What Are Back Foot Strokes in Cricket? 


Back foot strokes are a batting technique or strategy in which the batsman moves his rear leg back before playing the ball. Moreover, front foot strokes have an edge on the back foot ones because they need pepper expertization and technique

 However, to execute it accurately, you must have skill. A slight mistake in playing back foot strokes can change the map of the game.

How Do I Play Back Foot Strokes?  

Backfoot drive is a difficult shot to play as it demands proper experience and capability. Skills are more important for playing backfoot defense in cricket. For playing, push your back off your front foot onto your back foot strokes. 

Moreover, adjust your head and hand properly. Further push your hand through the line of the ball. The important thing to note is that you shouldn’t try to hit the ball very hard. Because this will alter your body shape or posture. 

Make sure you are playing back-foot defence with a relaxed grip. 

The back-foot defence in cricket should be on the line of the off-stump and in the crease. The position of the front elbow is raised in the line of the ball. Interestingly, the bottom hand should be on the handle of the bat. All these things help to ensure that all the weight of the body is on the front. Although it is one of the more difficult shots in cricket,. . 

Some Common Back Foot Strokes 

There are some common back foot strokes. Let’s dive together into it!

  • Back foot defense 
  • Square cut
  • Pull shot 
  • Hook shot 
  • Leg glance 
  • Back foot drive 

Back Foot Defense

Stepping back to play the shot when the bowler delivers the ball is the main principle of the backfoot defence. The purpose of this shot is to stop the ball or defend yourself. It is not to score runs.

However, he hit the ball in a relaxed way. Interestingly, consistency in practice can make you proficient in back foot defense.

If you want to get complete knowledge of backfoot defence drill techniques, you can go to my post, “ backfoot defense guide”. 

Saquare Cut 

It is the most common backfoot stroke to make runs in cricket. Although it is the most dangerous shot if it not executed accurately,. The position of body parts is like so

  • The head should be right on top of the ball.
  • The entire body weight is on the back foot. 
  • The backfoot moves towards the cricket stump.
  • The bottom hand on the bat controls the shot. 

Moreover, if the head is not in the proper position or downward, the batsman cannot control his position. Anyhow, high back life should be used while playing square cut in cricket. It is an amazing variation of the backfoot strokes in cricket. 

Pull Shot

The pull shot is quite similar to hook shot. There are minor differences in them. When playing pull-shot in cricket, you have to maintain your body position so that it becomes stable. The position of the head remains stable. However, it is a dangerous shot. 

The timing of the shot is also very important. the wrist rolled so to prevent hitting with air. In this shot, weight is transferred on the front leg. Hence, it is one of the amazing back foot strokes. 

Hook shot 

The batsman plays the shot in such a way that the bat moves across their chest.  It is a horizontal shot in which the ball aimed at  the chest and head of a batsman. Moreover, to play this shot, your entire focus is on the ball. 

Leg glance

It is also an essential shot in cricket. But for the execution of this shot, you should have good expertise and skills to play it. You know, how can you control this shot? If your answer is not basically correct, the control of this type of shot is all dependent on the movement of the wrist. In this shot, both feet move towards the leg side. 

Moreover, the top hand also plays a role in controlling the shot. 

Back-Foot Drive

Drive is one of the most elegant and amazing backfoot strokes. Foot movements play a vital role in the execution of this shot in cricket. But ensure your required timing.

 Basically, this shot demands techniques. Interstingly, batsmen mostly use their front feet for straight drives. It does not prefer the back foot to play straight drives in cricket. The batsman stabilizes his position so that the entire weight of the body is on the forward. 

Actually, it ensures the contact of the ball with the bat. Anyhow, the role of the top hand is to control the backfoot strock. By the way, the role of the bottom hand is to provide power.   

I hope now you have an idea about back foot strokes in cricket. Moreover, if you want to gain more awareness about all the cricket terms, you can go to the link given below. 

Sports324

A sports324 website is an online platform that provides information and news related to sports. Sports websites can cover a wide range of sports and topics, from professional leagues to amateur sports,

Recent Posts