The ECB’s lead batting coach Graham Thorpe explains how to prepare players for the challenges ahead as they move up the ranks.
Graham Thorpe’s Blue-Ball Batting workshop featured at the 2017 ECB Coaches Association National Conference. For more information on ECB Coach Education and ECB Coaches Association visit the coaching section of the ECB website.
Level up
A batsman can only score runs in the environment they are playing in. It’s the responsibility of the coach to say: ‘OK, you’ve scored a hundred, but you’re not really being tested. Most of your runs have come through drives off the front foot. Are you really going to get that at the next level?’ I find players at lower levels haven’t faced much short, fast bowling, and the ball that really spins on them, and you must find ways to test and challenge that skill before they face it in a match.
Coming down the track
Understanding the mechanics of coming down the track can be tricky, so it can be good to build up to facing a ball delivered from 22 yards. One way to isolate foot movement is to drop a ball a few feet away from the player and have them come down and hit it on the second bounce.
Alter the environment
If you don’t have a good spinner available, you’ll have to rely on your throwing arm. You can put an old car mat down on the pitch and aim for that, or even just scatter some dirt on the pitch to provide a distraction and get some turn – just make sure you speak to the guy in charge of the nets and clean up after!
Remember
- Don’t worry about making mistakes. Playing sport is fun – and practice sessions should be too
- When honing one specific shot, isolate skills and build up to facing a bowler
