Custom Bats Cricket Forum
General Cricket => Cricket Training, Fitness and Injuries => Topic started by: FattusCattus on March 06, 2016, 10:03:43 PM
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Sorry, as this will probably be a stream of consciousness, but I wonder if anyone suffers the same frustrations.
So, club nets tonight - bowling went well, occasionally got biffed, occasionally troubled some first-teamers with my benders.
Then it came my turn to bat. For some reason the batting seems to have regressed, the main problem being my feet of stone. I can't seem to get across to off-stump, to play anything. I'm hanging back on leg-stump, and playing stuff from there, I really am struggling to get in line.
Last year, I took a couple in the face and neck, nothing serious only gentle glancing blows (I'm not a helmet wearer normally), but it seems to have made me afraid of the ball, and I hang back on leg-stump looking to free the arms.
Has anyone else suffered from this? I guess the key questions are is it a mental fix or a technique fix?
Should I just bat in a helmet, man up and get my head over the ball?
Should I exaggerate the back and across movement and plant myself on off-stump.
I have to say that at the moment, I am an adherent to the Buzz technique of leaning into the shot, rather than the trigger movement of back and across.
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Lid up if it's at the back of your mind mate, backing away to leg to try and play everything will seriously limit your range of shots.
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Time to man up and where a lid.
Only valid reason I see not to wear one is if it effects your game, but it seems the fear of not wearing one is having a worse effect.
When I had a few facial injuries I too backed away and a helmet didn't help. I literally had someone fire tennis balls at the helmet till I stopped flinching to get over it.
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Then it came my turn to bat. For some reason the batting seems to have regressed, the main problem being my feet of stone. I can't seem to get across to off-stump, to play anything. I'm hanging back on leg-stump, and playing stuff from there, I really am struggling to get in line.
Last year, I took a couple in the face and neck, nothing serious only gentle glancing blows (I'm not a helmet wearer normally), but it seems to have made me afraid of the ball, and I hang back on leg-stump looking to free the arms.
Has anyone else suffered from this? I guess the key questions are is it a mental fix or a technique fix?
Sounds like my night, last night. I broke the toe of my go-to net bat, took a good length sharp riser (uneven bounce) above my right ear, and pretty much hung back when batting. So, to your question:why?
Here are some reasons why I think I had a rotten net session last night:
1. This was my second net sessoin. I had had another one during the day at a facility that has fake grass like Astro - long fibers. A new ball was boucing like Perth. I hung back and played from back foot. I suspect that mind set seeped into my second practice where bounce was normal Astro bounce.
2. Dehydration. My legs wern't moving well and that normally happens when I am dehydrated.
3. No warm up prior to batting.
There was something else as well: I was trying too hit hard. This is a mental block. I did recover from it but it took a lot of self-talk to just play the ball on merit. I sqaundered a good opportunity last night against very good bowling.
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It's a confidence thing, and therefore mental issue!
A helmet will help as you will know that you are protected and that your Stephen Hawkin sized brain is safe!
Take your time and get used to wearing one and yes....try to work on getting your front foot over to the line of the ball and your head over the ball!
The rest should fall in place!
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in my days of coaching juniors, seeing a young (and I guess older) lad cop one was always disheartening as you always new it was going to take a while for that confidence to come back.
In fact when you get anchored to the crease is when you are likely of getting hit.
My suggestion would be to focus on your head, get it in line and a lot of short fast soft ball work, it will take a little bit of time but it will come back.
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Right, time to lid up and get used to it, it sounds like.
You can;t keep my kind of batting talent bottled up in a vessel of fear forever - it's time to unleash it on unsuspecting 3XI bowlers!
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Often at the start of the season this happens to me and often it is because I'm thinking to much about it, relax and see what happens. Another trick I try to get my feet moving is to pretend I'm playing drop and run so just imagine dropping the ball into the off side and setting off for a quick single, this keeps me on the balls of my feet and sometimes help.
Don't worry to much you'll be alright buddy.
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I think wearing a lid will give you a bit of confidence mate,(ayrtek are the boys) also I no it seems a small thing but when you take a guard do you put your feet on the guard or bat? Reason I ask is my brother used to put his bat say on middle and his legs would be outside leg. I pointed it out to him and it seems to have helped. Could also be a mental block when you got hit was it coming across to play into the offside ?
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Right, time to lid up and get used to it, it sounds like.
You can;t keep my kind of batting talent bottled up in a vessel of fear forever - it's time to unleash it on unsuspecting 3XI bowlers!
Just think back to that mighty 50 you got last year, all chutzpah, power and virility.
:o
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It only hurts for a short time if you get hit Fattus.... Man up and get that front foot down the track ;)
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It's ok, the retro 1990's Graham Gooch lid has just arrived, preparations are in progress!
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@FattusCattus Opposition always love making comments about a nice bright shiny white helmet. I hope it fits nicely, enjoy.
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On a positive note it is very light below 600 grams I think when I weighed it.
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Last year in winter nets we had a session on short bowling and at the start to get rid of all the fear the coach made us pad up completely, the told us to try and duck/weave out the way or take the ball on when he stood 15 yards away and smashed tennis serves at our heads
That got us playing the short ball better and surprisingly made us less scared of being hit
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Fattus, If you get in line with the ball you're in a better position to avoid it... Those that come chasing you when you're backing away from leg are the most difficult to avoid.
I'd always advocate wearing a helmet though. Hard balls and fragile heads aren't a good combination...
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@FattusCattus, not sure my limited batting ability should necessarily set an example to anyone, but I had just this kind of crisis in the early 90s which prompted me to lid up and get over the stigma attached to helmets in those days. I always thought my strength was being able to hang in against quick(er) bowlers but got psyched out in a Sunday friendly by some idiot who spent the whole time bouncing me, by the end of which I realised I was backing away. Since I wore a lid, I don't think I've done that since to anyone.
About the back and across thing, I've always felt that works for me in terms of forcing me into line.
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I have not the experience or talent of most on this forum but I was just watching the cricket yard videos and some learning points that I am about to take into nets are:
Take time over stance and grip - almost like starting again - to give me confidence that i am starting positively and correctly
Really concentrate first few balls on watching the ball out of the hand, not even thinking about the stroke
Play a late block a la ABD for a few shots and again practice watching the ball hit the bat
An over or so of doing this - feeling good about watching the ball and then a few solid defensive strokes out of the middle of the bat may give you the confidence to get back in line and then start biffing!
We're all telling you things to do - I'm suggesting we think LESS (as someone's signature on here's suggests) and simplify things...
Hope that makes sense
Cheers
rbanners
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