Friday, March 17, 2017
Beware of tennis seeping into your cricket
So I've been fortunate to be playing a fair bit of both for the past two months. I am a left-hander in cricket, and I used to feel fairly pleased with the synergies between my tennis backhand and my batting. Many of my tennis backhand strokes reek of cricket.
However, after a few mediocre outings in the nets and in cricket matches, I have realized that there are clear differences, and one should be very wary of picking up some habits from one's tennis game and bringing to cricket. Here we go:
1. All tennis backhands are classic "across the line" shots, which of course are to be shunned in cricket- play straight! A medium pace ball from over the stumps was on my 5th stump (outside off) and I was trying to flick it. I played inside the line, and was beaten, and left ashamed. And at that point, while I stood there blushing to the same red as the SG cricket ball, it struck me- that was a standard tennis backhand shot. Tennis backhand shots are by nature "across the line"- you end up fetching balls from outside your off stump and hitting it towards say midwicket.
2. Tennis backhands are only towards the (theoretical) midwicket/mid-on region; at most at times to mid-off (the down the line shots). In cricket, you have the whole square to consider.
3. In Tennis, you necessarily play away from the body. Both in forehand and backhand, you position yourself such that you get room to swing your arms. However, in cricket, you want to move your foot such that you get to the "pitch of the ball" and play close to the body.
4. In tennis, you should meet the ball early. If you meet the ball ahead of your body, it's an aggressive shot. However in cricket, you can take your time- you can play late off your backfoot- you do not always have to reach for it.
The other way round, too, there are some aspects you should not bring from cricket into tennis. This below point I learnt early on only (the above 4 are fresh ) but just putting this one here for completeness sake, maybe I'll add more later.
1. In cricket, you play your shot according to the length which the bowler gives you. If it's short, you play your backfoot shot, if it's full you drive. However, in tennis, because you have more freedom to move up and down, you have to make your length such that you hit the ball at the optimum point.
One should be wary and conscious of all of these because in principle, cricket and tennis are bat -hitting-ball kind of games, and there is a risk of these characteristics being passed on from one to the other.
However, after a few mediocre outings in the nets and in cricket matches, I have realized that there are clear differences, and one should be very wary of picking up some habits from one's tennis game and bringing to cricket. Here we go:
1. All tennis backhands are classic "across the line" shots, which of course are to be shunned in cricket- play straight! A medium pace ball from over the stumps was on my 5th stump (outside off) and I was trying to flick it. I played inside the line, and was beaten, and left ashamed. And at that point, while I stood there blushing to the same red as the SG cricket ball, it struck me- that was a standard tennis backhand shot. Tennis backhand shots are by nature "across the line"- you end up fetching balls from outside your off stump and hitting it towards say midwicket.
2. Tennis backhands are only towards the (theoretical) midwicket/mid-on region; at most at times to mid-off (the down the line shots). In cricket, you have the whole square to consider.
3. In Tennis, you necessarily play away from the body. Both in forehand and backhand, you position yourself such that you get room to swing your arms. However, in cricket, you want to move your foot such that you get to the "pitch of the ball" and play close to the body.
4. In tennis, you should meet the ball early. If you meet the ball ahead of your body, it's an aggressive shot. However in cricket, you can take your time- you can play late off your backfoot- you do not always have to reach for it.
The other way round, too, there are some aspects you should not bring from cricket into tennis. This below point I learnt early on only (the above 4 are fresh ) but just putting this one here for completeness sake, maybe I'll add more later.
1. In cricket, you play your shot according to the length which the bowler gives you. If it's short, you play your backfoot shot, if it's full you drive. However, in tennis, because you have more freedom to move up and down, you have to make your length such that you hit the ball at the optimum point.
One should be wary and conscious of all of these because in principle, cricket and tennis are bat -hitting-ball kind of games, and there is a risk of these characteristics being passed on from one to the other.
Labels: Esprit de sports
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