If you have a regular bar you go to with your friends, you'd know there's a specific area of the bar that always hits the sweetspot of your vibe. The music is just right, the lighting is aesthetic and mood among the crowd is perfect. In a cricket bat, there exists that 'sweetspot', a part of the bat that is the perfect spot to hit a ball with, that will send the ball out of the park and into your ancestral home's window.
For maintaining consistency as a batter, finding the sweetspot frequently is an essential skill to master for glory. Using a str8bat sensor, you can track this statistic and try to increase the sweetspot percentage to find your in-game form effortlessly.
We had a conversation with Cricket Australia's Coach Development Specialist Bryan Harper about sweetspot percentage, and how important it is to improve your overall batting performance on the pitch.
What is Sweetspot Percentage?
A sweetspot percentage is a measure of how well the ball was hit based on the vibrations on the bat. The sweetspot of a bat is typically the part that allows for the most power transfer and distance when striking the ball. "What we're hoping to measure is a number that's as closest to 100%. The closer your measure is to that number, the better you're striking the ball," says the Aussie coach.
Why is sweetspot percentage important?
Finding the optimum area of wood on your bat won't just help you clear boundaries with ease. It adds a layer of versatility to your game, which will help you pick out shots on the pitch easier than groceries in the supermarket. It also helps you in finding the perfect timing in your shots as well, something you wish you had on your way to class every day. Maintaining your energy for the latter stages of the match is key to your team's victory. Increasing your sweetspot percentage decreases energy use every shot, keeping up stamina levels in the 12th hour.
Also Read : Bryan Harper Masterclass on Bat Timing | str8bat Cricket Bat Sensor
How to practice increasing your sweetspot percentage?
Our coach from down under advises you to get out into the nets and keep striking the ball. Put the factors as to what works for them when it comes to hitting the ball in the middle of the bat.
The closer the ball is to the centre, the lesser the vibrations on the bat. The str8bat sensor help you measure those vibrations and give you mummy-level feedback about what's working and how to get better.
Thin batting drills are a rising trend in batting exercises. You can imagine them as glorified selfie sticks that ironically help you in the long run. While trying not to go full Addison Rae, go out into the nets with an improvised thin bat; even a stump will do the job. Focus on your balance, hand-eye coordination and weight transfer from back to front foot. These drills are an ever growing conclusion that size doesn’t matter.
How to use the data?
Is fundamental to keep in mind a few factors while reading the data. Mr. Harper wants to initiate a questioning into your thinking by asking you to look at the data according to a few considerations:
- What was your sweetspot percentage?
- What helped you hit the sweetspot more often?
- Do your shots go further with a higher bat speed or a better sweet spot?
- How can you increase sweetspot hits and generate good bat speed as well?
Tips for increasing sweetspot percentage
Not all of you are perfectionists like the King himself, but you'll have to widen your horizon when it comes to hitting the sweetspot. Position yourself appropriately, watch the ball with concentration and strike it with a solid base. Make your local carney folk proud by finding the balance between the bat speed and sweetspot. Using str8bat's sensors, a practice-makes-perfect attitude in increasing your percentage goes a long way into making you every little child's AB de Villers.
