by Ben
AB de Villiers: Back Foot Drive. Gallo Images
Hi Coach, is the backward defence a good shot? I ask this question as in the last two games I have been bowled playing back. Is it the right thing to do?
Hi Ben, every shot has its place relative to the length and line of the ball and the context of the game.
I think the problem is that you got out twice to it, so it is in your consciousness. Let’s not be hypnotised by one shot, you’ve been out bowled and caught many times and you accept them as part of the game, we’ll look at the context, judgement of length and technique and see if that helps you.
Firstly, your intent is to score and get forward.
If the wicket is wet and the ball is going through the top of the wicket and taking off you would play back to then come forward, rather than visit your dentist.
The intention to score and get forward go together, this gets you into good postions and you into the off stump channel and onto the length the ball will be bowled most frequently.
When you look to get forward, if the ball is short you push back and play off the back foot.
Judgement of length:
Practice watching the ball, its simple and you’ll see in my posts how I repeat this over and over. Batters get caught up thinking about other things and forget to really watch the ball, they look for the ball which is something completely different.
See this post on … Batting Concentration
Practice watching the ball in the bowlers hand as he runs up, glue your mind to the ball so that your judgement is accurate, this leads to good stroke selection.
If the wicket has uneven bounce, then again, look to get forward, this helps for balls that don’t bounce or stay low.
Batting technique: You may have played away from your body when you were playing your back foot defence or bringing it across the line of the ball.
Drill 1 : Working with a partner or coach.
Begin by practicing shadow shots, back foot drives and defence with your blade coming though straight and the inside of your back arm brushing against your shirt, this means the hands and arms are close to the body.
Set a goal between mid on and mid off. Do the drill with a ball and hit drives as straight as you can. Then do defensive shots, dropping the ball in front of you and on either side, soft hands, don’t push at the ball.
A.B.de Villiers is the master of this, dropping the ball in the box for a single or punching off the back foot through the covers.
Practice this over a period of weeks so it grows into your game, in game time clear your mind and watch the ball every ball. Back your judgement !
See this post on keeping the mind quiet so that you can pay attention to the ball.
Best wishes Coach
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About Richard Pybus
I'm Richard Pybus, I've coached Pakistan, Bangladesh, Middlesex, Titans and the Cape Cobras in South Africa and the goal of this site is to help you to play winning cricket.