Cricket
Cricket
5 strength exercises to help you become a better T20 batter
Well-known physio Huzefa Talib explains why strength training is important for T20 batters and what exercises you can do to increase strength.
Batting in T20 cricket is all about sending the ball booming into the stands.
Of course the right batting technique plays a very important role, but T20 batters also need to have a good amount of strength to make these big hits.
Upper-body strength, strength in the forearms and even lower body strength are important to work on if you want to be a top-level batter in T20 cricket.
Huzefa Talib is a Bengaluru-based physio who has worked in the gym with Mayank Agarwal and other cricketers from Karnataka. He shares some exercises that are essential to help build the right strength for T20 batting.
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1. Landmine press
This is a chest-dominant exercise. You perform the exercise by using both hands to press an angled barbell over your head. This exercise works on the chest muscles, shoulders, shoulder blades and triceps. For a tougher variant, you could practice single arm landmine presses.
The curving path of motion and neutral grip used in landmine presses make them easier on the shoulders than other exercises like vertical presses.
Ben Stokes during a training session for Rajasthan Royals
© Steve D'Souza
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2. Medicine ball rotational throw
The medicine ball rotational throw is an explosive exercise that targets the abdominals, including the obliques, and the hips and upper back. The exercise is performed by standing sideways to the wall, twisting the torso to hurl a medicine ball into the wall, and then catching the ball on the ricochet.
“Even though upper body strength and lower body strength are needed to generate power into a stroke, what eventually matters is force generation out of the movement. Force is generated from the ground; so for force in the upper body, that is also generate off the ground, and channelled through the legs, core and then into the upper body,” says Huzefa.
This exercise helps you channel force from the ground through your body.
Ben Stokes stretches before a training session
© Steve D'Souza
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3. Forearm exercises
With T20 batting, you can expect to face a lot of full or yorker length deliveries. It is not easy to leverage a short from under these deliveries using just upper body strength. You need strong forearms to play strokes like the helicopter shot.
“It’s not easy to isolate a particular muscle to achieve strength, unless it’s during a rehab programme or during the off-season. Moreover, with limited time, you will have to work on a lot of exercises,” says Huzefa.
He suggests practicing bicep isolation exercises like cable curls, KB curls and hammer curls which can specifically work on those muscles.
Riyan Parag during a batting session
© Steve D'Souza
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4. Nordic hamstring curl
Strong calf and hip muscles are needed to generate power to hit big sixes. So it is important to perform exercises that develop strength in your lower body.
“It’s all about relative strength. How quickly you can move your bodyweight. So you don’t really have to squat to get strong. You can choose exercises that you can progress in gradually without getting injured. Squat is great if you have good form; it is the king of exercises and strength gains, and so are deadlifts and lunges. You have to choose as per your capability and experience level,” says Huzefa.
He says the Nordic hamstring curl is a great exercise to develop lower body strength. It is performed by kneeling on a pad and lowering your upper body under control. Your ankles will need to be held in place by a training partner or coach.
Another similar exercise you could practice is the glute-ham raise. It trains the muscles through the back of your body in unison, developing strength through your hamstrings, glutes and spinal erectors.
Sanju Samson during a net session
© Steve D'Souza
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5. Double bat shadow batting
Occasionally during matches, batters are seen shadow batting with two bats while waiting in the dugout. Huzefa sheds light on this practice.
“This method is warming up your brain and activating more muscle fibres of your body. It’s a short-lived neuron faking method. What this does is your brain senses that the bat is heavier and fires more muscles to keep up with the bat weight. So when you go in to bat, you start moving the bat faster with your brain having fired more muscles in the double bat swinging,” says Huzefa.
It is a good exercise to practice just before you take the crease.
