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[ProCricketer1982]

You sure that's not 3 leg guard pictures?!?!?

[uknsaunders]

And I thought my eyes were bad. A clue, look at where the bottom of the bat is.

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[ProCricketer1982]

I'm looking at your feet... If we go off where the bat is then I take off stump guard as my back foot is on middle... Oppos..


I don't get out lbw much at all, once I think last year. I was looking at your feet though, not bat

[smilley792]

I suppose its all subjective.


i ask for 2/middle and leg. And i place my toe of my shoe on that line.

In your pictures. You seem to place you bat on the guard and your feet are miles away down leg.


leg stunp guard for me, would be an off stump guard for you.

[GarrettJ]

Instead of lining up your bat with a certain stump, line up your right eye (right hander) off stump to off stump. Ask the person what guard that puts you on.

That's your guard. Anything going down a line outside your right eye is wide and you can leave it

[ProCricketer1982]

I suppose its all subjective.


i ask for 2/middle and leg. And i place my toe of my shoe on that line.

In your pictures. You seem to place you bat on the guard and your feet are miles away down leg.


leg stunp guard for me, would be an off stump guard for you.

I do this too.. Only for middle. 

[Kez]

This is something i try and teach in my coaching of youngsters. How to take guard.
I expect a lot of people never got taught, its part of batting i go to the crease i ask for middle or two-legs, I scrape my foot around a bit and away I go.

I see taking guard as where your feet need to start so that at the point of release (post trigger- if you have one) your off side eye (so as a RH batsman my right eye) is in line with off stump. That way I can leave anything outside the line of that.

When people take guard and place their bat on the line, you can end up with your feet all over the place and that means your head is too.

[Lumsden]

This is something i try and teach in my coaching of youngsters. How to take guard.
I expect a lot of people never got taught, its part of batting i go to the crease i ask for middle or two-legs, I scrape my foot around a bit and away I go.

I see taking guard as where your feet need to start so that at the point of release (post trigger- if you have one) your off side eye (so as a RH batsman my right eye) is in line with off stump. That way I can leave anything outside the line of that.

When people take guard and place their bat on the line, you can end up with your feet all over the place and that means your head is too.

I went for a 1 hr coaching at Headlingley Indoor Cricket School a couple of years ago and the one thing I remember the coach saying was that "your guard is not about where you put your bat but where you put your feet." Got to be honest and say I didn't really take this in until I videoed myself batting against a bowling machine and saw I never stood in the same place for successive deliveries. It might sound a bit perverse but the more I stood outside legstump, the more I looked like an LBW candidate as I made a belated shuffle across my stumps in a vain attempt to get somewhere in-line.

I now make my mark and start with the tips of my toes on that mark.

[Vitas Cricket]

I sometimes bat with an off stump guard (that's where my feet are and not my bat) to off spinners. More than anything else It's a suggestion to umpires that I am unlikely to be hit on the pad in line with the stumps if i press forward. It sometimes puts an inexperienced bowler off which is handy. It doesn't really serve too much of a technical purpose, although I do find the really exaggerated late/fine sweep where you almost turn back on yourself and try and hit it through the gap between fine leg and the wicket keeper a bit easier, I guess as there is more room.

As for an off stump guard in general, I wouldn't regard it as overly helpful in a normal situation. To me nick, as stated above, it looks like you are batting on middle in the bottom picture. If you are standing a bit more upright then it is unlikely you will get your right eye over the top of off stump from where you are standing. Not that it is massively vital to batting technique, but it is very useful for leaving the ball accurately.

[RossViper]

I guess definitions vary, but to me none of them are off stump, like someone said, last one looks middle and leg, not even middle and off, or middle!

Taking gaude should be be about getting you head over the top of off stump, most of the time, so guard must be judged on where your head rests, not your bat or feet.


But not sure where that leaves you.

To be honest, I think you set up/ position in the last picture is most normal, so prob fine.

[SOULMAN1012]

My opening partner bats on off stump and has done all his career, avg of 50+ most seasons and a very very good bat, excellent judge of line and length and knowing when to play & leave. He is a bit promoter of it and I have been trying it for throats few nets. Trigger movement is forwards instead of back and across as well

[Buzz]

I may have a point. In one net video my guard is all over the shop but towards the end I am batting on off-stump and I'm hardly covering all 3 stumps. If anything I'm rooted to outside leg on a guard of middle. 3 Pics below:-

Leg Stump


Middle Stump


Off Stump


Since I tend to play straight I might not get into trouble with off-stump. I can always edge back to middle and off to see if that works. Might give it a go in nets.

not sure about your guard, but all your weight is on your heels which won't help you in my view.

if you get your weight onto the balls of your feet, it will help your hips get into a more natural position and cause less stress on your back.

it will also allow you more time to play your shots as you will be able to move faster.

oh and as has been said above, it will also help you get your eyes over the off stump.

[uknsaunders]

Gave it a go Sunday and it seemed to help. Felt much easier reaching outside off stick and didn't have any issues with straight balls. If anything I felt a little better balanced, maybe because I was prepared to play with a straighter bat to the balls heading towards my pads, instead of trying to flick them off my legs. I was probably hovering around middle and off to off stick most of the time. Will give it a few more goes and see whether it's in the head or a real benefit.

[123*]

Easier to do indoors when the balls flying onto the bat, everything comes on nicely, bit more difficult when you get outdoors and there's varying pace.

[Centurion]

I always prefer batting on middle as then I can play all my drives and since i play a lot of shots down the ground and past mid on and mid-wicket i need middle