I’d like to get some advice about the wicket keeping crouch position.

I see keepers today with wide stances especially up the stumps and wonder how awkward they look and the pressure they have on their thighs to stay low and come up with the ball.

Growing up keepers generally had their feet shoulder width apart and looked more comfortable with their gloves coming up with the ball. Ian Healy for example.

With such a wide stance also does it affect the bigger edges off the spinners hitting their legs as opposed to travelling through to first slip?

Should we be advising young keepers to keep their feet shoulder width apart or is the wide stance ok?

Hi Mark,

Great question and one in my opinion, that changes depending on the individual.

For me personally as a keeper my stance is slightly wider than shoulder width as my hips don’t allow me to get into the position I need to be in to maximise power. Having a wider stance also allows a lot more space for my elbows which allows me to have greater give with the ball when catching, Therefore increasing my catch percentage.

When coaching keepers I aim to find a place which is comfortable yet effective. Three points in which I use are:
1. Ensure they are in a powerful position. (This will allow them to move laterally and/or down leg when required)
2. Weight is on the balls of their feet and leaning towards the inside slightly. (Very little weight should be on heels)
3. The strongest muscles in our legs are our quads, calves and glutes and if our weight is slightly forward we use all three to move, however if our weight is on our heels we use our hamstrings and put a lot of pressure on our back.

If you follow this link to the second photo, it is a photo of myself keeping in a game which will best explain the points above.

https://bit.ly/3QGtXoj

In terms of the bigger edges, it allows me to be able to cover more ground in less time, due to being in a powerful stance.

I hope this answers your question and if not please don’t hesitate to reach out directly at bjh**@****

Regards
Baxter