Exercises to Improve Your Cricket Batting Skills

We are a nation enthused by cricket. Over the years, it has become a religion for us. The best thing about cricket is that anyone can enjoy the sport. Whether it is a game of gully cricket, or competitions between schools or companies, cricket is for everyone. Playing cricket requires some strength and skill so that you can enjoy the game better. There are various cricket exercises that should be a part of your fitness routine if you aspire to be a cricketer or want to be as fit as the players. In this blog, you will learn about the essential cricket batting exercises that you must make a part of your regime.

Understanding Batting Exercises and Drills

When you are engaging in any sport, muscle memory plays an important role. This means that you are so comfortable with each movement that you do not have to think before executing it. Batting drills and exercises help you perfect your form by repeating the movement several times.

The best part is that you do not need nets or a field to practice these drills. You can easily improve your batting form with regular practice at home. Here are some basic drills that you should try right away. 

Basic Batting Drills 

Find any space in your home where you are not going to knock things over or hurt yourself while performing these drills. The space that you choose should allow you to move freely and swing your bat comfortably. All you need for these drills is a cricket bat and a tennis ball. 

Driving with Top Hand Control 

1. Start with a sideways stance. Hold the bat with the front facing hand on the higher side of the handle of the cricket bat. 
2. In your other hand, hold the tennis ball and raise it up, in front of you. 
3. Drop the ball next to your feet and let it bounce twice. 
4. On the second bounce, move forward and drive the bat forward in a controlled manner. 

Driving with Bottom Hand Control 

1. Start with a sideways stance. Place only the trailing hand on the lower part of the handle of your cricket bat. You should ensure that there is enough space between the extreme bottom end of the handle and your hand. The bat must be raised slightly. 
2. Repeat the above-mentioned drill with the trailing hand. 

Double Hand Driving 

Starting with a sideways stance, combine the hand positions mentioned above and repeat the drill. Keep the bat raised up, behind you. 

Front Foot Drive 

1. Place the tennis ball under the chin and roll it down to hold it between the shoulder and the chin. 
2. Let the ball drop from under the chin and bounce twice. 
3. At the second bounce, bring the front foot forward and drive through with the bat down. Make sure the head is leveled through the movement. 

Back Foot Drive 

1. Drop the tennis ball from the wide angle as mentioned above, keeping it in line with the side on part of the body. 
2. Align yourself with the ball and step back while driving it after the second bounce. 

Hand Speed Drill 

• Strap a light weight onto the bottom of the bat with an elastic band. 
• Prepare with your batting stance, holding the weighted bat. 
• Practice your driving through the weight till you develop a good tempo. 

Resistance Band Drill 

1. You need elastic resistance bands to practice this drill. If you don’t have one, you can use any elastic band that offers enough resistance. 
2. Attach the band to a pole or any sturdy object that can take the resistance. 
3. Stand inside the ring made by the elastic band. Get into a batting stance such that there is some tension against the front knee from the band. 
4. Practice your forward drive, leaning into the elastic and pushing ahead. 

Footwork Drills 

1. You need strapped ankle weights for this drill. Make sure that the floor is not too slippery. If possible, use place mats to give you the grip that you need to carry out this drill. 
2. Strap the weight on each ankle. 
3. Arrange the mats in front of you. 
4. Stand behind the place mats in your regular batting stance. 
5. When you practice your forward drive, take turns to place the foot in front of each mat. 
6. The place mats also act as markers to help you keep the length of your stride uniform. If you do not have a mat, you can also use chalk to make the marker. 
7. Once you are comfortable with one step, try the same drill with two steps. 

Handwork Drills 

1. Place the tennis ball above the elbow and keep it locked against the body. 
2. Now, practice your forward drive. Each time you open your body to perform the drive, the tennis ball must fall away from the body. If you notice that the ball is not falling away, loosen your body slightly to get more movement and range with your shot selection. 

Benefits of Cricket Batting Exercises

Batting drills give you multiple benefits that not only improve your game but also help you enjoy the sport better: 

1. Better shot placement 
2. Improved batting timing
3. More endurance 
4. Opens up the body to improve range of movement 
5. Better arm movement 
6. Faster footwork
7. Improved overall agility 
8. Better batting power 

When practicing these drills, try to repeat each movement 50-100 times in every practice session. That way, these movements become ingrained in your muscle memory. You can choose three drills for each practice session so that you can focus on the movement entirely. 

Conclusion

One valuable tip for those who are serious about improving their batting stance and performance is to record themselves while practicing these drills. You can then play them to check if your movement is exactly the way you want it. The key to better batting is consistency. These cricket batting exercises take only about half an hour to complete. You can easily fit them into your schedule and work your way up to the best batting form possible.