“The ball could be aimed at your body. So you’ve got to make sure you hit it.”
Get your body into position
For most players, this means getting low to the ground when preparing to take a ramp. This position allows them to get the right amount of elevation.
But Helmot says Konstas’ technique on Thursday was unique: he stayed tall.
“It’s like he can make a decision then – does he want to hit it over the off side, or the leg side?
“It’s quite amazing. [Former Australian wicketkeeper and Hobart Hurricanes veteran] Matthew Wade used to do it like that… he was very efficient in playing that particular shot, too.”
Konstas explained that he had studied the technique of England keeper-batter Jos Buttler, who is an expert ramper.
“I go back … I go up with it,” Konstas told Seven while watching a replay of the six he hit off Jasprit Bumrah in the seventh over of the Test. “Don’t use too much wrist. Let the ball do the talking and kiss off the bat. ”
Angle your bat. Small wrist movements.
Helmot agrees that using the pace of the ball is key. Your bat should be angled slightly – a bit like a skateboard ramp.
“You don’t have to overplay it. You don’t have to over hit it,” he says.
Sam Konstas plays a ramp shot against Jasprit Bumrah on day one of the Boxing Day Test.Credit: AP
“You want to get your bat in such a position where you just need to move your wrists,” says Helmot. “You can actually keep your arms fairly straight.”
Spend time practising and refining.
The ramp shot is a great product of today’s game, says Helmot. Batters use it to disrupt the bowler’s rhythm and make it difficult for the opposition to set a field.
“You’ve got to mess around with it. You’re going to make heaps of mistakes. You’ve got to be prepared to look silly,” says Helmot.
He encourages children (and adults) at home to get their bat and have a go – but to be careful. It’s best to wear a helmet and use a softer ball to begin with.
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“It’s always been the fear holding people back, thinking, ‘you can’t do that in a red ball game’,” says Helmot. “Sam has just thrown that out the window.”
“The first game in the new year, everyone’s going to be playing it,” Helmot says. “It was so exciting, and we just love watching it.”
Incidentally, the backyard was not where Konstas learnt the ramp. As older brother Billy explained on SEN Radio: “We did have the auto wicketkeeper, so the ramp was out of play.”
