Getting basics right with Boycott but leaving room to cut loose later

BY his own admission, Geoffrey Boycott was not the most talented individual to pick up a cricket bat.

The former Yorkshire and England opener says plenty have possessed more skill than himself.

But few cricketers – or indeed sportsmen – have made more of their ability than the man from Fitzwilliam, who turned himself into a legend of the game.

By maximising his talent through sheer dedication, Boycott scored a staggering 48,426 first-class runs at 56.83 – a remarkable record that echoes down the years.

Boycott could never have achieved such figures without a comprehensive grounding in the rudiments of cricket.

What the 69-year-old does not know about batting, bowling and fielding could be scribbled on the back of a postage stamp.

Few men, in fact, are more qualified to pass on their knowledge to up-and-coming players.

It is why he has updated and re-released his coaching book Geoff Boycott: Play Cricket The Right Way, first published in 1976.

"I got the idea for the book many years ago from the golfer Gary Player," said Boycott, whose updated book incorporates modern innovations such as the doosra and switch-hit.

"Gary did two instructional books with the Daily Express and I thought it would be a good idea to do a similar thing with cricket.

"I've always admired Gary and I suppose there's quite a bit of similarity between us in terms of work ethic.

"People would say we worked hard to make ourselves pretty good; in other words, there's people around who were blessed with a bit more talent than us, but we're a good example to kids of how, if you work hard enough at doing the right things, you can become pretty good."

Boycott's book – straightforwardly presented and attractively illustrated – covers practically everything you could wish to know. He explains how to play all the shots, how to bowl different types of delivery, the skills required for successful fielding, plus the art of wicket-keeping and the art of captaincy.

There are visual demonstrations to help you along and a veritable wealth of sensible advice.

Although the book is very much aimed at youngsters, it is also a valuable reference point for experienced players.

To pick a random example of Boycott's advice, here's his view on the lofted straight drive: "When the average batsman tries to hit the ball 'over the top' he imagines he has to hit the ball very hard and scoop it in the air to clear the fielders.

"He is so anxious to see if he has cleared the fielders that he lifts his head before actually making contact with the ball and gives an easy catch.

"The correct way is to hit firmly with your head down and your eyes fixed on the ball. Do not check yourself while playing the shot. Hit down and through the ball in a flowing movement and let your arms – not your body – lift the ball over the fielders."

And then there is this little nugget on keeping a straight bat – the Boycott trademark:

"Most youngsters have difficulty in playing the ball with a straight bat. It is not easy and it requires a lot of hard work to get it right, but this simple exercise helped me in my early days.

"Drill a hole in a composition ball and thread some wire through it. Fasten the wire to a beam or a tree so that the ball hangs about waist high.

"Then concentrate on hitting the ball, steadily bringing the bat down straight.

"If you hit the ball correctly it will return to its original position for you to hit again and again.

"If it goes off at all angles you need more practice."

Boycott also offers advice on the importance of practice.

"In the book, I try to make it clear that it's not practice itself that people should be aiming for, but perfect practice," said Boycott.

"In other words, you have to make a conscious effort to work hard at the right things; it's no good batsmen practising just for the sake of it.

"You need to know what it is you want to practice – ie, what sort of shot do you want to play – to keep the sessions as valuable as possible."

Although it is 34 years since his book was first published, Boycott said the basics have not changed.

"What I wrote in the 1970s still holds true today," he said. "I've read books on Don Bradman, books on Charles Fry, books on the great players of years back, and the basics of the game are still the same.

"Batting, for example, can be a very difficult thing, so the important thing is to simplify it.

"Essentially, if it's a good ball, stop it; if it's a bad ball, whack it – it doesn't need to be overcomplicated."

Boycott believes coaching can only go so far and that players must be given freedom of expression.

"I definitely think you can coach people too much," he added. "I believe there are certain basics, which I detail in the book, but after that you've got to allow people their own individuality.

"Otherwise, you wouldn't get players like Kevin Pietersen coming along – terrific players who try innovative things such as switch-hits.

"The trick with teaching kids is to know a lot but to simplify it; you can overwhelm them if you coach them too much.

"In my opinion, there are far too many coaches these days telling people what to do.

"There's 12 or 14 people around with the England set-up, for example.

"I really want people to think for themselves.

"Give them the basics, yes, but the last thing we want is to start producing robots."

Geoff Boycott: Play Cricket The Right Way is published by Great Northern Books, priced 9.99.

To order your copy or to treat a friend – @ 9.99 plus 2.75pp – call 01748 821122 Mon-Sat 9am-5pm. Or by post, send cheque made payable to: Yorkshire Books Ltd, to Yorkshire Books Ltd, 1, Castle Hill, Richmond, DL10 4QP.