Batting Height at the Crease
 

Hi, I'm a lower order batsman/tailender - but I like to think that I can be handy with the bat and take it pretty seriously. My coach (outside the club) has always taught me to stay low at the crease, bending the back, but still leaning forward. The other day at the nets the captain of one of the XIs approached me and said that he reckons it's the opposite of what I should be doing - standing up so I can have a bigger stride forward. I admit that my stride is pretty small, but I've been taught that if you get your head in position then your foot position is not the be-all-end-all and it's given me some pretty good results.

Just wondering, is either of the two technically correct or is it a matter of personal opinion/feel?

Thanks.

I would say its a mixture of both really. I agree that you should concentrate on getting your head to the ball because your foot will naturally follow, but in terms of being "low" I would disagree with that. I think you just need to be in a natural position over the ball, if you can hit the ball below your eyes then you are probably in a good position.

Getting low and crouching makes it more likely that you'll fall over at the crease; your head will be outside the line of your body and the ball.

By standing up tall, it helps keep your eyes level as well.