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Research
Novel coaching cricket bat: can it be used to enhance the backlift and performance of junior cricket batsmen?
  1. M Habib Noorbhai1,2,
  2. Russell C Woolmer2,
  3. Timothy D Noakes2,3
  1. 1Department of Sport Management, Faculty of Business, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town, South Africa
  2. 2Cricket Science (Pty) Ltd and 149, South Africa
  3. 3Division of Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Sports Science Institute of South Africa, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
  1. Correspondence to Habib Noorbhai; NoorbhaiM{at}cput.ac.za

Abstract

Background In the current literature, it is questionable whether cricket bats in their current form and dimensions allow a young cricketer to hit the ball effectively. The aim of this study was to test the effectiveness of a novel coaching cricket bat among junior cricket batsmen with regard to enhancing performance and the direction of the backlift.

Methods A cross-sectional research study with analytical research methods was employed, in which 2 groups (coached: n=12 and uncoached: n=35) of participants (ages 9–13) took part in a pilot and intervention study. Participants were required to use a novel coaching cricket bat in a coaching game format. Biomechanical and video analysis was conducted in the frontal and lateral planes. Effect sizes (ES) were calculated to determine the effectiveness and the level of significance was set at p<0.05.

Results Pilot study results demonstrated that participants scored an additional 100 runs when using the coaching cricket bat compared with a conventional cricket bat (p=0.003). 6 weeks postintervention (training with the coaching cricket bat), the experimental group displayed improved performance (ES=5.41). Players' backlifts had subsequently become more lateral, which may have promoted more effective ball striking as a result of this training effect.

Conclusions The recommendation from this study is that coaches should encourage young cricketers to use the coaching cricket bat as it is perceived to be a potentially significant training aid for enhancing their performance and the direction of their backlift when they use conventional cricket bats in match play.

  • Cricket
  • Biomechanics
  • Young

This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjsem-2016-000141

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors HN designed the study, performed the data collection and analysis of the participants and wrote the manuscript. RCW designed the coaching cricket bat, assisted with data collection and supplied the graphics of most of the figures. TDN conceptualised the coaching cricket bat, assisted in the design of the study, and assisted in the write-up of the manuscript.

    • Funding This research study was partially funded by a University Research Fund from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology as well as the Bob Woolmer 149 Trust Fund.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Patient consent Obtained.

    • Ethics approval Human Research Ethics Committee, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

    • Data sharing statement No additional data are available.