CRICKET COACHING MATS are brand new pieces of equipment designed to give youngsters the time and opportunity to improve their batting techniques on a perfect batting surface. The mat works brilliantly in the back garden for the kid playing alone; it works terrifically in the school gym or sports field and it works superbly at club level - keeping all the players engaged, focused and employed in the purpose they're there for - playing cricket, improving at cricket and loving the game.

It provides a simple, effective batting space together with a set of flexible tees on which to practice all the shots - from cover drives to on drives, square cuts to pulls and sweeps and the full range of defensive strokes - all the time supported by guidance from three sources.

Getting youngsters to move their feet, transfer their weight and swing straight does not come naturally to everybody. The CRICKET COACHING MAT removes four of the variables that hamper development:

It replaces these by feeding the ball in the perfect position to hit every shot. Players can now play the shot in their own time and the coach can then demonstrate the shot at a variety of speeds to ensure understanding. Over the course of a season, all the shots can be practised and mastered on a coaching mat and then further developed in the nets or in matches.

The CRICKET COACHING MAT is a piece of hardwearing artificial grass two metres long and one and a half metres wide. It weighs 3kg, or 7lbs, which means that it can easily be carried or moved.

The tees are made from a flexible yet durable plastic that you push through the specially positioned holes in the mat. There is no need to retrieve the tee after playing your shot nor do you have to put the tee back in the correct place, it simply flexes back into position to receive the next ball. This means that the shot can be repeated often in a short time period.

The Velcro footprints can be positioned in the right place for each shot, staying firmly in place throughout the whole practice session. Players simply step from the "stance" feet onto the "shot" feet in sequence, thereby playing the shot correctly.

There are three different types of CRICKET COACHING MAT available to best suit all your needs :

The AIREDALE weighs approximately 7 lbs or 3 kg and is perfect to use on a flat and well cut outfield. If used indoors it may need taping to the floor for additional stability.

The WHARFDALE weighs approximately 10 lbs or 4kg and can be used on a more uneven outfield with longer/coarser grass. If used indoors it may need taping for additional stability.

The SWALEDALE weighs 40 lbs or 18 kg and has a heavy duty rubber backing. It can be used on all grass and tarmac surfaces both indoors and out as it does not require taping.