Cricket is one of the most accessible sports out there – it’s one of the things we love about it. You don’t need much equipment to get started, and you don’t need to spend much money either. A bat, some balls and protective gear are all you really need to start practicing, and if you focus on the right areas, you can develop your batting skills relatively quickly.
There is one problem, however: you need a suitable space to practice. Unless you’re lucky enough to have an enormous garden (with no windows or any other breakable objects in the vicinity), practicing your batting skills at home isn’t ideal. For most of us, there simply isn’t enough space to hone your skills without either breaking stuff or simply losing your ball.
However, all is not lost. There are a wide variety of different products on the market – and techniques you can try – that make practicing cricket at home much safer, easier and more convenient. We’re going to run through a few top tips in this guide.
Tips to help you practice cricket at home
Invest in a batting cage or net
Errant balls can easily cause damage to your home (or your neighbours’), which is where batting cages or nets come in handy. Although some of the larger batting cages are quite pricey, net and pole kits are much more affordable – and they can be easily put up or taken down as and when required.
We stock net and pole kits in sizes ranging from 9 to 36 feet, with the smaller sizes being better suited to home practice sessions. And with prices starting at less than £250, these kits are proof that home practice needn’t break the bank.
If you’re more interested in practicing your bowling skills, a throw down net is what you need. Offered in sizes ranging from 12 to 20 yards, these nets can catch even the fastest and most ferocious deliveries, preventing balls from bouncing and causing damage. They’re even cheaper than our net and pole kits, with prices starting at less than £200!
Choose suitable training balls instead of match balls
If a traditional cricket match ball hits anything breakable at speed, it’s going to cause damage. But softer training balls – particularly plastic indoor or tennis-style balls – are a much safer bet. Even if you’re unlucky enough to send the ball flying either side of your net (or over the top), with the right ball, you’ll be far less likely to inflict property damage or cause injury.
Try some different training drills
You might assume that all cricket batting drills require you to whack a ball with your bat, but you’d be wrong – there are lots of ways to hone your technique without striking the ball hard. Suitable drills include:
- Bat tapping, where you gently tap a ball with your bat to work on your hand-eye coordination.
- Shadow batting, a technique that involves standing in front of a mirror and studying your batting stance. Compare your approach to that of your favourite player and try to refine your stance.
- Complete more generalised exercises to strengthen your muscles and build your stamina.
Study the techniques of your favourite players
YouTube is a wonderful thing – and it’s an excellent training tool for cricketers, particularly over the winter break.
If you need a little bit of inspiration or simply can’t get outside to practice, go online and watch some videos of your favourite players in action. You can learn an awful lot simply by studying their technique and trying to replicate it.
There are plenty of cricket tutorials on YouTube too, giving you valuable insights that could help you take your batting or bowling skills to the next level.
Finally, don’t underestimate the power of simply watching games unfold on TV. The more you watch cricket and the more immersed in the game you become, the more well-rounded of a player you’ll be.
Need cricket equipment? We’ve got you covered
3D Sports is one of the UK’s leading suppliers of cricket equipment, with more than 50 years of experience and a vast product range packed with well-known brands, including Readers and Kookaburra.
Whatever you need to practice and hone your skills, be it a new bat, some training balls, netting or even a professional bowling machine, you can find it here at 3D Sports. Discover our complete range online today.
