1-2-1 Sports Coaching

1-2-1 Cricket Coaching

A personal service offered to aid the development of any potential cricketer utilising video analysis technology, bowling machines, Kanons and personal 1to 1 professional tuition.
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Written and video / dvd reports available on request at an extra cost.

Cricket Coaching Back Foot Coaching Session

Under 12 Batsman working on playing short-pitched bowling.

The aim of the session was to teach the batsman how to move his feet into the correct position, keeping the correct body shape and, possibly more importantly develop and enhance the batsman’s confidence against balls bouncing above waist height.

After assessing the batsman’s skill level and confidence against short bowling we agreed to start working with tennis balls. From about 8 metres away the cricket coach threw underarm full toss pitches above the batsman’s waist, starting outside off-stump and as the batsman’s confidence grew gradually tightened the line until the balls were thrown at the batsman. 

With increased confidence it was possible to work at the batsman’s technique, ensuring that his back-foot moved back and across the stumps and remained parallel to the crease. The cricket coach progressed to throwing one-bounce over-arm tennis balls from 15 metres and then onto the bowling machine against harder bowling machine balls.

Soft bowling machine balls were used first because they tend to bounce higher and therefore the machine speed can be kept lower (45 mph), and the batsman knows that they are softer and less likely to hurt if struck by them.

Ball 1

The ball is short and outside off-stump. The batsman, after his pre-delivery movements, fails to move his feet. He does not get across and into line with the ball, nor does he use the depth of the crease to give himself more time. As a result the batsman merely fences at the ball and fortunately misses it.

Ball 2

The ball is straighter and the batsman, after his pre-delivery movements, fails to move his feet and fends the ball off to the leg-side.

The batsman needs to move his back foot across the stumps, open up his hips and shoulders towards mid-on / mid-wicket and play the high bouncing ball off the left hand side of his body. By clearing most of his body to the off-side of the ball the batsman can get his hands higher and “roll” with the ball, tucking it down to fine-leg.

Balls 3 and 4

A rising ball on a leg-stump line at the batsman’s body. By ensuring that his back foot has gone back parallel to the crease and across onto off-stump the batsman has been able to open up his front foot, maintain an “open” body position and ride with the ball and tuck it away on the leg-side.

Crucial to playing short-pitched bowling is setting a solid base back and across parallel to the crease. The weight (head) remains forward and the front-foot is slid back towards the back-foot. If the ball bounces higher than expected or if the batsman is attacking the ball, the batsman may go up onto tiptoes to get over the ball, but it is important that a solid base has been set first.