How To Do Batting Practice Alone
The fun in cricket lies in teamwork, discovering your creative side, and attaining your dream physique. Guess what? Practicing alone makes it to this list too.
All you need is a list of all the areas that sum up your weak points in batting. It’ll feel lonely at first, but as you pick up the pace, your avidity for cricket will surpass this dreaded feeling. Batting is an exercise in cricket that needs all the time to perfect and polish.
Even the legends set aside plenty of time to practice before their matches. In case your mates bail out on you last minute, here are solo batting drills that will prove to be beneficial to you;
Shadow Batting
The name itself is enough to tell you what it’s all about. For this drill to be effectual, you’ll need absolutely nothing. Sounds ridiculous, right? If you want the drill to be more practical, there’s no harm in having a cricket bat with you.
You have all the time in the world to look into other vital areas, such as your grip of the bat. You could also organize for cricket stumps just so it’s complete, but it’s optional.
Shadow batting focuses mainly on your stance as you prepare to play particular shots. If you watch closely, you’ll see most batsmen engaging their bodies in this drill right before the game begins.
You’ll be forgiven for assuming that they are simply warming up for the tiresome positions they have to assume throughout the game. This is true to some extent, but the main reason is to get your body to be more comfortable when you have to execute some shots during the game.
Practicing in front of a mirror enables you to monitor your progress in terms of body position. You’ll make due adjustments once you notice that something’s off with your stance.
You can already guess what this drill is all about. All you’ll need is a cricket or tennis ball and a cricket bat. A partner to throw the ball at you is optional, but could also work for you.
What happens here is that you locate a fairly flat wall on which to bounce your ball. Stand opposite the wall at a distance of about 3 meters away and bounce the ball.
Assume your batting stance and hit the ball as it bounces back in your direction. Throw the ball at different places on the wall and bat it as it comes. The essence is to examine how perfect you’ll be when the bowler comes at you with deliveries from all angles.
The wall bounce drill is also a batsman’s perfect remedy for boredom. The fun gains momentum as you take the bounces a notch higher.
This is quite doable, especially since all you’ll need is a cricket bat, ball, and a strong thread to hold the ball in place. Tie your thread around the ball and have it suspended in the air where you can reach it.
It works if you’ve been using the same hand to throw the ball and then resume your stance and grip to bat the same ball. What’s more, you get to practice vital techniques such as grips and improve on it.
Batting stance and shots also catch your attention as you aim to revamp each of these indispensable moves. Ensure the ball is secured tightly so it won’t come off when hit.
In case the hanging ball is new to you and gets challenging for you to make, buy one. Some balls are manufactured specifically for this drill. And just like that, your insecurities are put to rest.
Ball Taps
It may seem so simple and quite unnecessary, but it’s essential. Tapping the ball using your cricket bat is beneficial as it improves the speed at which your wrist moves.
You could use either a cricket or tennis ball, depending on which area of weakness you’d like to work on. If it’s your reflexes, a tennis ball is just what you need as it also enhances wrist endurance.
If you’re looking to improve the power and strength of your wrist, a cricket ball works perfectly. The trick in this drill lies in the weight of the balls. This means you have to alternate them, so you find the balance.
Set your smartphone to record every part of this drill for you to assess your progress.
Cricket Batting Practice Equipment
So far, you’ve seen how crucial practice is and why you must invest your time and resources in it. Your practice sessions are livelier when you are well equipped. Aside from the usual cricket bat and ball, here are others that don’t get as much attention as they should;
- Helmet. Your safety must be guaranteed even when it’s ‘just practice.’ Shop for one that has a faceguard that’s fitted with a grill whose function is to prevent the ball from coming to contact with your face. Wear it for safety purposes even when you’re up against slow bowlers.
- Gloves. Broken fingers are among the commonest injuries that an ill-equipped batsman is prone to. Gloves have padded fingers which protect the batsman from injuries of sorts. Manufacturers are careful not to make heavy gloves that will cause discomfort to the batsman. Instead, lightweight gloves are always in stock.
- Elbow guard. Looking at the stances that batsmen always assume, you’ll notice how vulnerable the elbows normally are. It’s made of hard pads that are a perfect match for a cricket ball.
- Chestguard. The chest is one of the vital areas and must be treated as such. You can choose to wear it either on the left or right side of the chest, depending on whether you’re right-handed or left-handed.
- Box. It’s worn by a batsman specifically to shield the privates from the hard-hitting impact of a cricket ball.
- Pads. No batsman should go out to play without donning pads. The modern ones are lightweight and facilitate running without causing the batsman to be limited.
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