WHAT DO THE DIFFERENCES IN TECHNIQUE MEAN FOR PROFESSIONAL AND AMATUER CRICKETERS? / CONCLUSION / REFERENCES

The findings of this biomechanical analysis are echoed in studies by Taliep, Galal and Vaughan (2007), who also performed a similar study. Overall, the professional cricketer exhibits more control of the shot and a more biomechanically sound technique allowing him to perform the shot effectively and repeatedly throughout his innings. Similar studies have been conducted with similar results; the neglected aspects of these studies are the effects this more proficient technique has on a batters ability to play effectively.

What does it mean for a batter to be able to ‘play effectively’? Playing effectively not only means scoring runs for your team, but also to score runs efficiently (with as few ‘dot balls’ as possible) and to hold your wicket and disallow the opposition a chance to claim it. The physical and psychological effects on the fielding team of a batter who refuses to throw away their wicket are substantial: Bowlers will attempt to bowl quicker or better, and tire themselves out; fielders will become frustrated at their inability to contribute to the team and may be more likely to misfield as a result.

Therefore, in answer to the original question of this blog, it is safe to say that the batter’s proficiency to reliably and repeatedly perform biomechanically sound movements has an extremely high effect on their ability to play cricket effectively. The amateur player studied, Andy Matthews, clearly has a modest technique capable of allowing him to play high level county cricket in England. However compared to Ian Bell, the biomechanical deficiencies are obvious. It is fair to say that were the two players placed in the same match conditions, Bell would almost certainly perform better than Matthews thanks to his sound biomechanical technique.

REFERENCES

• Abernathy, B & Russell, D.G. (1984). Advance cue utilisation by skilled cricket batsmen. Australian Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 16 (1), pp. 2-10.
•  Blazevich, A. (2007). Sport Biomechanics: The Basics: Optimising Human Performance. London: A&C Black.
• Glazier, P., Davids, K., & Bartlett, R. (2004). Grip froce dynamics in cricket batting. In S. Bennett, K. Davids, G. Savelsbergh & J. van der Kamp, Interceptive Actions in Sport: Information and Movement (1st ed., pp. 312-327). London: Routledge.
• Gibson, A.P. & Adams, R.D. (1989). Batting stroke timing with a bowler and a bowling machine: A case study. Australian Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 21, pp.3-6.
• Hay, J.G. & Reid, J.G. (1988) Anatomy, Mechanics, and Human Motion. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.
• Khan, I. (1989). Imran Khan’s Cricket Skills. Spain: Hamlyn.
• Mann, J. (2014). How to hit the ball straight: The essential elements. Perfect Golf Swing Review. Retrieved 16 June 2014, from http://perfectgolfswingreview.net/straight.htm
• McLeod, P. (1987). Visual reaction time and high speed ball games. Perception, 16, pp. 49-59.
• Penn, M.J. & Spratford, W. (2012). Are current coaching recommendations for cricket batting technique supported by biomechanical research? Sport Biomechanics, 11 (3), pp. 311-323.
• Stretch, R.A., Buys, F., Du Toit, D.E. and Viljoen, G. (1998a). Kinematics and kinetics of the drive of the front foot in cricket batting. Journal of Sports Sciences, 16 (8), pp. 711-720.
• Stretch, R., Bartlett, R. & Davids, K. (2000). A review of batting in men’s cricket. Journal of Sports Sciences, 18 (12), pp. 931-949
• Stuelcken, M. C., Portus, M. R. and Mason, B. R. 2005. Off-side front foot drives in men's high performance cricket. Sports Biomechanics, 4(1), pp. 17–36.
• Taliep, M. S., Galal, U. & Vaughan, C. L. (2007). The position of the head and centre of mass during the front foot off-drive in skilled and less-skilled cricket batsmen. Sports Biomechanics, 6 (3), pp. 345--360.
• Videojug. (2014). How to take the correct stance. Retrieved from http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-take-the-correct-stance
• Woolmer, B., Noakes, T. and Moffett, H. (2008). Bob Woolmer's art and science of cricket. London: New Holland Publishing.

- WHAT ARE THE BIOMECHANICAL DIFFERENCES IN TECHNIQUE OF THE FRONT-FOOT DRIVE BETWEEN PROFESSIONAL AND AMATUER CRICKETERS?

Now that the essential biomechanical principles have been explained, the next step is to determine the biomechanical differences of the front-foot drive between skilled and non-skilled players, before finally analysing what the differences mean in a game situation.

There is a reason why professional cricket batters have the opportunity to represent their state or country: Simply put, they are the best at what they do. They exhibit the best set of skills capable of allowing them to compete against the world’s best bowlers. To determine exactly what these skills are, we can compare a beginner, amateur and professional cricketer to determine the biomechanical differences in their technique when playing a front foot drive.

Observe this rookie cricketer attempting to play a shot to the incoming cricket ball. Based on the previous biomechanical analysis, it is immediately obvious that this player lacks even the basic biomechanical technique required to perform any cricket shot, least of all the front foot drive. Their stance does not indicate that the player’s centre of mass is slightly forward of the midpoint of the feet; the backlift of their bat is stagnant and not one continuous movement; the forward stride is neither long enough or early enough, nor does the players head or centre of mass move forward during the attempted shot; and as there was no bat-ball contact, the follow through exhibited does not have any significance to the shot. It is clear then that this player has either never or very sparingly played cricket in the past, and much improvement is needed for them to compete in any sort of competition. The most interesting comparative points arise when analysing the front-foot drive of a club (amateur) cricket player with that of a professional, world-class cricketer.

These two videos show a front-foot drive played by Andy Matthews (a club cricketer in the Hampshire Cricket League) and Ian Bell (an English test cricketer). Upon closer review, it is possible to determine why Bell’s front-foot drive is adheres closer to the biomechanical principles of performing an effective front-foot drive.

STANCE/BACKLIFT

Matthews’ stance appears to be very straight, with the shoulders aligned with the feet, with the head in the centre of the midpoint and not forward as suggested in studies by Stretch et al. (1998). Whilst not completely visible (as the video is from a front-on angle), it is safe to assume that Bell’s stance positions his centre of mass slightly forward of the midpoint of the feet.

The backlift of both batsmen also differs. Matthews lifts the bat more in an up/down movement before initiating his shot, whilst Bell adopts a more biomechanically prudent ‘levering’ technique, suggesting that Matthews does not rotate his bottom wrist enough during the backlift (Steulcken, Portus & Mason 2005).

FORWARD STRIDE/IMPACT

The length of the forward stride in cricket varies depending on shot selection (approximately 0.68 metres for the front-foot drive (Stretch et al 2000, p.940). Matthews’ forward stride is noticeably shorter than Bell’s and therefore he does not get his head over the line of the ball, and does not get his centre of mass as close to the ball. This lack of forward movement results in Matthews having less control over the direction and timing of his shot, as evidenced by the fielders cries of “Catch!” indicating the ball has been hit in the air (this may also be due to Matthews’ bottom hand gripping the bat too hard, which results in the bat and ball being push upward). In contrast to Matthews’ shot, Bell has a significant forward stride, and moves his head (and therefore centre of mass) much closer to the ball. As a result, the ball is hit straight into the ground, stopping the possibility of Bell being caught out. Bat speed upon impact appears to be very similar between Matthews and Bell, as supported by the trials of Taliep, Galal & Vaughan, who measured bat speed upon impact of skilled and less-skilled cricketers and found similar results (2007, p.354). Bell’s front knee also bends lower than Matthews, allowing his head to get much closer to the ball itself.

FOLLOW-THROUGH

Both players exhibit a similar follow-through, observing sound biomechanical principles of not decelerating the bat or limbs too quickly to avoid interference with the ball. However as Bell moved further forward during the forward stride stage of his front-foot drive, his head position and centre of mass are significantly further forward than Matthews in the follow-through.

WHAT ARE THE KEY BIOMECHANICAL PRINCIPLES OF THE FRONT-FOOT DRIVE IN CRICKET?

As with many games involving the striking of a ball with a bat, the key for cricket batting is to have “the intercepting implement in the right place at the right time.” (Stretch, Bartlett & Davids 2000, p.933) Cricket batting in particular has been called a very perceptive action, with the batter tracking the bowler and judging their movements as they run in and deliver to help them decipher the line, pitch, and speed of the upcoming delivery (p.934). Studies have shown that even skilled cricket batters are unable to respond to changes in ball movement in the last 180-200 milliseconds of flight, suggesting that a) the inertia of the cricket bat during its downswing makes it too hard to adjust shot direction or timing after this time, and b) this is minimal amount of time needed to make adjustments to shot direction and timing (McLeod 1987, p.57). Therefore, it is important for all professional cricket batters to have a fully developed technique which provides them with maximum opportunity to respond to the movement of the ball as it is delivered.

STANCE/BACKLIFT

Stretch et al (1998) conducted a thorough examination of cricketing technique and determined (through measuring the position of the feet, knees, hips and shoulders) that when the batter took their position to face the upcoming delivery, the batter’s overall centre of mass was positioned slightly (0.08m) forward of the midpoint of the feet (see Figure 1). Having the centre of mass slightly forward allows the batsman to more quickly get into a position to play a front-foot shot (which are more commonly played in cricket) whilst still allowing time to perform a back-foot shot if necessary.

Figure 1: Batsman stance. Note how the upper body is leaning forward, moving the batsman's centre of mass forward.

 

Another feature of any cricket shot which should be noted is the backlift. Similar to a golf swing, professional cricketers do not hold the bat at the top of their backswing; rather it remains one continuous motion (see Figure 2) (Gibson & Adams, 1989). Rather than lifting the bat during the backlift, the cricketers studied had an overwhelming tendency to rotate the wrist on the bottom hand more than the wrist on their top hand, suggesting the bat is used like a lever and not simply lifted (Stuelcken et al 2005, Penn & Spratford 2012).

Figure 2: Golfswing clubhead arc. The club, similar to the cricket bat, does not stop moving during the transition from backswing to front swing (Mann, 2014)

FORWARD STRIDE/IMPACT

The overall aim of the forward stride when playing a front-foot drive is to get the batter’s centre of mass “moving optimally; horizontally forward just before impact.” (Penn & Spratford 2012, p. 316). The forward stride generally occurs 0.5s before the ball reaches the bat, to allow the batter maximum chance to gather as much information about the ball trajectory as possible before committing to a shot (Abernathy & Russell 1984, p.5). The length of the forward stride varies depending on shot selection (Stretch et al 2000, p.940). The flexion angle of the forward knee stays between 147-152° during the stride, impact and follow-through stages, helping the batter’s centre of mass stay forward and towards the ball. Cricketers also raise their back heel, further assisting this weight transfer (Woolmer et al 2008, p.126).

Figure 3: Michael Vaughan performing a front foot drive. Note the angle of front knee flexion.

The downswing of the bat occurs approximately 0.3-0.4s before the ball reaches the bat, supporting previously mentioned theory about the maximum amount of time needed to make a decision regarding shot selection (Stretch et al 2000, p.940). The downswing leading up to and including impact represent a throw-like movement of the kinetic chain, with force generated in the shoulders being transferred through the arms and wrists and onto the bat (Blazevich 2007, p.186). As the proximal segments of the arm accelerate, that acceleration is increased as it is transferred to the distal segments of the hand and cricket bat (p.187). Further studies suggest that if the elbow is extended outward further forward during the shot, the culminating velocity of the hand increases, which in turn increase bat speed and ball speed post-impact (Hay & Reid 1988).

 

The timing of the impact is the critical part of the front-foot drive, as it must be powerful enough to score runs whilst still allowing the batter to maintain control of the ball (Stretch 1998, p.717). Perfect timing of the front-foot drive results in the ball being hit just after it has passed the front foot, with the position of the head over the line of the ball, and the ball impacting “just before the bat reaches the perpendicular” (Khan 1989, p.21). The top of the bat should be ahead of the toe of the bat, suggesting that the ball should be hit towards the very end of the downswing, just after the bat has reached its peak horizontal velocity (Tyson, 1985; Stretch et al., 1998). Playing the front-foot drive during the downswing also ensure that the ball is hit into the ground to avoid being caught out (Penn & Spratford, 2012). During the downswing, the back foot moves forwards to continue the forward movement of the batter’s centre of mass, in accordance with the theory of force summation (Stretch et al., 1998). 

Studies into the grip force applied by both hands during the front-foot drive indicate that grip levels are highest 0.02s before impact; slightly reducing on impact as the horizontal velocity of the bat slows and the batter prepares for the bat-ball impact (Glazier, Bartlett & Davis 2004). Grip forces vary between the top and bottom hand, with the top hand applying more pressure before, during and after the front-foot drive (p.314).

FOLLOW THROUGH

The main goal of the follow through to the front-foot drive is for the batter to maintain balance through the shot, and not interfere with the ball and its post-impact trajectory. To accomplish this, batters must ensure that the deceleration of the bat and limbs does not occur too quickly, to prevent injury and to prevent interference with the ball after it has impacted the bat (Penn & Stratford, 2012: Stretch et al., 2000). A helpful strategy for coaches and players is to follow the ‘Number 9’ rule during shot execution and follow through, where the angle of both arms and the bat form a shape similar to a number 9 (see Figure 4) (Penn & Spratford 2012, p.319)

Figure 4: The 'Number 9' technique