Batting - Front Foot Strokes

The various drives that can be played off the front-foot are: 

a) Off drive: 

Played to a ball pitched just around the off stump. The bat should come down in a straight line in the direction of mid-off, to make sure that the ball is propelled toward that direction. 

b) Cover drive: 

Played to a ball pitched slightly wider outside the off stump. The bat should come down in the direction of extra cover, so as to hit the ball in that area. 

c) Square drive: 

Played to a ball pitched wider outside the off stump, in the direction square of the wickets. 

d) On drive: 

One of the most difficult drives to play, which is being eradicated from the modern game gradually, as not many exponents of it are left. Played between mid-on and mid-wicket. 

e) Straight drive: 

The most eye-catching of all drives, played straight down the ground. 

The batsman may choose which drive to play on a particular good length ball, but emphasis definitely lies on getting to the pitch of the ball. 

Sweep Shot: 

It is the more risky of shots, but also the most yielding against spinners. It needs to be played with the spin, otherwise could lead to the batsman's downfall, as a result of a top edge. The traditional sweep shot is played to a delivery on or around the leg stump, in the direction behind square on the leg side. 

The front-foot should stretch outside the line of the ball and bent, while the back-foot is lowered parallel onto the ground. The head and front shoulder should lean forward towards the ball. The bat should come down from a high back swing, and should counter the ball in front of the pads. If not playing in the air, the wrists should be rolled, so as to keep the ball on the ground. The follow through should finish over the leading shoulder. 

It is important to judge the length of the ball, to perform a commendable sweep shot. It should be played preferably off good length deliveries, as trying to deal with a short ball with this shot would risk a miscue. It is also vital that the stumps are covered while playing the shot, so that in case one misses the shot, chances of being clean bowled are avoided. 

In modern day cricket though, various other sweep shots have come into being, as a result of need for innovation to use in one-day cricket. The paddle sweep is played very fine off a ball wide outside leg stump, while the slog sweep is played by opening oneself up, and thrashing the ball over mid-wicket. 

Leg Glance: 

The front-foot leg glance is used to hit the ball in the direction of mid-wicket, because the bat will meet the ball head-on; as compared to the back-foot leg glance is used to hit the ball behind square. 

The use of wrists and the angle of the bat at the point of impact are of utmost importance. The head should be on top of the line of the ball, and the weight of the body shifted on the front-foot, which should be slightly bent. The bat should be brought down as straight as possible, with the angling coming only at the point of contact in front of the pads, and not before, which could lead to a leading edge. 

The shot can be controlled using the bottom hand, as well as the wrists.