Cricket: Ian Bell - Taking Guard v Spin

To play this defensive shot properly players will need to think about their whole body's position in order to avoid popping the ball up for an easy take.

Played to a ball short of a length, roughly stump high. Batsman should have a relaxed and balanced stance - head still, eyes level. Back swing and step back. Their front shoulder should then dip. With the base established, weight stays slightly forward. Shoulders rotate vertically, front leg drawn back, alongside the back foot. Bat decelerates, ‘soft hands’ upon impact. Ball contact under eyes.

**AUDIO DESCRIPTION ON** For the pull shot, coach stands with the bag directly in front of the batsman. Coach applies pressure to the bag, against the hitting direction. Batsman plays a pull shot, striking the bag and holding the pose. For the cut shot, coach stands with the bag at the side of the batsman. Coach applies pressure to the bag, against the hitting direction. Batsman plays a cut shot, striking the bag and holding the pose.

**AUDIO DESCRIPTION ON** Coach or partner feeds the ball. They will feed the batsman a total of 4 balls and alternate between a low full toss and a waist height full toss. The batsman will drive the low full toss and pull the waist height feed. After every shot, the batsman should advance down the wicket towards the feeder, ready for the next delivery.

Can be done in pairs/ groups of three. One batter and one feeder minimum required. 6 tennis balls per pair/group.Feeder stands 4 meters away from batter, feeding ball as a drop feed, with arm out horizontally, and standing on the batters off side for safety. (adjust height of arm depending on height of feeder, and speed of batter to ball)Batter must use their feet and move down the wicket, meeting the ball on the second bounce, before hitting the ball through the cones. PROGRESSIONMake target smallerAllow player to hit over the top (aerially) – still keeping shape of shot and not leaning back or hitting to hard/to the leg side.Alter distance batter has to advance to get to the ball.

*AUDIO DESCRIPTION ON* In pairs, one player with a football feeding and one with a bat in their stance.  Feeder to throw the ball out slightly in front of the batter and high enough for them to header it.  Batter to return the ball with a header, with the head leading the player should be automatically stepping into the header. 

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The Files are 200k so please be patient when downloading. Open Preview

The Files are 200k so please be patient when downloading. Open Preview

The Files are 200k so please be patient when downloading. Open Preview

**AUDIO DESCRIPTION ON** Set up a bench at the crease for the batsman to stand on. Batsmen stand in set position. The ball can either be thrown or fed through a bowling machine. Straight balls should be pulled by the batsmen and wide balls outside the off stump should be cut.

Similar to the forward defense, this shot is played when the batter feels a good ball has been bowled and no runs can be scored from it. A good defense is needed for batters to bat for long periods and to score runs.

Batting against spin is hard and without an effective game plan spinners can tie down batters, reducing the run rate and taking wickets. This masterclass video shows you how Ian Bell sets up against spin to prevent this from happening.

Coming down the wicket is an attacking option which puts pressure on the (usually spin) bowler and can force them to change their length. It takes confidence to come down the wicket but from this drill you'll be able to teach your players how to do it effectively.

Ian Bell was famous for having the best cover drive in world cricket. Batters should always be looking to score runs. When a bowler delivers a half-volley, it should be scored off and the best way of doing this is by playing the cover-drive. Watch this drill to see how you can coach your players to drive like Bell!

Batters need to capitalise when bowlers miss their length and bowl it wide. There are a number of different cut shots which can be hit in different areas. In this drill Ian Bell talks through how to get into the correct position with some key points you can use.

Defending against spin has changed a lot over the past few years. This is particularly notable at the top end of the game where DRS has been introduced. Umpires generally give out more LBWs when bat and pad are next to each other. 

A forward defense is played to a good length delivery. It's a defensive type of shot and therefore the amount of runs scored from it is irrelevant