Problems...

[ChrisP]

Hi I am 14 years old, turning 15 in April, and I play for my school's Under 15 A team. I am an opening batsman and a first change medium pace bowler. I am having problems playing some strokes. I get most of my runs with the cut and the leg glance, but I am struggling with my drives. I think that maybe I just worry too much about when I hit a drive that if I mis-time it I could get caught if I play it into the air. I am also a very defensive player and the problem is I score so slowly that I can't get good scores (We only play 25 overs, sometimes 30). I always batted at 7-10 but last year my coach put me in to open in I have been there until now. Because of my slow strike rate my highest score is just 19!!! And the last problem I have is that I seem to take my eyes of the ball when it is about a meter from me (I stop don't look it al the way onto the bat) and the result of this could have been noticed, because last year in the 4 matches we played (Not a lot of teams to play against here in South Africa) I got out 4 times and how you may wonder....bowled, run out, bowled, bowled LOL!

Well my questions are:
1) How can I improve my drives in the nets and alone?
2) How can I up my strike rate and still be sure to stay in for long?
3) How can I be more sure in playing strokes I don't like to play?
4) What to do about the "not looking the ball onto the bat" problem?

Sorry I made this question so long, but I did't know how to ask it shorter

I will post some more questions as soon as they pop into my head.

 

[Boris]

Welcome to the site Chris, hope you stick around. Good to see a Saffa around too.

I had/still have to a degree the same sort of problems with the drives as you Chris. I'm a very strong cutter and puller, so I tend to cut and pull all over the field. Which results in a lot of baseball type shots, which works occasionally and looks brutal, but more often than not the only brutal thing about my batting is the speed at which the stumps fly out of the ground

Sorry I made this question so long, but I did't know how to ask it shorter

That's OK because my replies are always longer

1) How can I improve my drives in the nets and alone?

Not much on an expert on drills on anything other than fielding, but I'll have a go anyway.

Alone I find shadow batting does actually help, even if it makes you look stupid . I like to make sure that everything is technically correct by just running through the shot over and over again, just looking to get head of your knee, weight forward, foot to the ball, keeping the diamond in the arms with elbow high etc etc.

Also it may help to set up balls up on tees and hit off then. Make sure you get a full stride in and concentrate on all those technical things. It will just give you the 'feel' of actually hitting the ball, and when you should hit the ball, if it goes in the air then you've done it wrong and you need to diagnose your problem and fix it.

Some throw downs would help as well, get a friend to throw some full tosses and then moving onto half volleys and just concentrate joining the technique you learned in those first two simple drills and timing together. Remember if it goes in the air at all then you have to stop and work out why.

Then move onto actual bowling, start with medium pace half volleys (work with the bowlers) and just concentrate on technique and timing, same as above.

It seems as if your only problem is confidence in yourself, and the only way to fix that is good practice to convince yourself you won't get out to it. Unless you actually have a specific problem with a part of your technique then I can't really say any particular drill other than just bulk practice.

Also since you are getting bowled a lot you may like to work on weakening your bottom hand. Cut shots and pull shots are mostly bottom handed (power hand) shots, which take you to roll your top hand (control hand) to keep it on the ground. You can see then if you use too much bottom hand your control hand becomes second fiddle and you don't get the direction and timing you want, and as such spoon it into the air. There are numerous different ways to fix this, but I won't suggest any at the moment. If you think you are having this problem then just say so and I'll give you a couple of techniques I used, as my post is already long enough

2) How can I up my strike rate and still be sure to stay in for long?

I am presuming that you are required to retire after a certain number of balls at your level?

I think the answer is quick singles. Work on your running in practice to make sure you can call accurately and run well. This way you can still play defensively, but all you have to do is keep your hands hard and angle your bat into gaps in the covers/midwicket area, and you can pick up runs while you are at it. Then as you get more settled you can start playing a little more forcefully.

This may also be a confidence issue, so what you should do in the nets in work out all your problem areas and really work on them, you have to convince yourself you are really good at the shot.

3) How can I be more sure in playing strokes I don't like to play?

In the nets I think it is just practice. If you have any technical issues then post it up so we can help, but this is just confidence, so you need to get the technique right then convince yourself in the nets that you can do it. Out in the middle, however, you need to be a bit more careful. While you are still working on something in the nets, ban yourself from that shot out in the middle. Then once it works while you are in the nets, tell yourself you are allowed to play it in the middle. After each innings assess how you played that shot and then go from there as to whether you should go back to the nets or keep using it in the middle. I use one net session for one shot, just working on it. All the other shots take a back seat and I don't worry about them, just that one shot and usually look to leave/block everything else. And I do that every net session until I think it's right. I start with my weakest shot then work my way up.

This may not work for you, but I look for certain balls. I tell myself if it is full and straight - block, short and wide - cut. They are the only instructions I give myself out in the middle because I know even if it is a half volley, if it is straight I'm likely to miss it. If it is short and wide I know I can do it because it's my strongest shot, so I always throw everything at it and go for the cuts as much as possible, while in the nets I work on those problem areas until I feel confident. Every other ball I just see and react. For you, you may have to give yourself more or less instructions. But beware, many batsmen prefer to just react to the ball, go on instincts only. I work better when I have a plan. It's up to your preference.

4) What to do about the "not looking the ball onto the bat" problem?

Pass

 

[ChrisP]

Thanks for the reply Boris, everything was useful.
Here are some of the things I would like to add that you may need to know:

Also since you are getting bowled a lot you may like to work on weakening your bottom hand.

I think this may be my problem. I think I try to put to much power from my bottom hand into the shot and that makes the shot go up. And I forgot to mention that the cut shot I play is actually not the best of my strokes, I actually just kind of turn my bat and put it through the gaps, but my timing on cut shots are not so good lol. So can you help me with the bottom hand problem and also how to time my cut shots better.

I am presuming that you are required to retire after a certain number of balls at your level? I think the answer is quick singles.

Well we don't need to retire, but I bat so slowly that the score keeps low when I am batting. My best of 19 took me 10 overs! Thats the real problem. And the problem with quick singles is that there is only one batsman in my team that is a good runner between the wickets (I'm about the 2nd best) and he doesn't even play sometimes, but when he plays he bats at 3 or 4 and my opening partner is quite slow which makes running singles with him hard.

I use one net session for one shot, just working on it.

Another problem is our sessions. We have only 2 sessions a week of 1 and a half hour where we do nets the first hour and the last 30 minutes we do fielding. And usually I bat only one session a week for maybe 20 minutes maximum! I can go earlier and go in before the practice sessions and get one of my friends to give me throw downs, but sometimes I can't go earlier because of homework.

And I think I am still adjusting to the faster bowlers, because I am used to facing the slower bowlers because I batted at 10, 2 years ago and I am not used to facing the openers.

I hope this gave you some more info!

 

[Liz Ward]

...
That's OK because my replies are always longer

Really?! ... Hadn't noticed!!

Chris, don't worry too much about not watching the ball onto your bat. Perhaps the following thread may help a little:

http://www.bigcricket.com/community/threads/watching-the-ball-onto-your-bat.28669/#post-238476

 

[ChrisP]

Thanks that was some good advice. So do you mean that when you face fast bowlers that you can't really look at the ball all the way onto your bat and that the more you face them the better you will get because of instinct? Just a bit unsure

 

[Liz Ward]

More or less Chris, at least with respect to the more you face, although there is more to it than 'instinct' but that's what I like to call it nevertheless. Your posture (hip angle) has quite a lot to do with it too.

Hand/eye coordination and reaction are not to be underestimated. The Bradman innovation is a good place to start, especially when you need to work on your own. Have a look at: http://www.bigcricket.com/community/threads/sock-cricket.24460/.

 

[ChrisP]

Thanks, o and the sock drill...I've done this for a while already haha

 

[Liz Ward]

That's great Chris, but it was Bradman's innovation with the stump and golf ball that I was suggesting.

 

[Boris]

Really?! ... Hadn't noticed!!

Shhh!

I think this may be my problem. I think I try to put to much power from my bottom hand into the shot and that makes the shot go up. And I forgot to mention that the cut shot I play is actually not the best of my strokes, I actually just kind of turn my bat and put it through the gaps, but my timing on cut shots are not so good lol. So can you help me with the bottom hand problem and also how to time my cut shots better.

First and foremost you need to get your technique right. A lot of the time bottom handedness isn't caused by using too much bottom hand, but simply standing the wrong way, swinging the wrong way etc. Without actually seeing you bat we can't tell but I suggest getting a coach or somebody equally knowledgeable (or even videoing yourself if you think you can do it) and correct everything there is to correct.

Once you get that sorted if you still have the problem then a couple of little techniques I used to keep the ball down due to being bottom hand dominant:
- Try planting your front foot down with all your weight on your toes. Not completely sure how or why this works but I was told to and helped a little.
-Gripping as much as possible with the right hand. You will notice it is physically impossible to actually get your right (or left if you're left handed) palm in full contact with the handle, but I find if you try to it pulls the bat back a little bit and you can play pretty naturally.
- This is where the "Gilchrist squash ball" also comes into it, where you place a squash ball in the glove so that your full bottom hand has some feeling of pressure on the bat. I tried the squash ball thing in the nets but I found it uncomfortable, slipped from side to side while batting and generally hard to use. So instead now I bat with no inner on my left hand and an extra thick wicket keeping inner on my right hand. This effectively makes my bottom hand bigger and softer and wraps around the bat more and I can feel more pressure. This stops the bottom hand dominance for me, as I'm not thrusting forward holding the bat in my fingertips and having full pressure pulls the bat back to a more vertical position when contacting the ball. All in all it is a bit of a silly gimmick that probably influences me more psychologically than technically, but if it works I'm not complaining

Well we don't need to retire, but I bat so slowly that the score keeps low when I am batting. My best of 19 took me 10 overs! Thats the real problem. And the problem with quick singles is that there is only one batsman in my team that is a good runner between the wickets (I'm about the 2nd best) and he doesn't even play sometimes, but when he plays he bats at 3 or 4 and my opening partner is quite slow which makes running singles with him hard.

I have the same problem, playing with middle aged men with beer guts doesn't help for the quick singles, I'm usually half way down the pitch when they send me back, and I'm not a good runner.

You may have to think a little more positively, then. Some batsmen just don't bat quickly, which is fine, but if you have to then hopefully with you thinking about your game a bit more now and focussing your practice sessions you'll feel more confident of your attacking shots and as you get better at them, you'll play them better. That's the best advice I can give, sorry.

Another problem is our sessions. We have only 2 sessions a week of 1 and a half hour where we do nets the first hour and the last 30 minutes we do fielding. And usually I bat only one session a week for maybe 20 minutes maximum! I can go earlier and go in before the practice sessions and get one of my friends to give me throw downs, but sometimes I can't go earlier because of homework.

Yep, wanting to practice is one thing, but actually being able to do it is another. You have to cherish the little practice time you have, don't think of it as a hit around and really concentrate hard on your game. I like spending the first 10% of my time getting my eye in, the next 65% working on a particular skill or set of skills and the last 25% batting as if I were in a game. If you can work with your bowlers and tell them where to pitch it. They are practising too, though, so you do have to allow them to do as they want as well, but remember if you don't make runs, they can't bowl as they wish.

I'm not sure what it is like for you, but see if you can get a few mates down to the nets on weekends and holidays as much as you can. You may not have public access nets or live within a few minutes though, so that may not apply. I built my own pitch and nets where I used to live because I didn't have regular access so I could bowl for half the day, and it's good exercise maintaining it too!

 

[ChrisP]

@Liz Ward: I have tried that too, but I don't have a wall without windows (don't want to break them lol)

@Boris: I don't really have access to a video camera, but I think my technique is not bad (one of the 1st XI openers helped me with it)

- Try planting your front foot down with all your weight on your toes. Not completely sure how or why this works but I was told to and helped a little.

I never really looked at this, I will try it.

-Gripping as much as possible with the right hand. You will notice it is physically impossible to actually get your right (or left if you're left handed) palm in full contact with the handle, but I find if you try to it pulls the bat back a little bit and you can play pretty naturally.

My hand stays quite close to the handle when I drive, it only goes far away from the handle when I play a forward defensive really far away from me, so that may not be the problem.

I also got the idea now that I play my drives to early, which is just about timing, is it?

I have access to some nets at our school, but mostly on the weekends I have an athletics meet (about 4 in the first 6 weeks of school) and there may be a chance that I get selected for the 1st XI (Their not so good, the fast runner I was talking about plays for them already) and the play on Saturdays, but on open Saturdays I can go practice with a friend, as for the holiday most of my friends go somewhere which makes it hard, but I'll try my best to get as much practice as I can

And thanks again you guys!

 

[Mr.Cricket23]

Hey guys, i am new here but looks good so i thought i might join in!.
I am 15 and i seem to make fairly good scores consistently as an opening batsman but i make them too slowly!!
i think i am batting too defensively and when i try to hit a shot over the top of the field i dont have enough power and it falls short and get caught at mid wicket or square leg.
Just wondering if you have any ideas on how to score quicker OR ideas to gain some strength in my upper body to hit balls over the top with confidence?
cheers.

 

[Liz Ward]

Hi MC23... welcome!

I wouldn't worry too much about not making the runs in a dash; consistency is more important. However, the following may help:

http://www.bigcricket.com/community/threads/a-confidence-issue.25032/#post-183108

Have a look at some of the old threads, they may be quite useful.

As far as upper body strength is concerned, I wouldn't worry too much about that either... that will come. Just work on full body conditioning and you will do fine.