As we continue our series on ways to improve your cricket net practice, this week’s article will talk you through some basic tips on how to manage the ball when it comes out of the bat.
Many young players struggle with this concept as it goes against what they have been taught in school or via online tutorials. When a ball is hit towards them, most people try to run away from it or deflect it using their hands or body.
This isn’t ideal as you want to learn how to deal with the balls that come into your area, not avoid them!
By instead playing forward, rolling over and/or picking up the ball yourself, you can prevent too much damage being done by getting a good enough running start before hitting it. This also helps develop your skills more quickly as you have to work harder to get the same result!
There are three main types of shots that require different strategies for timing and execution
The first is an off-cut shot which happens when the batsman wants the ball to go right to left (e.g.
Learn to use the whole field
When practicing your net shots, you should not just focus on how quickly you can get the ball through the nets, but also what kind of shot you are trying to do.
Some easy ways to improve your net practice is by learning how to hit drops from beyond the boundary or hitting pull-flowers with a one-ball run up.
You can even try taking some time to learn how to play a certain shot in the middle before moving onto more difficult ones!
There are many resources available online that can help you achieve this. You may want to take a look at them to see which ones seem most helpful to you.
Warm up properly
Before you start any kind of net practice, you must make sure that your body is warm. This will help increase your hand’s dexterity, as well as reduce muscle tension.
You can do this by either exercising outside or in an indoor facility with natural sunlight. If neither are available, using a swimming pool or hot bathtub will work!
By being warm, you will also feel more relaxed, which makes it easier to focus. When practicing your strokes, try doing them at night when there is less noise around you.
And lastly, make sure your feet are warm before standing next to the net.
Practice batting techniques
When practicing your batting, you should focus more on technique than power. Power is already included in your game, so there’s no need to stress that out!
Power can be trained, though, so as you practice your batting skills make sure to work on developing strength in your shots too.
Practice swinging with good rhythm and using full swings of the arms, chest and legs. Try hitting through the ball or with different types of balls (curveballs, fast balls, etc.).
Don’t worry about how many times you hit the ball into the ground or if it goes very high – those things are natural for some players. Rather concentrate on timing, balance, and consistency when you play cricket.
Once you have mastered the basics, you can move onto higher levels of net practice.
Focus on your batting technique
When practicing your net play, you should be aware of two main things: how to position yourself as a batsman and what kind of shot you want to run.
The first thing is positioning as a batsman. As mentioned before, knowing where the ball will go after it’s hit can help you decide whether or not to jump over the fence and try to catch it. This knowledge also helps determine if you need to back up or forward in order to get enough space to attempt a diving catch.
Your feet must always remain firm on the ground when approaching the pitch. If they are not, then you may lose balance and stumble!
Practice different types of shots and see how well you are able to time your jumps according to each one.
Play with a partner
While practicing your net shots, you should have a partner waiting for you at the other end of the net. This will give you more practice timing your shot as well as knowing when it is time to run away!
Net practice can also be done in an informal setting where no rules apply. For example, your partners may not want you to hit them low hard balls or drop shots that are beyond their reach. So, make sure to evaluate these situations accordingly.
But what if they do? You must know how to defend yourself!
There are many different styles of cricket nets, so find one close to you and join its club! Most clubs organize open practices once a week which allows anyone to come watch and participate. Some even let people form new groups to learn how to play better together!
In addition to learning how to play cricket, these types of settings offer opportunities to meet like-minded individuals.
Practice batting with a ball
When practicing your net play, there is something that has been left out of this article thus far. That is why you should be practicing batting with a tennis ball or beachball.
Practice hitting soft-bounce shots by yourself and see how quickly you can get tired!
This will also help you develop your skills more efficiently as you’ll have less constraints on what types of balls you can use in real games.
You can learn some great tips from professional cricketers who enjoy powerful shot types such as drop batsmen, reverse swingers, yorker pullers, and so on.
Practice batting with friends
When you are just starting out as a cricket player, practicing your net bowling is very important! But, practicing batting against a wall or practice nets that have no balls in them is pretty useless.
Practicing with batsmen of your own level is an excellent way to improve your game. You can be really hard to hit when you’re only going up against padded walls!
Practice batting with different types of players — men and women, young and old, professional and amateur. Find a balance of levels so you can get the most out of your training.
Friends who know little about cricket will help you hone your skills by pointing out mistakes and giving helpful tips. It may even inspire you to learn more about the sport!
This article will talk you through some ways to find new teammates and how to teach them what you know while they try to teach you something new.
Learn to keep your composure
When you are batting, there will be times when the ball does not hit the bat hard or goes in very fast. These are normal situations that happen every cricket player experiences at some level.
But for advanced players, these things can become setbacks. They may feel discouraged because they did their best effort and it didn’t work out.
If this happens, don’t get angry or stressed out. You must learn how to contain yourself and remain calm.
This is an important skill to have as a cricketer. If you lose your temper, you could hurt someone else by throwing the ball or punching a wall! Or even worse, you could injure yourself.
It takes a lot of discipline to stay calm under stress, but it is a key part of being a successful cricketer.
