Slumps in batting form

[keeper]

My 13 year old is having a torrid time. After 8 games this season he had scored 171 runs at 34. In the 11 games since he has scored 92 at 10. Both figures are higher if you exclude U-15 matches but the pattern is the same.

Anyone else been through this - and come through the other side?

And what's the worst slump you've seen in an otherwise top player? Remember Gooch having a dreadful run for a while.

 

[Howe_zat]

If Gooch is anything to go by, try encouraging your boy to undertake the captaincy. Alternatively, have him grow an impressive moustache.

 

[Burgey]

Ask him if he's watching the ball. Seriously.

Greg Chappell had his slump in the early 80s, and the WI physio actually said to him "Please don't think me rude, ut are you watching the ball?"

Chappell wanted to throttle him but actually realised he wasn't watching the ball closely enough from the bowler's hand.

 

[howardj]

Tubby Taylor 1996-1997.

Like The Depression, that 18 month period is referred to as The Slump.

Funniest part about it was he always maintained he was in good form, as he kept nicking off every innings.

"If I was in bad form, I wouldn't keep nicking 'em".

or some such.

 

[Bonnie Prince C]

My 13 year old is having a torrid time. After 8 games this season he had scored 171 runs at 34. In the 11 games since he has scored 92 at 10. Both figures are higher if you exclude U-15 matches but the pattern is the same.

Anyone else been through this - and come through the other side?

And what's the worst slump you've seen in an otherwise top player? Remember Gooch having a dreadful run for a while.

Is there a certain manner that he keeps getting out in?

Ask him if he's watching the ball. Seriously.

Greg Chappell had his slump in the early 80s, and the WI physio actually said to him "Please don't think me rude, ut are you watching the ball?"

Chappell wanted to throttle him but actually realised he wasn't watching the ball closely enough from the bowler's hand.

I had a very similar experience a couple of seasons ago. One of the more senior guys at the nets just reminded me to watch the ball all the way through and, like Chappell, I took intial offense to this suggestion. I then realised I didn't really watch the ball closely. Since then my batting has definitely improved a lot.

 

[Himannv]

I reckon long net sessions are always helpful. Start batting well in the nets and the form will sooner or later transfer itself on the pitch. Also its always good to start building an innings slower. First you have to get a feel of the ball before you start playing too many shots.

I've had a couple of people tell me to watch the ball when I've been a bit rusty with the bat. I dont think I really took them too seriously when they said it, but I think its good advice. Got to give the ball a real stare and focus on it as much as you can. Sanga is a good example of this, gives it a good eyeball specially when he starts to get a few low scores.

 

[keeper]

Thanks for the thoughts.

Interesting stuff about watching the ball. Yes, we have uncovered through this that he isn't watching the ball properly. Not from the hand, like Burgey says (although I've got suspicions he's not doing this properly), but over the last couple of feet on to the bat. He's found it quite a revelation to actually see the ball coming off the bat and this is the same thing basically that turned round his catching last year. It hasn't changed his batting fortunes yet though!

Is there a certain manner that he keeps getting out in?

,

Good question. Unlike Gooch there's no clear pattern. Bowled a couple of times trying to hit himself into form, one horrible stumping, the odd edge and leading edges and two horrible square cuts in the air. Right old mixture, he'd get timed out at the moment if the boundaries weren't brought in at this age

if there was more sense to it it wouldn't be so frustrating.

 

[Uppercut]

Tubby Taylor 1996-1997.

Like The Depression, that 18 month period is referred to as The Slump.

Funniest part about it was he always maintained he was in good form, as he kept nicking off every innings.

"If I was in bad form, I wouldn't keep nicking 'em".

or some such.

It sounds strange but there's often a lot of truth in this type of comment. Pickup did a bit of analysis a while back that showed how batsmen's scoring patterns are often barely distinguishable from what they would be if innings scores were just randomly distributed. Most of the time we're just seeing patterns where there are none. As humans generally do.

 

[Himannv]

He's found it quite a revelation to actually see the ball coming off the bat and this is the same thing basically that turned round his catching last year. It hasn't changed his batting fortunes yet though!

Strangely I think I've experienced the same issue. I had some trouble with my catching as well, partially because I had part of my senses focused on the batsmen running between wickets. I found I was better off focusing on the ball as it came to me and nothing else. I had to almost will myself to do it at times.

 

[Redbacks]

Strangely I think I've experienced the same issue. I had some trouble with my catching as well, partially because I had part of my senses focused on the batsmen running between wickets. I found I was better off focusing on the ball as it came to me and nothing else. I had to almost will myself to do it at times.

My old coach, who was a member of Australia's 1987 WC winning side, instilled in us the thinking that in a days play you only have to concentrate for roughly 600 seconds max, in 1-2 second bursts (same for batting) and they you get a mental break to relax. A good prep-routine is therefore quite useful in improving your ability in all aspects of the game. Found from personal experience that if you anticipate every ball is coming to you, fielding improves dramatically, especially as: in the slips as you start to predict how the line/lenght of each delivery is most likely to result in an edge to you, whilst in the field you adjust to the stroke and start to pick up things like the spin on the ball and the way the bastman plays.

 

[keeper]

Strangely I think I've experienced the same issue. I had some trouble with my catching as well, partially because I had part of my senses focused on the batsmen running between wickets. I found I was better off focusing on the ball as it came to me and nothing else. I had to almost will myself to do it at times.

Another good thing that has come out of this is a drill we were taught a couple of years back but subsequently forgot. to prep for batting you take your stance, fully padded and gloved up but without a bat, and receive throw-downs. The purpose is to move your feet to the pitch and catch the ball - ideally under your nose and watching it all the way into the hand. Counter-intuitive maybe to warm up for batting without the bat but I can see what it is trying to achieve.

 

[keeper]

in 1-2 second bursts

That's what I've learnt while keeping. I used to try and concentrate from the beginning of the bowler's run-up and by the time the ball got to me I was thinking about anything from the price of tomatoes to the Middle East crisis. Now I don't even go into my stance until a few paces before the delivery stride.

However, now you mention it, I'm not sure I'm following this practice when batting. Which may partially help explain this season's average.

 

[Kylez]

Mark Taylor went through an extended period of bad form. I don't how it compares with the others but it definitely was very bad.

 

[slowfinger]

My 13 year old is having a torrid time. After 8 games this season he had scored 171 runs at 34. In the 11 games since he has scored 92 at 10. Both figures are higher if you exclude U-15 matches but the pattern is the same.

Anyone else been through this - and come through the other side?

And what's the worst slump you've seen in an otherwise top player? Remember Gooch having a dreadful run for a while.

Hey dude, I played U13 before and had terrible slumps, I ended up averaging around 40 at the end of the season with like 7 50's.... Just tell him to relax, watch the ball and to hit straight.... When you are in bad form you start doing anything to get runs... Tell him to play off his strengths and just don't get out to his weaker shots... If he likes leg side, tell him not to get out to off-side shots, just pick runs off the leg side (U13 bowlers can't bowl every ball top off ), he will gain confidence and then pick his runs again... Hope it helps.

 

[keeper]

Hey dude, I played U13 before and had terrible slumps, I ended up averaging around 40 at the end of the season with like 7 50's.... Just tell him to relax, watch the ball and to hit straight.... When you are in bad form you start doing anything to get runs... Tell him to play off his strengths and just don't get out to his weaker shots... If he likes leg side, tell him not to get out to off-side shots, just pick runs off the leg side (U13 bowlers can't bowl every ball top off ), he will gain confidence and then pick his runs again... Hope it helps.

Nice words.

He's netted well this weekend so the fightback starts here