Back-foot shots, pull and cut
Ready when: Front-foot drive and defence (i1) done.
What you are learning
Shots to a short ball that bounces higher: the pull (a waist-high ball hit down to the leg side), the cut (a short ball wide of the stumps hit down on the off side) and the back-foot defence. Move back and across, head steady.
Words on this card Stumps, Batter, Over, Off side, Front foot, Defence, Pull shot, Cut shot, Length, Tee
- Stumps
- The three upright sticks at each end, with two small bails on top. A bucket can stand in for them.
- Batter
- The player with the bat.
- Over
- Six balls bowled by one bowler.
- Off side
- The two halves of the field. For a right-handed batter the off side is to the right of the bowler's view, the side the batter faces; the leg side is behind the batter's legs.
- Front foot
- Stepping forward toward the ball, or back toward the stumps.
- Defence
- A shot that just stops the ball, with soft hands, so it drops in front of the batter.
- Pull shot
- A back-foot shot to a waist-high ball, hit down to the leg side.
- Cut shot
- A back-foot shot to a short ball wide of the stumps, hit down on the off side.
- Length
- Where the ball bounces. A good length is hard for the batter to judge; a short ball bounces early and high.
- Tee
- A stand that holds the ball still for the batter to hit.
Set up
A tee on top of a single stump at waist height; a tennis ball for bounced feeds; cones for gates.
Weather: dry ground
Show it first for the one teaching
- The pull, off the high tee: step the back foot back and across, turn the shoulders and hit the ball down to the leg side with the arms reaching out.
- The cut, to a short ball wide on the off side: back foot across, front shoulder turning toward the off side, bat flat, hands high, hit down.
- Back-foot defence: step back, bat straight, the arms making the shape of a "9", and play the ball down into the ground.
Your part while they practise
Feed short of a length, never at the body.
Step by step
- The pull off the high tee: back foot back and across, head steady, arms out, shoulders turn, hit down to the leg side.
- The cut to a short bounced ball wide of the stumps: back foot across, hit down on the off side.
- Back-foot defence: the ball played down into the ground.
- 6 of each.
How much: 6 of each shot, 3 rounds 15 min a session 2 days a week
Say one thing Pick one line from "What you will see" for today and say only that.
The game: Wall shots
Pull and cut the ball into a wall; a point for each hit that reaches the wall low.
Who plays: a batter and a feeder; swap after 12 balls.
How to play, turn by turn
- Turns
- The batter stands 5 m from a wall, with the wall on the leg side, for pulls
- The feeder bounces 6 short balls; the batter pulls them into the wall
- The batter turns so the wall is on the off side, and cuts 6 more
- Fair play
- A grown-up batter uses a narrow bat or a stump.
- Points
- 1 point for each ball that reaches the wall below waist height.
- Fouls
- No point
- The ball goes up above head height
- The batter backs away from the ball
- A feed at the body gives the batter a point
- Winning
- More points after 12 balls each.
- 4 points for 1 star
- 7 points for 2 stars
- 10 points for 3 stars
Easier or harder
A tee at hip height.
A faster feed, a target zone.
What you will see, and what to say
- the child backs away
Move toward the ball
The back foot goes back and across, toward the line of the ball. - the head falls away
Keep the head over the ball
Still head, eyes level.
Self-check
6 of 10 balls hit along the ground in the right zone.
Stop and get a coach when
A ball hits the body hard; use a softer ball.
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 back-foot shots, judgement.
awiseathlete.com/sports/cricket/cricket-i2