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[tommo256]

Dot balls are wasted balls!

[WalkingWicket37]

Dot balls are wasted balls!

Start 3 ft outside leg, trigger so you're halfway down the track and side on, close your eyes and have a big hoik to moo!
It's not pretty and t's not normally effective, but occasionally you can miss hit a single doing it! 

[tommo256]

It came off for me once last year, 22 ball 50, a couple of 15 ball 30's! takes a close game away from oppo very quickly!

[ProCricketer1982]

It came off for me once last year, 22 ball 50, a couple of 15 ball 30's! takes a close game away from oppo very quickly!

this was the beauty of the game, a place for everyone. game needs one or two players like that in a side

[smilley792]

this was the beauty of the game, a place for everyone. game needs one or two players like that in a side

our sides problem is that we have 9 that want to bat like that. and 2 that bat like Procricket1982.

When it comes off its spectacular. But when you 40 for 8. It's embarrassing.

[ProCricketer1982]

our sides problem is that we have 9 that want to bat like that. and 2 that bat like Procricket1982.

When it comes off its spectacular. But when you 40 for 8. It's embarrassing.

any more than 2 of me mate and you'll all be in the bar getting wasted through bordam   You are right though, if you have too many attacking players then it's great when it comes off but is prone to failing fairly spectacularly. However, have too many plodders and you'll never score enough runs. As with all sports, a good team has the right mix of players, each with a role.

[TOGS]

Basic problem (and it is a problem) is every club cricketer has the middle and off default plant no matter the line (nor indeed the length, they're on the front foot), and for anything that's not pitching on middle and off/off/outside off you're having to play the ball round your pads which is palpably wrong.
Try this for a solution - take a leg stump guard then a little bit more, let the bowler see your stumps, let the stumps breathe. Your middle and off plant will then assist you to play middle/middle and leg deliveries without having to wrap your bat round your legs so much.
Try it & report back.

[eukaryote76]

Nothing wrong with keeping still. All these additional movements, different guards and predetermined actions aim to strengthen one area at the expense of another. Balls of feet, rather than weight through heels. Cricket is like golf, takes a bit of practice to be ok and enjoy a game with people of your own grade, but talent or years (if ever) to be good. That's how I find it anyway.

On a slightly different note, one of the exercises/ drills our coach taught to reduce the front foot plant, was actually to stand on the back leg with the front foot hovering about 1cm of the ground. The outcome is surprisingly effective (tho you may feel like the karate kid stood on one leg!) - when you go with your head/ eyes, the foot follows (rather then vice versa with the foot plant), it also works to make sure you don't put your front foot forward until you have picked the line and length; finally if the ball is short and you need to go back, then you'll find your front foot just touches down (repels you) and your weight is back. Counterintuitively a little back foot pressure (on balls of foot) in this way arms you to go forward (i.e. to push off), whilst preventing the premeditated front foot plant, and still allowing to go back.

By the way I'm not suggesting batting like the karate kid, only that is possible to be stationary with both feet on the ground, with pressure through the balls of your feet, but with extra pressure/ 'energy' on the back foot to help in going forward when needed. This drill was a way to help achieve that recalibration.

[trypewriter]

Basic problem (and it is a problem) is every club cricketer has the middle and off default plant no matter the line (nor indeed the length, they're on the front foot), and for anything that's not pitching on middle and off/off/outside off you're having to play the ball round your pads which is palpably wrong.
Try this for a solution - take a leg stump guard then a little bit more, let the bowler see your stumps, let the stumps breathe. Your middle and off plant will then assist you to play middle/middle and leg deliveries without having to wrap your bat round your legs so much.
Try it & report back.

I tried this and it was beneficial.

[Northern monkey]

See ball, hit ball!
If you can't see it, your struggling?

For instance Mitch bellend Johnson to right handers, watch where his arm is at delivery,(in front of the umpire usually), with the ball angling in to a right hander, incredibly hard to pick up
If he pitches one outside off, the ball will be a lot easier to pick up.

You have to alter your stance,etc to help see the ball,sooner.   Maybe move down the track a little?
Battings as much a mind game as anything

[KarlPennington]

I suppose it's about confidence. Staying still and backing yourself to play the ball on it's merits. My problem I guess is that if I stay still and the ball is pitched up  I'm confident that I can get forward and throw the balance of my weight into a drive, but if it's short I just don't feel like I have the time to rock back and play the pull (especially, as was the case last night when my teammates where using a new ball at indoor nets!!) So what generally happens is I'll start to dominate the bowlers when they are bowling decent lengths so they will start bowling short, back of a length. I suppose I could just defend everything with the splice of my bat/glove but I want to score so I start pre-meditating the short delivery and going back and across, inevitably they then pitch it up and I'm in no-mans land. Then my brain explodes

Disclaimer: This is in nets, out in the middle it's normally a case of me going out, playing all around a straight one and heading back to the pavillion

[eukaryote76]

I suppose it's about confidence. Staying still and backing yourself to play the ball on it's merits. My problem I guess is that if I stay still and the ball is pitched up  I'm confident that I can get forward and throw the balance of my weight into a drive, but if it's short I just don't feel like I have the time to rock back and play the pull (especially, as was the case last night when my teammates where using a new ball at indoor nets!!) So what generally happens is I'll start to dominate the bowlers when they are bowling decent lengths so they will start bowling short, back of a length. I suppose I could just defend everything with the splice of my bat/glove but I want to score so I start pre-meditating the short delivery and going back and across, inevitably they then pitch it up and I'm in no-mans land. Then my brain explodes

Disclaimer: This is in nets, out in the middle it's normally a case of me going out, playing all around a straight one and heading back to the pavillion

Generally, I find length is more difficult to pick than line. To me, this means that if/ when your default to is to want to play front foot drives, particularly off and cover drives, and when your mindset is to get on the front foot (IF that is indeed your mindset) then definitely everything is going against an instinctual switch from the straight bat set up to the cross bat back foot pull. As you say premeditating leads to other problems. A higher back lift with a slightly open face (as opposed to being perfectly parallel to the ground), standing still (balls of toes), and watching the ball early may give your more options and time (assuming you're not facing 80mph+ bowling).

When I say watching ball early, I say this as somebody who used to watch the bowler without really picking up the ball until about a third down the track. It's a tough one, and I think for most of us this only comes with excellent vision (or best corrected vision with glasses or contacts) and lots of practice in the nets. The fact of the matter is it should just be the ball you're focused on. However, the bowler's hand position, his foot position in the crease, and height and angle of release all help 'prepare' you for the release and hence tracking the ball from the hand. Easy to say.

[Northern monkey]

Like i said,(or tried to say),, seeing the ball is half the battle
I'm lucky I have a very good eye for the ball.
If you don't, then that's when proper technique, coaching,patience etc come into play.

A lot depends on the wickets your batting on too,,,height of bounce, does it come onto the bat etc
Batting indoors means nothing, and to be honest , I find it knackers my batting up for the start of the season, so don't put too much faith in it, unless your batting on county wickets all season, (if you are, then fill your boots!)

Picking length is the single most important aspect, especially on dodgy slow wickets
If your getting out early in an innings, then you've got to work on a technique to get your eye in and stay in long enough for this

 

[TOGS]

See ball, hit ball!
If you can't see it, your struggling?

For instance Mitch bellend Johnson to right handers, watch where his arm is at delivery,(in front of the umpire usually), with the ball angling in to a right hander, incredibly hard to pick up
If he pitches one outside off, the ball will be a lot easier to pick up.

You have to alter your stance,etc to help see the ball,sooner.   Maybe move down the track a little?
Battings as much a mind game as anything

This is very true. If you can't see the ball then you most certainly are struggling.
Those who look like they've got all day to play the ball do see it very early & are very fortunate.
Those who dance about the crease like there's a grenade coming don't & have miserable batting averages.
But for those who see the ball very late/don't see it at all, use the default tecnique, front foot, bat & pad on middle & off & hope for the best. You'll have chatted up the umpires.
Don't hit the ball in the air, be lucky, your snicks will go thro slips for 4.
Cos when you think about it, it's actually quite difficult to get out when you're batting, truly!
It's actually easier to stay in. It's not like you're going out without a bat or anything. The stumps are 28 x 9. Inches, not feet. The bat 38 x 4.25. Inches.
Next innings just go in & don't get out. Early on, scrape about. It'll be pretty ugly & you might hear muttering from the pavilion. Ignore it, they've had their turn, you're at the crease & it's a great place, treasure it.
And it's amazing what happens when you hang about. These 30s in the 3rd XI will be flowing

[Northern monkey]

Ha ha spot on