“Technique And Mental Management” BATTING “Technique And Mental Management”

Inzaman Ul Haq hitting with (CONTROL AND POWER) THE AIM OF BATSMEN … To access the ball, and then hit it with power and control. BALANCE & STABILITY are the two essential components of batting. BALANCE helps to control the bat swing. STABILITY provides a stable base to generate POWER Great Batsmen consistently hit the ball with timing, power & control by controlling the transition from STATIC BALANCE, to DYNAMIC BALANCE. Inzaman Ul Haq hitting with (CONTROL AND POWER)

COMPONENTS of BATTING Closed skills Open skills Grip Stance/Set Up Bat Swing Open skills Perception Decision making Movement execution

Balance is vital in executing every shot WHAT EFFECTS A BATSMANS’ DYNAMIC BALANCE ? Grip Set up/Stance Initial Movement As coaches you must be able to look at batters and notice things about them that will become your coaching cues. (Try to correct the cause not the symptoms)

Are They Balanced! Sunil Gavaskar Inzaman Ul Haq

A. THE GRIP Sir Donald Bradman Yousuf Youhana Imran khan The most important point to understand is there is NO perfect grip. All batsmen are different. “I refuse to be dogmatic about a batsmans’ grip because I believe a variety can be satisfactory. So much depends on the batsmans’ methods”. Sir Donald Bradman Sir Donald Bradman Yousuf Youhana Imran khan

HOW TO FIND A NATURALLY EFFECTIVE BATTING GRIP? The ‘GRIP’ initiates 85-90% of the sequences of a batters movements …. WHY ? It must feel “natural”, and look comfortable Swing the bat only with TOP HAND to feel the range of strokes this grip allows. The downward swing of the bat complemented by the TOP HAND will provide POWER and CONTROL (A firm BOTTOM HAND grip will affect your Dynamic Balance)

GRIP….every player is different…! COMMON GRIP VARIATIONS: Hands apart [acceptable] Top hand facing mid off [bottom hand must compliment] Top hand behind the handle [very restrictive re. shot range] “V” of bottom hand pointing to inside edge of bat [inside out bat swing] Bottom hand “O” grip

B. STANCE/SET UP Stance is a personal position for batters. It should be sufficiently relaxed and balanced to help lift the bat and move forward or back quickly. The hands and arms should be kept close to the body HOW IS THIS ACHIEVED ? Slightly open front shoulder….this is ‘natural’ for LH Batters Eyes level Relaxed posture….(Avoid tucking the bat behind the back foot) Natural width between feet, with even weight distribution

Sir Don Bradman Javed Miandad

SET UP’s TO AVOID Closed front shoulder Chin tucked into shoulder Straight arms “Offset” / angled eyes Feet wide apart Feet close together

Graham Gooch, Gary Sobers & Yousuf Youhana

The SEQUENCES of the BAT SWING Set up Step Stop Stabilize Swing

3 all time greats Sir Don Bradman, Sachin & Lara

C. INITIAL MOVEMENT This is a CONTROLLED movement of a batsman into his “set” position prior to delivery .In most cases it coincides with the picking up of the bat. (Example of the principle of “Action/Reaction” ) As players become more experienced they prepare themselves by moving their body slightly “forward” or “back and across” before the ball is bowled. During pickup (action) with their hands close it is a natural “reaction” for them to take a step forward/back to re-establish their dynamic balance (centre of gravity) in relation to the weight of their bat Biomechanics has taught us that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction

Greg Chappell Brian Lara

HANDS TOO FAR AWAY FROM BODY POOR BALANCE Any shuffle of the feet after the shot indicates poor balance

INITIAL MOVEMENT Pre-meditated initial movement is dangerous as the batsman may move too far forward, back, or across. It may place them into a fixed and unbalanced position which can seriously compromises their ability to access the ball and hit it with Control & Power

To play long innings and score consistently Mental Management AIM OF BATSMAN To play long innings and score consistently

MODEL OF CONSISTENCY SIR DON BRADMAN JAVED MIANDAD SACHIN TENDULKAR A Test average of 99.96 23 Test 100’s 39 one day 100’s & 35 Test 100’s

501 in 1st Class & 400 in a Test Match Long Innings Inzamam-ul-Haq Brian Lara 501 in 1st Class & 400 in a Test Match 329 vs NZ

CHARACTERISTICS OF Great Players Hate being dismissed Are accountable for their performances Are always prepared to work hard

HOW TO BE CONSISTENT ? Knowing about your game“ What type of player am I? What are my strengths and weaknesses? How do I respond to the game? “Technique Method and Approach Role in team Routines Equipment Personality Sporting luck Method and Approach Role in team Routines Equipment Personality Sporting luck

METHODS and APPROACH TO BATTING (a) Against pace bowling. Look to score rather than defend or you will be mentally worn down Practice to feel comfortable on the Back foot Increase shot range, especially Hooking / Cutting Simple plan is to “Drive or Play back, don’t push forward” (Play the delivery, not the bowler’s reputation)

METHODS and APPROACH TO BATTING (b) Against spinners Be comfortable to leave the crease Glide don’t bounce Alter the length and you control tempo Learn to sweep Placement and power are equally important Have a plan for every bowler (Only Defending is actually not scoring)

(Today’s ill fortune will be tomorrow’s Good luck) FORM FLUCTUATIONS Always Accept good balls and respect talented bowlers. Expect, accept and then ignore poor umpiring decisions. They are part of the game. Keep your focus and don’t allow outside issues to interfere with your routines (Tinkering is a sign of uncertainty and mental fragility). Analyze yourself but too much analysis causes paralysis. Continue with your practice methods and routines. (There is no quick fix or easy solution). (Today’s ill fortune will be tomorrow’s Good luck)

Every player must be able to understand his own game CONCLUSION We must understand all players are different … … PHYSICALLY, TECHNICALLY and TEMPERAMENTALLY . At least 90% of a players success is determined ‘above the shoulders’. (how he manages his head under pressure) Playing cricket at high level demands the most refined technical competence. He must acknowledge he will have success as well as failure. BATSMEN must be prepared to accept the challenge of being alone in a highly competitive environment where his decisions are final and accountable Every player must be able to understand his own game

Great performers under pressure Rahul Dravid Steve Waugh Inzamam Ul Haq