Sticks

The batting stance

A good stance is balanced, side-on and still: feet about a bat's width apart either side of the crease, weight on the balls of both feet, knees soft, hands relaxed at hip height, and your head level, eyes level, over about off stump. It isn't a shot — it's the platform every shot starts from, and most recurring batting faults trace back to it.

OFF LEG bowler
A balanced stance keeps every shot available — right-hand batter; the gold sector is where this scores.

Build it from the ground up

Set the stance once, the same way, every ball. Routine is the point — a repeatable base is what makes the moving ball the only variable.

Still head, still base

The single highest-value habit in batting is a still head at release. Every extra movement at the moment the bowler lets go is movement your brain has to subtract before it can judge line and length. Pre-movements (a small back-and-across trigger) are fine — as long as they're COMPLETE before release and finish balanced.

Test yourself: if a teammate films you side-on, your head should be effectively motionless from the bowler's gather to release. If it's drifting, the stance is moving too late.

Faults that start here

Questions

Should my stance be open or side-on?

Start side-on: front shoulder pointing at the bowler. A slightly open stance is a legitimate adjustment against angled bowling, but learn the side-on base first — every correction is easier from there.

Where should my head be in the stance?

Level and still, positioned so your eyes are roughly over off stump at the moment of release. If your head starts outside the line of off stump you will over-balance; inside leg stump and you will play around your pad.

How wide should my feet be?

About one bat's width, weight even on the balls of the feet. Wider feels stable but kills your footwork; the stance is a launch position, not a fortress.

Keep going

Hear it coached, not just read it

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