BATTING ESSENTIALS
TM
Cricket COACHING SYSTEM
HANDEDNESS ...
also known as 'hand dominance' and 'hand preference'
HANDEDNESS is also known as hand dominance or hand preference and refers to the preference most people have for using one hand over the other.
In Cricket, it is important for coaches (and players) to understand the concept of HANDEDNESS.
Regardless of which hand is dominant, players need to learn to use both hands to effectively swing the bat.
About this video
The player in this video is a right-hand dominant person and bats right-handed.
​
When relaxed, the player prefers to hold the bat in his dominant right hand. However, when preparing to train, the player holds the bat in their left hand (the non-dominant hand).
​
Through years of practice, the player has become comfortable gripping the bat with their left hand and allowing it to control the bat.
​
Also, notice how at the end of the video, the player practices a top-hand swing of the bat to reinforce top-hand control.
A knowledge of HAND DOMINANCE
A knowledge of hand dominance provides the coach with an understanding of the way players learn new skills and helps in providing explanations to a player as to why they move their body and the bat the way they do.
-
Most people are right-hand dominant (right-handed)
-
A small percentage (about 10%) of people are left-hand dominant (left-handed)
-
A very small percentage of people are ambidextrous (equal use of both right and left hands)
​
Most of us can use our right and left hands for various tasks, however (if given a choice), most of us will have a preferred hand that we use for a given task.
HAND DOMINANCE and coaching
In a coaching situation, the coach needs to realise that in almost every case, the player being coached will be more dominant (or stronger) in one hand compared to the other.
The dominant hand is the hand that the player feels most comfortable using and is also the hand they are likely to be physically stronger with. Therefore, when trying to learn new skills, such as batting in cricket, the player will tend to favour the hand that is strongest and they are most comfortable using.
What HAND DOMINANCE means when coaching beginning players ...
Beginning players are, most likely, going to setup in a manner that allows their dominant hand to control the swing of the bat and to add power to their shots.
Therefore, beginning players (generally, but not in all cases) will tend to grip the bat with their dominant hand lower on the handle (their ‘bottom’ hand to allow power and a feeling of control) while the non-dominant hand is placed above and towards the top of the handle (their 'top' hand) to provide stability to the bat.
When a bat is gripped in this way, a player is referred to as being bottom-hand dominant. The implication for coaches is to realise that players, using a bottom-hand dominant grip, have a strong tendency to swing the bat around the body (known as ‘across the line’). This is especially true for beginning players.
Establish HAND DOMINANCE early in the coaching process!
When looking to establish hand dominance in a player you are beginning to coach, ask the player questions that are relevant to them.
Example questions (in 3 parts)
Part 1 questions
The below 4 questions establish which hand the player prefers for fine motor movements (those movements requiring precision and control):
​
-
What hand do you brush your teeth with (what hand do you hold the toothbrush in)?
-
What hand do you use to write with?
-
What hand do you use a computer mouse with?
-
What hand do you hold an ice-cream cone (or some other single-handed object) with?
For most people, the answer to all of the example questions will be the same, however, some people will prefer to use one hand for fine control movements and the other hand for gross (power or strength) based movements.
HANDEDNESS discussion
IMAGE 1
%20Frame%2010-fotor-202309259429.jpg)
IMAGE 2
IMAGE 3
SUMMARY
Coaches need to be aware that understanding the hand dominance of their players gives an indication as to why the player swings the bat the way they do and provides insight into how the player learns and should be coached.
​
Generally:
-
Most right-hand dominant people will bat right-handed
-
Most left-hand dominant people will bat left-handed
It is worth noting however, that this is not always the case! If you take a look around World Cricket, there are many instances where a left-hand dominant player bats right-handed and a right-hand dominant player bats left-handed.
​
Most (beginning) players will grip the bat so that their dominant (or strongest) hand is in the bottom-hand position. Regardless of which hand is dominant, players need to be taught that:
-
batting well, relies on both hands doing their 'job' when swinging the bat;
-
players need to grip the bat correctly and practice their shots, so that both hands are taking part in swinging the bat; and
-
the top hand should control the direction of the bat swing, while the bottom-hand is there to add stability and additional power to the swing as required.