwdowns, concentrating on getting forward towards the ball. As you get more confident, increase the pace until you're facing something which is a little quicker than you might expect to face in a match.

A bowling machine is ideal for the above.

There is no quick solution, it is really just down to increasing your confidence in facing pace bowling.
 
Re: Scared of the ball

yer i'll do that we've just got a bowling machine aswell at the club....now anyone no how to improve concentration
 
Re: Scared of the ball

To improve concentration and get you watching the ball, get about 6 balls (windballs are good for this) and mark them up 1-6. Then stand at the crease (no bat at first) and get someone to bowl them at you. The idea is to call out the number on the ball.
 
Re: Scared of the ball

i don't get it do u mean mix up the ball numbers so say " 3,1,4,2,6,5" so ur seeing the ball or in numerical order "1,2,3,4,5,6" to show u remember which ball ur on
 
Re: Scared of the ball

Yeah, random order. The idea is that you have to watch the ball in order to be able to call out the number.

It can done with shapes or colours, whatever you find works.

Also, remember to break your batting down. You only need to be at peak concentration when the bowler is running in and bowling (so maybe a few seconds). The rest of the time try to relax so that you can conserve mental energy.
 
Re: Scared of the ball

I've played against a few reasonably quick players - I've not felt exactly at ease against them, but outwardly I try and present a 'I'm not scared of you' type presence.

Force yourself to watch the ball and stay in line. It's a mental issue that instigates a physical response.
 
Re: Scared of the ball

i do try that very hard iv already said i didn't even realise i was ending up outside leg until he video recoreded me
 
Re: Scared of the ball

kallis fan said:
I've played against a few reasonably quick players - I've not felt exactly at ease against them, but outwardly I try and present a 'I'm not scared of you' type presence.
Click to expand...

I think if most top class players were honest none of them would say that really enjoy facing someone trying to hurl a 5 1/2 oz ball of cork and leather at then at speeds in excess of 95mph! Think about the likes of Tuffers who was terrified yet had to go out and face them!

They trust their kit, their ability and most of they just get out there and do it. People do break bones and are there are occasionally nasty injuries but if you think about the number of balls faced vs the number of injuries it seems a fairly safe sport.

The main thing is to feel confident in yourself, which can sometimes be the hardest thing.

phil2oo8 said:
i do try that very hard iv already said i didn't even realise i was ending up outside leg until he video recoreded me
Click to expand...

If you have the luxury of being videoed use it as much as you can - its an invaluable tool. Take it back to basics, work on just keeping the head still, watching the ball and getting forward to it (at first, back foot shots can come later). Once you feel confident pick up the pace but keep getting videoed and look for any flaws.
 
Re: Scared of the ball

tell that to graham thorpe lol
here is why batting ( and cricket in a whole) is dngerous


[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wq4jlOHM5Kg"]YouTube - Cricket can be hazardous to your health (Extended version)[/ame]
 
Re: Scared of the ball

It is unlikely you'll have to contend with players of this calibre and pace. But the principle is the same. Watch the ball and be positive in your movements.

Do some ladder work/skipping in order to become lighter on your feet - and maybe do some reaction drills (Liz & David are the most likely to be able offer input on this stuff).

These things combine to hopefully make you more confident when facing a quickie but ultimately it comes down to bottle - having the bottle to stay in line and rise to the challenge.
 
Re: Scared of the ball

i suppose i do sort of have the bottle because i charge them when they frustrate me ...but this jsut gets me out nd bounced the next ball.... its the 1st teamers im on about aswell nd im only 15 so goin in the sme net 4 a tailender is brave in itself :D
 
Re: Scared of the ball

My only suggestion to you is "Be Positive".
The rest of technical aspects can be taken care of.
Refer any thread in "Batting Advice" column.
Just a thought to motivate U;Hope it will charge u up for future challenges:

If you think you'll lose, you're lost;
For out in the world you'll find
Success begins with a fellow's will;
It's all in a state of mind.
If you think you are beaten, you are:
If you think you dare not, you won't
If you like to win, but don't think you can
It's almost certain you won't.
For many a game is lost,
Ere even a play is run,
And many a coward fails
Ere even his work begun.
Think big and your deeds will grow,
Think small and you'll fall behind;
Think that you CAN and you WILL;
It's all in a state of mind.
If you think you are out-classed, you are;
You've got to think high to rise;
You've got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.
Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man,
But sooner or later, the man who wins
Is the fellow who thinks he can.

This was Provided by Liz.
Thanks a lot Liz:D
 
Re: Scared of the ball

You firstly need to look at that anger issue, and channel it into the batting.

Get it so that when you're fustrated that you charge, spit and kick when batting, and make sure that its devistating for the opposition. (So dont go and dolly one straight to mid off)

Then you need to tell yourself that its only a piece of circular wood. It wont kill, worst it'll do it break a bone, which is rarer than plane crashes. Tell yourself anything that you will believe in, god, look at some statistics, and they'll back me up when i say that you're gunna rarely find the calibre of player your video shows at youth and regional level...seriously!

To build up your confidence, get in the damn nets on, if you dont want to, do it, wrap yourself up in cotton wool if you have to, the more you bat, the more it'll become natural.

Ok cotton wool is a bit far, but get the whole shabbang together and dont think you look like a goof. Get every pad on in every position possible.

The bench idea is great, but even better, get some kind cone or something similar, get a comfy mat, if you can get one, stick it behind it and fall over again and again and again until your face is as red as a strawberry and until you body reacts differntly.

It could take a day, a week, a month or a year, but batting batting batting will clear it. However long it takes.
 
Re: Scared of the ball

When I first played really fast bowlers I was scared of the pace ball too. But I didnt back away because I was wearing all protective equipment so I knew I wouldnt get hurt and my girlfriend was watching so I didnt want to look stupid in front of her. After some practice you will get used to the pace but if you keep running away the problem will not go away.
 
Re: Scared of the ball

I've got to say I'm a bit apprehensive at the prospect of having the ball thrown at me at speed, when my team started out we thought that amongst us we had one or two fast bowlers, but God we get a wake up call when we played a team of blokes made up of Sports lecturers we'd been goading for a few months. The team included some South Africans and Kiwis - the sort of blokes that had started playing cricket when they were 3 months old and had done so every weekend of their lives right up to the game with us. And here they were now 28 - 30 years old and built like brick **** houses standing 6'4" - 8'8" and they were fast bowlers. I actually did quite well, my best knock to date. But I faced the South African bloke in the nets a few weeks later and copped a ball square in the ribs and that was sore for more than a couple of months.

I like what Simon said earlier about getting in there and bat,bat,bat and that the more you do it the better you'll get - that's encouraging. I faced our old teams fast bowler last weekend practicing and I think last seasons cricket came through as I noticed a marked improvement in my own batting that was encouraging and I didn't seem quite so anxious facing him probably because of the experience over last summer of having to face much faster bowlers.

I'd say the same as Simon, just get padded up - the full monty and go for it, the more practice you have the more you'll gain in confidence.
 
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