Cricket: Cover drive

Played to a ball short of a length, roughly stump high Relaxed, balanced stance, head still, eyes level Back swing and step back Front Shoulder Dips Base established, weight stays slightly forward Shoulders rotate vertically, front leg drawn back Bat accelerates, follows through straight Ball contact under eyes

Bat handle close to body, inline with and underneath shoulders Bat is taken back vertically (and straight back) Hands close to back hip Maintain top hand control at this early stage

Played to a ball short of a length and wide of off stump.

Ball is aimed square of the wicket. Relaxed, balanced stance, head still, eyes level.

Back swing and step back towards off side. Base established, weight stays slightly forward.

Shoulders rotate towards offside, horizontally. Bat accelerates, hitting from high to low.

Ball contact is made level with head, allow for natural follow through.

Can be done in pairs/ groups of three.

Feeder drops ball in front of batter (with arm out horizontally, standing on the off side of the batsman for safety purposes).

Batter steps towards the ball, and aim to drive the ball on the second bounce/half volley, driving the ball on the ground through the target zones.

Each group needs 6 tennis balls. 6 feeds per batter rotate clockwise.

Drill is best done in nets (2 grounds per net in opposite directions) .Encourage players to wear at least batting gloves when doing this drill.