Biomechanics for

Cricket
Coaching Applications
PART A
THE BASICS
It is ESSENTIAL coaches and players
understand these principles
Many people believe coaching is
about ANALYSIS
often too much analysis causes
PARALYSIS
Communication is the key K.I.S.S. principle
PARALYSIS BY ANALYSIS
BIOMECHANICS SUPPLIES THE
SIMPLICITIES AND THE WHYS
WHAT IS IT ?



BIOMECHANICS is the study of the scientific principles which
contribute to human movement

BIOMECHANICS studies the internal forces (generated by
muscles, tendons) and the external forces (gravity,
resistance) acting on a human body


WHAT IS BIOMECHANICS?
Michael Johnson
BIOMECHANICS
WHAT IS THE IDEAL IN CRICKET ?

BATTING :
To hit the ball hard (i.e. power),
where we want to (i.e. control).

BOWLING :
To bowl / spin the ball fast (power),
land it where we want (control),
with the variations we want (control).

FIELDING :
To gather the ball cleanly (control) and throw it
quickly (power) and accurately (control)

Players with sound biomechanics are able to perform
skills efficiently, with minimum fatigue or injury
INTRODUCING BIOMECHANICS
TO THE PLAYER

It is natural for
All Athletes to Aim for Achievement

Ive always done it like this
How much cricket have you played
Just fix it up
I just want to bowl faster
Why should I ?
INTRODUCING BIOMECHANICS
TO THE COACH
Coaches Coach Causes
Coaches must correct the cause not the
symptom
Coaches need to understand the:
When,
How, and
Why, of all movements
THE CENTRAL THEME OF
BIOMECHANICS
BALANCE
AND
STABILITY
POWER CONTROL
Moment of Inertia
Momentum
Lever alignment
Force summation
Momentum
Lever alignment
Force summation
BALANCE
AND
STABILITY
BIOMECHANICS - CENTRAL THEME
POWER CONTROL
provides
THE LANGUAGE OF
BIOMECHANICS
For the purposes of clear communication,
coaches must understand BALANCE and
STABILITY are interchangeable terms

to keep in equilibrium
the maintenance of equilibrium


Definitions from The Concise Oxford Dictionary
STABILITY PRINCIPLES
A body is balanced when its centre of gravity is vertically within its
base of support

Base of support
Centre of gravity outside base of support - fall over
A body loses balance when its centre of gravity is vertically outside its
base of support

STABILITY PRINCIPLES
The wider the base of support, the greater the stability
The narrower the base of support, the greater the instability
Balance can involve a fixed base (static balance),

STABILITY PRINCIPLES
or maintaining body control during movement (dynamic balance)
A body loses balance when its centre of gravity is vertically outside its
base of support
STABILITY PRINCIPLES
STABILITY - BATTING
STANCE
The line of gravity is over the centre of the feet





ALIGNMENT
The base of support is aligned with the intended generation of force

THE STEP
The LOWER the centre of gravity, the GREATER the stability






The wider the base of support, the GREATER the stability
STABILITY - BATTING

A STABLE BASE enables FULL FORCE GENERATION









The bat starts to move FORWARD only after the front FOOT has made CONTACT with
the GROUND





The legs remain BRACED to ensure maximum force generation

STABILITY


Spinners use shorter delivery stride lengths to increase height at release














Delivery strides too long - loss of height and leg collapse
STABILITY - BOWLING


Changing the line of gravity may be used to
initiate movement







Head to ball when stepping forward







Leaning forward to begin run up
STABILITY DYNAMIC BALANCE
STABILITY - FIELDING
Fielding requires a trade off between
stability required to generate the necessary forces to move to the ball,





and
instability which assists movement towards the ball (e.g. initiating
lateral movement is difficult if the fielder is too stable)
Base of support too narrow Base of support allows lateral movement
Base of support too wide Base of support too wide Balanced jump step
STABILITY - CONSEQUENCES

Balance is affected when any body part is moved away from the
centre of gravity
balance is lost, or compensation must occur
the further the bat is from the body, the harder it is to move or
control ( it controls you rather than you controlling it )

Hands away from body in the backlift
STABILITY - CONSEQUENCES

Balance is affected when any body part is moved away from the
centre of gravity
balance is lost, or compensation must occur
the further the ball is from the body, the harder it is to move or
control ( it controls you rather than you controlling it )

Ball away from body - balance and efficiency compromised
STABILITY


A stable base ensures :
the eyes are still, so perception is enhanced
there is a resistance to work the body levers against
body energy is transferred efficiently to the bat / ball

SUMMARY OF
STABILITY PRINCIPLES
1. Optimum stability occurs when the centre of gravity is centrally located over
the base of support.

2. The lower the centre of gravity, the greater the stability.

3. The wider the base of support, the greater the stability. This needs to be
kept in proportion. A base of support too great will impair vital movements.

4. Greater stability occurs when the base of support is aligned with the
oncoming force and the intended target

5. Forces can be progressively increased if the body provides a stable base of
support.

6. A stable base ensures :
the eyes are still, so perception is enhanced
there is a resistance to work the body levers against
body energy is transferred efficiently to the bat / ball

7. Moving any body part outside of the base of support affects balance
PART B
EXTENSIONS
These principles have a more scientific origin. Coaches should have a
basic understanding of how they impact on cricket performance
OTHER PRINCIPLES OF
BIOMECHANICS

MOMENT OF INERTIA
MOMENTUM
LEVER ALIGNMENT
FORCE SUMMATION
INERTIA

INERTIA is the tendency of a body to maintain its
present state of motion
if a body is stationary, it will remain that way unless
acted on by an outside force.
if a body is moving it will tend to keep moving, unless
acted on by an outside force.

The greater a bodys MASS, the greater its INERTIA

In cricket, the player must overcome the inertia of the
bat or ball to generate bat or ball speed
In other words the player must be able to control
the movement of the bat or ball

LEVERAGE - MOMENT OF INERTIA
EASE OF TURNING
MOMENT OF INERTIA is the tendency of a body to maintain its present state of
angular motion (ROTATION)
In angular motion, the ability of an object to turn depends not only on its mass, but
on how far this mass is distributed from the axis of rotation

Moment of Inertia = Mass x Radius
2

I = mr
2

The greater the moment of inertia, the harder it is to start moving

radius is smaller
- easier to turn
radius is larger
- harder to turn

LEVERS play an important role in movement by maximizing speed and/or force
of movement





The muscles, tendons and bones of the body work together as levers







LEVERAGE - MOMENT OF INERTIA
LEVERAGE - MOMENT OF INERTIA
It is easier to move a short lever than a long lever of the same mass
SHORTER levers can be used to increase SPEED with less effort
This is why the BAT should be in CLOSE to the body so that it is easier to swing with POWER and CONTROL
LEVERAGE - MOMENT OF INERTIA
It is easier to move a short lever than a long lever of the same mass
SHORTER levers can be used to increase SPEED with less effort
This is why BOWLERS should fold their arms and front leg in CLOSE to their body to optimise their
STABILITY to deliver the ball with POWER and CONTROL
MOMENTUM

MOMENTUM = Mass x Velocity (Speed)
M = mv




The greater the mass, the greater the momentum

The greater the velocity, the greater the momentum

Compare tennis ball to shot put, toy car to motor car

IMPULSE


IMPULSE = CHANGE IN MOMENTUM
F.t = mv
2
- mv
1



The aim in cricket is to maximize the change in momentum of the bat or ball

This achieved by increasing the forces and/or increasing the time the forces act
IMPULSE
Increasing the TIME over which a constant force operates increases the
IMPULSE (change in momentum)







Batters should take a FULL STEP to increase stability and flatten the downswing arc








The LEAN BACK position for side on bowlers increases the TIME over which the forces may
be generated

IMPULSE

IMPULSE = CHANGE IN MOMENTUM









SOFT HANDS

By increasing the length of catch, the time increases, so the force is
reduced

IMPULSE
Flattening the arc of the downswing increases speed and control













The wrists move FORWARD during the impact phase




IMPULSE - SUMMARY
ABSORBING FORCES
To reduce the impact of a catch or
To absorb the forces of the follow through (batting
and bowling)
a player can increase the

TIME to absorb force
RANGE of movement to absorb force
AREA to absorb force
MASS to absorb force
LEVER ALIGNMENT - BATTING
It is important to align the body levers with the oncoming ball to ensure the
maintenance of vertical bat swing that allows the player to hit the ball with
POWER and CONTROL





Shoulders should be rotated slightly FORWARD by the TOP of the backswing






The front elbow sets the line for the arm levers extend arms towards the target

LEVER ALIGNMENT - BOWLING
It is important to keep all body levers moving in the line of the target to ensure
a balanced delivery and efficient generation of POWER and CONTROL













Poor lever alignment produces inconsistent performances
LEVER ALIGNMENT - SUMMARY
Keep all body levers moving along the target line to
maximise POWER and CONTROL
Batting
step at target
rotate shoulders in direction of target
align front elbow with target
Bowling
pump elbows down target line in run up
keep ball in close to body plane
drag front elbow down target line
rotate shoulders vertically towards target
Direct the energy / core of the body at the target
FORCE SUMMATION - BATTING
Large muscles move FIRST, then STABILIZE so that the NEXT SMALLER
muscle group is able to ACCELERATE, therefore ADDING SPEED to the BAT
as it gets closer to impact.
FORCE SUMMATION
BATTING (example)
THE 6 Ss of BATTING
SET UP
head over feet, hands in close
levers lined up, shoulders slightly open
STEP
move the body mass towards the impact point
STOP or STABILISE
firm up the base and use as a secure anchor / pivot point
SWING
rotate the shoulders into the ball, maintain 9
SHOULDERS
concentrate on the shoulders and the arms will follow
STRAIGHT
step, backswing, downswing, and bat all move straight to impact
point
FORCE SUMMATION - BOWLING
LARGE muscles move FIRST, then STABILIZE so that the NEXT SMALLER
muscle group is able to ACCELERATE therefore ADDING SPEED to the BALL
as it gets closer to release







Legs absorb, then lock, then front elbow cracks the whip
LOCK UP
CRACK THE WHIP
FORCE SUMMATION - BOWLING
FORCE SUMMATION - SUMMARY

Use large body parts to commence movement, then lock them
to accelerate smaller body parts sequentially

Batting
Release bottom hand by top of backlift
Complete step before starting downswing
Brace knees during downswing
Keep feet still during downswing hips must uncoil off a stable
base
Rotate shoulders, arms and bat down to impact in the same plane
Wrists unlock when shoulders slow down and stabilise
Everything starts from the ground, through the base, through the body
core, then through the arms
Use large body parts to commence movement, then lock them
to accelerate smaller body parts sequentially

Bowling
Foot imprint in line with the target
Head steady with eyes level
Arms rotate close to body and in line with the target
Knees absorb impact then stabilise
Front elbow locks as bowling arm reaches the horizontal
Arms and shoulders rotate as vertically as possible
Everything starts from the ground, through the base, through the body
core, then through the arms
FORCE SUMMATION - SUMMARY
SUMMARY
THE BOTTOM LINE

OPTIMIZES PERFORMANCE

PREVENTS INJURY

B
I
O
M
E
C
H
A
N
I
C
S
HELPS ATHLETES
UNDERSTAND WHY

PROVIDES PRINCIPLES

PROVIDES SYSTEMATIC
BASIS FOR PROBLEM
SOLVING


B
I
O
M
E
C
H
A
N
I
C
S
PRODUCES MORE
EFFECTIVE
PLAYERS
EXPLAINS WHY

ELIMINATES GUESSWORK

IS MORE EFFICIENT

FOCUSES ON BASICS


B
I
O
M
E
C
H
A
N
I
C
S
PRODUCES MORE
EFFICIENT
PLAYERS
SIMPLIFIES

IS CONSISTENT

PRIORITIZES

ALLOWS INDIVIDUALITY

B
I
O
M
E
C
H
A
N
I
C
S
PRODUCES
CONSISTENT
PERFORMANCES

BIOMECHANICS

DETERMINES
PRODUCES
GOVERNS
CONTROLS
TECHNIQUE
&
SKILL

CONSISTENT PLAYER
PERFORMANCE
TEACHING
METHOD
COACHING
METHOD
THE K.I.S.S. PRINCIPLE
Biomechanics helps to
KEEP
IT
SUPER
SIMPLE