Tony Shillinglaw has spent a large part of his life researching just how Bradman scored so many more runs, and at a dramatically higher average, than any other batsman in the history of the game. It’s still not too late to make full use of his legacy… here’s the fascinating tale of Don Bradman’s technique.
In researching Bradman over the years, Tony Shillinglaw became increasingly bemused as to why the Don’s batting methods went almost undiscussed. Everybody accepted that the Don’s success was down to a combination of mental and physical factors but tended to leave it there, believing him to be a one-off, a freak, whose genius we would never see the like of again.
Shillinglaw says: “All great batsmen must have enjoyed varying combinations of mental and physical strengths. It is difficult to see how they could have attained their status without. But I could not accept that Bradman could be so advanced in this area that this alone could explain his huge statistical superiority.”
When Shillinglaw found that the 5ft 8in, relatively slight Bradman’s eyesight was below average and that he was prone to illness, he knew he needed to focus on the method Bradman used to score his runs and to see what secrets that held.
“Bradman was no superman. He had none of the attributes we often associate with elite athletes,” he said. “Where he was so different from everyone else was in his style and approach. Technically, from the moment he adopted his closed-face grip and stance, and commenced lifting the bat, it was self-evident the batting mechanism would differ from the orthodox. After years of research, I have concluded that his method, which evolved from his boyhood game using a golf ball and stump, should be accepted and made available for the benefit of future generations of batsmen.”
When Dick Fosbury pushed forward the barriers of high jumping with his now universally followed Fosbury Flop, he made a telling statement: “My mind wanted me to get over the bar and intuitively it figured out what was the most efficient way.” In the same way, Bradman’s instincts led him to discover ‘rotation’ as a means of playing and enjoying his imaginary Test matches in a way similar to learning to walk and run.
Having adapted this skill to ‘proper’ cricket, it appears nature itself had unwittingly provided Bradman with the most effective formula yet devised for scoring runs and he immediately proceeded and continued to do so in relentless fashion. Shillinglaw cites Greg Chappell as the man who has put it best: “The brain is a better cricketer than you will ever be.”
