So how does Gary recommend playing the drive? Point back toe down the ground and THEN play the shot? Or does this back toe pointing down pitch happen during the shot?
The back toe points down during the shot, the idea being that as you open up your hips your back foot pivots around. It works well for me, as I hate the feel of having my back foot anchored to the ground. It was actually one of the things that really appealed to me when I first read about his coaching.
The way he drills it in to you is to make you hit balls with both of your feet already pointing straight down the ground, with my right foot slightly ahead of my left (I’m left handed) with my shoulders open and the bat raised and pointing at 2nd slip. He varies it up by making you hit in a static position, taking a step in to the ball, and by hitting and then raising your back foot in the air (this shows that you’re not reaching for it, as you’d lose your balance. After you’ve hit some balls you revert to your more orthodox stance, and it slowly becomes ingrained. Another drill is to hit with both feet pointing forward, then orthodox and then forward etc etc.
I’ve found having the rear foot pointing forward at impact really helps me with my timing, and if you get the timing of the movement (mainly the hips) in sync it creates an enormous amount of power. The key is to not shut your shoulders at all when hitting straight or on the on side. The only time you close them slightly is when you want to hit through the off side.
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Topic: Staying side on (Read 8243 times)