Switching

[bouncer!]

Switching

Hey all,

I'm a 15yo batsman who's considering switching batting hands to leftie after some poor performance with the right hand. I know this may seem Michael Hussey-like but I've always been a natural left hander who has used my right hand for strength. (eg. left for writing, right for throwing, bowling) So should I change hands, or will this only make my batting worse?

Thanks!

 

[mas cambios]

Re: Switching

Go with what feels most natural to be honest with you. Not that helpful but sound advice - the last thing you want to be feeling at the crease is awkward and conscious of the way you're standing.

Try both in the nets and see how it goes. It should be fairly clear which one you're most suited to.

 

[ZacDuggan]

Re: Switching

agree with you, whatever is more comfortable. A suggestion would be work hard on your original batting, perfect the srokes, and gain confidence. It seems weird for this not to be the first option, as changing hands may make it worse.

 

[Boris]

Re: Switching

There are theories out there that suggest switching to the other hand earlier in life, such as the age of 15, can increase performance a lot. The idea is that the change of hands if there is trouble with technique will get the batsman thinking very strongly about really trying to get every body part in the right place at the right time. With the hand you used to play as the player will often just do things that come to them naturally. That means if the wrong technique comes to them naturally it is hard to change the subroutines, the difference between a good batsman and a not so good one.

Changing your hand would enable you to correct the sub routines as you haven't developed any bad habits. Slowly you would progress to the next stage of skill acquisition and you would feel as if that hand is your dominant one. This is how Mike Hussey did it.

But saying that the opposite may also be true. Without coaching and other external feedback the habits can become worse and will carry over to your other hand.

It's a tough decision and you need someone that can watch your batting to tell you.

Do whatever you think is most comfortable and most controllable.