Grip the Bat Correctly
Whether you believe it or not, the way you hold the bat can strongly impact what kind of a batsman you are. When watching cricket, you may hear commentators say something such as ‘this player has a very dominant bottom hand’, which usually refers to how they grip the bat.
A great way to get your career started is with a neutral grip, often known as the V-grip, which allows us to play shots on all sides of the wicket easily. A player who has a naturally dominant bottom hand may try to play certain shots like a cover drive. When batting, we want to present the full face of the bat to the ball if we can, and many players think that the V-grip allows them to do this much more reliably.
To use the V-grip, just follow these steps:
- Place the bat face down on the floor with its handle pointing towards you.
- Put together your hands. If you are a left hander, your left hand should be above your right hand.
- Place your hands on the bat handle around halfway up and pick the bat up.
Holding the bat in this way can be considered as the only way that can help you be successful. A lot of successful batsmen have had dominant bottom hands, which means that the bottom hand grips the bat much more strongly. Paul Collingwood and Graeme Smith are two batsmen that are typical examples of this. Both of them were excellent at playing the ball through the leg-side since the strong bottom hand grip caused them to close the bat face naturally when they played shots.
As this guide may give you the most flexibility, remember that everyone is different! At the end of the day you have got to do what feels the most comfortable for you.
