Practice › Cricket › Sweep shot
Cricket sweep shot: check your form with your phone
The sweep is played to a spinner, from low down: the front foot goes forward, the front knee bends deeply and the batter gets down to the line of the ball with the head over it. It is the most body-dependent of the shots here, so it is the one where the phone reads you least reliably, especially in pads and from far away.
No equipment needed. Practise at home. Just do the movement properly in front of your phone: a shadow swing for racquet sports, a rep for lifting. No court, ball, shuttle or weights needed, and a racket or a bar is optional.
What good looks like
- Settle in a still stance, then stride your front foot out toward the pitch of the ball.
- Bend the front knee deeply and get your body down to the ball with your head over it.
- Keep your head still and your eyes level as you play the shot.
- Come out of the shot on balance and hold the finish before you stand up.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
Not getting down
A sweep played from a standing position loses control. Bend the front knee and get down to the ball.
Reaching with the arms
Reaching for the ball without moving the feet leaves you off balance. Stride out first.
Falling over after the shot
Losing balance at the finish means the base was wrong. Hold the finish to check.
What Formanti checks on your sweep shot
Judged once the shot is over, with the hold of your finish timed.
- Finish: at least 0.6 s. hold your finish for a second
Your stance, stride and impact
Where the shot is played: is your head over your front knee, your front leg bent, your foot out to the ball.
- Impact: front knee bent at least 40° more than in your stance. front knee deeply bent: you go down to the ball
- Impact (a tip, never a fault): front foot out toward the ball, about half a leg or more. front foot out toward the ball
- Impact (a tip, never a fault): torso leaning forward over the ball (needs the phone square on to your side). lean over the ball, head down
- Footwork (a tip, never a fault): up to 0.45× your torso. a still head: it moved less than half a torso length
What you hear and see when you are off
Get down to the ball
The coach says: “Get down to it”
On screen: Get down to the ball.
Drill: Step-and-drop: stride out and bend the front knee deeply, hold for two seconds, ten times, then add the sweep.
Get your front foot forward
The coach says: “Get forward”
On screen: Get your front foot forward.
Drill: Place a marker a long stride away and land your front foot beside it ten times.
Don't fall away
The coach says: “Stay balanced”
On screen: Don't fall away.
Drill: Shadow shots finishing on balance and holding it for two seconds.
Don't fold over
The coach says: “Stand tall”
On screen: Don't fold over.
Drill: Shadow shots finishing on balance and holding it for two seconds.
Hold your shape at the finish
The coach says: “Hold your shape”
On screen: Hold your shape at the finish.
Drill: Freeze-the-finish: every shot, hold the end position for a slow count of two.
Keep your head still
The coach says: “Keep your head still”
On screen: Keep your head still.
Drill: Shadow shots in front of a mirror, keeping your eyes on one spot at eye level.
Drills you can do alone
- Step-and-drop: stride out and bend the front knee deeply, hold for two seconds, ten times, then add the sweep.
- Freeze-the-finish: after every sweep hold the end position for a slow count of two.
How to set up your phone
Phone 2.5 to 4 metres away at hip to chest height, your whole body in view. Square of you on the off side (where point fields) judges the most; in front of you, like the bowler's end, also works. No ball needed: shadow-bat. It reads you best without pads. It all runs on your phone and nothing is uploaded. Filmed from the front or from behind the phone can count your shots but not judge your feet or your head position.
Guide values, new and not yet checked against real players. It doesn't see the bat or a ball: it checks your body, with your hands standing in for the bat. It can't tell which shot you played. You pick it, and it checks that shot's basics. Impact is an estimate, taken from the lowest point of your hands. The cut, the pull, the sweep and leg-side shots aren't covered yet, and neither is bowling. The sweep goes down low, so the pose model reads the legs less well. It is least reliable in pads and with the phone far away.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the sweep least reliable?
It is played low, so more of the body is crouched and overlapped, and pads hide the knees. The pose model reads it less well, so treat it as a guide.
Do I need a ball?
No. Shadow sweeps work: the check is about your legs, your head and your balance.
More cricket practice
Forward defence · Front-foot drive · Back-foot defence · Pull shot · Cut shot · Batting stance