In cricket when we talk about power hitting, players like Chris Gayle, Andre Russell, MS Dhoni… come to our minds. A common factor these players have is the muscle power. With the kind of muscle power these players possess it easier for them to hit the ball out of the park.
But, power hitting in cricket is not only about the muscle power the player possess. Let me back this statement by giving you some examples.
Even lean players like Hardik Pandya, Jos Buttler, Harmanpreet Kaur… can smash the ball out of the park when required. With that being said, its clear that there is something more to power hitting than just muscle power.
Before spilling the beans about the secret technique of power hitting in cricket, lets discuss the phases in power hitting.
Phases of power hitting in cricket:
- First phase is the bat lift, where the batter gets ready to strike the ball.
- Second phase is the down swing of the bat where the bat makes contact with the ball.
- Third and the final phase of power hitting is the follow through of the shot across the opposite shoulders.
Bat Lift and Down swing of the bat:
A batsman who has a high bat lift generates more power in the shot. This is because a batsman with higher bat lift will have a longer downswing.
But this does not mean a batsman should have their bat lift too high.
I’ll tell you why a batsman should neither have a bat lift which is too high nor too low.
- Batsman with a bat lift too high find themselves with no time to bring the bat down to execute the shot. Thus, a batsman might end up losing his/ her wicket by having bat lift too high.
- On the other hand if a batsman has a bat lift too low, he/ she will have no power to generate a big shot. Thus, a batsman might end up losing his/ her wicket by having bat lift too low.
This is the reason why a batsman should figure out a optimum bat lift. A perfect height of a bat lift is the one which complements the bat speed.
Now before we move on to the next top.
I have given you two reasons why a batsman should not have a bat lift too high or too low. I’ve also stated that a batsman can get out due to bat lift. But, I haven’t told you how a batsman can get out.
So, let me test your understanding of the game.
How can a batsman get out by his/ her bat lift.
Pro tip: You can also use your wrists to increase your bat lift.
Bat speed and the follow through:
Bat speed plays an important role in the down swing and the follow through phase of power hitting. Higher bat speed increases the chances for the batsman to clear the boundary.
But the bat speed alone will not help. There are various other factors that should be combined with bat speed to be a good power hitter. Few of the factors are :
- Proper batting grip,
- Judging speed and bounce of the ball,
- Middling the ball etc…
Importance of batting grip:
A batting grip should be such that a batsman can hit the ball straight down the ground, leg-side and off-side. For this to be possible a batsman should not open or close the face of the bat too much.
Opening or closing the face of the bat makes it difficult for the batsman to hit either on the off-side or leg-side.
- A batsman with a grip that opens the face of the bat, could end up slicing the ball in the air when trying to hit towards leg-side.
- A batsman with a grip that closes the face of the bat, could end up edging the ball in the air when trying to hit towards off-side.
Importance of judging the speed and bounce of the ball:
Apart from the bowlers variations in pace, it is important to understand the pace and bounce that the pitch offers.
- The ball might hold in the pitch or skid after pitching, varying the pace of the ball.
- The ball might keep low or take of from a particular length.
So it is important to understand the pitch before going for the big shots.
Importance of middle the ball?
Why do you think it is important to time or meet the ball at the middle of the bat?
Because when a ball hits the bat, the impact creates vibrations within the bat. These vibrations spreads all across the bat.
The vibration is more when the batsman mistimes a shot. This is to say, the bat vibrates more when a ball hits the handle or bottom or edges of the bat. As a result the batsman looses the grip of the bat. This in-turn hampers the shot.
But, when a batsman middles or meets the ball at the sweet spot of the bat, there is least amount of vibration across the bat. This ensures minimum to no power is lost in the shot.
Thus the importance of timing the ball.
So in short, power hitting in cricket depends on timing of the bat swing and meeting the ball near the sweet spot of the bat.
Double pendulum technique for power hitting
In cricket, double pendulum technique is the combination of all the three phases of power hitting into two phases.
- First pendulum point are the elbows: In the first phase of double pendulum technique, the elbows are extended during the down swing of the bat.
- Second pendulum point is the bottom hand: The second phase of double pendulum technique, starts after the bat makes contact with the ball. Here the bat swing (follow through) should be over the head, across the shoulder.
First phase of the double pendulum, transfers the power gained through bat lift and bat swing onto the ball. Second phase of the double pendulum, provides elevation required for the ball to travel longer distance.
Do you know any other tips for power hitting in cricket. If so do share them in the comment section.