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[MD2812]

Hello all,

So I seem to have developed a new way of getting out this season and hoping you guys can help me work round this.

I take middle and leg guard, and tend to bat out my crease to seamers.

I'm having the problem that subconsciously I am putting my front foot forwards to play the ball just after it's released from the bowlers hand.
Only my foot isn't going forward, it's going a half step forward and a 3/4 step across. Meaning my balance is gone and my head is moving towards point.

I have a bad left knee which doesn't comfortably bend, so my front leg is locked straight. I'm then playing my bat around my leg and getting out LBW when I've missed.

I know what's going wrong, what I want is a drill which I can work on (ideally by myself) to correct this.

In my head I need to:

- Get my front foot moving forward, but not as a subconscious decision until I've picked the length.
- Do some knee exercises to try strengthen my knee
- make sure my head follows direction with my foot

Any suggestions for the above 3 are very welcome!

At club nets the bowling is sporadic and unpredictable, sadly the bowling machine is broken and as always nobody is too keen on doing throw downs unless we have too many numbers to net.

[uknsaunders]

I do a similar thing but I'm able to withdraw my front leg most of the time. What I have tried to do is slightly open the stance so the movement doesn't close off my stance and the front foot isn't making me much of an LBW candidate. It's a balance between a very minor adjustment and ceasing to be side on.

[swamidude]

I've been through this. What I would do is get in the nets and make someone bowl on an off stump line. Take stance as normal (and fall over your front leg).

Then consciously open your left shoulder (i.e. rotate towards mid on) and face a few more. Open your shoulders a little more every few deliveries until you find that you're playing well off your legs and your body is moving more down the wicket than across it. But make sure you keep your bat coming down straight and not across the ball as this can sometimes happen.

I think you know your position is right when you can flick a ball through mid wicket as well as drive it between bowler and mid on.

Personally I don't think it's as important to open your feet, as this hinders your ability to cover the line of an outswinger.

[GarrettJ]

put on object in front of your foot in the nets so you cant move your foot without hitting that object. preferably some dog poo as you will want to avoid stepping on it

[RF]

Try leaning forward a little in your stance, then leading with your head rather than your front leg.
You be able to get your weight coming forward better that way.
Don't worry about you feet too much, I did this and ended up plonking my foot down the track rather then getting my head over the ball

[RoyalParkReds]

I know this sounds simple but I wouldn't radically adjust anything else but simplely tell yourself to stay still and keep balanced before the ball is bowled. If you start moving your left shoulder more open you will perhaps create other flaws like problems hitting on the off side.

Perhaps get someone to give you a bunch of balls aimed at your legs/middle stamp so you get the idea of not moving that leg so much to the offside.

Also, maybe increase your stance width a tad more so you feel more stable and less able to overbalance and fall over your pads.

Generally if it is something like this you can't 'technique out of your game'. You just have to learn to stop doing it. Good luck.

[trypewriter]

Try taking a leg stump guard.

[Akewstick]

I had this problem. I got some professional coaching for the first time this year and they fixed it.

They said in order to keep balanced, you need to focus on pushing your head back towards the bowler, if your head's going forward, even slightly, you stop pushing it left or right. They said that's what they normally tell people but because I ALWAYS fell over towards point and never into the leg side, they told me to counter it by pushing my head towards mid-on, down to the left of the bowler, kept me standing up straight.

[Leddster138]

I'm a lefty and have had similar problems. If you have the chance to get some throw downs you could try:-

1. Throw downs without a front pad. You soon get your leg out the way and start waiting a little longer before making your first movement

2. Although this might be a non starter is you have a bad knee but get in your stance and ask some one to underarm balls to you perhaps bouncing 2/3 times and you try pick them up two handed with your gloves. I found this helped with not just getting my front leg out the way but getting it in the right position to stay balanced when intercepting outside leg and off stump. It becomes really hard to bend down and intercept the ball in front of your front pad so you have to put your foot in the right place.

I found opening my stance had the opposite effect to what I was trying to achieve as my foot still went in a similar place

[SOULMAN1012]

If you find the answer let me know, 4 innings this season so far all out LBW. 3 have been (No Swearing Please) decisions but still doing something wrong.

[Mattsky]

Try leaning forward a little in your stance, then leading with your head rather than your front leg.
You be able to get your weight coming forward better that way.
Don't worry about you feet too much, I did this and ended up plonking my foot down the track rather then getting my head over the ball

This.

Lead with your head , not your foot. Get your head in line, and get your weight going forward into the ball. Don't fixate on your feet position. They will automatically follow your head. KP advocates this approach, among others.

[MD2812]

Quick update from nets last night, opened my stance up and it seemed to have improved the situation, not completely eradicate it but certainly a step in right direction.

I noticed that my head still falls away to point when I get one down legside, need to watch some videos on how to play full balls missing leg stump I think

[mcgill123]

Opening your stance will lead to other issues.
Try facing some balls on leg stump and driving them through mid on as opposed to flicking off the pads.