1. Batting
Greg Chappell

2. Today's Discussion
- Timing
- Preparation to move
- Unweighting
- Setting up of the hands
- Body Coil
- Takeaway patterns
- Body patterns
- The Levers
- Releasing the build up
- Stopping the Forces

3. Timing A key to all sports is timing. Timing requires the matching
of the external variables with the internal response.

4. Ricky Ponting has achieved this aim. Feedback as to the
applicability of our timing is location of ball strike on the bat.

5. Graeme Pollock hit with tremendous power and as we’ll see it was his tremendous ability in setting up the hitting position that allowed this to happen.

6. In this image I’m driving the ball wide of mid-on.
Contrast the set up and requirements to Graeme’s
cover drive.

7. Sachin Tendulkar also hits with tremendous power
for a little man. Take note of the position of the bat and the body at contact point.

8. Brian Lara is another little man who can generate tremendous power
Brian Lara is another little man who can generate tremendous power. He achieves it by his wonderful setup.

9. In this image Sunil Gavaskar is directing the full ball
on his legs through mid wicket. Notice how he hits into the line of the ball.

10. Barry Richard’s appeared to just caress the ball but
it raced off his bat. The reason for this was his setup.

11. Preparation to move
Barry’s stance at the wicket was wonderfully relaxed. As the bowler approaches he narrows his field of vision to the point of release. Through his training Barry has developed this into a consistent routine.

12. The Don also displays the state of relaxed readiness.
Notice the different bat position and top hand position to Barry.

13. Mathew Hayden is ready weight on the balls of his feet,
like a boxer ready to throw a punch.

14. The knees bend in the stance to allow the back and head to assume a power position. Steve Waugh demonstrates the ideal position.

15. Unweighting
The takeaway is triggered by the top hand, allowing the bottom hand to take on the vital role as the fulcrum during the setup.

16. The wonderful head and upper body symmetry reflects the
balanced unweighting of the lower body.

17. A perfect photo of the back hand fulcrum position.
Just the thumb and first two fingers in contact with the bat

18. Steve defies what’s commonly coached. As the bat is being
setup so is the lower body and its all happening in a synchronised
patterning.

19. Graeme used a very extreme front of the handle top grip. This grip
presets the front wrist in the position so the use of the top hand is
slightly different. Compare it to the image of Adam Gilchrist.

20. Barry maintained a more upright position in his unweighting.
He relied more on the unweighting of the hitting leg to generate the
ground forces. Compare Barry to Brian Lara.

21. Setting up of the hands
Ricky Ponting shows a tremendous lever position. At times
he can get into trouble with the head leading the upper body.
Obviously the greater the variance the larger the core strength
to prevent the body falling over. In this instance it’s okay.

22. Like Graeme Pollock, Brian employs a front of the handle grip.
This sets his bat face slightly more open than Adam Gilchrists.

23. I like to call the position Brian has assumed “The Active Neutral
Position”. I think the term highlights the movement nicely.

24. Compare Adam with Brian.

25. Take note of the bat as it curls back into the fully loaded
position.

26. Note the bottom hand position.

27. Perfect illustration of the creation of the
hitting fulcrum.

28. Body Coil As the bat begins its takeaway it triggers the feet to begin
the set up for the shot. What a wonderful upper body position.

29. The leg stride triggers the rotation of the shoulder setting
up a degree of difference between the shoulder and the hip.
An extremely powerful position.

30. Sachin again sets up torque in the body. To optimise
this he keeps the weight forward.
Once the weight is significantly over the back foot
the bat will release.

31. Takeaway patterns Wonderful examples of the principle of “Unstructured
batting”. Gary Sobers and Viv Richard's optimise the set up
for the demands of the situation.

32. Loading for attack.

33. Loading for defence

34. Gary quietly pushes this one into the covers for a single

35. One of the great memories of Viv Richards batting was
his tremendous “unstructured” bat control.

36. Hitting Murray Bennett over mid-wicket

37. Recognising he needs to defend…..

38. Quietly turning Bennett around the corner for a single

39. Body Patterns
The same with the body position. Here Andy Roberts brings
the ball back into my brother Ian...

40. So Ian allows his body to open up providing room for
his bat to access the ball, and quietly pushes it down on
leg side.

41. This time the situation is different and Ian applies a different
solution to the problem….

42. This ball is shorter and wider from Michael Holding
allowing Ian to drive off the backfoot….

43. In this instance he has coiled further delaying the rotation
out. Side on vs Front on. We use both in the process of rotation.
The key is the solution definition and the timing of the rotation.

44. The Levers The body has rotated maximally for the cut and the shot
will begin once Adam plants on the back foot.

45. In this shot Brian pulls through mid wicket. Notice the
different loaded position of the bat to Adam’s.

46. No wonder this bloke could hit a ball!

47. For this shot the demands are different. The ball is full in
at Sunil’s legs. Therefore the bat loading is cut short by the
early release of the hips back into the ball allowing Sunil
the time to take the ball forward of his centre of mass.

48. This ball goes over mid wicket. See how the length and
placement of the levers set up the body for the optimised
release. Compare Mathew’s position to Adam’s for the cut.

49. Like Sunil’s, this ball is directed in towards my legs.
The key is to allow my bat access back into the ball. To do this I
maintain the integrity of the upper body out of the unweighting,
restrict the coil with my foot plant. Plant so as I don’t block the
ball off and then by bringing the weight forward and over the front leg
I can direct this ball anywhere from fine leg to mid-on.

50. What a tremendous example of the use of levers. Now it’s just
matter of letting it happen!

51. With the front foot now planted the bat is triggered to return
back into the ball.

52. Who said that movement wasn’t about synchronisation?
The key is to get the internal timing right to the external demands
presented.

53. Weight the back foot Sachin and let it happen.

54. Releasing the build-up
The weight begins back as the bat begins its descent. Everything in perfect balance.

55. I’ve planted appropriately for the requirements, my weight
forward over the front leg and my bat is beginning its descent
back into the ball.

56. Poor old cover…...

57. I know because it was me!

58. Great example of the front arm pulling the bat into line
as the hips are rotating out. The reality is you can’t control this point,
so you had better have set it up appropriately!

59. Stopping the forces
It’s a classic shot and look at the position the Don is in if he has
to run. He’s allowed the bat to unwind over the shoulder and look at
the balance.

60. The alternative to taking the bat over the shoulder in the
follow through is to bend the top elbow post hit and slow
the bat. The key is to make sure the hit is completed before
this action takes place.

61. The Result A natural easy flowing movement between mid off
and cover for 4!

62. Questions ?