One of the best sights in cricket is a batsman hooking a short delivery from a fast bowler over mid wicket for six.

Back foot strokes are very pleasing on the eye, but require a bit of technical know-how to play correctly.

So if you fancy racking up those runs, check out the Academy's guide to back foot strokes.

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BACK FOOT DEFENCE
The safest way of playing the short-pitched ball

LEG GLANCE
Punish the bad balls aimed at your pads

SQUARE CUT
Pick up the boundaries on the off-side

BACK FOOT DRIVE
Find out how to play the most elegant shot in the book

THE PULL SHOT
The best way to dispatch a fast bowler to the ropes!

THE HOOK SHOT
Play the shot the fast bowlers hate to see

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Back foot strokes

Back foot defence

The leg glance

The square cut

Back foot drive

The pull

The hook

Did you know?

When a fast bowler is hurtling down at 85mph, a batsman only has about 0.45 seconds to react That's less than half a second to decide what shot to play and place it in the spot you want