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[RoyalParkReds]

I basically don't play the short ball at all unless it is on the off side.

In theory, I have researched and asked many people/coaches about it and have a fairly good grasp of the required techniques.  Unfortunately in a game this never happens. My natural reaction to short is always to duck underneath it. I know the short ball is very much mental and not wanting a hard rock object to hit you at speed, but there seems to be something else I am missing. I just don't pick up the pitch/length at all compares to full deliveries.

Any suggestions are welcomed. Cheers.

[Number4]

Playing the short ball comes natural to me... The pull being my favourite shot.. It just seems to be instinct to me now so it might be a little hard for me to explain.. Watching the ball from the bowlers hand and picking up the length early is the key I think. It never crosses my mind about getting hit as I am very comfortable with this shot but my small piece of advice is watch the ball straight from the hand,get in position and play confidently... Dominate the bowling attack...

[TangoWhiskey]

I used to be the same, always ducking first. Now I seem to play at it all the time with varying results. Haven't got out to it yet, but had a couple of top edges. Scored a few runs off it too. I have no idea what changed, just confidence I guess. I go back and across now as a trigger which might help?

[richthekeeper]

often you find that shorter batsmen play the short ball better as they're more used to it.

being tall, this is definitely true for me. it's rare that anyone can get a ball up around my head! however when i played in south africa the opposite was true - some opposition bowlers worked out that the "pom" couldn't play the short ball and i got properly peppered!

the outcome was that i can now play short pitched bowling much better than i ever could before. so my advice is to practice, a lot. get someone to underarm tennis balls at your head and practice pulling or ducking. then move on to the bowling machine.

[tim2000s]

being tall, this is definitely true for me. it's rare that anyone can get a ball up around my head! however when i played in south africa the opposite was true - some opposition bowlers worked out that the "pom" couldn't play the short ball and i got properly peppered!

Tee downside of playing on English pitches!!! They're not hard enough to get decent bounce!

[ajmw89]

When it comes to plyaing the short ball, I used to struggle.  Much like Rich said, being tall (I'm about 6'2"), not many people can get it high enough to trouble, and the level I play (3rd/4th XI) not many people have the pace.

I spent a bit of time working on it in the nets, and now I tend not to have too much trouble.

I always find though, it's easier to play it off of taller bowlers.  I find it difficult to play short stuff well off shorter bowlers, as I'm not expecting anything to be short.

[uknsaunders]

I was lucky in my youth. I played on an excellent deck with good bounce. If somebody bounced you then you simply ducked or pulled it. However, the issue came later for me. Started playing on decks with little bounce and you become a bit fearful of playing the shot due to getting bowled. This led to me only playing the shot when I was really "in" and had assessed the bowling. It got to the extent a few seasons ago where I wasn't playing it very well at all. I could start legside and happily cut anything short but occasionally bowlers would follow me. I did a bit of bowling machine work with Ryan over one of the winters, basically replicating the particular short ball I was having trouble with around 50-60mph. Wore a few bruises but after a while I started working out my "areas" and what to do when a ball was on a certain line. Over off stick or just outside off I would fetch pull it, legside I would try to get inside it and deflect/hook it. Worked for me as the shot become instinctive again and I remember hooking one guy through mid wicket the following season and thinking "christ I nailed that"!.

It's as much about make yourself a difficult target and finding scoring opportunities, as surviving. Bowlers tend to put the short ball away once you have smacked them through point or pulled them down to fine leg for 4 a couple of times. You don't have to play it well or be a great hooker, just enough to be able to score runs if it comes to it. They are like all bowlers, worry about their figures and if they don't the captain will.

[uknsaunders]

I always find though, it's easier to play it off of taller bowlers.  I find it difficult to play short stuff well off shorter bowlers, as I'm not expecting anything to be short.

Agree, the margin for error seems to be smaller. The difference between a short and a back of a length ball with a quick short bowler is much smaller.  When it bounces though it's the difference between hitting you in the chest and bowling you!

[RoyalParkReds]

Cheers for the feedback.

I think starting with the tennis balls and just learning to pick up the length early and also having the intent to move across early and go for it is the key, for me at least.

There is another thing I remember reading, possibly on this forum, where the top players can read the body of the bowling action and anticipate if if it is going to be a shortish ball and start to move across for it. Anyone know if this has any truth ?

[uknsaunders]

Cheers for the feedback.

I think starting with the tennis balls and just learning to pick up the length early and also having the intent to move across early and go for it is the key, for me at least.

There is another thing I remember reading, possibly on this forum, where the top players can read the body of the bowling action and anticipate if if it is going to be a shortish ball and start to move across for it. Anyone know if this has any truth ?

Yes heard similar. At club level I think the best you can do is to look just before delivery and see if the guy appears to be putting in more effort into a specific delivery.I think the clever ones will hide the bouncer as much as possible.

[ajmw89]

I have two quicks that play for me in the 4s.  Both of them should be in higher teams and both bowl at more than fast enough for the standard.  One is short and skiddy, the other is tall and muscular.  Of the 2, the taller guy is faster, however I'd rather play his bouncer all day as I always know when it's coming.  The little guy has a really fast arm and almost no body in his action, so you never can tell when he's bowling i until it pitches.  By then you'll do well to just drop your hands and sway out the way, let alone play it!

[Buzz]

There is another thing I remember reading, possibly on this forum, where the top players can read the body of the bowling action and anticipate if if it is going to be a shortish ball and start to move across for it. Anyone know if this has any truth ?

Absolutely the case. There is no way you can move into position to play genuinely fast bowling if you don't have inbuilt muscle memory to "read" the bowling rom the bowlers action.

There are no short cuts to this, however, you just have to face loads of bowling and get used to it.

In the mean time you need to work on your technique a little.
I would ask you, however, why do you need to change your approach? if you don't attack the short ball, you take no risk and if you take no risk to it, the bowlers will stop bowling it.

[Giraffe208]

if you don't attack the short ball, you take no risk and if you take no risk to it, the bowlers will stop bowling it.

Couldn't agree more. In my gap year I spent a season in Brisbane. I ducked under all short balls. Funnily enough I faced a maximum of 3/4 per innings as they realised it wasn't worth the effort.

[Cin88]

I'm only 5 foot 6 so I get a lot of balls coming down that are short to me but would be on a good length to anyone else. For me its all about letting the bowler know that i'm not going to be intimidated just because he can get the ball to bounce high. I tend to take the Brian Close approach, anything that I can't hit that isn't going at my head gets worn, anything head/shoulder height gets ducked/moved out of the way of. I've been working on my short ball shots in the last few weeks though so I can pick up my scoring pace a bit whilst waiting for the short bowling to be abandoned (I can be annoyingly Boycottesque at times during games) and to make the Brian Close impression more of a plan B. They soon pack it in and start pitching the ball up once they realise that they can't scare me and their figures are going downhill.

[RoyalParkReds]

Ducking is usually fine for me but I am trying to be a more aggressive batsman.

My problem with batting in general has been I can get bogged down and the run rate slows down.

Couple of reasons I want to learn it are

1. Sends a message to the batsman. Can help put to him off his game and over pitch etc.
2. There are not too many good top order batsman that don't play the short ball at all.
3. If it is a good short ball obviously it is fine to leave and and is just a waste of energy of the bowler. But bad ones that don't get hit are just runs going down the drain.