19:
441:
35:
381:
392:
the face of the bat pointed at the slips cordon, rather than going straight, as advised in the coaching manuals. This "crookedness" troubled his early critics, but
Bradman resisted any major technical changes and it became a moot point after he broke the record for the most runs in a Test series during the 1930 tour of England.
503:
However, he never truly mastered batting on sticky wickets. Although O'Reilly commented that, "wet wickets had shown me that no batsman was really worth a damn when the ball was rising at varying heights". "If there really is a blemish on his amazing record it is ... the absence of a significant
484:
It was noticeable that in many innings
Bradman lifted the ball to a far greater extent than when he came here first ... it was obvious that in the course of four years he had improved his technique almost out of knowledge. He was much more interesting to look at because of the wider range of his
475:
he nearly always stepped back to meet the ball with a vertical bat. And this is where he had his limitations, for the tour proved that when he met a bowler either left-hand or right who could make the ball just go away he never seemed quite such a master as against off-break or straight fast bowling.
391:
Employing a wide, side-on stance at the crease, Bradman preferred to keep perfectly still as the bowler ran in. Placing the bat between his feet (rather than behind his rear foot) was another unorthodox feature of his game. All these elements combined to give his backswing a "crooked" look, in that
370:
With most players, the handle runs across the palm of the hand and rests against the ball of the thumb. With
Bradman, the hand is turned over so far that the handle presses against the ball of the thumb. As the grip tightens, the pressure becomes more intense. The left hand is turned so that the
353:
At 170 cm (5' 7"), Bradman was not a big man, but he was athletic and very fast on his feet. During his developing years, he played cricket on artificial pitches, made of concrete with coir matting stretched tautly over the top. His short stature shaped his early development, as he had to deal
452:
noted that after experiencing turf wickets, Bradman significantly developed his back-foot play, which improved his defence and run scoring opportunities behind the wicket. Many photographs graphically demonstrate his ability to "use the crease" by either coming metres down the wicket to drive, or
494:
series, deliberately moving around the crease in an attempt to hit the short deliveries into the vacant off-side. He had the capacity to switch between a defensive or attacking innings at will during the peak of his career in the mid-1930s. After the war, he again readjusted, batting within the
332:
during the 1920s. He dominated world cricket during a 20-year career, combining an unorthodox, self-developed batting technique with great levels of concentration. Bradman played no organised cricket at a junior level and received no coaching. When he began playing on turf pitches in 1926, some
407:
in
England. Shillinglaw concluded that Bradman's initially perceived weakness was actually the key reason for his success – it created a "rotary" action in his swing of the bat that delivered extra power and ensured that he kept the ball along the ground. This was summarised as follows:
412:
he levered the bat up by pushing down with the top hand, whilst using the bottom hand as a fulcrum. As it neared the top of the back-lift, Bradman manoeuvred the bat through a continuous arc and back towards the plane of the ball during the downswing in preparation for
456:
Bradman took a "two leg" guard at the crease, aligning his bat along an imaginary line directly between the middle and the leg stumps. Bradman found with this guard it was "easier to be sure that a ball travelling towards your pads is outside the leg stump"
371:
wrist is behind the handle ... The combined result is that the bat slopes at an angle of about forty-five degrees from the ground, and so keeps the ball down, ensuring that in both the hook and the cut the blade is automatically turned over the ball.
504:
innings on one of those 'sticky dogs' of old, when the ball was hissing and cavorting under a hot sun following heavy rain. This is not to say he couldn't have played one, but that on the big occasion, when the chance arose, he never did".
333:
attempts were made to alter his style to conform to more orthodox methods, but he resisted and went on to unprecedented success as a run-maker. In recent years, efforts have been made to analyse his game by using
444:
Bradman hooks
English left-arm bowler Bill Voce during the 1936–37 series. Note the position of Bradman's left foot in relation to the stumps, an example of how he "used the crease" when batting.
366:
Bradman devised a grip on the bat handle that would accommodate these strokes without compromising his ability to defend. In his biography of
Bradman, "Johnny" Moyes, described his grip:
294:
476:
A glorious driver, he hit the ball very hard, while his placing was almost invariably perfect. He scored most of his runs by driving ... only on rare occasions did he lift it.
421:) kept his hands in close to his body, leaving him perfectly balanced and able to change his stroke mid-swing, if he was initially deceived by the flight of the ball.
183:
73:
354:
with the high bounce of the ball on this type of pitch. He found that the horizontal-bat shots (such as the hook, pull and cut) were the most productive for
387:
demonstrates his drive. Note the exaggerated follow-through of the bat so that its rests along his back, an indication of the power he put into his strokes.
400:
424:
After striking the ball
Bradman used an exaggerated follow through, so much so that his bat would be swung back over his shoulder and along his
683:
301:
432:. Most batsmen ended their stroke with their bat held high in the air, Bradman's method allowed him to hit the ball with greater power.
205:
210:
230:
338:
178:
610:
592:
574:
556:
538:
523:
404:
18:
274:
65:
86:
580:
820:
781:
769:
562:
449:
287:
222:
453:
playing so far back that his feet ended up level with the stumps when playing the cut, hook or pull.
680:
115:
699:
164:
157:
94:
839:
8:
495:
physical limitations set by his ageing body, to become a steady "accumulator" of runs.
143:
606:
588:
570:
552:
534:
519:
101:
425:
687:
485:
scoring strokes. At his best he was probably harder to get out than ever ...
342:
122:
544:
630:
833:
418:
355:
260:
334:
250:
193:
188:
384:
315:
49:
329:
417:
Additionally, his backswing (according to former
Australian captain
676:
674:
491:
448:
Another telling factor was the decisiveness of
Bradman's footwork.
440:
237:
34:
325:
321:
129:
671:
469:
regarding his play on consecutive tours of
England demonstrate:
320:
has been the subject of curiosity and analysis from students of
465:
Bradman's game evolved with experience, as these comments from
380:
429:
403:
utilised a biomechanical analysis of Bradman conducted by
722:
Bodyline, The Cricket 'War' Between England and Australia
490:
Bradman temporarily adapted his technique during the
341:, it is revealed that Bradman used a Golf ball and a
700:Gripping yarn reveals The Don's strokes of genius
831:
324:since the time he first came to prominence as a
631:The GOAT and Maxi's tour of the Bradman Museum
295:
760:Bradman "The Art of Cricket" (1984), p 35.
751:Bradman "The Art of Cricket" (1984), p 34.
302:
288:
439:
379:
17:
375:
832:
22:Don Bradman practises his drive, 1936.
605:, 1984 Hodder and Stoughten reprint.
435:
802:Fingleton (1949), pp 209–2111.
348:
211:Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year
13:
67:Australian International Cricketer
14:
851:
681:Uncovering the secrets of The Don
567:Tiger – 60 Years of Cricket
551:, 1985 Pavilion Library reprint.
518:, 1988 Pavilion Library reprint.
405:Liverpool John Moores University
33:
814:
805:
796:
787:
775:
763:
754:
745:
736:
727:
184:Bradman Museum and Hall of Fame
714:
705:
693:
662:
653:
644:
635:
624:
1:
507:
498:
641:Quoted in Page (1983), p 24.
460:
7:
10:
856:
223:Sir Donald Bradman Oration
617:
42:This article is part of
742:Robinson (1981), p 139.
361:
278:: Picture, Sound, Video
74:International centuries
811:O’Reilly (1985), p 77.
733:O’Reilly (1985), p 70.
720:p11, Philip Derriman,
549:Brightly Fades the Don
445:
415:
388:
373:
23:
793:Bradman (1950), p 74.
724:, Grafton Books, 1986
686:8 August 2007 at the
668:Bradman (1950), p 20.
601:Bradman, Don (1958):
587:, Cassell Australia.
514:Bradman, Don (1950):
443:
410:
383:
368:
345:to practice batting.
21:
659:Eason (2004), p 288.
650:Eason (2004), p 314.
529:Eason, Alan (2004):
376:Stance and backswing
318:'s batting technique
569:, William Collins.
516:Farewell to Cricket
173:Honours and Eponyms
711:Eason (2004), p 88
603:The Art of Cricket
531:The A-Z of Bradman
446:
436:Footwork and guard
389:
165:Bradman Cricket 17
158:Bradman Cricket 14
144:The Art of Cricket
24:
585:On Top Down Under
583:(1981 rev. ed.):
397:Bradman Revisited
395:In his 2003 book
312:
311:
102:The Flying Doctor
79:Batting technique
59:
58:
847:
824:
818:
812:
809:
803:
800:
794:
791:
785:
779:
773:
767:
761:
758:
752:
749:
743:
740:
734:
731:
725:
718:
712:
709:
703:
697:
691:
678:
669:
666:
660:
657:
651:
648:
642:
639:
633:
628:
401:Tony Shillinglaw
349:Early influences
337:studies. In the
304:
297:
290:
116:Leaps and Bounds
68:
55:
54:
52:
45:
37:
30:
29:
26:
25:
855:
854:
850:
849:
848:
846:
845:
844:
830:
829:
828:
827:
819:
815:
810:
806:
801:
797:
792:
788:
780:
776:
768:
764:
759:
755:
750:
746:
741:
737:
732:
728:
719:
715:
710:
706:
698:
694:
688:Wayback Machine
679:
672:
667:
663:
658:
654:
649:
645:
640:
636:
629:
625:
620:
598:
545:Fingelton, Jack
510:
501:
463:
438:
378:
364:
351:
308:
272:
270:
242:
227:
170:
123:Our Don Bradman
83:
70:
66:
50:
48:
47:
46:
43:
41:
12:
11:
5:
853:
843:
842:
826:
825:
813:
804:
795:
786:
774:
762:
753:
744:
735:
726:
713:
704:
692:
670:
661:
652:
643:
634:
622:
621:
619:
616:
615:
614:
597:
596:
578:
563:O'Reilly, Bill
560:
542:
527:
511:
509:
506:
500:
497:
488:
487:
479:
478:
462:
459:
437:
434:
377:
374:
363:
360:
350:
347:
339:Bradman Museum
310:
309:
307:
306:
299:
292:
284:
281:
280:
269:
268:
267:
266:
258:
257:
256:
241:
240:
226:
225:
214:
213:
208:
197:
196:
191:
186:
181:
169:
168:
161:
148:
147:
134:
133:
126:
119:
106:
105:
98:
82:
81:
76:
64:
61:
60:
57:
56:
44:a series about
40:
38:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
852:
841:
838:
837:
835:
822:
817:
808:
799:
790:
783:
778:
771:
766:
757:
748:
739:
730:
723:
717:
708:
701:
696:
689:
685:
682:
677:
675:
665:
656:
647:
638:
632:
627:
623:
612:
611:0-340-33555-6
608:
604:
600:
599:
594:
593:0-7269-7381-5
590:
586:
582:
581:Robinson, Ray
579:
576:
575:0-00-217477-4
572:
568:
564:
561:
558:
557:0-907516-69-6
554:
550:
546:
543:
540:
539:0-7333-1517-8
536:
533:, ABC Books.
532:
528:
525:
524:1-85145-225-7
521:
517:
513:
512:
505:
496:
493:
486:
481:
480:
477:
472:
471:
470:
468:
458:
454:
451:
450:Bill O'Reilly
442:
433:
431:
427:
422:
420:
419:Greg Chappell
414:
409:
406:
402:
398:
393:
386:
382:
372:
367:
359:
357:
346:
344:
343:cricket stump
340:
336:
335:biomechanical
331:
327:
323:
319:
317:
305:
300:
298:
293:
291:
286:
285:
283:
282:
279:
277:
273:
265:Granddaughter
264:
263:
262:
261:Greta Bradman
259:
254:
253:
252:
249:
248:
247:
246:
239:
236:
235:
234:
233:
232:
231:Controversies
224:
221:
220:
219:
218:
212:
209:
207:
206:The Don Award
204:
203:
202:
201:
195:
192:
190:
187:
185:
182:
180:
179:Bradman Drive
177:
176:
175:
174:
167:
166:
162:
160:
159:
155:
154:
153:
152:
146:
145:
141:
140:
139:
138:
132:
131:
127:
125:
124:
120:
118:
117:
113:
112:
111:
110:
104:
103:
99:
97:
96:
92:
91:
90:
89:
88:
80:
77:
75:
72:
71:
69:
63:
62:
53:
39:
36:
32:
31:
28:
27:
20:
16:
816:
807:
798:
789:
777:
765:
756:
747:
738:
729:
721:
716:
707:
695:
664:
655:
646:
637:
626:
602:
584:
566:
548:
530:
515:
502:
489:
483:
474:
466:
464:
455:
447:
423:
416:
411:
396:
394:
390:
369:
365:
352:
314:
313:
275:
271:
251:John Bradman
244:
243:
229:
228:
216:
215:
199:
198:
194:2472 Bradman
189:Bradman Oval
172:
171:
163:
156:
150:
149:
142:
136:
135:
128:
121:
114:
108:
107:
100:
93:
85:
84:
78:
15:
840:Don Bradman
690:– .doc file
385:Don Bradman
316:Don Bradman
151:Video Games
51:Don Bradman
508:References
499:Criticisms
461:Evolution
428:, like a
358:scoring.
330:Australia
834:Category
684:Archived
565:(1985):
547:(1949):
492:Bodyline
238:Bodyline
95:Bodyline
87:In Media
482:1934 –
473:1930 –
413:impact.
326:batsman
322:cricket
276:Gallery
130:Sir Don
821:Wisden
782:Wisden
770:Wisden
609:
591:
573:
555:
537:
522:
467:Wisden
430:golfer
245:People
217:Events
200:Awards
618:Notes
426:spine
137:Books
109:Songs
607:ISBN
589:ISBN
571:ISBN
553:ISBN
535:ISBN
520:ISBN
362:Grip
356:run
328:in
255:Son
836::
673:^
399:,
823:.
784:.
772:.
702:.
613:.
595:.
577:.
559:.
541:.
526:.
303:e
296:t
289:v
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
.jpg)
