Hit off a tee
Ready when: Bat grip and stance (b1) done.
What you are learning
Hitting a still ball off a tee: watch the ball, step the front foot toward it, swing through low and hard and follow through toward the space. Batters score safely by hitting along the ground into gaps between fielders.
Words on this card Batter, Fielder, Side-on, Front foot, Follow-through, Tee
- Batter
- The player with the bat.
- Fielder
- A player on the fielding team.
- Side-on
- Standing with the front shoulder, not the chest, toward the bowler or the target.
- Front foot
- Stepping forward toward the ball, or back toward the stumps.
- Follow-through
- The arm or bat keeps moving toward the target after the ball is let go or hit.
- Tee
- A stand that holds the ball still for the batter to hit.
Set up
A tee (stacked cones or a paper cup with a ball on top), a bat, zones for 1 and 2 runs.
Weather: dry ground
Show it first for the one teaching
- Stand side-on beside the tee in your stance.
- Watch the ball and step the front foot forward toward it.
- Swing the bat straight through, low and hard, hitting the ball along the ground.
- Follow through toward the space you aimed at.
Your part while they practise
Stand well out of the swing; retrieve and reset the ball.
Step by step
- Stance beside the tee.
- Step the front foot toward the ball.
- Swing through low and hard, eyes on the ball.
- Follow through toward the space.
- 6 hits, then swap.
How much: 6 hits, 4 rounds 8 min a session 3 days a week
Say one thing Pick one line from "What you will see" for today and say only that.
The game: Find the gap
Two fielders stand in the field; a point for each hit that passes between them along the ground.
Who plays: 2 or 3: a batter and one or two fielders; swap after 6 hits.
How to play, turn by turn
- Turns
- The fielders stand 10 m out, 5 m apart, making a gap
- The batter hits 6 balls off the tee
- A ball through the gap along the ground scores for the batter
- Fair play
- A grown-up fielder fields with one hand only.
- Points
- The batter scores 1 point for each ball through the gap along the ground; a fielder scores 1 point for each ball stopped, 2 for a catch.
- Fouls
- No point
- The ball goes up in the air
- The bat is let go of
- A fielder moves before the hit
- Winning
- The most points after everyone has batted twice.
- 4 points for 1 star
- 7 points for 2 stars
- 10 points for 3 stars
Easier or harder
A bigger ball, a lower tee.
A narrower zone, run after the hit.
What you will see, and what to say
- the child swings across the line
Swing straight
The bat comes down straight toward where the ball should go. - the head lifts early
Watch it hit the bat
Keep looking at the tee until after the hit.
Self-check
4 of 6 balls hit into the open ground.
Stop and get a coach when
The bat flies from the hands; stop and check the grip.
Fitness for this
Warm up first: how to warm up, at workonfitness.com. For strength and stretching, its exercise library shows each exercise step by step, with an easier version.
This card trains hitting, timing, placement.
awiseathlete.com/sports/cricket/cricket-b2