Batting coach praises school’s new indoor facility
"Having a facility like this is phenomenal."
Power-hitting specialist Kieran Wood commended Hoërskool Dr EG Jansen for the Bateleurs Multisport Centre, which was unveiled at the school on April 8.
Wood described the facility as phenomenal, saying he was privileged to use it.
“Having a facility like this that is multipurpose, so the girls can play netball too. I’m privileged to have used it,” he said.
The Englishman introduced a group of Hoërskool Dr EG Jansen female cricketers, including national indoor cricketer, Bruzaan Goosen, to the power-hitting programme aimed to improve a batter’s hitting power in the newly-built facility on April 14.
Wood, sibling to Indian Premier League (IPL) side Punjab Kings’s batting coach Julian Wood, has travelled across SA spreading his “knowledge of power-hitting and creating new winners”.
Explaining what power-hitting is, Wood said it’s aimed to improve a batsman’s hitting power through the use of personally designed methods and drills.
“The game has changed massively in the last five years. Years ago, it had all to do with how technical and good you look. But now, it’s the way you stand out from your peers through power.
“When you get to a specific level, everybody is good enough to drive, defend and punch the ball or hit the back foot shot. But if you can do the same but hit the ball out of the ground, you’ll get a victory for your team,” Wood added.
With the help of the SA U19 women’s players Ashleigh van Wyk and Mieke van Voorst, part of the national team that lost to India in the final of the ICC U19 women’s T20 World Cup in February, Wood held sessions that focused on natural swing and creating power from the ground up.
Asked when power-hitting comes into play in a match, Wood said it’s effective when used towards the end of the game.
“With this technique and drills, especially with bigger guys, we are turning their mis-hits into sixes. When you are young and see people on the boundary, it’s almost intimidating. But this gives you an urge of confidence to hit the ball out of the park, even if there are 30 fielders on the field,” he said.
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