by Yaseen
(Hyderabad, India)
Hashim Amla: Master of Mental Toughness
Hi Coach, how do I keep my mind quiet while I am batting, like Hashim Amla?
Regards Yaseen
Hi Yaseen, when I was coaching Bangladesh recently I said to Tamim Iqbal that I thought that Hashim Amla was mentally the toughest batsman in world cricket at the moment.
What did I mean by the term ‘mentally tough’ ?
‘Mental Toughness’ is about being able to manage your focus, regardless of distraction, so that you can perform your skills to achieve your goals.
My reason for sharing this with Tamim was to highlight a couple of key points about managing your mind while you are batting. If you can’t manage your mind, it will wander, it’s what minds do. If you can’t control your focus then you won’t be able to score runs, it’s as simple as that.
So mind management is essential to being able to score runs and Hashim Amla is the master.
There is no aggression or mind games when Hashim bats, no strutting, posturing, no verbals with the bowler or ego batting, trying to show off or dominate a bowler.
Hashim quietly goes about his work, silently and ruthlessly, it is a delight to watch, his work is an exercise in simplicity.
So what are the key steps in Hashim’s batting formula?
1. Goals: Hashim has goals, he knows what he wants and how he is going to do it. The structure to this is strategy.
The obvious goal in batting is to score runs, alot of them! 50’s, 100’s, BEEG 100’s !
Every batter wants to do this, but they don’t always turn that intent into a plan and then manage it.
1. Game Plan: Work out your game plan and practice it in the nets.
Write down how you are going to work through each phase of your innings, it will make you apply your mind and think about what you want to make happen in the middle. You are designing your innings.
Key Stages: Getting In – Establishing Your Innings – Consolidating Your Innings – Accelerating Your Innings.
Strike Rotation: How you are going to rotate strike so that you can keep your innings moving forwards whilst the opposition bowls well.
Boundary Options: Working on Driving, Cutting and Pulling so that you have options off front and back foot to put away bad balls from the bowler, when they get their line and length wrong. Play to your strengths.
Keep it simple, the subconscious mind wants simplicity and direction. Its as simple as watch the ball, hit the ball, repeat.
2. Practice: Use training opportunities in the nets to work on what you want to make happen in game time.
If you don’t have a specific game plan for practice that replicates your game plan in the middle, you are not training anything other than having a bit of fun.
I worked as a consultant coach at the Dolpins where Hashim plays, Graham Ford the coach at the time told me that Hashim worked longer and harder than any of the other batters. Constantly working to improve his game, not dreaming about it, but doing it.
3. Managing your mind while you bat.
More time batting in the middle is spent waiting for the bowler to bowl than it is facing the bowler or hitting the ball.
Managing this time between balls is a key part of batting and this is where Hashim and Jacque Kallis are so exceptional.
They are the masters of keeping their minds quiet between balls, literally switching them off to recharge the battery, to then switch the focus back on when the bowler gets back to the top of his mark.
How do they do it?
Practice managing your focus in training, so that it runs on automatic in game time. Between balls in practice: At both the strikers end and at the non strikers end.
Build a batting routine between balls that rests the mind so you can switch it back on when you need to.
Focus on your breathing, your positive self talk, relaxing your body and quietening your mind to manage your mental energy effectively.
Use these techniques to create your routine, switching your focus on and off between balls.
Go onto youtube and look for clips of Hashim batting, study his pre-shot routine, you can copy this and build it into your game. It will work for you too.
Best Wishes Coach
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.