Wicketkeeping extras

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blueballs

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Wicketkeeping extras

Hey all

Our wicket keeper has left us for overseas travels, and it looks like I'm in the position of having to keep this season. I've never done it, but I'm a regular slip and can catch - don't think that run-of-the-mill catching will be much of an issue.

Which brings me to my main concern. I've read a lot and watched online videos where possible, but they all seem to cover just the "behind the stumps" stuff.

What else is there I should be thinking about - after the ball has been played? Obviously you have to get up to the stumps to take the return from the field, but do you just run full tilt up there? If it's a short throw from the field and you're not going to be there in time, do you run around and back up first, or assume the fielder is going to throw at you and not the stumps?

For the outfield throws, what's the theory on the "undeliberate" bouncing throw that's going to be awkward? Is going forwards and taking on the full better than going back a bit and not having to turn to potentially throw at the stumps?

Anyway, I'm sure there's lots of additional stuff that you don't see in standard keeping articles online. Bit frustrating really.

Help me out.
 
Re: Wicketkeeping extras

Alot of the fielding will be instinct, for throws in from the field use your common sense. If no run-out is on, best try to get it on the full, but if there is a chance of a run-out, try and let the ball come to your beside the stumps, but of course if its wild your cant do that. Most important is you dont let it get past you, use ur gloves, pads, box anything you can to avoid overthrows.

For a quick throw from say cover, mid-off, mid-on etc if they are throwing for a run-out back the stumps up, otherwise the fielder should be aiming at you, not the stumps.

As for getting to the stumps after each delivery, there are times when you have to go bull-at-a-gate, but most times you wont, dont forget you may have to do this for 95overs in a day so dont blow your wad in 15.

You say your a slipper, so catching should be ok, just dont snatch at the ball, always wait for it to come to you.

The keeper is the leader of the field, so you have to keep everyone 'up and going', lots of chatter and back up your bowler - good luck mate.
 
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Thanks for the reply. Having played for quite a while, this change of direction, to me, is more about that first thought that crosses your mind after the ball's been hit - as a regular fielder, it's either coming to you, or you're covering someone else or backing up - i would imagine that one or two of those don't apply to the keeper, and there's one or two new concepts that do.

Ducks fly together;271109 said:
Dont forget you may have to do this for 95overs in a day so dont blow your wad in 15.
Click to expand...

I liked this line, I'll remember it.
 
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I am a huge believer in 'teams'. If you and your 10 fellow cricketers play as a team, you cannot go wrong.

No two wicket keepers are the same, just as no two bowlers/batsmen are. You will find your style very quickly.. its survival ;)

Whatever your style, your 'team' must know what to expect so talk to them... a lot! Let them know where you are likely to be and back this up on the field by being vocal... but not too much. Too much noise from the wicket keeper desensitises the fielders' ears. The best teams are not necessarily the ones with the best batsman or bowler. Quite often it is the one with the fastest field. If a fielder can throw the ball in without looking to see where the wicket keeper is, seconds can be cut... stumped... result :)
 
Re: Wicketkeeping extras

Liz Ward;271189 said:
I am a huge believer in 'teams'. If you and your 10 fellow cricketers play as a team, you cannot go wrong.
:)
Click to expand...

i actually had some thoughts on this before i cut it out for my last reply... sort of understanding the "leader of the fielding" role.

basically i can appreciate more now (not having done it, just thinking about it) how much influence the keeper can have on the fielding effort - our (departed) keeper wasn't really the academic, let's solve this problem of your guys' sh!t throws, type of guy. i think there is a large scope for someone in that position to give helpful pointers and encouragement to guys regarding how to get the ball back in fast and in a convenient way to the keeper so as to be most effective. But that just wasn't happening.

Not to say that we aren't a team's team, we are *great* in the verbal support aspect, we just need more constructiveness.

But that's a bit off-topic, as I say we have a history of feel-good spirit.

More instinctual concepts is what I'm trying to find. Who should be making the "Keepers!" or "Bowlers!" calls to an outfielder? The wicketkeeper, or someone more lateral and less focussed on their job, the ball not having gone to them?
 
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'Instinct' is the key. I am not a great believer in 'thinking' whilst in the field. By the time you get there, you and the whole team should 'know' what to do. This all comes back to training. I wish more cricketers got out of the nets and spent more time in match situation drills.

To be 'good', you all need to be working as if in a military operation and this only comes with training, training, training. You have to have a map in your head of where you and everybody else is. Proprioception and spatial awareness are not given enough time during training. A fielder should be able to gather a ball and, without looking, throw it as they are turning/standing and know that the wicket keeper is there and they have given him/her a fighting chance of collecting the ball close enough to the stumps to get a result.

I have to say, I don't like players making decisions for other players. Each player must take the responsibility for themselves; the thrower for the throw and the wicket keeper for the catch/stump. If either get it wrong, learn from it and don't do it again. This, of course, is different to 'team' decisions, which should always be the Captain's responsibility.
 
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I don't want to go too off-topic, I've been playing for quite a few years and don't want to get into wider fielding debates, but I'm struggling with reconciling being a "team", with everyone being responsible for their own decision without input from others. I'm of the opinion that more information can do no harm to a person with a decision to make. If a team-mate can provide better information, all the better.

So, I'll keep asking questions on "non-behind-the-stumps wicketkeeping" skills as I think of them :

Q: how much different is batting first then keeping different from keeping then batting? i.e. does your keeping suffer from batting all day, more than your batting suffers from keeping all day?
 
Re: Wicketkeeping extras

hey mate
i reckon, the easiest thing is to make it easy for you
as the guy before sed, dont be spent in 15 overs, if there is no run out opp. or the guy doesnt seem to be moving out oo much, just jog half way and call for it, if he is moving around, run in quicker, and get to the stumps.
and for the ball that will fall short, its about judgement, if u reckon u have a chance of getting there, get there on the half volley or just on the full, if not, push back and let it bounce.
my main thing is that premeditate things, if u see the ball moving down leg, move with it, dont leave it til the ball passes the batsmen to have to dive for it, it will make ur life a hell of a lot easier, especially that u wont have to dive
be confident and upbeat, always talking, lifts the fielders confidence and urs also.
be smart, if the batsmen is batting out of the crease and u have a reliable bowler bowling good lines, come up for a ball, c what he does, move back a few balls later.
if he has to keep moving back nd forth from his crease, he wont be settled, mucks him up a bit.
and soft hands, cradle the ball in besides ur hip, just like in the slips, but dont stand too far back, wanna make it easy for urself and take it around the hips
but otherthen that, enjoy urself
 
Re: Wicketkeeping extras

blueballs;271208 said:
...but I'm struggling with reconciling being a "team", with everyone being responsible for their own decision without input from others. I'm of the opinion that more information can do no harm to a person with a decision to make. If a team-mate can provide better information, all the better.
Click to expand...
I know where you're coming from. The key is, "...can provide better information...":) How many times have you heard something on the the field and thought, "yeah! you try it!" There isn't anything wrong with information. Listen to it but you make the call. No matter the intentions, nobody knows better, what you are capable of [physically] than you. Whatever the result, you take the credit or make the apology. Information is one thing, giving you orders is another.


blueballs;271208 said:
So, I'll keep asking questions on "non-behind-the-stumps wicketkeeping" skills as I think of them :

Q: how much different is batting first then keeping different from keeping then batting? i.e. does your keeping suffer from batting all day, more than your batting suffers from keeping all day?
Click to expand...

There is no [real] generic answer to this; it depends on the player and their physiological, psychological, tactical and technical qualities. However, if all is in its right place, there is no reason either should make a difference.
 
Re: Wicketkeeping extras

blueballs, if you get the ball on the full do it. but if not, stay low for as long as possible as the ball comes in on the bounce, this will mean that if it pops up you can go up to catch it. where as if you get up to early anticipating it to bounce up, its a lot harder to go down. the same applies for keeping up to the stumps - stay low for as long as possible, rise with the ball.
 
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thanks for the replies. outdoor training starts this week, so will definitely be asking a few other people their thoughts... more suggestions welcome here too, though.
 
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just make sure u go down when the bowler begin's to bowl and keep low and rise with the ball. allways catch the ball on the rise with the fast bowlers
 
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As a Wicket Keeper i have to stick with Liz, its all about instinct.

The Best thing you can do is A, Get the basics right and Then Practise them untill you are bored and dont want to be a wicket keeper any more! and then once you have done that. Practice some more.

Some Good Drills for Practicing soft hands are using your inners only and have some one smack a tennis ball at you with a tennis racket! Hard to master but does pay off!

Biggest Thing for me was confidence! Wear a Lid stay safe and stay sharp!
 
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Aha, the pain is strong! Some nice deep bruising under the ring and pinky fingers on both hands tells me i'm not accepting the ball softly enough, but I'm enjoying thinking about what I'm doing wrong and trying hard to improve fast. By the end of the game on Saturday I was doubting I would catch anything it hurt so bad on impact. Not a good sign given longer innings are on their way next week.

Some ice and liberal use of the Arnica cream has me on the road to recovery already though. Recovery should be just quick enough to get in some of those tennis ball drills mentioned above midweek.

Two one-day games down, two byes in each game from leg side deliveries - I'm happy with that for a newcomer to the gloves.
 
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Yeah, it's going well enough. We've had shocking weather and have only played five days so far. Even so, after those first couple of weeks of pain where the bruising would be around until the next Saturday, I made up my mind that something had to change, and so whether or not it's taking it more correctly out in front, or just conditioning of my hands to repetitive impact, my recovery is pretty much complete by Tuesday morning now, even after a full innings.

Not much else to comment on really, with the lack of play, hopefully we get some sun in the new year.

Thanks for the interest
 
Re: Wicketkeeping extras

Well as much as i would recommend extra padding you really need to look at how you are receiving the ball!

You need to look at where you are taking the ball from the quicks, it really should be at its peak or as it drops into your hands, this way most of its pace has gone. It really does make a difference.

you should have a little give when you take, some people say to take the ball on the inside of the line, this way your not stopping it "bluntly" and thus your hands dont take a full impact. So you almost take the ball to the side or you, so your twisting to the side.

Sometimes it cant be helped to take it infront of you or head height, in this case try and take it in the webbing. If your struggling with the ball coming in from the field its almost the same theory but i tend to take the ball in the webbing both gloves crossed so theres two lots of webbing to stop it!

Hope that makes sense!
 
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To help protect the hands, the key is to get smart. When practising use plastic stumps (like you get in kwik cricket or milo cricket) as this will save the fingers when going for stumpings etc. If no plastic then put a pad on the stumps.

It may be worth looking into dermal pads (might also be called fat pads) which can be slipped into the glove, along the base of the fingers. Also, make sure you tape up the joints of each finger. If you're worried about losing movement then tape them up over an inner glove.

Good kit is the other must, it is vital that gloves fit and cover up to the wrist.

Two easy practice drills: taking the ball behind a batsman. As it says, have a batsman at the crease as normal but he deliberately misses the ball. He can use a bat or even a cone, anything as long as he can waft at the ball with it. Mix up the lengths and make sure you get plenty of wides in to help practice diving.

Second drill is to place something on the pitch (bat/stump) roughly where the ball is pitching. When hit it'll cause the ball to jag in either direction. Place it lengthways rather than across the pitch though.
 
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Equipment is a must! ive yet to find a pair of inners which are ok on their own.... i was using a pair of chamoix leathers with a pair of cut down puma ones as extra padding! just for the main part of my hand!

Having said that i'm in the middle of having some custom gloves made !
 
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Hope it keeps coming along for you Blueballs and you get more confidence in your keeping.

I was thinking that maybe a reason for your bruising has to be the way you are taking that ball. 1 way to practice without increasing pain is to get someone to throw/hit tennis balls at you hard, so you can learn and practice to give with the ball. I've found its a good way to loosen up the hands and also gets your reflexes up.
 
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