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Technique Advice

dirtboy

Cricket Spectator
This is my first post on the forums so please be nice. Anyway, I'm a 15 year old cricket player who just plays for my school team in Canberra as well as hopefully a bit of lower grade Canberra cricket this summer. I usually open the batting and average in the 20s (not bad for my level but not great) and play the all rounders role in T20s.

I have been told many times that I have a good eye but a bad technique. My question is, should I aspire for a more orthodox technique? I play roughly three shots; a cut, cover drive and pull shot. As someone who knows he's not making the Australian team, I mainly just want to play First XI for my school and some grade cricket. So, should I remodel my technique or trust my eye to get me runs? Thanks in advance for any advice.
 

mr_mister

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
in what way is your technique bad? lack of footwork? Sehwag made a test career out of trusting his eyes.

those 3 shots you play at least cover a pretty wide range of areas and types of balls you'll be receiving. replace pull shot with straight drive and they're the only 3 shots I'm any good at really.


how many fifites have you got?
 

dirtboy

Cricket Spectator
There's a real lack of footwork as well as a tendency to play everything through slips. In terms of fifties, that's my problem. I make starts of 20-30 regularly opening the batting but fail to convert them. Kind of like Shane Watson. Whenever I make a 50 (just 1 last season)it was very lucky (but apparently good to watch!).
 

Hurricane

Hall of Fame Member
I am a technique snob so take my advice with a grain of salt.

There is the satisfaction of hitting a four, and then there is the satisfaction of hitting a four in a copy book textbook fashion. The latter will be met by applause from your team mates and grudging praise from the opposition. Regardless of whether you score more runs or not, you will enjoy the game more if you have a better technique.
Cricket is like ski jumping. You get points for the runs you made and bonus points for how you made them.

As a side benefit you will find you score more fifties as well.

Yes focus on technique a thousand times yes.

In terms of how to get a good technique. It is quite easy if you are willing to do the work.

Take your bat and find a full length mirror in the house.

Practice various shots in front of it until you look good doing them. Do this for ten minutes every day for 3 months and you will be corrected technique wise. Watching videos of ashes footage especially of Michael Clarke (if he makes some runs) will probably do you wonders as well.
 

wellAlbidarned

International Coach
Don't try to totally remodel your technique unless you've got a seriously good coach watching over you. Instead just work with what you've already got and try to hone the basics - head still and in line, bat either straight or horizontal, playing under the eyes in defense.
 

Hurricane

Hall of Fame Member
Don't try to totally remodel your technique unless you've got a seriously good coach watching over you. Instead just work with what you've already got and try to hone the basics - head still and in line, bat either straight or horizontal, playing under the eyes in defense.
Every batsman I know taught himself. Part of that is due to poor coaching in cricket.
 

wellAlbidarned

International Coach
Every batsman I know taught himself. Part of that is due to poor coaching in cricket.
Exactly. The problem is that the vast majority of coaches at low level (eg, anything below district representation minimum) don't know what they're doing ("move your feet! keep your head down! play in the V!" ad nauseam because they don't know how to say anything else). It's better to stick with a slightly unique flawed technique which you know how to use than constantly follow terrible contradicting advice.
 
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Hurricane

Hall of Fame Member
Exactly. The problem is that the vast majority of coaches at low level (eg, anything below district representation minimum) don't know what they're doing ("move your feet! keep your head down! play in the V!" ad nauseam because they don't know how to say anything else). It's better to stick with a slightly unique flawed technique which you know how to use than constantly follow terrible contradicting advice.
I disagree with your conclusion.

As youngsters we coached ourselves and as a 13 year old I taught myself to be a competent player and by 18 still completely self taught I was picked for Hamilton.

To be really good you need top coaching. You can be an ok player by coaching yourself. Martin Crowe also recommends it.

The mirror drill I gave him is tried and tested. When it was first described to me it was accompanied with this tale "a 12 year old was number 11 for his team. He practice 10 minutes a day in front of the mirror for a year, and year later he was in under 14s for Hamilton opening the batting".
I personally have used the drill and have self taught myself a variety of shots. The key thing is that you need to have seen a few games of cricket on TV and then you are just copying the strokes.

I do agree with you coaches suck But self learning is legit. My view anyway, IMHO IMO and any other acronym I can throw in there.
 

wellAlbidarned

International Coach
Yeah the mirror drill is a good one. I don't mean don't try to change your technique at all, but take people who say your technique is "bad" with a grain of salt because chances are they're talking from the rear
 

Hurricane

Hall of Fame Member
Yeah the mirror drill is a good one. I don't mean don't try to change your technique at all, but take people who say your technique is "bad" with a grain of salt because chances are they're talking from the rear
Then we are agreed :)

To go a tangent and a bit of a rant for a second:

It bothers me that I had to be self taught. My intermediate school coach was a first class cricketer who had opened the batting for Otago. My high school coach had played minor county cricket and was highly regarded in the hamilton cricketing circles. Both of them had plenty to say about the mental approach to building an inning, but neither of them taught me how to do any shots. If I become a coach I will take the kids through batting drills and demonstrations. Me and New Zealand Tailender had a discussion about it iirc 5 years ago. He said the very best shot he can play is the pull shot and it is the only shot that a coach taught all the kids in his team and made them practice.

Learning to bat is about mastering many shots. Each one is similar but still very different. Just having a bat in the nets might be good for your hand eye coordination but does little else. Throwdowns and practicising by your self are everything. Ideally a coach should be showing you one shot at a time as a 13 year old until you learn them all.

When I was 20 I taught myself to drive on the up. When I was 35 I taught myself to back foot cover drive with authority when before I could only ever score a single or a double doing it. It is attrocious I was so old when I learned those shots given I went to training twice a week for two hours all the way through high school.

I still can't sweep as nobody taught me. Most lower grade batsman I know can't sweep. Most lower grade batsman I know don't know how to use their feet to a spinner. Lots of people can't hook off their right off their grill. I also can't play an on drive very well even though I have hit many fours through mid on over the years. It is not my go to shot.

I am not sure I am making any sense. Essentially I could have been twice as good with better coaching and if cricket coaches actually coached instead of just answering questions.
 

cnerd123

likes this
Gonna hijack this thread a bit

What are some good solo batting drills to help work on footwork and general ball-hitting ability? Something that doesn't need another person giving throwdowns. I dont get a lot of batting time at team net sessions and want to find some way to work on it on my own time. All i can think of is shadow-batting, but thats not quite the same.
 

vic_orthdox

Global Moderator
Gonna hijack this thread a bit

What are some good solo batting drills to help work on footwork and general ball-hitting ability? Something that doesn't need another person giving throwdowns. I dont get a lot of batting time at team net sessions and want to find some way to work on it on my own time. All i can think of is shadow-batting, but thats not quite the same.
If you have a wall to throw a ball against, use that and then practice hitting the ball back at the wall with only your top hand on the bat. Let the ball bounce once or twice before you hit it, and try and hit it right under your eye as often as possible, right off your front foot/leg. As much top hand work as you possibly can is always good.

Make some targets through mid off / mid on to hit the ball at, just using top hand all the time.
 
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amtrader

Cricket Spectator
Before taking advice from someone and remodel your self. my suggestion is to ask the one who said that "you have bad technique", why he felt so. take it in a positive way and think why it happened so. and try to make changes in your style. be the one you are and practice good. you can make it.
 

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