hello all.,
they say imitation is the greatest form of flattery, yes , i believe that, but to imitate a cricketer! For a budding player, well that can be a tough ask, and foolish to say the least.
Why?
First of all what do u copy?
U tend to copy the exaggerated mannerisms that make up a players persona,
Fine with me, turn up ur collar , swagger to the pitch with chewing gum in your mouth, some times your mouth is so dry that you hardly find any spit, . the white sun screen , the zinc that makes up the warrior face, take a look at the guy above
OK, now for some serious brain jamming; what can u imitate, what cant you?
Never imitate a style of playing a shot , or delivering a type of ball,
WHY?
U have to differentiate between Style and Technique, so
What is Technique?
It is the most efficient way of performing a task, lets say a drive.
and it becomes a particular players STYLE when that player executes that technique taking in to consideration, his own physiological characteristics and bio-mechanical limitations.
so many players fall in to the trap of trying to copy the style of a player without understanding , the solid technique, the physiological and bio-mechanical factors that lead to the technique being displayed by that player in that manner, and end up as poor copy cats or even worse
eg: try being an other Murali and get called for chucking
try being a Pitersen and get out LBW
MORALE
Copy Technique, Not Style
MOST OF ALL TRY TO RETRACE THE STEPS THAT MADE THE STAR WHO HE IS TODAY, AND YOU WILL SEE BLOOD, LOTS OF SWEAT, TEARS WIPED AWAY. AND STEPS CLIMBED, WHEN ALL THE OTHERS ROOTED FOR FAILURE, AND MOST OF ALL THE BURNING DESIRE TO SUCCEED AND THE BELIEF THAT HE COULD AND HE WILL
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3 comments:
I cannot agree more with the concept itself- I used to see it around me quite a lot, but I agree only partly with the morale - copy technique and not style. Theoretically, it holds water, but how would a budding cricketer ever be able to separate a role model's style and technique? Its like separating milk from water. Learning by imitation is good but you cannot learn what you cannot discern. So the right thing to do, IMHO; is to understand the truth - it will get you nowhere copying stars; and understanding the reason behind the truth - all stars have worked hard on their technique which over the years has become inextricably interwoven with their styles. So the actual morale is - work very hard on your technique and build a strong foundations which is correct, then like sir mentioned, your "physiological characteristics and bio-mechanical limitations" will work its way through the rock bed of technique and the end result will be your own perfect style.
But does that mean you can learn nothing from the stars? No way!!! Learn from their temperament. SO my morale is - study proper technique, develop your own style and learn the temperament of your icons
thanks for the post on issues related to imitation. while agreeing with the concern that it is important to realise one's own uniqueness, i go for a different analysis. it is related to learning method. the right brain dominant persons (usually left handers) learn more by seeing. they go by instinct and when they see styles that suit their temperament (emotional-rational disposition), they could imitate it to some degree of effectiveness. but left brain dominant persons can pick more by hearing and are prone to analytical thinking to a greater degree than the other. They may not imitate that much and will understand more of what Biju is saying. this difference in learning ability is reflected in the fact that everyone does not try to imitate and also, everyone does not respond with the same intensity to the insights that are communicated regarding this.
when i used to bat as an opener (I am left brain dominant) I took extra effort to observe and analyse Gavaskar, Boycott, Geoff Marsh and so on. what I was looking for was their technique, how they were able to judge and position themselves to specific balls. i used to imagine about their attitude and inner process and actually wanted to imitate that. eg. terms like grit, concentration, temperament, application and so on.
so, i agree that outward imitation of leverage and swing of the bat or body language are unique to persons and need not be imitated, but cricketing mentality, approach to the game and logic that lied behind a technique could be followed up. but again, at the application level, the above said factor of learning skill comes into play.
i hope this blog site will initiate more insightful discussions and sharing.
thanks..will look forward to more in future..
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