Batting Lessons From A Cricket Legend

Brut India

Do you want to finesse your batting technique? There's no better teacher than the legend himself: Don Bradman. #TBT

Transcript

00:00The cover drive is a beautiful stroke to watch.

00:04My favourite shot, the pool shot.

00:07The bat should be perfectly straight when the ball is struck.

00:11To be a successful batsman you must watch the ball.

00:18Now this is an instructional film in which the greatest of all modern cricketers,

00:22comparisons with the great men of the past are never conclusive and therefore should be disregarded,

00:26shows us the batsman's essential strokes and explains them in his own words.

00:30The commentary was recorded by Don on his last tour of England,

00:33though the pictures, on which he thought he could not improve,

00:36were taken on a previous trip and were used in his book How to Play Cricket.

00:40Here he is at the mic, Don Bradman.

00:43Let us see first of all, in slow motion, a forward defensive shot.

00:48To be absolutely correct in a technical sense,

00:51the bat should be a little closer to the leg,

00:55but you will see quite clearly the fundamentals of playing straight

01:00and well forward towards the pitch of the ball.

01:03It doesn't matter much what happens after the ball is struck,

01:07but up to that stage movements are important.

01:11Keep the handle of the bat well forward, perhaps even more than in the film.

01:17Here we see a back defensive stroke.

01:21The bat should be perfectly straight when the ball is struck.

01:25Legs protect the stumps in case the ball turns too much or is deflected off the bat.

01:32The most important defensive shot in cricket.

01:36Now a series of drives.

01:38This one is the straight drive.

01:40The ball is driven back past the bowler, very close to the stumps.

01:45Have a good look at the position of the feet.

01:48The coordination of swing and balance.

01:51All drives are similar in character,

01:54but the direction of the shot varies according to the direction of the ball which is bowled.

02:00For instance, these two off drives, which you now see,

02:05would be played to a ball pitched just outside the off stump.

02:10The character of the shot is the same.

02:14It should be hit hard and along the ground just wide of the bowler.

02:22The same applies to the cover drive,

02:25but here the ball needs to be pitched some distance outside the off stump

02:31and obviously the face of the bat must be slightly turned

02:36in order to deflect the ball at an angle of some 45 degrees.

02:41The cover drive is a beautiful stroke to watch as well as being most effective.

02:47A forcing shot off the back foot may be made when the ball is short of a length.

02:54Usually it pays to try and send the ball past the on side of the stumps at the bowler's end.

03:02It is very much like a back defensive shot,

03:05only this time the ball is hit hard and the bat is allowed to follow through.

03:12The square cut is very useful when the ball is pitched short and well outside the off stump.

03:20We see it first played off the front foot,

03:24which can be used only if the ball is pitched very short,

03:29and secondly off the back foot, which is the more common.

03:34Watch carefully how the bat is rolled over by the wrists immediately after making contact with the ball,

03:42thereby ensuring that the ball will not be cut up in the air.

03:47Power is obtained mainly from the wrists,

03:51as there is little opportunity to bring the shoulders into play.

03:56Next is demonstrated the late cut.

03:59This shot can only be played to a ball well outside the off stump.

04:05The main thing is to get across and over the ball

04:10and see that the bat, when it makes contact, is almost parallel to the line of flight.

04:18The weight of the body should be kept on the right foot until after the ball has been struck.

04:25A common fault is to transfer the weight too soon.

04:29The forward leg glance is here shown.

04:33It should be made only when the ball is pitched well up,

04:37and it is good theory to try and glance the ball which is in a line with the outside of the front leg.

04:45The body is then in an excellent position for balance.

04:51A similar theory applies to the back leg glance.

04:55In this film, however, the ball was glanced off the line of the stumps,

05:00which is rather a dangerous thing to attempt in a match.

05:04Notice the pivot of the body on the back foot,

05:08and the use one can make of the area between the batting crease and the stumps.

05:14My favourite shot, the pull shot.

05:17As you will see, it can only be played when the ball is pitched short and is not rising too high.

05:25It may be in a line with the stumps or even outside the off stump.

05:31Keen eyes and concentration are needed.

05:35Tremendous power can be put into the shot by coordinating wrists, forearms, shoulders, and body swing.

05:44Watch carefully how the role of the wrists can be used to keep the ball along the ground.

05:50This is vitally important.

05:53The ball may be hit between mid arm and square leg,

05:58and when well played, the stroke will bring many runs.

06:02When the ball is pitched very short and is rising high,

06:06the hook shot may be played by getting the body inside the line of flight of the ball,

06:12and swinging at the ball as it comes roughly towards the shoulder.

06:17Because of the height of the ball, it cannot very well be kept on the ground,

06:21so care must be taken to hit it clear of any fieldsman on that side.

06:27Also, make sure to swing the body out of the line to avoid the risk of injury.

06:35Jumping out to drive a slow bowler is an attractive shot.

06:40Quick and accurate footwork is essential,

06:44for one must get right down to the pitch of the ball and make it a half volley.

06:51Practically the same thing is shown in slow motion,

06:55but this time the ball is lofted into the outfield.

07:00The rhythm of the swing is interesting,

07:03and notice that the bat is starting its upward arc before making contact with the ball.

07:09With everything you do in cricket,

07:12remember that concentration is the keynote to success,

07:16and that to be a successful batsman, you must watch the ball.

07:20I cannot emphasize these things too much.

07:24Watch the ball and concentrate.

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