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[lazza32]

Alright guys, just finished training and have a question that I hope someone can answer. I have spent all season trying to perfect technique and have fallen short so these last 2 weeks I said stuff it and played my natural game(see it, hit it) and my batting has been terrific but tonight I went into a net session with our allocated coach and he was pitching fullish deliveries to hit. My way is my front foot goes straight ahead and not across. The coach then kept saying get it across but it just doesn't feel right for me. So do I keep playing my natural game or persist in trying to get technically correct?

[Kieron_BT]

Personally, I think there is a balance between technical and natural that needs to be found. I don't think you will ever change someones natural game and succeed but can always improve on what they already have. As long as your weight is going forward then there shouldn't be a big problem for me. Look at Sehwag and Graeme Smith. Horrible technique but it worked for them. Its more about knowing your own game then knowing what a coaching book tells you to do.

Maybe you could focus more on making sure your balance is perfect if your feet aren't moving to the ball? You might come a cropper on pitches with some movement if there is a big gap between bat a bowl but then again who at our level doesn't have there down falls?

My advice would be stick to your natural game but think about what technical advances could work for you i.e. balance/head movement to the ball/high front elbow.

[smilley792]

If your striking it well a and not in trouble. The  there's no reason to get across. As it's working.


But

If you playing and missing a lot, or getting outside edges, or the one that comes back in bowls you through the gate a lot. I.e it's getting you out. Then it's time to change the technique.

[lazza32]

If your striking it well a and not in trouble. The  there's no reason to get across. As it's working.


But

If you playing and missing a lot, or getting outside edges, or the one that comes back in bowls you through the gate a lot. I.e it's getting you out. Then it's time to change the technique.

I was absolutely dominating the bowling with my natural play as soon as I changed to what he asked me to do i got bowled. Maybe I got bowled because I was thinking too much about getting my foot across.

[Over Gully]

Training for me is where you work on technical things, in the nets maybe with throwdowns or on a bowling machine more specifically. That's where you are trying to make a conscious skill become a sub-conscious skill and one that then becomes second nature without any thought. Match day is see-ball, hit-ball, don't think about technique as such, play the ball on its merits, adapt to the game situation, etc, and go out there and score runs. I bat my best when I have absolute clarity in thought, an uncluttered mind and I watch the ball as close as I can. If I'm thinking about my front elbow, or my back-lift, then I'm not 100% focused on the ball.

[yogi206]

how do you get on if the bowler swings it away, usually if you go straight down and it swings away you will get in trouble, however it works for sehwag!

[lazza32]

how do you get on if the bowler swings it away, usually if you go straight down and it swings away you will get in trouble, however it works for sehwag!

how do you get on if the bowler swings it away, usually if you go straight down and it swings away you will get in trouble, however it works for sehwag!

Not a problem at all, my offside play is great but my onside not so. My weakness is a inswinger from a left hander that's pitched up

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[yogi206]

Not a problem at all, my offside play is great but my onside not so. My weakness is a inswinger from a left hander that's pitched up

Sent from my HTC_PN071 using Tapatalk

ah I hear you mate, mine are the straight ones ;-) sounds like you hit inside out a lot so scoring in through cover mainly, maybe get the machine setup nad on middle and off and try to hit it "in the V" practise that and see how you do, then at least you will have two zones. if I was fielding captain I put catchers up and a deep cover to stop the runs. I always think when batting where do they not want me to hit it. then opens up more comfortable places to score quickly

[lazza32]

The only way I can remodel myself to push my foot over to cover off stump would be to relearn how to to play onside flicks and glances because if the ball is pitched at leg,middle or middle/off i would need to hit the ball towards on side somehow

[lazza32]

ah I hear you mate, mine are the straight ones ;-) sounds like you hit inside out a lot so scoring in through cover mainly, maybe get the machine setup nad on middle and off and try to hit it "in the V" practise that and see how you do, then at least you will have two zones. if I was fielding captain I put catchers up and a deep cover to stop the runs. I always think when batting where do they not want me to hit it. then opens up more comfortable places to score quickly

that's exactly what they do. So when the runs dry up I have to cross bat.

[yogi206]

yeah and they aerial and trouble come into play, do you have a trigger at all ? what guard do you take ?

[Buzz]

get your "coach" to video you and more clearly show you what your issue is.

Personally I prefer to coach people to get their eyes over the ball through impact, then your feet will get into a suitable position for you. Balance is key. If you can show your coach that your eyes and head are in the right place you can confidently tell him to sling his hook. If not, you may want to work on that in the nets. Just "moving your feet" on its own means not a lot and is difficult to do as you lose your balance and miss the ball if that is all you are concentrating on.

The only way I can remodel myself to push my foot over to cover off stump would be to relearn how to to play onside flicks and glances because if the ball is pitched at leg,middle or middle/off i would need to hit the ball towards on side somehow

this isn't a workable solution.

[lazza32]

I take guard middle/leg with an open stance(front foot slightly behind rear). I have a low hold and try to have a low backlift but still can't get muscle memory to play a straight bat. Thinking of doing the MCC trick of a newspaper under the armpit of my rear arm

[Buzz]

Thinking of doing the MCC trick of a newspaper under the armpit of my rear arm

sounds like a terrible plan! you want to make a diamond with your front and rear elbows being the main points, your head and hands being the other. If you tuck a newspaper under your rear arm you wont be able to play straight at all...

[lazza32]

buzz for the purpose of training alone would there be any benefit in practicing a straight drive using stationary balls to get the correct movement and balance