Improving grip

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swghayward79

swghayward79

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Improving grip

Not sure if this anygood in here or not but anyway:

Is there anyway of improving my grip and hand strength overall? I've tried the hand squeezing things but am not sure if they are any good? I think I have week wrists and really want to strengthen them a little, to help my batting more than anything.

Thanks!
 
Re: Improving grip

Power squeezers are good for hand strength; good for certain types bowling.

Most batsmen under perform because of too tight a grip!

What makes you think you have weak wrists?
 
Re: Improving grip

I'm not pouring scorn on anything but can you really have weak wrists? A weak grip I can understand but wrists seem a little strange to me.

Are you sure it's not anything else?
 
Re: Improving grip

Unfortunately, weak wrists are not uncommon, especially if an individual has dyspraxia. In my experience, this is an advantage in batting. The trick is learning how to utilise this special quality!
 
Re: Improving grip

i think i have weak wrists. they start to pain after a batting for a wihle. i use a heavy bat too so that doesnt help.
 
Re: Improving grip

If you get pain in the wrists after batting for a while, it may be due to the heavy bat rather than weak wrists. Either get a lighter bat or build up the muscles in the forarm; resistance work to increase bone density in this area will help too.
 
Re: Improving grip

Liz Ward said:
Unfortunately, weak wrists are not uncommon, especially if an individual has dyspraxia. In my experience, this is an advantage in batting. The trick is learning how to utilise this special quality!
Click to expand...

I understand now, was just being a bit thick yesterday!

For the rob guy, as Liz said, get a lighter bat, it'll help you no end, not just in the wrist region.
 
Re: Improving grip

Liz Ward said:
Power squeezers are good for hand strength; good for certain types bowling.

Most batsmen under perform because of too tight a grip!

What makes you think you have weak wrists?
Click to expand...

I find it hard to do a few things that involve grip or wrist strength, for example opening jars.

I don't think I have dyspraxia though.

Would one of those powerball things be any good for me?
 
Re: Improving grip

How about a pen:

Can you hold it tight?

How long can you write for before the aches set in?

Is the writing clear and legible for say a full A4 page?
 
Re: Improving grip

Theres a page of hand / wrist exercises in Novembers Mens Health, they're geared towards getting a good grip for weights but I don't see why they can't crossover to cricket :confused:.
 
Re: Improving grip

rob84 said:
i think i have weak wrists. they start to pain after a batting for a wihle. i use a heavy bat too so that doesnt help.
Click to expand...

A few tips from me:
-Use a lighter bat
-Strengthen the forearms
-Check that your batlift involves the forearms, not just a raising of the wrists.
 
Re: Improving grip

Liz Ward said:
How about a pen:

Can you hold it tight?

How long can you write for before the aches set in?

Is the writing clear and legible for say a full A4 page?
Click to expand...

I can hold a pen but struggle about half way down a page of A4, the ache sets a little bit before that, have to have a break just after the half way mark.
 
Re: Improving grip

It does sound as though you have weak wrists but this should make your batting more fluid; unless they are so weak that you let go :)

A powerball would be good for you; allowing improvements in muscle activity around the fingers, hand, wrist and elbow. At the same time the upper arm and shoulder girdle muscles support the elbow in one position. By changing the position and angle of your elbow, you activate the shoulder girdle and rotator cuff muscles. Different muscle groups can be exercised depending on the position of the arm in relation to the rest of the body.

If you decide to try one, please come back and let us know how you progress with it.
 
Re: Improving grip

I can recommend the powerball, very good for wrist strength and if you follow the intructions you can work on a few other muscles in the arm as well.
 
Re: Improving grip

thanks for the advice. i feel comfortable holding the bat but just that some strokes through the leg side cause pain in my wrists. im pretty used to playing with a heavy bat so a lighter bat will take some time to get used to.
 
Re: Improving grip

Rob, if you like your bat, weight it for practice. Put a couple of wrist or ankle weights around the blade; one in the centre and one at the bottom.

I know this sounds weird; making a heavy bat heavier but it is a form of functional weight training. It will add resistance to the batting muscles and you should notice the difference when you take the weights off for a match!!

Try it and let me know how you get on.
 
Re: Improving grip

Liz Ward said:
It does sound as though you have weak wrists but this should make your batting more fluid; unless they are so weak that you let go :)

A powerball would be good for you; allowing improvements in muscle activity around the fingers, hand, wrist and elbow. At the same time the upper arm and shoulder girdle muscles support the elbow in one position. By changing the position and angle of your elbow, you activate the shoulder girdle and rotator cuff muscles. Different muscle groups can be exercised depending on the position of the arm in relation to the rest of the body.

If you decide to try one, please come back and let us know how you progress with it.
Click to expand...

Thanks Liz, really appreciate your help. Felt a bit stupid posting this topic at first.

I'm going to get a powerball and see if that helps. I might also try the drill you give the other guy on here, but with some very light weight added.
 
Re: Improving grip

No worries Samuel. I am really pleased you posted this question as the problem is not uncommon.

Bear in mind though that you can strengthen what you have and it will make a difference but your wrists will always be 'loose'. I do not think the problem is with your muscles but your joints. However, strengthening your muscles will help stabilise the joints.

On the plus side, your wrists are custom designed for spin bowling and you should be able to switch Off to Leg to Off with the greatest of ease. :D
 
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