Kevin Pietersen's Batting Masterclass 🏏 Best batting tips, techniques and tutorials

Summary

Kevin Pietersen discusses his batting technique and how he developed from a spin bowler into a world-class batsman. He emphasizes keeping things simple, focusing on head position and watching the ball rather than the bowler's run-up. After struggling for 18 months, coach Graham Ford helped Pietersen get his head back in line with the ball, leading to a return to form. Pietersen credits simplicity, strong head position aligned with the ball, and not overcomplicating things as keys to his aggressive batting style.

Takeaways

• 😀 Kevin started as a spinner before realizing his batting talent later in his youth
• 👦 His batting took off after 6 months of gym work and training with a friend before the age of 17
• 🏏 Batting in England helped his batting really take over compared to bowling
• 🎯 Kevin focuses on keeping his head position right and eyes on the ball when batting
• 🥊 He compares correct batting head position to a winning boxer's head position
• 🤹‍♂️ Simplicity and consistently correct head position is key no matter the bowling style or pace
• 😖 He struggled for 18 months after losing captaincy by overcomplicating instead of simplifying
• 🧠 Graham Ford helped him realize he lost his original effective batting method
• 📈 After Ford's advice, Kevin scored big again by getting his head to the ball consistently
• 🎯 Keeping things simple and getting in proper head position remains his batting emphasis

Q & A

When did Kevin Pietersen realize he had batting talent?

Pietersen says he realized he had some batting talent in his last year of school, around age 17, when he started hitting sixes and progressing quickly with the bat.

What is Pietersen's main batting fundamental and key focus?

Pietersen believes head position is the most important fundamental in batting. His key focus is always getting his head in line with the ball.

What drill does Pietersen use to practice his batting technique?

Pietersen uses a simple drill with a friend throwing him full tosses so he can work on getting in good positions and lining up his head with the ball.

How did Pietersen fail against top bowlers early in his career?

Against bowlers like Allen Donald and Glenn McGrath early on, Pietersen got distracted by their run-ups and reputations instead of watching the ball.

When did Pietersen struggle with his batting and how did he fix it?

After losing the England captaincy, Pietersen struggled for 18 months before going back to Graham Ford, his mentor, who emphasized getting his head to the ball.

How does Pietersen keep his batting approach simple now?

In franchise cricket, Pietersen focuses on just hitting the ball, getting in a good position and launching shots without worrying about technique.

What advice did Greg Blewett give Pietersen about batting?

Blewett gave Pietersen the simple but key advice: "Watch the ball and only the ball. Don't worry about who's bowling."

How was Pietersen a late batting developer?

Pietersen only started playing representative cricket around age 17 and believes kids shouldn't worry much about their batting before age 17.

What changed physically for Pietersen at 17?

After deciding he wanted to be a professional cricketer, Pietersen trained hard in the gym for six months at 17 and started hitting sixes and progressing quickly.

Where did Pietersen gain confidence with the bat early on?

Pietersen gained confidence by scoring runs against the England team for his club as a teenager.

Outlines

00:00

🏏 From Spinner to Batsman: The Evolution of Kevin Pietersen's Batting Career

Pietersen started as a spin bowler but discovered his batting talent late in his school cricket career. A breakthrough innings against England gave him confidence. His batting then took off rapidly in county and international cricket thanks to his ability to hit big sixes by keeping his head still and watching the ball.

05:02

😲 The Importance of Head Position and Watching the Ball

Pietersen emphasizes the critical role of head position in effective batting - getting the head close to the ball allows driving powerfully through gaps. Veterans like Graham Ford helped him refocus on this after he lost form. Simple drills like throw-downs aid grooving the right technique.

Keywords

💡head position

Head position refers to the position and angle of the batsman's head as they prepare to hit the ball. Kevin Peterson believes it is the most important fundamental in batting, as keeping your head still and aligned with the ball allows you to hit powerful and accurate shots. He gives examples of top batsmen like Hashim Amla having great head position. He personally practices head position by doing throw downs and consciously moving his head to the line of the ball.

💡simplicity

Simplicity means keeping batting technique and preparation very simple rather than overcomplicating things. Peterson explains how after a period of poor form, his mentor Graham Ford helped him regain form by going back to basics - getting his head to the ball and emphasizing hitting down the ground. This simplicity allows Peterson to keep focused on the ball rather than external factors.

💡confidence

Confidence refers to a batter's self-belief in their abilities. Peterson notes key moments, like scoring runs against good attacks, gave him confidence to transition from a bowler to quality batsman. When he lost form later in his career, he also lost confidence for a period.

💡franchise cricket

This refers to professional domestic T20 leagues around the world, like the IPL, BBL and CPL. Peterson credits continuing to play in these leagues with helping improve his batting in later years through the simplicity and freedom to play big shots.

💡peripheral garbage

This refers to the distractions and nonsense external to cricket that contributed to Peterson losing form after losing the England captaincy. With so much going on off the field, he wasn't focused on core batting fundamentals.

💡representation

Representation means selection for school, state or national representative cricket teams. Peterson highlights he was a very late developer as a cricketer, only gaining selection in his last year of school, but going on to play professionally.

💡front foot

Front foot refers to the positioning of the batsman's front foot as they play a shot. While some coaches emphasize getting the front foot towards the ball, Peterson focuses on keeping his head still and getting it towards the ball regardless of his front foot position.

💡pick gaps

This refers to the skill of placing or guiding the ball into gaps between fielders to score runs. Rather than just hitting the ball generally, Peterson works on targeting different areas of the field.

💡watch the ball

This basic advice from his teammate Greg Blewett helped Peterson overcome issues with being distracted by the bowler's run up and helped him focus on the ball to improve his batting.

💡run up

A bowler's run up refers to their approach to the wicket prior to delivering the ball. As a young batsman, Peterson would get distracted by admiration for the run ups of elite fast bowlers like Allan Donald, rather than focusing on the ball being released.

Highlights

I only played representative cricket when I was about 17 years of age.

When you get to 17 years of age and he tries to start making decisions about his future, that's when you need to worry.

My batting just went through the roof and took over when I played in the Birmingham League one year.

The key to my batting is head position. Head position is everything.

It's all about getting my head to the ball. As long as my head was forward and facing the ball, I was able to deliver.

Your head is the heaviest part of your body, so it controls everything else.

I subscribe to head to the ball, not feet to the ball. Look at top players like Amla and how the get their head in great position.

My drill was just throw downs, focusing completely on getting my head in the right position to hit full tosses.

Greg Blewett gave me the best advice - watch the ball and only the ball, don't worry about anything else.

When I'm playing well, my foot position doesn't matter. It's all about my head position being aligned with the ball.

When you hit a good shot, even for six, look at my head position not my feet. That's what it's all about.

I lost my batting for 18 months when there were too many distractions away from cricket.

Graham Ford got me back to basics - get your head to the ball again. Simple but so important.

The last 3 years I've batted as well as ever by keeping things simple - just watch the ball and hit it.

It's all about getting in a good position and launching the ball. No need to overthink.

Transcripts

foreign

it's been a colorful career it's not

ended yet we're going to talk batting

with Kevin Peterson you started off as a

spinner when did you know you could bat

I knew I had some sort of talent when

about it just a little bit of talent and

then um I did what I did in South Africa

and I was a really late developer

um I think only in my last term at

school did I actually play any sort of

Representative Cricket

so when I'm coaching kids and talking to

kids and you've got parents and I did a

load of them last weekend and the

parents like yeah but I really want my

son to play a team he's in the B Team he

wants it I was like I only played

representative Cricket when I was about

17 years of age so when you get to 17

years of age and he tries to start

making all the decisions that he wants

to make in terms of a future that's what

you need to worry it's all about

enjoyment excitement I had the enjoyment

with betting I had the excitement with

betting I had it with bowling too I was

just a little bit of a better bowler I

was probably a little bit scared as a

youngster batting and then at the age of

17 I don't know something just changed I

was a real skinny dude I finished school

I decided I'd love to be a cricketer it

was a dream of mine to be a cricketer

and I went to the gym for six months I

trained with a real good friend of mine

Grant Rowley and that next season I'd

don't know how but I started hitting

sixes and I actually started to progress

with the bat and then I did some bits

and pieces for the hotel b side played

against England in a game in a long time

ago in urban

NASA was that's what was there Athens

was there bold I got four wickets

against England then I got 50 or 60 as

well I got some runs you know and I

think that little bit of confidence of

actually scoring runs against a real

good bowling attack gave me a lot of

confidence I think actually I'm more

than just a spinner then the next uh

South African summer was it yeah no

Sixth Avenue Winter was summer here I

came and played in

uh Birmingham League

um and my batting just went through the

roof it just really took over

um and my bowling I didn't Bowl the

links I bought South African links in

England which were rubbish okay didn't

work at all so my bedding took on and

then I just started hitting hundreds and

she went from there pop over in the

crease for me what are the keys to your

batting do you think

work on one fundamental and that's head

position head position for me is

everything it's all about a simple thing

when you see the guys and you have a

look at um I saw it yesterday I see Joe

root when he's betting or Alistair Cook

when he's betting and they're talking to

themselves I don't I don't know what

they're saying to themselves but mine

was always kiss the ball kiss the ball I

thought as long as I got my head to to

the ball as long as it was front foot

head to the ball I was able to deliver

something on the back foot if my head

was to the ball and always talks about

boxing positions when a boxer is up

against the ropes and he's getting

absolutely belted he's losing the fight

his head's in this position when the box

is winning and he's smack in it he's

winning he's his head's in a real good

position his eyes are close to the

Target same with betting you cut off all

the pieces of your body your head's the

heaviest part of your body so when you

talk about your head you talk about if I

want to try and put my head on your

shoelace now

feet goes to the ball with a bad cough

foot goes towards still but what that

proves is that your head is everything

in batting so whether you're hitting a

drive shot and a lot of coaches say get

your feet to the ball get your feet to

the ball I don't subscribe to the feet

to the ball nonsense I subscribe to head

to the ball head in a great position

bang look at amla he's just upstairs

here have a look at the way that he

drives a ball he stands there varinda

saywack they have the ability to Crunch

balls through the offside because they

get wonderful head positions was there a

drill used to do to practice that yeah

there was there was a drill and it was

just some backups throw Downs throw

Downs

it's on the full I just do full tosses

now so I'll go and practice now I mean I

I played it for cereal ones that last

week I hadn't played qriket since

February I had two Nets against bowlers

and then all I do before the game is I

just get four you wanna run the full yep

on the full you know that's Against the

Machine that doesn't matter and it's all

about the same if you're going outside

you throw it in one way and what I'll do

is I'm I'll draw myself through my wrist

because obviously when you're betting

you want to pick gaps so it's not about

being a building machine and just

hitting middle hitting mid off it's

about picking gaps I know there's a gap

there Gap there Gap straight

Gap whitishmidon Gap through midwicket

and I can work my way through so that's

midwicket

that's through midon

so you just drop it in one position and

that's all I'll do I'll just get one of

my buddies we're at whichever franchise

it is now the extra extra cover and

that'll be

straight should have gone there yeah but

it's all about head position and it's

about getting myself in line and just

going bang bang my foot can be in one

position here my stumps are open so I

don't close myself off

so I don't get out lbw I've done that a

lot in my career too when I was batting

really badly I plant my front foot

getting across my head would go over

and it traps when I'm playing really

well I get into a great position here

head

drive and I've also never been a perfect

driver I don't think you'll be able to

show one highlight in my career

but you'll see nice shots where I'll be

able to hit balls from

fourth fifth stump hit them through

midwicket and it's all about head

position and that's when I know I'm

playing well when my head's good Ellen

Donald was a huge hero of mine growing

up White Lightning was a hero and when I

got to Nottingham Greg Blewett was our

overseas player we're talking about

betting we're talking about how to bet

how not to bet and he just said I can

just give you one little tip it'll go

with you through the rest of your career

watch the ball and only the ball don't

worry about you bowling you bowling you

bowling just watch the ball

Edge Baston 2001

playing for Nottinghamshire Ellen Donald

running in

standing in my crease going oh my

goodness look at that Runner look at

that run up oh my stumps everywhere yeah

because I was just going that's Ellen

Donald I love you yeah you've just

knocked me over all I was worried about

was Ellen Donald's beautiful run-up I

watched him home I sat in the concrete

in Durban watching Donald running in

Bowling the most unbelievable spells of

bowling and there I am as a little

numpty playing for Nottinghamshire going

I actually kind of believe this stumps

everywhere two weeks before this we

played against Australia at Lords

breckly exactly the same didn't watch

the ball all I was seeing there was this

most amazing run-up of Brickley and I

was going prickly britley Brickley

Brickley schnick and I walked off the

field going what did Bluey tell you

watch the ball so you talk about your

head position even though you're hitting

it for six your head is still going

actually look at my feet on my feet yeah

ah if you can pause where I hit my look

at my feet up

if we go back to that now if you recu

that pause on delivery

have a look at my foot is my foot's on

middle and leg

the ball's pitching fifth sixth seventh

stump

okay I've got a middle and leg good

position look at my head position in

line with the ball going at the ball

so that's what you're talking about

that's all I'm interested in that is

when I'm playing well that is when a bed

is playing forget about that forget

about my feet okay it's all about head

position right can you do that with a

bowling machine and just in terms of you

know because you're planting him back

over his head watch yourself there yeah

um

so you're not getting your foot you're

not trying to over hit it not trying to

overheat it at all sometimes you do

but then again there I'm there foots on

leg stump head position and through the

ball

that's the one that's the one there yeah

it's a good length but it's all about

boom head position and hitting the ball

and that's all I concentrate at the

moment I feel like I'm in good form over

the last three years I felt that I've

bettered actually as good as I've ever

bedded in my career because I just keep

things so simple and also just playing

franchise Cricket around the world it's

all about hitting the ball it's not

about test match cricket rather oh what

about my technique yeah oh I might miss

it I don't have to worry about feland I

don't have to worry about more cool all

I have to worry about is right

I've got my driver I'm going to stand in

a good position and I'm going to launch

did you ever get away from that

Simplicity and who brought you back to

it yeah big time I got away with it I

wasn't playing well against Pakistan I

wasn't playing well for about 18 months

after I lost the captaincy I got a 90

audit in Jamaica and then I got 100 I

think in Trinidad a few weeks later and

then from then on I just sort of lost my

betting I lost everything there was just

so much nonsense and peripheral garbage

away from cricket that I sort of lost

what I was doing right and for 18 months

I struggled I got some 90s I've got some

80s but they weren't good enough and so

I went back to Durban and I went and saw

Graham Ford who's my mentor who I think

is probably one of the most amazing

coaches and if not the best coach in

world cricket and um

I uh I hit three balls at King's meat

before the ashes tour in 2010 when we

won 2-1 whenever it was and 40 come to

me said you are not doing what you did

so well at the start of your career and

what you did when you were a youngster

said what's that he said you're not got

your head at the ball your head is I'm

playing Drive shots there and it feels

great I'm also missing balls on leg

stump

playing here he said you've got to get

your head to the ball so we really

emphasize the point of going down into

the ball and hitting strong shots down

the ground a month later 220 at Adelaide