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[Buzz]

to answer the question above.

you are back and across and your weight is mostly on your back foot with the tip of the front foot touching. it allows you to hold your front leg in longer and keeps your head from tipping over

which then conversely makes it harder to play off the back foot as your weight isn't evenly balanced.

I don't see how it stops your head from.tipping over when it should be you head leading the feet movement.

the reality it that the only good the back and across movement does is to help people who back away to the leg side and who really have trouble getting in line.

the whole pointing your front foot like Ali cook really, for me overcomplicates life.

[lethalshrapnel]

which then conversely makes it harder to play off the back foot as your weight isn't evenly balanced.

But you are already setting yourself up to cut by going and back and across. There's no need to move back further as long as your trigger is not abysmally short. It is also very easy to play a backfoot drive or a defence as all that needs to happen is your front foot comes back. The one shot that is a little hard is a conventional pull. I usually take a tiny step forward with my front foot when I pull as that allows the heel of my backfoot to turn.

[GarrettJ]

We've been through this back and across stuff a few times, it seems people either love it or hate it, always stirs up a nice healthy debate.

Its stops tipping over as your head is not outside the line of your feet, which causes tipping over (i have a michael bevan video where he says this exact thing) as your head is a very very heavy part of your body. When your head is positioned in between the back and front foot it is in the centre of your body so you are more likely to tip it forward than sideways.

To go back you just dip your front shoulder/head into line with the ball and it transfers the weight to your front foot and lifts your back leg exactly how you would if you were evenly balanced. Going forward you dont have to transfer any weight so can hold your front leg in longer to stop planting

Most club cricketers hate the back and across movement but most top internationals do it, so in my eyes it must be the optimum way of batting.

I will be posting up blog posts about this subject with some screenshots of Mr Lara, Mr Sobers and Mr Tendulkar in the back and cross position at point of release .....

[lethalshrapnel]

Well, I suppose we'll keep coming back to stick to what works for you as well. So, I'm simply going to talk about what works for me. Personally the trigger took me about ten seconds to get used to. I didn't have to practice for thousands of balls. The very first time I tried it in a nets I murdered anything outside my off stump. It just worked! A weak shot, the cut, became my dominant scoring shot and I graduated to opener from a lower middle order bat. I also find it reasonably easy to switch the trigger off when the need arises - usually a new ball bowler that is consistently bowling full and swinging it in. I also stop triggering once the ball is old or the bowlers have become slower. I don't have a problem tipping over or planting my front foot but the back and across made me a significantly stronger player of short pitched bowling. Previously, I would have let many balls go, waiting for the full ball and now I can carve these in the point region.

[Buzz]

Its stops tipping over as your head is not outside the line of your feet, which causes tipping over (i have a michael bevan video where he says this exact thing) as your head is a very very heavy part of your body. When your head is positioned in between the back and front foot it is in the centre of your body so you are more likely to tip it forward than sideways.

To go back you just dip your front shoulder/head into line with the ball and it transfers the weight to your front foot and lifts your back leg exactly how you would if you were evenly balanced. Going forward you dont have to transfer any weight so can hold your front leg in longer to stop planting

this isn't right - when you trigger it should be your feet moving only, not your head or shoulder.
I am sorry but you are making this (and batting) way too complicated.

If you have a pre release movement - it is vital that your head doens't move otherwise you lose some perspective. If your centre of gravity moves it will be really difficult to regain balance before the ball is bowled, which is why club cricketers are 99 times out of 100 better off without a pre-release movement and standing still because they don't get to practice their trigger enough.

please think carefully through your blog before posting it with the above in mind otherwise you could confuse a your readers.

[no1northernbloke]

Against anyone of any decent pace 75+ imho it's important to think back foot first. It gives more time to play the ball and it helps to stop planting the front foot.

Against slower bowlers I think what tends to happen is batters think they have to get forward. Their head starts more towards the front foot when waiting for the ball to be delivered. In an effort to get to the ball the batter moves automatically forward without necessarily giving himself enough time to judge the line and length properly. On occasion when not judged correctly the head moves to the off side and the front foot plants to stop the batter from falling over. The biggest fault I see week in and week out it batters falling over and I think it's because of the 'get forward as often as you can' thinking.

As someone who has struggled with planting and getting out LBW are great deal I now find that if I think primarily 'back and across' I'm far less vulnerable early in my innings. Even against spinners I now go back as it gives more time to pick up the line and flight of the ball.

[Buzz]

vital? really?
if it works for you great, but it absolutely isn't vital.

Frequently Goochie coaches players to start deep in their crease and move forward as a trigger.

[no1northernbloke]

Cricket's a lot like golf - there's more than one way to play well.....

It's not vital. It's an option for people and if it works for them then great. If not they can always revert back to the stand still and wait.... for my money it's worth a try if you're struggling.

[GarrettJ]

this isn't right - when you trigger it should be your feet moving only, not your head or shoulder.
I am sorry but you are making this (and batting) way too complicated.

If you have a pre release movement - it is vital that your head doens't move otherwise you lose some perspective. If your centre of gravity moves it will be really difficult to regain balance before the ball is bowled, which is why club cricketers are 99 times out of 100 better off without a pre-release movement and standing still because they don't get to practice their trigger enough.

please think carefully through your blog before posting it with the above in mind otherwise you could confuse a your readers.

of course it is right.

You stand in the normal side on position your head is over the end of your toes.... with a big potential to tip over.

You then move your back foot back and across without moving your head like you say. As a result your head is not over your toes but in between your bfopot foot and back foot .... so you would have to have a serious physical disability in your neck or head to tip your head over from here

[Nickauger]

of course it is right.

You stand in the normal side on position your head is over the end of your toes.... with a big potential to tip over.

You then move your back foot back and across without moving your head like you say. As a result your head is not over your toes but in between your bfopot foot and back foot .... so you would have to have a serious physical disability in your neck or head to tip your head over from here

Mate, I like what you're trying to achieve, but think about it before writing it up here. Your posts are hugely confusing and often worryingly wrong! You make everything far more complicated that it needs to be! And also, if one person takes the time to post something to help some-one out, don't contradict it, especially when its some-one who is clearly qualified!

[no1northernbloke]

Mate, I like what you're trying to achieve, but think about it before writing it up here. Your posts are hugely confusing and often worryingly wrong! You make everything far more complicated that it needs to be! And also, if one person takes the time to post something to help some-one out, don't contradict it, especially when its some-one who is clearly qualified!

Couldn't disagree more. Most of what GarrettJ posts on here makes absolute sense. I think what should be borne in mind that there is no absolutes, there is more than one way of scoring runs and that what works for one person may not work for another. Don't give someone a hard time when he's trying to help - judging by what he writes, he's played at a decent standard and his knowledge is going to be useful.

[Buzz]

You stand in the normal side on position your head is over the end of your toes.... with a big potential to tip over.

You then move your back foot back and across without moving your head like you say. As a result your head is not over your toes but in between your bfopot foot and back foot .... so you would have to have a serious physical disability in your neck or head to tip your head over from here

So here is the issue - your head controls where your feet go, not the other way around as you play the shot, whether that is a front or back foot shot.
I think you are talking about players who fall over through the shot because they have got their head outside the line of the ball. This is a common fallibility, however, in my view it is exacerbated by a poorly executed trigger movement and the ensuing loss of balance, as I referred to above.

If you move your head in line with the ball, then forward or back, your feet should naturally move into the right position. Douglas Jardine describes this as "the topple" but that is a little old school, perhaps for some.

I stand by what I say - if you keep it simple there is far less that can go wrong.

If, for example, you are planting your front foot it is because you are not moving your head/eyes in line with the ball and then towards it, with your feet "falling" into place - what you are doing is moving your foot first into an incorrect position.

[Nickauger]

Exactly. The simpler you make batting, the better you will be. I bet if you analysed your own technique you would find that you 'just bat'

[wilkie113]

I used to use the back foot and across, and watching my videos back I was unbalanced and not transferring weight properly into the ball, as I was hovering on the back foot to much. After showing the videos to a guy on here, I eradicated the back foot and across, stay still at the crease, and I feel far better for it. I feel more balanced, and feel that my recent good form is due to the change in stance.

Obviously things are different for everyone. I just think that by staying still at the crease you give yourself the best platform to go from. Therefore agreeing with Buzz, and Nick. Triggers are obviously somewhat of a personal preference and don't work for everyone

[GarrettJ]

have any of you who are preaching this stand still stuff faced 80mph + bowling on a regular basis??