Donald Bradman's Batting Technique - Stance and Backswing

Stance and Backswing

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 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.

In his 2003 book Bradman Revisited, Tony Shillinglaw utilised a biomechanical analysis of Bradman conducted by Liverpool John Moores University 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:

...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 impact.

Additionally, his backswing (according to former Australian captain Greg Chappell) 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.

After striking the ball Bradman used an exaggerates follow through, so much so that his bat would be swung back over his shoulder and along his spine, like a golfer. 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.