Help needed regarding me batting

[simmy]

I think its probably more of a mental block, which will come back with confidence.

Get in the nets boy!

[Isolator]

Get in the nets boy!

[luffy]

ok remember back to when you were batting normally. Before the ball was released, or as the ball was being released, what were your movements?

Now think to now, what are your movements. You will find something has changed.

Get a bowling machine and bowl at the length your struggling, with it set to swing, and you can fix your problem in an hour or so.

I usually start my movement on my back foot, and go onto the front foot from there if i need too.

Difficult to say exactly what should you do about being LBW unless one knows a bit more like

a) what type of bowling are you getting out to.
b) What length of delivery
c) Are you more of a front foot player or a backfoot player (inspite of the fact that you may be moving less than required either way)

As far as excercise to do for feet movement. One of the best is to stand behind the nets when someone else is batting inside, take guard as if you were the batsman exactly in line with the batsman's guard (naturally he has to be a right hander if you are right handed and vice versa), concentrate on the bowlers hand and move for every ball that is bowled.

It is easier to move here than if you were inside the nets. You can keep seeing for yourself at every delivery whether your movement was in the right line or not.

Besides the line which relates to sideways movement, the forward and backward movement will also come more easily.

You will find that if you have moved forward or maybe not moved at all and the delivery is short and rising, the ball will appear to be coming at your throat. This will not hurt you, of course, but will be very sharply broght in focus to you and you will ba able to start making adjustments.

PS : Make sure their ore no holes in the net

I always used it to get my feet moving and to get to assess the wicket speed and bounce when I went to nets after a lay off. It always helped.

I'm a back foot, player and vulnerable to lots of swing. Usually it's a full-ish ball in whcih i'm getting LBW, and usually it swings into me and i try to flick it onto the lag side, whilst i'm on the back foot, and miss it and i'm plum LBW.

So you're getting out because you're not moving your feet enough?

Move your feet then.

Getting out lbw stuck in your crease?

Make a more positive movement forward when it's up there then.

It's not rocket science, as you've already worked out what you're doing wrong, you can fix it by thinking about it. Next time you're in a net session, make a concious effort to move your feet more, even when you're leaving the ball outside offstump get your feet in the right position and it'll become habbit in a game situation.

Do you feel nervous when you go out to bat? Nerves can be a big cause of lackluster foot movement and being stuck on the crease from my experience. I used to be so nervous going out to bat i barely moved at all and got out all the time, i was nervous because i didn't want to get out, yet being nervous was the reason i kept failing. When you go out to bat, make sure you're feeling as you would in a net session and be positive in everything you do.

It depends, if i'm not in good form in get heaps of nerves, but if i am in form i really enjoy going out to bat. And due to being a really defensive batter, i play shots on the leg side, more often as i get tied down easily.

Another thing which helps is concentrating on the ball from the time its still in the bowlers hand. If you focus on the ball from the very begiunning, it basically brings an intuitive judgement of length which 'helps' feet movement.

I must stress that this is more useful for those who find they are not able to pick up length early enough and end up with faulty/predetermined movement. But might help in your case too.

I can pick up length easily enough, but because i'm an opening batsmen the bolwers usually swing it.

[Simon]

get a skipping rope and use that everyday. You may think its pretty girly or whatever but it does help with getting all your body parts communicating with each other. Fighters use skipping as a major part of their training as it helps with both fitness and footwork, i cant see why it wouldnt help you as im pretty sure its one of the major things that helped my batting...

[Fiery]

Watch the ball and hit it with the bat

[Smudge]

Give up.

[SJS]

I usually start my movement on my back foot, and go onto the front foot from there if i need too.
.

Thats not bad at all for an opening batsman. A slight back and across initial movement has been used by many openers as the launch for the next movement. Gavaskar is a prime example. If you are primarily a front foot player, this could be slightly forward and across.
Now coming to swing. Being a backfoot player is not bad at all to counter swing (although most batsmen being predominantly front foot players flounder and prefer the apparent safety of the front foot). The problems could be in many areas. Lets try and see if we can get to this clear in stages.

Playing off the backfoot

Backward movement

We are starting with your statement that you have no problem picking the length. So I assume when you move back it will be to a short pitched delivery and not one of fuller length.

When you move back do you move right back or just across when you say you move back? Just moving across but not back is fraught with danger. You need to move back towards the off stump (actual movement will depend upon line of delivery). The further back you move, the more time you get to see the movement off the pitch. Moving across but not back towards the stumps will only mean you are going to be leg before instead of clean bowled had you not moved at all.

So number one - Move backwards too and not just sideways.

Sideways movement

There are bowlers whose swing starts early in flight and others who will swing late. (We are here refering to movement in the air or swerve and not off the wicket (seam or cut).

Generally, unless you are an opener facing the first ball from a bowler you have never played before, you would have an idea as to what he bowls. In junior cricket it is not always the case and openers facing the first delivery can get into trouble with a swinging delivery they did not expect. But we are here talking of a persistent problem you have and will assume that you know what the bowler generally bowls.

I am also assuming that technically there are no serious flaws and that you are by and large side on when facing the bowler in your stance and reasonably side on as you move back and across.

So if you are facing a bowler who swings away (out) from you, you have to move more than if he was swinging in. Mt coach gave a very simple thumb rule which I followed through out my playing years and it worked pretty well though later it becomes a habit or style.

He said, for an out swing bowler, move so much that your left pad (we are throughout going to assume you are a right hander) is in line with the point where the ball hits the pitch. This will mean that if after pitching the ball continues in the direction of the swerve, it will end up in line with your right pad and where your bat should be coming down for a straight batted defence or stroke.

Remember, all technique will be kept simple for normal movement. If there is exaggerated movement the best of techniques will be beaten but thats what superb deliveries are supposed to do.

If the ball straightens after delivery, it will still come towards your left pad and you are still going to be in a reasonable position to play it with a straight bat down the line or towards the onside.

Exactly the reverse is the case for an in swing bowler.

You move so that the right leg is in line with the point of pitching so that if it continues moving you can play it off the left pad and if it straightens you can play it off the right pad.

Move more for the outswing (left leg ending in line with point of pitching) than for in swing (right leg ending in point of pitching)

If you are okay so far we will continue.

If you have any questions.. Shoot.

[luffy]

Give up.

Yeah, good idea

Thats not bad at all for an opening batsman. A slight back and across initial movement has been used by many openers as the launch for the next movement. Gavaskar is a prime example.

Now coming to swing. Being a backfoot player is not bad at all to counter swing (although most batsmen being predominantly front foot players flounder and prefer the apparent safety of the front foot). The problems could be in many areas. Lets try and see if we can get to this clear in stages.

Playing off the backfoot

Backward movement

We are starting with your statement that you have no problem picking the length. So I assume when you move back it will be to a short pitched delivery and not one of fuller length.

When you move back do you move right back or just across when you say you move back? Just moving across but not back is fraught with danger. You need to move back towards the off stump (actual movement will depend upon line of delivery). The further back you move, the more time you get to see the movement off the pitch. Moving across but not back towards the stumps will only mean you are going to be leg before instead of clean bowled had you not moved at all.

So number one - Move backwards too and not just sideways.

Sideways movement

There are bowlers whose swing starts early in flight and others who will swing late. (We are here refering to movement in the air or swerve and not off the wicket (seam or cut).

Generally, unless you are an opener facing the first ball from a bowler you have never played before, you would have an idea as to what he bowls. In junior cricket it is not always the case and openers facing the first delivery can get into trouble with a swinging delivery they did not expect. But we are here talking of a persistent problem you have and will assume that you know what the bowler generally bowls.

I am also assuming that technically there are no serious flaws and that you are by and large side on when facing the bowler in your stance and reasonably side on as you move back and across.

So if you are facing a bowler who swings away (out) from you, you have to move more than if he was swinging in. Mt coach gave a very simple thumb rule which I followed through out my playing years and it worked pretty well though later it becomes a habit or style.

He said, for an out swing bowler, move so much that your left pad (we are throughout going to assume you are a right hander) is in line with the point where the ball hits the pitch. This will mean that if after pitching the ball continues in the direction of the swerve, it will end up in line with your right pad and where your bat should be coming down for a straight batted defence or stroke.

Remember, all technique will be kept simple for normal movement. If there is exaggerated movement the best of techniques will be beaten but thats what superb deliveries are supposed to do.

If the ball straightens after delivery, it will still come towards your left pad and you are still going to be in a reasonable position to play it with a straight bat down the line or towards the onside.

Exactly the reverse is the case for an in swing bowler.

You move so that the right leg is in line with the point of pitching so that if it continues moving you can play it off the left pad and if it straightens you can play it off the right pad.

If you are okay so far we will continue.

If you have any questions.. Shoot.

Thanks mate that will help alot. Now i just need to remember it.

[dontcloseyoureyes]

I used to get caught on the crease a lot. Nowadays I make an initial Katich-like shuffle forward and across before the bowler lets the ball go, it gets my feet moving much better.

Note: I bat about 6 inches outside leg stump, so I end up around leggish-middle.

[luffy]

I used to get caught on the crease a lot. Nowadays I make an initial Katich-like shuffle forward and across before the bowler lets the ball go, it gets my feet moving much better.

Note: I bat about 6 inches outside leg stump, so I end up around leggish-middle.

I bat on middle-leg maybe that affects it?

[dontcloseyoureyes]

I doubt it if you don't shuffle to get your feet moving.

[luffy]

I tend to sometimes go on my front foot, to well off off stump, and playing a shot from there, i'm always in trouble if it cuts into me from there.

[SJS]

Yeah, good idea



Thanks mate that will help alot. Now i just need to remember it.

Its a long post but whats to be remembered is not. Rest is explanation of "why"

I always questioned the logic of why I should do/not do something

Read it again. I have highlighted all there is. (will in next 10 minutes)

[luffy]

Its a long post but whats to be remembered is not. Rest is explanation of "why"

I always questioned the logic of why I should do/not do something

Read it again. I have highlighted all there is. (will in next 10 minutes)

Again thanks, will read it in greater detail when the season comes around and work out an the nets.

[SJS]

Yeah, good idea



Thanks mate that will help alot. Now i just need to remember it.

Its a long post but whats to be remembered is not. Rest is explanation of "why"

I always questioned the logic of why I should do/not do something

Read it again. I have highlighted all there is.

A slight back and across initial movement has been used by many openers as the launch for the next movement. . If you are primarily a front foot player, this could be slightly forward and across.

Backward movement : Move backwards too and not just sideways.

Sideways movement : Move more for the outswing (left leg ending in line with point of pitching) than for in swing (right leg ending in line with point of pitching)