Former Australia cricketer and coach Justin Langer shares off-season tips for young players. From bat-and-ball drills to fitness and multi-sport activities, his simple yet effective methods help youngsters sharpen skills and boost their overall game.
Former Australia opener and head coach Justin Langer shared tips for young cricketers to improve their game during holidays or before the next cricket season. After retiring from his illustrious career, Langer has transitioned into a coaching role, having taken up duties with the Australia men’s team, Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League, Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash League, and London Spirit in The Hundred.
Having established a career as a cricketer and coach, Justin Langer continues to inspire the next generation by sharing simple, practical training methods that emphasize discipline, fun, and skill development.
Langer’s training methods, ranging from bat and ball drills, fitness routines, and the importance of seam bowling, and multi-sport activities.
Mastering Bat and Ball
In a video posted on his official LinkedIn handle, Justin Langer revealed that lots of family, friends, and junior cricket coaches reached out to him for tips to improve young cricketers’ game during the holidays. The 54-year-old showed his garage with a cricketing setup, which he used during COVID–19.
Speaking in a video, Langer encouraged young cricketers to keep hitting the moving ball while constantly adjusting their footwork. He also suggested trying one-handed drills to improve control and coordination.
“Get your favourite cricket bat, a bit of strength, and a ball in the sock. The first thing you do is practice hitting, hitting, hitting, keep moving your feet all the time. Move forward, move the back foot, move the front foot. As you get better, maybe start doing it with one hand… one hand. I used to do that for hours.” Langer said.
A ball hanging on the sock in his garage became his simplest yet effective training tool, helping young and budding cricketers in Australia and around the world to sharpen their reflexes and footwork without needing a full cricket ground.
Importance of watching the seam
Further speaking about practice tips during the holidays, Justin Langer emphasised the importance of watching the seam, irrespective of whether the ball is red or white, stating that young cricketers must train their eyes to pick the seam early.
“When I ask everyone what colour the cricket ball is, they say red. But it’s not just red — it’s red and white. So make sure you watch the seam of the ball, that’s how closely you’ve got to watch it,” Langer said.
“First, try it off the face of your bat and see how many you can do. Then, when you get better, use the side of the bat… then the front, the side, and keep moving. We all make mistakes, but you’ve just got to keep doing it,” he added.
Langer’s emphasis on keeping an eye on the seam, whether the ball is red or white, highlights the value of focus and concentration in batting, teaching the youngsters that success would come down to the smallest details in technique and discipline.
Improving the agility with a tennis ball
Justin Langer recommended that the young cricketers improve their agility with the help of tennis, by bouncing it continuously to stay on the move and strengthen their legs, and by practicing wall catches to sharpen reflexes, hand-eye coordination, and fielding skills.
“Grab a tennis ball and just start bouncing it — see how many times you can keep it moving. When you’re batting or fielding, you’ve got to just keep moving around. Use both hands, keep moving, because it makes your legs nice and strong. It’s good for batting and it’s good for fielding,” the former Australian batter and coach said.
“Then, with the same tennis ball, come close to a wall and practice taking catches — always watching the ball. One hand, one hand, let it bounce, then step back and throw, move into position, throw, move into position. You can do it all day,” he added.
Langer’s recommendation to use the tennis ball underscores the importance of building agility and sharp reflexes, ensuring that young cricketers develop the athleticism required to excel in both batting and fielding.
Emphasis on Fitness
As young cricketers are currently not playing competitive matches during the holiday break, Justin Langer stressed the importance of fitness in cricket. He suggested fitness regimes like push-ups, sit-ups, crunches, and core exercises, which are crucial for building strength in the stomach, legs, and back.
“An important part about cricket and any sport is to get fit, so you can do things like a simple push-up. See how many you can build up to for the start of the cricket season. You can do other things, like do some sit-ups,” the 45-year-old said.
“Because in cricket, like in moving, your stomach’s important, your legs are important, your backside’s important, you’re going to get nice and strong, so you become the best cricketer you possibly can,” he added.
Fitness is one of the crucial aspects of cricket, given that players often spend more time on the field, running behind the wickets, fielding, and maintaining focus throughout the game.
Value of Other Sports
Apart from playing cricket, Justin Langer suggested that the young players play other sports, including football, netball, volleyball, basketball, tennis, and skating, to improve their hand-eye coordination, agility, and overall athleticism.
“To get better as a cricketer, do other things like this. Believe it or not, grab a footy and go have a kick with your brother or sister, or grab a soccer ball and do the same. Or grab a netball or volleyball and play with your siblings, play basketball, or grab a tennis racket and play tennis,” Langer said.
“It’s great for your hand-eye coordination, it’s good to keep moving, or even a silly little thing — and I’m the worst in the world — grab a skateboard, get on it. It’s good for your balance, because when you’re playing cricket, it’s got to be great for your balance,” he added.
Many international cricket players often play other sports, mostly football, tennis, and, most recently, pickleball, in order to enhance their fitness, agility, and reflexes, which in turn improve their overall performance on the cricket field.