Joe Gatting Cricket Coaching

CAN YOU NAME THE 10 BATTERS JUST FROM THEIR TRIGGER MOVEMENTS? 👀

Different players. Different triggers. Different solutions.

But watch how many initially move BACK.

Cross-over. Kick. Hit. Load.

That backwards movement isn’t negative.

IT’S OFTEN A POSITIVE MOVEMENT.

Just like in so many sports, sometimes you move back to create the space, rhythm and momentum to move forward.

BACK TO MOVE FORWARD.

The question isn’t whether a batter moves backwards.

It’s WHAT THAT MOVEMENT ALLOWS THEM TO DO NEXT.

Technique shouldn’t be judged by direction alone.

It should be judged by what it creates.

How many of the 10 did you get? 👇

SIMILAR SHOT. VERY DIFFERENT MOVERS.

Look at the feet.

Look at the head.

Look at how differently each player organises themselves to access the ball.

This is why we don’t coach every batter towards the same picture.

WHAT YOU SEE ISN’T ALWAYS THE SOURCE.

At JGCC, we want to understand the player first.

How they move.
Where they create stability.
How they create space.
How they transfer weight.
What allows them to access different areas of the game.

Then we coach.

Because the goal isn’t to make every batter look the same.

The goal is to help each player organise THEIR movement so their game can stand up as the level gets higher.

UNDERSTAND THE MOVER.
FIND THE SOURCE.
COACH THE PLAYER.

The results tend to speak pretty loudly.

ONE OF MY BIGGEST BELIEFS WHEN COACHING YOUNG CRICKETERS:

COACH THE PLAYER THEY’LL NEED TO BECOME — NOT JUST THE PLAYER WHO CAN SUCCEED IN JUNIOR CRICKET TODAY.

Playing straight matters. Of course it does.

But it should be the foundation that gives a player MORE OPTIONS — not the thing that limits them to one.

Sweep.
Reverse sweep.
Scoop.
Lap.
Manipulate the field.
Find different ways to score.

THESE AREN’T AUTOMATICALLY “RISKY SHOTS”.

THEY’RE SKILLS.

And if those skills are going to be needed later in a player’s development, why would we wait until later to start teaching them?

We don’t stop a young child from learning to walk because crawling is safer.

We encourage them to develop the next skill when they’re ready.

CRICKET SHOULD BE NO DIFFERENT.

Expose them young.

Let them explore the movement.
Let them discover what works for them.
Help them understand when the option is on.
And most importantly, GIVE THEM PERMISSION TO USE IT IN THE GAME.

Sometimes they’ll get it right.

Sometimes they won’t.

THAT ISN’T THE POINT.

The point is that their game is DEVELOPING.

I’m far less interested in how complete a cricketer looks at 10, 11 or 12 than I am in what their game could look like at 18, 20 and beyond.

Because as the level goes up, the game asks more questions.

Better bowling.
Smarter fields.
Less margin for error.

If we spend junior cricket constantly telling players:

“Play straight.”
“Don’t play that.”
“That’s too risky.”

We can end up developing players who are very good at avoiding mistakes…

…but don’t have enough options when the game eventually demands them.

TEACH THE FUNDAMENTALS.

THEN USE THOSE FUNDAMENTALS TO OPEN THE GAME UP.

BUILD THE SKILL NOW.

SO THEIR FUTURE GAME HAS THE OPTION.

Many still chase the “right” way to play a cover drive.

But the game doesn’t work like that.

Some players go step → then head.
Others go head → then body.

Different coordination. Same outcome.

Motor learning has been telling us this for years - movement isn’t one fixed pattern.

Players organise themselves in different ways to solve the same task.

You can see it at the highest level -two of the best to ever play the game, solving it in completely different ways.

So instead of forcing one model - why not understand the one that actually fits you?

That’s where real progress starts.

Because under pressure, you don’t choose a movement - you trust one.

What stands out to you from these two?

Still think there’s only one way?

Two of the best run scorers to ever play the game.
Different movements. Different feels.

But the biggest clue isn’t how they move:
It’s the position they’re already in before the ball is released.

Look at their ready position:
One sits with more load in the back leg
→ more knee flexion→ energy stored→ ready to push

The other sits slightly more forward
→ less flexion→ uses upper body and gravity→ ready to flow

Both in the top test run scorers in history.
Different starting point.
And that starting point shapes everything that follows.

If you rely on push, you need energy in the system.

If you rely on flow, you can organise more forward.

Neither is right or wrong.

But trying to move well from the wrong start position?

That’s where most players get stuck.

So instead of asking:
“What should my movement look like?”
Ask:
👉 Where is my weight before the ball?
👉 What position am I actually starting from?

Because under pressure:you don’t choose how you move.

You fall back on the position you trust most.

You don’t move first. You start first.

And there’s more than one way.

Ready Position = Scoring Confidence 🎯

A repeatable set-up gives clarity.

Clarity gives access to scoring zones.

Value your position before release 👀

Everything that follows depends on it.

As the level rises, time reduces.

If decisions require effort, they won’t hold under pressure.

Train the position you score from.

The rest looks after itself.

Which zone do you trust most under pressure?

#🔴 Leg side 🔵 Straight 🟡 Off side

What changes first under pressure - your set-up or your decision?

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One of the biggest mistakes players make is drawing conclusions too early.

The first few balls don’t always tell the full story.

Movement takes time to organise.
Timing takes time to return.
Rhythm takes time to build.

That said...

One miss-hit.
One air swing.

I was already considering my playing future. 😂

What’s the quickest you’ve ever gone from “I’ve completely lost it” to feeling like you’re batting as well as ever?

World-class player. World-class contact.

The best don’t rely on more shots —they master where they meet the ball.

That’s why it looks simple.
That’s why they score so freely.

They respect contact.

Get it wrong → body and bat fight each other.

Get it right → everything syncs.

Contact controls tempo:
🔹 Accelerate
🔹 Punch
🔹 Shut it down

Side-on is where the magic happens…and where a lot of coaching gets exposed.

👉 What stands out most to you?