A. Batting is a matter of 'timing' rather than brute force. Timing a ball isn't a mystery, but a skill anyone can improve
Point your elbow at the bowler as he runs into bowl. This encourages you to play straight. You should aim to 'rock the baby' with your elbows as you drive the ball, rather than slogging across the line.
Pick your bat up high as the bowler prepares to bowl. A high, straight back lift allows you to generate bat speed as you hit the ball.
Begin the downswing of the bat much slower than you think you should. This stops you playing at the ball too early, makes you watch the ball longer and means that you're accelerating the bat through the ball as you hit it. Sloggers swing hard and early, meaning they hit the ball too early and too slowly, spooning catches in the air.
Lean into the ball as you hit it, so the whole weight of your body is transferred into the ball. Bend your front knee as you play the ball and point your toe in the direction that you want to hit it. Pointing your toe at the bowler, as 'golden age' batsmen did is still a good idea.
As the ball hits the bat, and not before, uncoil your wrists to add punch to the ball. This does not mean hitting everything to leg, you can throw your wrists to the off side as if you're playing a hockey shot.
When cutting or hooking the ball, make sure your arms are fully extended. A cramped shot creates a catch.
Hit every ball along the ground, except an attempted hook or straight drive for six.
A. Start the session with a discussion between players on best practice when running. This is up to the players to decide but could include:
- Early calls of yes, no or wait. Nothing else.
- Backing up from the non striker
- Talking about weak fielders to put pressure on
- Identifying which fielders are weak to right or left hand side and running harder if the ball goes to the weak side.
- Small sided games
Set up a practice game similar to the 360 degree fielding game but with batsmen padded up. Use this game to develop judgement of a run from various distances and throws. Adjust the position of fielders often.
From that progress to a game where the ball is underarm fed to the batsmen with a ring field.
The idea of the game is for the batsman to hit the ball into a gap and try and judge a run. The fielders are trying to run the batsmen out. Overthrows count to the batters score.
You can finish the session with a practice match like this one. The aim is to score as many possible runs in a given number of balls, boundaries count for one run.
You can repeat this session a number of times over the season. Each time a player will improve their judgement.
Good running is easy to learn and will make your team better at both setting and getting targets.
A. Throwing for distance is a combination of technique, timing, strength and power. It's something you need to practice a lot to make significant improvements.
Make sure you are throwing in practice as well as in games. You don't need to wait for formal sessions. Just take a ball and throw it around a field, or throw other things. The more you throw the better you will get. Generally speaking you need to coordinate your whole body so more power goes into the ball. Make sure you are transferring your weight forward and following through fully. The timing will come with practice. Power does not just come from timing though. If you have stronger muscles you will be able to propel the ball further. 2-3 times a week do some fitness training.
Focus on multi-joint movements that combine coordination with power. Simple options include clap press ups, squat jumps and inverted rows. If you have access to weights you could add in high pulls, cleans or medicine ball throws. It's also important to do mobility drills before training and to stretch every day. This will increase the range of motion around your joints which increase the distance you can throw.
If you are throwing a lot of balls, I would also strongly suggest you do some protective exercise to reduce the risk of injury. Put rotator cuff work in your warm up and make sure you are doing a variety of pulling exercises in your fitness training such as rows and chin ups.
Stay flexible, do plenty of strength and coordination work and most importantly, don't wait until match day to try out your distance.
The bat:
When choosing a bat, don't pick the one with the pretty stickers on it. Pick the one that feels right in your hands (bats come in different handle lengths and thickness), is not too heavy (bats have different weights), and the best is from young wood.
The grip:
Grip the bat with both hands but don't squeeze it. The right grip pressure is the pressure that does not allow the bat to slip out of your hands. Both hands should be together so they work together through the swing.
DO NOT SEPARATE YOUR HANDS ON THE GRIP AS THIS WILL FORCE YOUR HANDS TO WORK AGAINST EACH OTHER.
At set up, always grip your bat with the bottom hand first. Notice the "V" shape between the thumb and first finger. The "V" sits on the bat handle just forward of an imaginary line that runs along the handle that follows the back of the bat from the top of the handle to the splice (that's where the handle fits into the bat blade). The bottom hand is the KEY TO THE GRIP as it dictates the direction of the top hand.
Now place your top hand on the bat handle making sure the "TOP" hand "V" now lines up with the bottom hand "V". Fingers should be together and not spread apart
Both feet should be parallel to each other and lined up along the batting crease. Weight should be evenly distributed on both feet. DO NOT LEAN ON YOUR BAT.
Knees should be slightly bent, bat resting behind your back foot. Shoulders should be lined up and pointing to the bowlers end. Chin up and your eyes should be level (not on an angle).
GET THE BATTING BASICS RIGHT AND TAKE YOUR TIME TO CHECK YOUR GRIP AND STANCE BEFORE EVERY DELIVERY…. REMEMBER THE BOWLER CANNOT BOWL UNTILL YOU THE BATSMAN IS READY.
While these tips may be simple and basic, they are the backbone of what's required to play great cricket.
The wicket keeper is an essential and key part of the cricket team. Every team needs a reliable wicket keeper. As well as taking catches, stumping the batsmen and taking run outs, the wicket keeper is one of the team's most important players: motivating and inspiring the bowlers and fielders to raise their game and WIN. To be a wicket keeper you need fast reactions and precise judgment as you have very little time to react to such things as fast deliveries especially if there are changes and deviations in the balls line due to variations in swing, movement off the pitch and edges.
You need to be alert and have high levels of concentration. Like a top batsmen you want to be able to 'switch on and off' your concentration between deliveries and over's to avoid getting mentally tired, as it's impossible to fully concentrate non-stop for hours at a time. High levels of fitness and flexibility are also very important for a wicket keeper as it can be very tiring because you are effectively doing hundreds of squats and diving around the field. So stay fit, warm up and down and stretch thoroughly to remain in peak condition and avoid injury.
Basic technique: Wicket keeping stance
You can stand up to spin bowlers and slower paced bowlers. The wicket keepers stance is quite straight forward, you need to stand about one step behind the stumps, making sure no part of your body or equipment is in front of the line of the stumps. Crouch down with your left foot (reverse for left hand batsmen) in line with middle stump, therefore on you are crouched a little on off side. Try to keep your head still and eyes level during the delivery to help you judge the pace and line. You should be balanced and relaxed with your weight slightly forward on the balls of your feet. Be alert and ready to react to the delivery.
Catching the ball
When you are catching the ball, aim to get your head/eyes above the line of the ball and your body behind the line of the ball. As the ball rises from the pitch, rise from the crouching position with the ball, so you mirror the height of the ball. Watch the ball into your hands and catch it with your fingers pointing downwards. You'll need to cushion the impact of the ball hitting your gloves when catching by 'giving' with your hands. If the ball continues to rise as it reaches you, step with your outside foot backwards and across, rotating your body outwards, taking the ball on one side of the body. To catch a ball delivered on the off side or leg side, move your feet and body across immediately to get your head back into line with the delivery. (Move the outside foot first and follow with the inside.) Rise with the ball as discussed above and 'give' with hands to reduce the impact. If you are standing back which you should be to medium and fast bowlers take your stance as discussed above, however stand in a position so that the ball is taken once it begins to drop. Sometimes you may have to dive to take wide deliveries or thick edges, always try to take the ball in two hands if possible, roll after the dive if you can to reduce the impact of landing and changes of injury.
When fielding during cricket there are many things to think about and consider depending on where you are fielding. Where ever you are fielding you should always be on the balls of your feet so you can react and change direction quickly. If you are caught flat footed you'll be slower off the mark and potentially give away more runs. Try to anticipate where ball will go; you can do this by carefully watching the batters shape and movements. This may be a little difficult at first but after a bit of practice will become second nature and you'll react much quicker to any shots coming your way and field better as a result.
When you are fielding close to the boundary and have to throw from the deep, try to aim your throw just above the keepers head and the ball should drop nicely in to his gloves, provided you have a relatively strong throwing arm. When catching close to the wicket, such as in the slips, gulley or short leg, make sure you stance is correct with your feet shoulder width apart or slightly wider. Spread your weight evenly across both feet, resting lightly on the balls of your feet, with your knees flexed. Keep your hands together, close to the ground with your fingers pointing down. Keep your head up with your eyes level and stay alert.
When catching the ball in close, watch the ball all the way into your hands, allowing the ball to come to you; don't try to snatch at it. 'Give' with the ball as you catch, cushioning the impact. When catching in the deep, try and catch the ball at eye level and cushion the ball into your chest. The ball can come to you at any time so it is really important you stay alert and awake so you can stop that vital run or take a match winning catch.
These are just a few cricket fielding tips that you can incorporate into you game; there are many more cricket fielding tips for specific aspects of fielding. However these are the general cricket fielding tips I've found to be the most useful when fielding myself.
Stamina' in bowling terms is really your ability to repeat your bowling action many times without loss of technique, speed or accuracy. In short the more stamina you have the longer it takes to get tired and the less effect that tiredness has on your bowling speed and accuracy. Here are 8 ways you can develop this.
- Bowl as much as you can. Whenever you get the chance then bowl. You can head down the nets on your own with some old balls and something to use as a target if there is none around to train with you. Bowl in overs with a few minutes rest between, if you can to make things more realistic or play as many games as possible. Every time you hit the nets try and bowl a few more overs before you have a rest. Always bowl at top speed too, a shorter intensive burst is more beneficial than going through the motions for longer.
- Train while you are tired. Every now and again, do some bowling when you are physically tired, perhaps at the end of a training session or workout. This will teach you to bowl with intensity even when you feel the tiredness coming on. It's important not to do this too often or on your own. Train with another bowler or batter who can watch your technique and let you know when it starts to go. As soon as your action fails you, stop for the day.
- Run to build work capacity. Running is the next best thing to bowling for increasing your stamina. I'm not averse to rowing either, but running should be your number one method. Use interval training to build up your lung capacity and ability to hold off the build-up of lactic acid. Intervals are also better for reducing your body fat without causing loss of strength. Long, slow runs are not only a bit boring for most cricketers, but they reduce your ability to bowl quickly by turning fast powerful muscle fibers into slow fibers for, you guessed it, slow jogging.
- Use the winter wisely. Off-season training is the time when you can make the most improvements. If cricket is your main (or only sport) and you have a long winter ahead then use it to develop you endurance through lots of running and some cross training. Most winter sports will also get you fit so consider taking up a game you enjoy playing. If you play all year round consider taking a break of 2-3 months from cricket to really focus on developing your fitness. The short-term loss in games will turn into a long-term gain.
- Eat more lean protein and good fat. We tend to eat lots of protein but it's usually high in saturated fat. Go for lean options like tuna, chicken, turkey or lean cuts of beef and combine it with a balance of fats from sources like avocados, mixed nuts and olive oil. Research has found this fills you up quicker allowing you to lose weight while having a positive effect on your health.
- Eat more vegetables. Vegetables give you energy and contain essential nutrients for health. Eat at least a portion of veg with every meal, preferably every 2-3 hours. This will fill you up more meaning you will lose excess fat but still provide you with enough energy for everyday living.
- Eat less carbohydrate. Carbohydrate have always been associated with energy but generally we eat too much for playing cricket, after all it's a power sport not a marathon. High Carbohydrate food like crisps, chocolate, bread and pasta should really only be eaten once a day at most if you are trying to lose weight and build stamina. Carbohydrate are not the enemy though. Make sure you keep your energy levels up during and after hard training or playing with some Carbohydrate combined with protein. Hard training isn't 3 or 4 overs in the nets though. It's weight lifting or interval training at high intensity.
- Strength train. Combine your running and cricket sessions with strength training of some kind at least twice a week. This will keep your strength and power levels high and make sure you only lose fat, not muscle while building endurance. Lift with heavy weight and low reps if you can to counter balance the endurance training. Avoid high reps and low weights but bodyweight training is a good compromise if you are not keen on going to the gym.
A smooth rhythmic approach towards the stumps gaining momentum all the time. A 20 step run up is advisable and around 6 to 7 steps for a spinner. Ideal position to start the run up is shown here. Start the left foot with weight forward and eyes focused on the target. As you get into the last jump, transform your open chested approach into a side on action. The run up of all bowlers vary, but remember one thing the RHYTHM should be the goal. A good rhythmic run-up increases the pace of a fast bowler, and enhances slow bowler's ability to spin the ball. A well-balanced & good approach to the stumps helps the bowler to gain consistency in line & length for a longer period of time without getting tired. Balance and rhythm are the two important things to concentrate on.
A good cricket bat is made of willow. When you strike a ball on its sweet spot, it springs off the wood like a tennis ball that comes of a racket. However to maintain such a performance, you must look after the bat from the moment of the purchase. Even before you use it for the first time, it needs oiling and knocking in.
For oiling your cricket bat you have to use a cloth to wipe the film of oil across the face of the bat. Do not over oil and avoid oiling the splice. Stand the bat up and incase the oil runs off the face, it means that you have put on too much of oil. Always use your cloth to wipe away any excess oil. Once this is done you will have to lie the bat down and leave it overnight. Apply an even thinner layer of oil to the bat and allow 6 hours for it to soak in. You have to this routinely.
Once this is done you have to give a Knock in the cricket bat.
While giving a knock in the cricket bat you have to lay the bat across your lap. You can either bounce a ball of the face or hit it gently with a mallet. From the start you have to soften the impact of the mallet with a sock. After doing this hit the blade and the edges of the bat for 2 hours and then let the bat recover overnight. The next day begin the hitting process again. This time gradually increase the power and the blows. Occasionally test the bat's hardness by pressing your fingernail into the willow. When your nail stops leaving a mark then the bat is ready. Ultimately go outside and have a gentle hit around. Then go to the nets for the final phase of the knock in process. Make sure you face some good bowlers.
The main factors that go into the selection of the right cricket bat for a batsman are the quality of wood or willow, weight of the bat, size and the 'sweet' spot. In the Indian market, one can avail cricket bats made out of Kashmir or English willow, both of which should serve the purpose depending on the properties any particular batsman is looking for… as a ground rule, a measure of the quality of willow is the grains ('grain' of a cricket bat are the natural wood lines running up and down a bat that represent years of growth for that particular willow) on the face of the bat. On an average 8-12 grains bat is considered to be good.
Weight of the cricket bat is again subject to comfort level of the batsman in question for some batsmen prefer a heavier bat. However, it is advisable for top order batsman to use a lighter bat giving them ample time to adjust to new ball and a heavier bat for lower order batsman giving them full value for even the miss hits…
Size of the bat is subject to the batsman's physical height. It completely depends on his comfort level. As for the 'sweet' spot on the bat, it depends on two factors primarily: the natural game of the batsman and the pitch. On a bouncier pitch it's advisable to have a 'high sweet spot' bat as the batsman invariably ends up playing more square off the wicket. For batsman who's game is primarily drives and attuned to play on low bounce pitches, it's advisable to have a 'low sweet' spot bat.
There's no set pattern for a captain to follow while setting up a field for a particular batsman as every batsman's playing style is quite different… However, as a general guideline one can follow the following pointers:
- The faster the bowler, the faster the pitch, the finer the field is set
- The slower the bowler, the slower the pitch, the straighter and squarer the field is set
- Set the field so that good balls are played to the field
- If the bowler bowls a lot of bad balls, change the bowler not the field setting
A right-hand batsman normally faces a bit of a trouble with a left arm fast bowler bowling over-the-wicket and angling the ball away from the off-stump, especially if the bowler has the ability to bend the ball back into the batsman. This normally happens because as a batsman, more often than not, a player is used to face a right-arm bowler or a bowling machine throwing the ball along the same angle. Thus, the common errors that spring out when a right-hand batsman is facing a left-arm bowler are as follows:
- Not opening the stance whilst batting against a left arm fast bowler partially restricts one's vision, which in-turn causes the batsman to fall over on the off-side
- Keeping the bat swing too straight against a ball angled away from a right-hand batsman implies that the batsman is playing across the line and ends up too open-chested when he finishes the shot
- Too much bottom hand in the shot which implies that the batsman is playing across the line
- Too big a stride gives little chance for the batsman to adjust against the ball bending into him
- Hitting straight down the wicket with the front foot being across the back foot which makes the batsman vulnerable to LBW call
A cricketer should ideally include the following 7 food products for holistic nutrition: Cottage Cheese (great source of protein), Mixed Nuts (good source of healthy fat), Spinach (strengthens immune system), Tuna (rich in protein and good omega3 fats), Broccoli (rich in antioxidants), Bananas (instant source of energy and potassium on match day) and Green Tea (boosts metabolism).
One who's constantly aiming at improving one's batting skills should keep his guard for the following tens glitches in batting technique:
- Closing off in the stance (makes the batsman play around the front pad increasing chances of missing straight balls)
- Picking the bat up over middle stump (suggests that the batsman has a tendency to play around the front pad)
- Tucked in back elbow (suggests too dominant a bottom hand making it more likely to hit the ball in the air)
- Head behind the front foot (encourages the batsman to lean back and hit the ball in the air)
- Back foot heel down (disturbs the balance during the shot)
- Leaning with the shoulder (suggests that the batsman has a tendency to play around the front pad)
- Back foot too sideways (ends to finish up too turned in after the shot which causes the player to square up and the bat swings across the line)
- Too big a stride (opens the batsman up too much, playing across the ball aiming it too square on the leg side)
- Dropping the leading elbow (Dropping the leading elbow to early after striking the ball will close face of the bat on contact)
- Swinging too hard (timing is lost)
It is always advisable to consume proteins obtained from appropriate natural food sources consumed in your diet. Supplements should only be used if you are not getting enough proteins from your diet. Most experts recommend 1 g protein/kg body weight to meet general needs of an active person. The current protein recommendation for optimal muscle building in a strength athlete is 1.6 - 1.7 gm protein per kg of body weight. Soya bean is an excellent vegetarian source of protein besides black gram, red gram, nuts and other pulses. Consuming more protein than the body requires and can use is not appropriate and should be avoided.
Eat a larger meal 2-4 hours prior to when you are likely to play, to allow time for your stomach to empty. Top up on small, high carbohydrate snacks and fluids between sessions and whilst waiting to play. Eat enough food to feel comfortable - not overfull Keep fat intake low - fat slows food emptying from the stomach Make meals & snacks high in carbohydrate Include nutritious carbohydrate rich foods - some players may find it useful to include low glycaemic index foods for prolonged energy levels (e.g. baked beans, multigrain bread, pasta, porridge, oranges) Include plenty of fluids. (Water, sports drinks, juice)
One should watch one's head while standing in the stance, making sure that it's not falling over as it is the primary reason for the front leg going across increasing the chances of a fast bowler catching the batsman in front of the wicket
The trick is to learn to use the pace of the ball. The ideal way is to watch the ball right till the end and then working it around using the bowler's pace be it a fast bowler or a spinner
A simple trick and a lot of practice is the key to this. Putting half a rubber grip on the top half of the bat handle makes sure that the top hand grip is tighter and the bottom hand just plays the role of supporting the bat, ensuring there is a better bat control and lesser chances of airing the ball
Breaking the process of batting into smaller pieces helps the process of concentrating better. Every ball is to be taken as it comes, starting concentrating only when the bowler starts his run-up and then focusing on the ball at the time of the delivery
There is nothing called the 'Ideal Guard' for batsmen as it changes from the preference of the batsmen to batsmen. If the batsman has a strong off-side playing then he is always looking for more room on the off-side and hence it is advisable for him to take a leg stump guard. However, in this case, one has to be really sure of his off-stump
The ideal way of doing this is to break up the innings in smaller sets. Scoring in sets of 10 rather helps a lot. Keep moving from 10 to 20, 20 to 30, 30 to 40, 40 to 50 and so on. Also postponing one's thoughts of hitting a big shot by 10-15 minutes helps preserving his wicket.
The best way is to get a fitness testing done and drawing up a schedule with one's fitness trainer for increasing one's stamina. The problem of low stamina can be dealt with through proper fitness program and yoga. Aerobic fitness programs will help one develop one's stamina and yoga helps one in breathing technique.
Being a metropolitan and renowned for the 'Cricket Fanaticism', Kolkata houses ample number of Cricket Coaching Centers across the length and breadth of the city. You have many renowned cricketer's academies like Sourav Ganguly's Cricket Coaching Camp, Salt Lake and Arun Lal's Cricket Academy. Apart from these academies, you have well known coaches such as Mr. Manabendra Ghosh, Manoj Tiwary being one of his illustrious pupil. He's presently coaching at a make shift arrangement at Shyam Bazar, Kolkata and would be shifting at a permanent location shortly. You can get in touch with him on +91 9830052727
