Good In Nets But Zero In The Game

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Anand Datar

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Hi guys!
When I play in the practice nets, I find myself hitting a few good shots, cutting, driving and defending reasonably well even to very fast bowlers. But when I get on to the field to bat in actual game, somehow I tend to freeze. I suddenly find myself struggling to make a contact with the ball, find myself being very defensive and stuck even against very slow bowlers. It could be the fear to get out or the excitement of actually batting in a game, I do not know what exactly, but something holds me back. Do you have any suggestions?
 
Are nets your only form of practice? There has been some interesting debates around the use of nets this pre season (in England), both on here and over at Pitchvision http://www.pitchvision.com/ditch-the-nets-at-winter-training-to-make-a-better-preseason Personally I am not a big fan, to me its like getting a racehorse to train in blinkers every morning and then on race day take them off and wonder why it gets spooked! Have a chat to your coach/captain and see if you are able to do some open field practice, this will not only help you mentally prepare for innings in the middle but it also helps with shot placement (real fielders) and helps the fielders too to get 'match sharp'.

If that isn't possible, try to recreate a much of a match scenario as possible in the nets - ask the bowlers to bowl overs and set real fields and then play shots accordingly. Whilst this will require a lot more imagination on your part, it may also be something you can draw upon when batting in the middle, have a trawl through the stuff about visualisation - it can be a two way street, not only can you use it to makes nets more like 'real' batting, you can also use it to give you confidence when out in the middle by remembering how confident you feel in the nets (the walk to the middle does not make you a worse batsman)

Good luck
 
Thanks TonyM for your suggestions. I might not be able to have practice in open or make bowlers bowl entire overs to me in the nets given the population of players at our club. But I have realised, I need to work more on visualization and imagination for sure. I observed myself in the game last Saturday when I got a chance to bat. It is true that I fall into the trap of 'negative prediction' and keep thinking about all the possibilities of me getting out, LBW, bowlde and giving catches to fielders around the bat. I have to work on that. I need to visualise positive things. Sachin in one of his interviews had said every time he goes to bat, he has already imagined and seen in his mind how that innings would be developing, and it may happen everytime or not, but at least would put you in beter frame of mind. Other problem is I think too much while in the middle, which also affects my performance negatively a lot. Last Saturday though, I was able to 'think less', keep it simple and I lasted a few overs. Again did / could not play too many scoring shots but showed really strong defence, both on front foot and back-foot. A slower one fulltoss bowled me as I played early attempting to flick it to the leg side. I was a bit satisfied as I was at least thinking less, was more positive and got out playing a shot. I hope with all this, I will improve. Already looking forward to the Saturday's game. Thanks a lot!
 
Anand, sounds promising. This isn't going to be an easy fix or a short term thing, although hopefully you will see some benefits as you get better at visualising (remember this is pre-game/training stuff not so much whilst you are out in the middle, although again its whatever works for you). One other thing you might consider working on if you find yourself 'thinking too much' is making an effort to switch off between balls - think about anything but cricket or the match (sing a song, do some mental arithmatic, whatever will distract you) but then remember to have a key to switching back to cricket before the next ball (bat tap on foot, looking at the umpire, adjust helmet again whatever trigger you need to refocus on the next ball). All the best
 
Hello Tony! I played a game on last Saturday. I got a chance to bat. And it was very different this time. For some reason, I was able to keep my head absolutely clear. I was not thinking about anything when I was in the middle. I was not doing any 'negative predictions' and was surprisingly calm. I was sent in to bat at number 11. I played down a couple of overs, very confidently and my mates informed me I was looking very good and solid. While batting, my confidence was growing with every ball. I knew that I was not able to concentrate 100%. But was positive and was not surrounded by 'fear of getting out'. And I remained not out as my partner was bowled. The small innings of 3-4 overs did give me lot of confidence. I need to work more on being focussed, 'switching back before the next ball' as you suggested. I hope I will continue with the positive approach and 'think less', and do better on coming Saturday. Thanks a lot for your advice. It helped.
 
It's OK to have negative thoughts or distractions because everyone does. The key is to be able to recognise them, then deal with them quickly. Some people find that harder than others (it's even hard to RECOGNISE those thoughts at first).

The good news is that it is something you can work on every day, even when you are not player. Pick out those thoughts and eliminate them to stay focused.
 
The single biggest reason why I don't bother with batting at training at all! From my experience, no coach has ever given me any help or insight into being successful at the crease. The balls are junk and are slower through the air and softer soft on the bat. Few bowlers bowl with the same intencity as in a game. As a result, I'm much happier to go into a game cold.
 
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