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[golden duck]

Hi,

I find that after 10 mins batting in the nets my lower back starts to ache. I think it is because of my stance, I might be twisting or something and putting stain through my back.

Any suggestions on what the appropriate stance should be, how much bend, twist and where. I assume I'm bending in my back not my hips/knees.

I've never been coached so don't know what I'm doing wrong.

I know you can't give easy advice without pics / video, but any suggestions welcome

[potzy248]

Same thing happens to me if I face bowlers in quick succession. I don't think the muscles in the back are used to so much bending over and over again. Not sure about your stance but maybe facing less bowlers might make a difference, I personally like facing one bowler when I net. Good luck.

[ProCricketer1982]

being a sad person and genuinely face 500 balls most days I cant' say I've ever really had back ache, except!! if I take a month off in oct and then the first session back I feel it a bit. Its probably simply that you are not used to it, the muscles aren't conditioned for it.

simple core strength exercises and batting should sort you out.

[Ready_23]

I have exactly the same issue, my back cramps up when I bat in indoor nets. However it doesn't seem to happen at outdoor nets which has led me to wonder if its something to do with the floor although that sounds a little crazy!

[Akewstick]

Warrior Lunge Stretch: https://youtu.be/ZPJLRFQim3M

I had exactly this problem, I don't play much and when I do it kills my back, couldn't fix it until I started doing this stretch.

I started strength training this year and therefore did a bit of learning about stretching. Your back is doing all the work keeping yourself stable whilst bent over because the muscles that flex your hips (like bend your body to do a sit up motion) are tight and are harder to control. That's my understanding, if anyone has a sports b-tech they'll probably tell me I'm wrong. But, I know this stretch helped with what you're describing. I only do the 2nd two parts in the nets because they make you look less of a knob.

The key for avoiding back pain in any exercise I've found is a neutral back position. Having it arched with your belly and backside sticking out in opposite directionsis as bad as slouched forward and rounded over. To get an idea of what a neutral back position feels like, stand up straight and clench your buttocks as hard as you can, that position it forces your back to be - that's neutral.

Edit: also it went away when I started doing more exercise which might be why procricketer doesn't get it - if you use that bit of you more it'll be more resilient

[Hoover]

Try stretching your hammies and back for 5 mins before batting. Should help.

[AdClem]

Do you find yourself losing balance and falling away to the offside when playing a shot?  You may be bending too much from the hips.  Try to bring your chest more upright whilst bending your knees more.  Get someone to video you while you're batting to see if that's what's happening.  Have a look at the Mark Ramprakash video on stance - see the sticky in this sub-forum.  It's a bit like when you're told to bend at your knees rather than your back when picking up something heavy.  Batting in the nets is bound to exaggerate the effects of a less than ideal stance because you're facing many more balls, in quick succession, than you would in a game.  So you have to hold your stance for longer, swing your bat many more times, and don't get a breather at the other end.

[Buzz]

bending at your hips is good - hunching through your lower and mid spine is bad and causes back pain.

Have you got any pics of your stance?

Do watch the Ramps stance video's as suggested

[uknsaunders]

Are you overweight by any chance? I had the same problem but it seems to have gone once I lost some weight.

[AdClem]

Of course Buzz is right about the hips if, like me, you've got the physique of a Russian gymnast.  [He's right about most things].  If instead you're built like a Russian Dedushka, bending from the hips may result in hunching and pain.  If, as Procricketer1982 says, your muscles lack conditioning.

OK, I lied about the gymnast thing.  Not only did my back pain diminish when I held my upper body more upright (and bent my knees more to compensate) but it also put noticeably less strain on my neck when facing the bowler - which I had previously tried to alleviate by opening my stance.

We amateurs come in all shapes sizes; and ages.  So experiment to find out what's most comfortable for you.

[uknsaunders]

Just to add that one of the things that helped me at the gym was to do CV exercises hands free - ie. keep your mits off the handles of the cross trainer . This forces your core to balance while exercising. The more you work your mid section in all CV/Weights activity the better. It's not just about sit ups.

[AdClem]

Also, ensuring your knees are bent sufficiently gives you better poise, and may improve your timing and footwork.

[eukaryote76]

bending at your hips is good - hunching through your lower and mid spine is bad and causes back pain.

Have you got any pics of your stance?

Do watch the Ramps stance video's as suggested

Ditto Buzz. Also, if you square up through the shoulders (i.e you right shoulder comes round, if you're a RH batsman) on your drives, as can occur if your bottom hand pushes through and your left elbow tucks in, rather than going high, you end putting tremendous strain on your lower back and to a lesser extent on your mid and upper back. I've seen quite a few back injuries this way.   

[Akewstick]

Also, if you square up through the shoulders (i.e you right shoulder comes round, if you're a RH batsman) on your drives, as can occur if your bottom hand pushes through and your left elbow tucks in, rather than going high, you end putting tremendous strain on your lower back and to a lesser extent on your mid and upper back.

Oh, I'd never thought of that, and that is in fact the reason mine went away is because I learned to keep my shape better whilst driving. That makes more sense than what I said.

[golden duck]

Cheers for the suggestions and comments gents.

I am indeed of a larger diameter than I would like / should be....  Something that I am trying to improve, just not getting far!

The vids are quite useful for all round batting approach so something to try and hone in the nets.

It always seems happen at my village nets as opposed to my work nets.  I wonder if it is somthing about the intensity of the session (generally batting for a similar lenght of time non stop, but the bowlers are better!!)

Will work on a few bits and pieces as suggested