Filming Your Batting
Also known as: filming your batting, film my batting, video batting analysis, recording batting on a phone, batting camera angle, side on video of batting
Film your batting from two angles: side-on, square of the wicket, and front-on, from behind the bowler or behind you. Keep the camera still at about hip height, with your whole body, bat and stumps in frame. Film several balls of the same type, and stand behind the netting, never in the line of the ball.
Each angle shows different things. Side-on, filmed from square of the wicket level with the batter, shows your head position, stride, balance and the shape of your swing. Front-on, filmed from behind the bowler's end, shows whether your head is in line with the ball and the bat comes down straight. Filmed from behind the batter, it shows your trigger, your backlift direction and the line you are playing on.
Set the phone on a tripod or fix it to the netting so it does not move. Hold it landscape at about hip height, and frame the whole body, bat and stumps with some space around them. Good light helps, so face the camera away from the sun. If your phone has a slow-motion or high frame rate mode, use it. The bat moves fast and a normal clip can blur it.
Film a set of the same delivery, such as ten full balls outside off. One clip can mislead. Watch the clips in slow motion and compare them with earlier ones or with a coach's model. Pick one thing to change and film again a week later to check it. Whoever films should stand behind the netting or well wide of the batter. In the nets, film through the net from behind, never from in front of the bat.
Tips by skill level
Start with one side-on clip of your forward defence. Check three things: your head over the ball, your front foot near the line and the bat coming down straight.
Film the same drill from side-on and front-on in the same session. Match the clips frame by frame to see how your head and bat line up at contact.
Example
A batter props her phone on a tripod at square leg, level with the crease, and films ten drives. In slow motion she sees her head falling towards the off side as she plays. She works on it for a week and films again.
Why it matters
Video shows what you actually do, not what you think you do. That makes it far easier to choose the right thing to fix.
Common mistakes
- Filming from a moving hand so the clip shakes
- Cutting off the feet, bat or stumps from the frame
- Judging your technique from a single clip
- Standing in front of the batter or inside the net to film
Frequently asked questions
How do I film my batting for analysis?
Use a tripod at about hip height. Film side-on from square of the wicket and front-on from behind the bowler or behind you. Keep your whole body, bat and stumps in frame, and film several balls of the same type.
What is the best camera angle to film batting?
Use two angles if you can. Side-on shows your head, stride and balance. Front-on, from behind the bowler or behind you, shows whether your head and bat are in line with the ball.
Should I film my batting in slow motion?
Yes, if your phone can. The bat moves fast, and slow motion or a higher frame rate shows your positions far more clearly than a normal clip.
Related terms
- Head PositionHead position in batting refers to where and how still the batter's head is during the stroke — keeping the head level, forward-leaning, and over the ball is a universal marker of quality technique.
- Backlift Direction (Straight vs Lateral Backlift)Lifting the bat towards the slips or gully is not automatically wrong. Many top batters take the bat up that way and loop it down straight. What matters is that the bat comes down through the line of the ball with the face pointing where you want to hit. Research has found this lateral pattern is common among international batters.
- Practising Batting Alone at HomeYou can do a lot of batting work alone. Try shadow batting in front of a mirror, a hanging ball or ball in a sock, and drives off a batting tee into a net. Hitting a tennis ball off a wall works your reactions. Use a soft or tennis ball at home, and give each session one clear focus.
- Making Net Practice CountGo into every net with one or two clear goals, such as leaving well outside off stump or rotating the strike against spin. Bat in match scenarios with a target and count your dismissals honestly. A short, focused net with some pressure helps more on match day than a long, aimless hit.
- Frame RateFrame rate (frames per second, fps) is how many individual images your camera captures each second — higher frame rates freeze fast motion better and produce more reliable pose tracking.
Cricket analysis is in development
Motion Lab does not analyze this sport yet. Keep exploring the terms in this section.