Wicketkeeping

[Anna]

I have volunteered to 'keep for the uni team this season having never done any before. Am I stupid?

[Don]

no ur not i kept my during my last 2 seasons in high school it wasnt that bad. ull get the hang of it soon. dont forget to appeal though

[Engle]

I've kept quite a bit. Here's my top points

1. Establish your stance. One which you're comfortable with.

2. Pre-match stretching exercises. Have fielders throw you the ball.

3. Watch the ball. From the bowlers hand onwards, follow it and move into position.
This is the single-most important rule.

4. Remember to yield slightly for catches so they stick, not pop out.

5. For run-outs, dont get overly excited. Position yourself, calmly gather and break stumps.

6. If in doubt, break stumps first, ask qs later.

7. And of course, yell HOWZZAT as loud as you can and with conviction

Good Luck !

[Captain Cricket]

I have never kept in my life. Open the batting and have the occasional bowl

[Matteh]

All the cool kids bowl.

[bond21]

I kept in my early junior years, since then i was a moron and took up fast bowling lol.

Anyway, when you're keeping up close pretend the batsman is not there, if you do and he misses, youll be surprised when the ball comes to you. Dont worry about what the batsman does, just take the ball like theres no batsman.

And wear keeping inners, dont be stupid and wear only gloves.

[NUFAN]

I have volunteered to 'keep for the uni team this season having never done any before. Am I stupid?

No your gun.

[Neil Pickup]

Yes, of course you're stupid. If you were sane you wouldn't have said yes.

Keep as low as possible as long as possible - stay down until it pitches. Particularly if you play on crap pitches.

Personal #1 tip is ensure you don't close your hands too early on catching as that will lead to finger-enders and breakage, which hurts.

[kenny44]

Stay on the balls of your feet so your weight is forward. This will help with your lateral movement.

And as a poster or two ago said, pretend the batsman is not there.

[Unspinable]

I play state titles goalkeeper for soccer and while its not the same when diveing keep your elbowls tucked in or you might break your arm

[Engle]

I used to practise my diving on concrete, so that doing so on grass was much easier. Practise this left and right. Roll if possible.

Again, dont get excited at a snicked ball and grab at it. Let it settle into the gloves.

And AYPK, practise makes perfect

[Captain Cricket]

I used to practise my diving on concrete, so that doing so on grass was much easier.

Or you could've just practiced on grass for a long time.

[Cameron-Moss]

All the cool kids bowl.

Lol I'm cool.

[shortpitched713]

I used to practise my diving on concrete, so that doing so on grass was much easier. Practise this left and right. Roll if possible.

Yeah, don't dive on concrete.

[Engle]

Huh ? What gives ?

You can practise your diving in the house (which is what I did), bkyard, basement, whatever it dont matter. Have someone throw a ball and dive for it. In fact you can do it solo. The point is when you've done this many times, it becomes that much easier to do on the field than if you dont practise beforehand.

As for the injury bit, so what ? You play sports, you get injured. I did all the time.