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[jackmorris]

recently i have been finding it so hard to play a mid on drive or through mid wicket on the floor and just generally being able to flick it on the leg side,,,  any tips or advice?

[PedalsMcgrew]

No disgrace in struggling with an on drive, it's one of the hardest shots to master! It tends to come down to balance and head position though, you might find your head is falling to the off side and you are playing across the ball more than you want to. Without knowing the exact problem i would start by looking at your footwork and head position, make sure to try and stand as tall as possible.

Lots of great coaches on here though so I'm sure they'll have some decent advice....

[Vitas Cricket]

What pedals said is the number one culprit.

If all your weight/momentum is going to the offside, your bat is going against the tide and things are complicated further if you have to play around your front pad.

Some video of you batting will be more helpful. But as a starting point, stand tall. Move your front foot down the pitch rather than across it. ie, draw a line between leg stump at your end, and the corresponding stump at the other end (will be off stump if you were to bat at the other end) try and put your front pad on this line (or even leg side of it) and then play the shot, should be easier.

[Danny1870]

i have the same problem and as said above i have to work on making sure i stay as tall as possible to stop my head leaning to the off side and then playing round my front pad against body weight etc.

[charlie15]

I'm certainly the same if I'm playing at anything going down leg, where's Buzz when you need him!

[Buzz]

I think I need to do a video demonstration for this... but you need to get your head in the right position which then leads your front foot out of the way for you to be able to punch the ball to mid on.

Try looking up video's of Alex Stewart or Ian Bell playing the on drive.

[LDifa]

A few guys have said you may be falling to off, I find it a lot easier when my weight is moving forward i.e. straight at the the other set of stumps that way I am over the top of the ball helping to keep it down.

[Mortimer]

The keys to playing the on drive well are getting the head in line with the ball, opening up the front leg so that you don't over balance to the off side and don't try to hit the ball too square. Keep the line of the bat quite straight, ie through mid off rather than mid wicket and don't close the face of the bat too much. Most people will automatically hit slightly squarer than they intend.

One exercise to help get your head and feet moving properly is  simply catching a tennis ball.

Get in pairs and stand side on to each other. Throw the ball to the catcher's leg side; the catcher has to catch the ball with both hands and has to make sure they are getting their head over ball. If they do this properly, their front feet will automatically move into the right place for on drive in order to maintain balance

[Danny1870]

i like the sound of the tennis ball catching drill, i'll give that a go.

[alee]

for the on drive you have to pick up the line and length and play quickly as well.

because unlike a cut or off side shots you can wait for the ball but towards the onside

you are playing in front of your pads so you have to make that adjustment.

[ABello1]

if your stance is parallel open your stance a fraction 1/2 an inch gives you more chance of getting your head an foot to about the right place to play      under arm feeds without using pads i find helps start with tennis balls to incredy balls bowling machine balls cricket balls and hold the shot    shadow shots helps to train the brain

[jackmorris]

thanks for the advice everyone i had two net sessions on sunday both for 2 hours and was starting to play better on the leg side thanks to the advice, still a few little problems but getting much better
 Thanks