judging lengths - train hard

One fascinating subject matter that has arisen in many conversations recently is that of learning how to judge length as a batter. And can Runmaka help? Firstly, if you want to learn how to judge length consistently well, you have to be in the game for the long haul.

If it helps. Is a twenty foot putt a twenty foot putt? The answer is yes and no. The distance between the ball and the hole is the same, but there are many variables to take into account when addressing the putt. The pace of the green, the contours between the ball and the hole. The wind. The players emotions. Is it a birdie putt or a bogey putt? Is the player one up or one down? Did the player three putt the last hole? So many factors and judging length is no different.

As a young kid I practiced by throwing a tennis ball against a wall. The only cues I had as to where the ball would pitch were in the pace of my throw and the point on the wall at which I hit. I developed patterns to support my decisions.

As I grew older I threw a golf ball against a wall and used a thin stick. The wall was flat, but the surface I batted on was tarmac and inconsistent in its bounce. I tested my courage by throwing faster and faster. Length decisions were again based on the point at which the ball hit the wall. The lower, the steeper the trajectory of the throw and therefore a short ball was coming. The next problem I had, was would it bounce head height or knee height. The higher the throw, the fuller the length. Patterns were unwittingly being developed, albeit very different from facing bowlers.

At school, Cedars net surfaces were simply horrendous. Full balls bounced over your head. Short balls rolled around your ankles. As with so many nets, you faced right arm over tall guys, little guys, seamers, spinners and left armers. Some bowled off twenty two yards, some bowled off sixteen yards. There was no consistency and yet patterns were still evolving.

Club nets were much better organised and on much better surfaces. The ability to make accurate decisions was easier.

Every game was different. Every pitch was different. Every bowler was different. Patterns grew through weight of numbers though.  

So how long does it take to learn how to judge length? How long is a piece of string?

An appreciation of what lengths are is a start ie what is a half volley? What is a good length? What is a short ball? What stroke should I play to each of these deliveries? This provides clarity of thought and will support decision making.

Practice each of these over and over until you understand how to execute each skill as a habit – this will also take time. Isolate the skill to learn it. Increase the demands to see how well you manage the execution of each skill in different situations. If you don’t learn how to do it without external issues, how can you possibly expect to do it when you introduce external issues?

Cues are critical as the batters main messages come from the bowlers hand. Is the batter truly watching the bowlers hand? So, you face five different bowlers in the same net. Is this an isolated form of training? Clearly not. However, patterns will develop simply through conscious and unconscious learning. Isolated training would be facing one or two bowlers of great similarity within a net. Not always practical and time challenged in most environments.

So, now we have the bowler variables within the twenty two yards between batter and bowler.

-         The height of the bowler (Joel Garner 6’8” / Lasith Malinga 5’7”).

-         The pace of the bowler of equal height (90mph / 85mph / 80mph / 75mph / 70mph). Do they bowl the same length with the same cues?

-         The huge variety of options spin bowlers apply. Subtle pace changes and flight. Two balls appear identical yet land a meter apart.

-         The pitch which needs assessing to apply an accurate stroke execution (skids on / seams / uneven / slow).

-         Is the bowler downwind or upwind (pace will be quicker or slower but wrist position cue will be the same).

-         Add your own variables…

And then we have player emotions to take into account. People aren’t robots.

-         Are we setting a total or chasing? This may impact decision making ie the batter wants to do something which may or may not correlate with the length of the next delivery bowled.

-         Are the opposition impacting the batters mindset meaning the batter is losing focus?

-         Did the batter have a row with their partner this morning?

-         Has the batter had a run of low scores recently?

-         Add your own variables…

You get the picture? So, how do we learn length? Hit balls. Learn your skills. Learn about each stroke and how to execute it. If you can’t do something, ditch it and focus harder on what you can do. Super strength your game. Practice. Practice against all bowling styles. Practice in a variety of ways to broaden your appreciation of learning in differing ways. Learn about pitch variations and the skill to adapt your game. Explore options with an open mind – coach and player. Learn about the variables. Accept failure. Learn from it and make your skill set stronger.  

But there is one thing that will help more than any other, wait for the ball and watch the ball closely. Early movement is okay but then stand still. The later the decision, generally the more accurate it will be. If you want to play a pull shot and the bowler bowls a half volley, have you misjudged the length or made a bad decision?

There is no quick fix. There is no magic. There never is. There is time and knowledge. And here’s the kicker again… You could play 100 test matches and still misjudge the length. It’s the game. Don’t worry about it!

So, can Runmaka help? Of course it can. Runmaka is supporting training and if you’re training, you’re learning. The current twelve ball version provides an appreciation of three different lengths and offers the requirement of the batter to adapt a slightly different movement (head / shoulder / feet / hands) to each of the twelve deliveries. The batter knows they are coming which supports an isolated focus. The demands can increase later.



Fascinating topic and please feel free to add comments as this is far from complete. It’s simply there to advise that players need to train a lot. And in a variety of ways to build a game understanding which promotes conscious learning leading to unconscious performance. And don’t worry about being perfect, it will just become a hindrance rather than a support.