Front Foot Drive
Basic Batting Drill 5 – The Front Drive
In basic batting drill 3, we looked at the forward defensive. The front drive is basically the same shot but with a follow through.
The straight drive is usually played to a full length or slightly over-pitched delivery on or outside off or leg stump. Most of the work is done by the top hand, with the bottom hand lending support, to keep the ball along the ground. Another variation of this shot is played to an over pitched ball outside the line of off stump that can be hit through cover or extra cover; this is called a cover drive.
- This is a good scoring shot and if played correctly will keep the ball along the ground.
- It is also a good shot to practise in the nets.
Try and follow the sequence and diagrams below which show you how to play the shot correctly.
Stage 1 - nicely balanced
- This is the starting position for the shot as the ball approaches.
- Notice that the batsman is on his toes, head still, weight evenly balanced with a high back lift.
