Glance
Also known as: leg glance, glance to leg
The glance (or leg glance) is a wristy deflection played to a ball on the leg side, angling the bat face to direct the ball fine to leg without force.
When the ball is directed at the batter's legs or passes down the leg side, the batter uses soft hands and a subtle rotation of the wrists to angle the ball fine. This means behind square on the leg side. This means with minimal bat swing. The stroke demands precise timing and relaxed grip: too much force and it balloons to a fielder; too little and it misses. The leg glance is one of the oldest, most aesthetically admired strokes in batting and works on both the front and back foot.
Keep your grip loose — the leg glance is about guiding the ball rather than hitting it, so tense hands will ruin the stroke.
Practise glancing the ball to different fine-leg depths to exploit gaps between the standard fine leg and backward square leg fielding positions.
Example
The ball angles into the pad and the batter flicks the wrists at the last instant, glancing it wide of fine leg for four.
Why it matters
A reliable leg glance turns unpromising leg-stump deliveries into runs. SwingVantage's cricket analysis (in development) will measure wrist angle and contact point to help batters refine this touch stroke.
How it shows up on video
Good technique shows relaxed wrists with the batter making a subtle rotation at contact, deflecting the ball fine to leg with minimal swing and keeping the bat face angled toward fine leg throughout. Incorrect technique reveals an over-cocked wrist, a full bat swing across the line. The ball going straight to a leg-side fielder or spooning up for a catch.
Common mistakes
- Using too much force and turning a delicate glance into a chip catch to mid-on or mid-wicket
- Opening the face too early so the ball goes to square leg instead of fine
- Playing with a stiff grip, preventing the wrist from rotating at contact
- Failing to watch the ball all the way onto the bat face, causing a miss or inside edge
In SwingVantage Motion Lab
SwingVantage cricket analysis (currently in development) will track wrist angle at contact and ball-exit direction to measure the precision of the glance deflection and distinguish it from a full flick.
Related terms
- FlickThe flick is an attacking wrist stroke played to a full ball on the leg side. This uses a strong wrist roll to whip the ball to the mid-wicket or square-leg area.
- Sweep ShotThe sweep is a cross-bat shot played on one knee to a (usually spinning) good-length ball, sweeping it around to the leg side to counter turn and length.
- FootworkFootwork in cricket batting refers to the movement of the feet to get into the optimal position to play each delivery. This means moving quickly and correctly to the pitch of the ball is the basis of all good batting.
Put this into your swing
SwingVantage can spot this in your own swing — free to start.