A wealth of materials are available to assist coaches in delivering comprehensive and worthwhile skills based training sessions. Some are official programs offered through Cricket Australia and Cricket NSW, whereas other have been developed by SSJCA club stawarts.

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Club Developed Resources

Harry Robbins, life member of Engadine Dragons Cricket Club, and coach for 30+ years has prepared the following resources for the Dragons Website:

• Cricket Etiquette
• Cricket Know-How - Batting
• Points for Wicket Keeping
• Ten rules of Fielding
• Ten rules of Bowling
• Ten rules of Batting

 

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Video Batting Tips

 

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VideoJug Tips

 

Since launching in September 2006, VideoJug has grown into the world's most comprehensive library of free factual video content online. Their professionally-produced, high definition videos cover every conceivable topic and the site is the definitive online "encyclopedia of life".

We have provided links to the most interesting cricket related video, but do visit Video Jug for all types of topics.

Batting	Bowling	Fielding
Grip the bat Correct stance Front foot defence Back foot defence Straight drive Hook shot Pull shot Leg glance Square cut Sweep	How to grip the ball to bowl fast How to grip the ball to bowl inswing How to grip the ball to bowl offspin How to grip the ball to bowl legspin	How to throw How to improve your close catching How to improve your outfield catching How to do the quick pick up and throw

 

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BBC Sport Batting Basics

BBC Sport has an excellent series of batting tips for the player. We have provided the basics on this page, with links into the BBC resource for further information.

The Grip

The grip principles are the same for right and left-handers.

For a right-hander the left hand should be at the top of the handle - vice versa for a left-hander.

Check both your hands are fairly close together on the bat, towards the top of the handle.

Form a "V" by pointing your thumb and forefinger down between outside edge and centre of back of bat.

The top hand rests comfortably on the inside of the front thigh (left thigh for a right hander).

And the back of the top hand should face towards extra cover.

The Stance

The stance is the "ready" position when the batsman is about to face a delivery.

It is the base to play all your shots, so remember to be comfortable and relaxed.

Points to remember:

• The feet should be approximately a foot length apart either side or on the popping crease
• The weight of the batsman should be on the balls of their feet, with the knees slightly bent. This means they can transfer quickly to either their front or back foot depending on the length of the ball
• The batsman should be side on when the bowler is about to deliver
• Some batsmen prefer to open their stance to help them see the ball clearer

Backlift

Here's how to... get the correct backlift and step

Most batsmen will raise their bat as the bowler approaches.

Taking the bat back and stepping to the ball sets the batsman up for playing the correct shot properly.

The bat is taken back towards the stumps and at the top of the backlift the face should open towards second slip.

The front shoulder should roll down as the bat is lifted, with the head kept as still as possible.

Keep the hands close to the back hip, so that toe of the bat is at around shoulder height.

Ensure any movement forward or back is completed before the downswing of the bat begins.

Shot Selector

The batsman's job is to score as many runs as possible.

But to build an innings, a batsman needs sound judgement to work out which deliveries to defend, leave or score off.

Even top class batsmen give their wicket away because of poor shot selection, so it's not an easy science.

The batsman has approximately 12 shots to choose from either side of the wicket.

So stroke selection depends on the line, length and speed of a delivery.

There are three main lines:

• Off stump and outside
• Middle stump
• Leg stump and outside

And there are five main lengths of delivery:

• Bouncer/long hop
• Short of a length
• Good length
• Full length/half volley
• Full toss

For the best chance of building an innings, a batsman needs to move their feet backwards or forwards to get into the best position to play a stroke.

BACK FOOT STROKES

A shorter length delivery will usually be played on the back foot.

The main back foot shots are:

• Hook shot
• Pull shot
• Square cut
• Back defence

The hook, pull and square cut are cross-batted shots where the arms are fully extended for maximum power.

The hook and pull are usually played to deliveries on middle and leg stump, while the square cut is played to a ball outside off stump.

The leg glance and drive can also be played on the back foot.

FRONT FOOT STROKES

A fuller length delivery will normally be played on the front foot.

The main front foot shots are:

• Off drive
• Straight drive
• On drive
• Sweep shot
• Forward defence

The off and straight drive are played to deliveries which pitch on off stump and outside, while the on drive is played to a ball pitching around leg stump.

The sweep shot is played to a ball from a spinner pitching around leg stump and outside.

The leg glance can also be played off the front foot.

BBC Sport provides a number of other batting tips. Follow these links for further information, including video demonstrations.

Front foot shots

• Forward defensive shot
• Straight drive
• Sweep shot
• Front foot leg glance

Back foot shots

• Back foot defence
• Back foot leg glance
• Square cut
• Back foot drive
• Hook shot

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Video Bowling Tips

 

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BBC Sport Bowling Basics

BBC Sport has an excellent series of bowling tips for the player. We have provided the basics on this page, with links into the BBC resource for further information.

Every bowler has a unique bowling action, a lot of which depends on their body type and their bowling style.

There two main types of bowlers - spin and seam and both can bowl left or right-handed.

Seamers are generally the faster bowlers with longer run-ups while spinners usually only have a few paces before they deliver the ball at a slow pace.

Both types of bowlers will use different grips on the ball, more of which is explained in the seam and spin bowling section.

Finding the right action depends on how comfortable you feel when you bowl.

SIDE ON

Most bowling actions are side on, which means the shoulders are square to the batsman.

This is the position which most coaches will encourage bowlers to release the ball from.

The side on action will also encourage away swing more than a front on action.

Examples of the side-on action include England bowler Matthew Hoggard, Australia's Brett Lee and Glenn McGrath.

FRONT ON

Rather than bowling side on, the bowler tends to have an open chest.

This does not mean the front on action is wrong, it should be encouraged if some bowlers prefer bowling in this fashion.

England fast bowlers Steve Harmison and Andrew Flintoff have open-chested actions, along with South Africa's Makhaya Ntini.

MIXED ACTIONS

The chances of picking up injuries are greatly increased if a bowler has an action that puts too much pressure on their body.

A mixed action is a combination of both the side on and front on action, which puts unneccessary stress on the spine.

It's important to get your bowling action checked out by a coach to ensure it is either side on or front on, rather than a bit of both.

Remember:

"Keep the hips and shoulders in line and you'll be fine - twist the back and it will crack!"

The Basic Bowling Action

Bowlers are the players in charge of collecting wickets for the fielding team.

Every bowler has their own individual method of bowling, so find the ideal bowling action for you.

There are five basic components to bowling. They are:

• The run-up
• Bound
• Coil
• Release
• Follow through

STEP ONE - The run-up

• As you set off from the top of your run-up, start by using small steps before changing to larger strides
• Keep your arms close to your body and your head steady - keep your eyes fixed on the target - the batsman

STEP TWO - The bound

• As you approach the crease, turn your body to get side on and lean back slightly

STEP THREE - Coil

• The coil is the spring from which the ball is released. Keep the ball close to your chin with your head looking behind a high front arm
• As your back foot lands on the pitch, keep your body upright. Your back leg should remain stable and support the body while the front foot should be raised slightly
• Your front foot should be pointing to the batsman as it lands with the leg braced ready to take the full impact of the delivery

STEP FOUR - Release

• As the shoulders begin to rotate, push your bowling arm forward and down from the coil position, with your non-bowling arm pointing to the batsman
• The arms should rotate through with the ball released at the top of the delivery arc

STEP FIVE - Follow through

• As you follow through, fold your bowling arm into your body and swing your hips around to finish
• Your momentum will take you towards the batsman but make sure you don't run down the middle of the pitch
  

Line and Length

The bowler's job is to take as many wickets as possible.

That job will be a lot easier if they have control of their line and length, making the batsman's job of scoring runs that much more difficult.

The line is the direction of the ball in accordance to the batsman's stumps, while the length is the area of the pitch where the ball bounces.

The batsman does not need to hit every single ball they face.

So it is the bowler must attempt the batsman into playing a stroke, increasing the chances of taking a wicket.

LINE

Cricket commentator Geoff Boycott often uses the phrase "the corridor of uncertainty" as the ideal area to bowl at a batsman.

This is an imaginary channel around and just outside the off-stump where batsmen are unsure whether to play or leave the ball.

Bowling consistently around this area will increase the bowler's chances of taking a wicket.

A bowler's line will also depend on whether the ball is swinging in the air or seaming off the pitch.

Most batsmen like the ball wide outside off stump or on or around leg stump, so avoid bowling in those areas too much.

LENGTH

The length of the ball will determine whether the batsman will play on the front or back foot.

There are five areas the bowler can aim for:

• Long hop/bouncer
• Short of a length
• Good length
• Full length/half volley
• Full toss

Length depends on the type of bowler - fast bowlers will tend to aim for a shorter length to utilise pace and bounce, while spinners need to bowl a good length to deceive the batsman in the air and off the pitch.

The ideal length for a bowler is one where the batsman is unsure whether to play forward or back.

Different pitches will also have an influence on length.

Hard and bouncy pitches favour a shorter length, while slower pitches require a fuller length.

BBC Sport provides a number of other bowling tips. Follow these links for further information, including video demonstrations.

Variations

• Off cutter
• Leg cutter
• Inswinger
• Outswinger
• Reverse swing

 

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How to knock in a bat

 

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Tips on buying a bat

 

Choice Magazine has an expert review of 12 junior cricket bats, size Harrow or six, priced from $30 to $175.

Their five expert reviewers were:

• Michael Slater, former test cricketer and top-order batsman.
• Lisa Sthalekar, current NSW women's cricket captain and vice-captain of the Australian Women's cricket team.
• Julian Millichamp, master bat maker.
• Dean Magee, cricket manager at Kingsgrove Sports Centre in Sydney.
• David Mason, secretary and coach of the Marrickville RSL Junior Cricket Club.

Their experts assessed the bats for:

• Comfort and ease of use, including weight, balance and the handle.
• Playability: the hitting power and size of the sweet spot.
• Quality of construction.
• Overall quality and value for money.

Full report available here>>

 

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Fitness tools for young players

Nintendo has recently explored making their consoles more than just playing games. The latest software to hit the market includes tool for improving your fitness and your hand-eye co-ordination.

Wii Fit

Review: Before starting with the analysis, let's make something clear. In much the same way that buying an exercise DVD and never using it will not make you fit, buying Wii Fit and never using it will also not make you fit. Even if you do use Wii Fit regularly (and let's face it, to get your money's worth you'll have to), you won't see a miraculous transformation overnight, but you'll certainly learn a lot about your body's capabilities very quickly. However, where Wii Fit really scores over buying an exercise DVD (apart from being different every time) is that it tracks your progress.

So even if you have no predefined goals of your own, just treating it as a regular game and gunning for the unlocks and high scores on a frequent basis will have an impact on your health. If you never do any exercise you'll probably get more out of it than someone who's already fit, in terms of physical improvement, but even those who are fitness fanatics should also find a lot here that is genuinely intriguing and challenging.

More...

Official Nintendo Wii Fit Site

Sight Training

Your eyes are one of the most complex systems in the body and yet many of us simply take them for granted. We exercise our muscles and our brains, but we rarely ever consider exercising our eyes and yet just a couple of minutes a day can make a difference - and there are no monthly gym fees to pay, either!

Sight Training, created under the supervision of Dr Hisao Ishigaki, a leader in the field of visual training for athletes and professor at the Aichi Institute of Technology, is a new application for the Nintendo DS, and, like the hugely successful Brain Training, is both quick and enjoyable. With each session only lasting two to three minutes a day, even the busiest person can fit a day's training into their schedule. The Nintendo DS uses intuitive controls and a touch screen which has been designed for people of all ages and abilities to use, so you don't need to be a computer expert to get started.

When you first begin the Sight Training programme, your visual strength in five aspects will be checked through a series of exercises and from these results an 'eye age score' is given. After this, a regular personalised training programme is devised, with the aim of creating an overall balance of 'focus ability'.

Used by members of the England and South Africa rugby union squads, regular use of Sight Training can ultimately bring your eye age down to that of a 20-year-old - and who wouldn't give up a few minutes of each day to achieve that?

Official Nintendo Sight Training Site

 

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