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[uknsaunders]

might open my stance up a lot and see if that unblocks my right arm and helps with my legside play.

[Simmy]

you look to allready have a big open stance like i do...

[Buzz]

I have now looked at your vids - Nick - I would close your stance slightly and try to stay a bit stiller, and not go so hard at the ball, let it come to you more.

Simmy - you start very open chested then have a back foot trigger to the leg side which straightens you up, but means your front foot is planted and can't easily move.
In simple terms you should try to stay stiller at the crease and again be more side on. You really need to ditch the trigger as it won't be helping you. If you need a trigger to stop you backing away, try a forward press with your front foot only. Going to take a bit of getting used to.

the most important thing for both of you is to stay stiller at the crease, it will be easier for you to keep your eyes level and to pick the line/length of the ball. Your issues aren't your back lift or "blocked right arms" more that your body position and movement isn't allowing you to play through the leg side.

[Simmy]

cheers for feedback buzz!

got a little net on sunday so will maybe try and work on it alittle bit when testing the new bats!

will try not to trigger and stay tall and still

[uknsaunders]

thanks for the feedback buzz, I thought I was pretty still but it's always worth a second opinion. Main thing I worry about is the head falling over, especially for legside shots.

[pacman75cricket]

Nick,

I not sure if would work for you but helped me I had an open stance that thought I did ok until I went up for a session with David Gurr.  First time on bowling machine kept missing balls until they slowed machine right down, coach said get more side on helped lots.  Also I have to get backlift up early so i am nice & upright or I tend to fall over. (maybe its because i'm 6ft1)

Looking at the vids is everyone having this open stance( I blame Haynes lol)

[Buzz]

This is from Mr Boycott...
The next question's a technical one. It's from Ranganath Potluri, who has written in from the USA. He is an opener and wants to know: which is the more technically correct way of playing: side-on or open? He plays open and defends the ball with bat in front and body as cover behind the bat. What are the pros and cons of the two techniques, and what would you advise?

GB: First of all, I would always say to somebody: whatever is comfortable or whatever allows you to get runs. Your job as a batsman is to make runs, your job as a bowler is to take wickets. How the hell you do it doesn't matter. But if you have an open stance against right-arm over the wicket bowlers, you'll be in a great position to pull and hook the ball, sweep and play through the on side, because you are already opened up and ready for it. It might be more difficult to score on the off side. You've got to make up your mind on which is best.

As for a side-on stance, nearly all great batsmen, from time immemorial, have been side-on players. Whether it's been Don Bradman in Australia; Jack Hobbs, Wally Hammond and Len Hutton in England; Sachin Tendulkar in India; Jacques Kallis among the current players; Sunil Gavaskar in the past; George Headley, Brian Lara and Viv Richards. It is important when left-arm bowlers bowl over the wicket, that you do open up a little bit. Perhaps get further across your stumps, because the ball is going across you and it's a very awkward angle. So you play a little further over your stumps to play the ball back from whence it came.

For left-handed batsmen it is different. Around 80-90% of the bowlers bowl over the wicket, so the ball is always going across you. It's a little like a right-handed batsman facing a left-arm seamer - it's going across you at an angle. I'm telling you as a right-hand batsman to open up a bit more chest-on so that you can face the bowlers a bit more with your shoulders and body. For left-handers it is very important to open up a little bit, because while facing right-arm bowlers it's coming at a similar angle. The great batsmen have always been side-on but you have to find whatever gets you runs.

I think the indication from what the Yorkshire Ripper said is that trying to stay side on is preferable as it allows you to play all around the park - if it is good enough for the greats and all that...

[procricket]

it doesn't really matter how you take you bat back, to gully like Chanderpaul or Goochie style over the top of off stump. What matters is how the bat comes down - i.e. straight.

Ideally you should have a nice diamond shape created by your arms/elbows and the feeling should be akin to "rocking a baby" on the way down.

also called the figure of nine from the side