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[Buzz]

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

yes.

[Buzz]

but really my point is that 99% of players on this forum don't so benefit from anything other than a simplified technique.

[123*]

Works for Nick Compton.

[GarrettJ]

for anything below 75mph there is no need to do an unweighting of your front foot (better term than trigger) but why not learn the way pros bat?? 90% of top international batsmen do this trigger so i suspect it is the optimum way to bat.

Its a debate that can go on over and over again and there is no right answer

[Bulldog Cricket]

I agree with you Garret and infact triggers are used just as effectively against spin bowling. Just look at trescothic against spin.

Any player facing 80mph who doesnt move thier feet are going to get pinned on a regular basis.

[123*]

I wouldn't say Nick Compton gets 'pinned' regularly?

[wilkie113]

I agree with you Garret and infact triggers are used just as effectively against spin bowling. Just look at trescothic against spin.

Any player facing 80mph who doesnt move thier feet are going to get pinned on a regular basis.

No (No Swearing Please), if you face 60 and don't move your feet your gonna get pinned. Moving your feet and a trigger have nothing to do each other IMO

[Manormanic]

Damn straight - there are so many different trigger movements that they exist as evidence that there is no one way that is "right" and no one way that is concusively "wrong".  Personally, I don't use one, never have - figure I'd like the camera still when I take the key photograph - but I can see why some batsmen - particularly left handers who can use the LBW law to their advantage by getting accross to off stump a la Simon Katich - choose to do so.

[Nickauger]

I can see why they're useful when playing real pace, but at the level that 90% of the forum play at, its making the art of batting far too complicated and is a complete waste of practice time when there is always something more useful to work on!

[123*]

I really don't understand, can someone tell me how you can react quicker after moving (as we all seem to agree you want to be still when the balls bowled) as opposed to standing still? Surely this movement should have no impact on your reactions?

[Nickauger]

This just about sums up my views on trigger movements. If you think it will benefit you then fine, but do it right, and get it right.... and to do this takes far more time than most of us have unless we have access to surplus hours of practice. It is absolutely not an answer to a problem that batsmen have to playing anything under 75mph, and in my view, isn't absolutely necessary to anything over.

The advantages of trigger movements

To a 10 year old learning to play, keeping still is good advice. It is a fundamental basic of batting that can be confused easily with the complications of triggers.

But there are obvious benefits to a player with the basics down already: Time, rhythm and balance

Time. All well executed trigger movement is able to buy you time. You are already halfway to playing a shot before the ball is out of the hand.
Rhythm. If you move a little at the right moment your big movement shot becomes easier, almost like you have played a tiny practice shot first to get into the swing of things. Like a metronome ticking back and forth in perfect timing.
Balance. A movement pre-delivery can get you onto the balls of your feet with your head over your toes. You are both ready to move but also stable and balanced.
We also know from other sports that a trigger movement helps you focus mentally.

All this is possible without a trigger movement, but is a lot more difficult. The trigger gives you momentum into whatever shot you select.

The problem with trigger movements

Like a lot of newer ideas in cricket, the trigger movement is a misunderstood technique. Yes, it has huge advantages when done correctly but when done wrong you are staring down the barrel of failure.

I think what may happen is that players are influenced by what they see on TV, but attempt to recreate the trigger movements of their heroes without access to high level coaching (or any coaching).

Your setup is crucial and adding or changing a trigger movement out of context can lead to:

Loss of rhythm. Moving too early can upset that delicate metronome of rhythm that all good batsmen need.
Less time. If you move too late and your head is not still when the ball is delivered it will feel as if the ball is on you much more quickly.
Unbalanced. Getting caught off balance when the ball is bowled because you have moved incorrectly will limit your range of shots and timing drastically.

Where does all this leave us?
I think it makes trigger movements a highly personal thing, and not something to be entered into lightly.

Still or Moving
First, the basics. No matter what your personal style, to succeed you must have:

Head still at the point of delivery
Eyes level in your stance and at the point of delivery

If you have not achieved much success with the bat yet my advice is simple: Focus on keeping still for now. It's doubtful the bowling will be of a speed a trigger become more important anyway.

Pitchvision.com

[123*]

Okay interesting, but could a well prepared stance not do similar i.e. get your head over toes, balls of feet etc?

And at what speed do we think triggers become effective, 75mph+?

[Nickauger]

Absolutely mate, that is what I would be suggesting. A trigger is probably useful for anything 80+. However, they're so difficult to coach that it would be next to impossible to coach one from behind a computer screen. Mind you, I wouldn't coach one when stood with the player. Finally, as an aside, if your facing 80+ bowling every week, chances are you're pretty good anyway and are getting all the help you need!

[Cys1]

Ok, let's look at his from a coaching point of view. The main issue was planting the front foot.
This means that he either moved too early or his head was falling over to the offside and hence the foot planted across the stumps. Agreed?
Right, couple of ways to remedy this.
Wait for as long as possible before you move towards the ball. This could cause you to feel a bit late on shots and will take a bit of time to get used to.
Or Stand in the crease in a balanced position with your head forward in the direction of the bowler or umpire instead of leaning over towards the offside.
Or do a trigger movement to get the feet moving. The smaller the movement the less danger of anything going horribly wrong. Start off with your back foot on 2leg and front foot on leg. Your trigger should have you finished with the back foot on middle and front foot on 2leg. You therefore still have an open stance and you are not closing yourself off with the trigger. The movement should be done and finished before the bowler hits his delivery stride.

We can discuss which method is better till we are all blue in the face or accept that different methods work for different players.
The important thing is that the player uses the method that works best for him and that fits in best with his technique.
Coaching should be about providing options for players to improve their game without taking away their natural flair.
If we continue to use outdated dogmatic approaches to coaching we will not see players like Lara, Ponting, Gayle etc.