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Cricket: Front foot defence

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COACHING POINTS

Lean towards ball with head and shoulder forward of body.

Good step forward to pitch of ball with weight on bent front leg.

Diamond shape maintained by arms throughout shot.

Hands forward of bat face on impact, below eye level.

Complete shot looking over the top of the bat handle with elbow close to head.

Fingers and thumb bottom hand gripped maintained on impact-acting as shock absorber.

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Back Foot Defence:

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.

Batting Mechanics

The front foot drive:

Dip your head and shoulder more than for the off or straight drive and let the ball come through.

Open your leading shoulder to point straight/ mid on, so that your hip opens slightly, allowing the bat to swing through.

Take a short stride towards the ball, stand tall on the balls of your feet and point the toe of front foot directly up the wicket.

Plant foot down the line of leg stump - no wider.

Stand tall, get up onto your toes with the weight on your front foot and head forwards, directly above body - eyes level.

As the bat swings through the line of the ball, work hard to maintain the following: A dominant top hand, relaxed fingers and thumb bottom hand grip, diamond shape with arms, high hands, hands forward of bat face on impact.

Front foot batting

Off Drive:

Front foot batting

Back foot Drive:

Batting Mechanics

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