|
|
GRIP,
STANCE & SWING
HITTING
STRAIGHT
THE
RUSH
THE
CUT RUSH
THE
JUMP STROKE
SINGLE
BALL GAMES
SINGLE
BALL DRILLS
GRIP,
STANCE and SWING - COMFORTABLE,
COMFORTABLE and PENDULUM
Once you have selected a mallet with a weight and handle height that feels managable for you, hold it with a grip that feels comfortable to you.
WHY?
Because we have all held different implements - pick, rake, broom, softball bat, cricket bat - and found a comfortable way of holding them. We are likely then, to hold a mallet naturally and efficiently first go.
Same with the stance. We have all been standing around for years and so can find a natural CENTRE STYLE stance that is stable and comfortable.
The swing
of the mallet is a FULL PENDULUM SWING through the legs.
The children's
swing in the park is a great model of an efficient FULL PENDULUM.
The croquet swing
is a pendulum from the shoulder,
not from the wrists.
The wrists are
locked throughout the stroke except at the end of the backswing where they
need to break to allow the mallet to complete its full backward momentum,
and the end of the follow through.
Ian Bassett's full follow-through
Kenn Boal's swing here has a full backswing and follow-through
is the result of a full swing for a
for a long roquet the length of the court.
long roquet across court.
* Notice both players keep looking down to minimise torso movement.
Notice
the shorter, but still full, pendulum here for a softer hoop stroke
To assist the pendulum swing from the shoulders your hands need to be together on the mallet handle and it is the height at which your hands are comfortable that determines the length of the handle
WHY?
Because hands together has the hands working as one.
Solomon Grip
Pencil Grip
Irish Grip
Standard Grip
Rod Kirk
Kevin Beard Judy
Hawking-Burnett Kenn Boal
The mallet handle, in effect, goes from the shoulder to the mallet head, pivoting at the shoulder.
Hands together also eliminates the chance of the hands working against each other which can sometimes happen when they are apart:
Here
the top hand can work against the dominant bottom hand which can push the
mallet off line.
FULL PENDULUM? Yep! This means that, like the swing in the park, it doesn't stop on it's way back and have to be started up again; it follows through to the end naturally without stopping just after the ball is hit; it is smooth; and it goes at the same pace throughout without accelerating quickly forward
SO
You can see that the idea is to swing from the shoulders and not interfere with the natural swing.
To hit straight
you have to have your body lined up straight at the target.
To do this you
need to step back a few yards to stand in line with your ball and it's
target.
WHY?
The straight walk
in to the ball (called Stalking)
ensures your body is facing straight at the target.
The mallet will
always correct in the swing to where your body is facing.
Hitting straight has to do with a straight swing as described above, but also it is essential that you watch the spot on the ball you are going to hit. Aiming at such a small, central spot allows your inner computer to program your muscles to guide the centre of the mallet face through the centre of the ball straight at the target. If you only look at the general shape of the ball your computer may not be focussing your muscles as accurately as you would like.
To roquet a ball
to a specific destination rather than just hit it is called a rush. The
basic principles of the roquet still apply - stalk the ball; pendulum swing;
watch the spot you are to hit.
However, the
stance is slightly different in that you need to stand back from your
normal roquet stance an inch or two.
WHY?
Notice
that Kenn's mallet is tilted back slightly because he is back an inch in
his stance.
Because you are
likely to put more effort into the stroke to move the ball you are rushing
and consequently you will stretch a little further forward than for a roquet.
This often pushes
your striker's ball into the turf a little more, causing it to spring out
of the turf and climb up the back of the ball you are rushing, losing a
lot of the power needed to project the rushed ball forward.
You will see that in the directions for doing a jump stroke, the advice is to stand forward to facilitate the spring out of the turf. Standing back that little bit stops the ball being hit into the turf, preventing the jump in the Rush stroke.
There are times you will need to rush a ball on an angle to get it to the desired destination. In croquet this stroke is called a Cut Rush
Diagram (a) shows that for Yellow
to cut rush Red the centre of Yellow isn't aimed at the contact point of
Yellow on Red.
Diagram (b) shows that it is
the front side of Yellow that hits Red at the point that will cut
rush it in the direction chosen.
* What this means is that you
can't cut rush Red by aiming the centre of Yellow at the point on Red that
will project Red in the chosen direction. So for the first time we are
not aiming the striker's ball straight at the target point to acheive the
desired effect, which can be a bit off-putting at first!
Aiming the Cut Rush.
When you view the point on the
Red ball which Yellow will have to hit to send it in the desired direction,
you then have to either aim the front side of Yellow to hit that contact
point as in Diagram (b), or you could imagine the position of Yellow when
it hits Red and choose a piece of grass (x) under the centre of the imaginary
Yellow ball and aim your stroke at that.
Some useful hints.
* Trust your aiming point and hit straight at it. Resist the temptation
to "help" the striker's ball by steering your mallet towards Red.
* If you feel anxious about cutting a ball, a good average cut is achieved
by aiming the stroke at the outside edge of the ball you are cutting as
in Diagram (a). This way you will feel confident you wont miss the target
ball and will achieve a useful angle of cut.
* Remember that you always hit the striker's ball with the centre of the
mallet face no matter what stroke you play.
In the jump stroke the ball is hit early in the pendulum swing which causes the mallet to strike the ball into the turf. The turf, being springy, bounces the ball forward out of the turf and into the air.
The diagram shows that in hitting early in the pendulum swing you are hitting the ball into the turf. If the mallet follows into the turf, breaking the surface it is a fault. The challenge is to hit downward, also maintain the forward pendulum swing while making sure you pull out of the swing before it gouges the turf. Best to try the stroke off the playing surface till you get it right!
Stephen Forster (below) is using the stroke to jump over Red to score the hoop. He has achieved this with a short sharp forward pendulum swing. The sequence of photos demonstrates that the stroke is a rush deliberately hit too early in the pendulum arc.
Notice Stephen's feet are well forward to ensure the mallet strikes the ball on the downward swing. Compare this with the photo of Kenn (above) in the Rush stroke.
Aussie Croquet & Golf Croquet are excellent short games to play to hone your single ball strokes.
Single ball strokes are the most important strokes in any version of mallet sports.
These games are not only beneficial but they are good fun to play, you get plenty of turns and as all players are on court at the same time it enhances the social aspect of croquet.
The rules of Golf Croquet are published in the Laws of Croquet, available through your State organisation.
One Ball Croquet is the game of Association Croquet with one ball of each side pegged out of the game. Start the game from either baulk line. This 'end game' is also short and entertaining. Croquet strokes are part of the game when the other ball is roqueted. Wired balls are commonplace if you use the opposition ball and don't give it a shot on your ball entitling them to lift the ball to either baulk.
