"I think we are the dark horse" - Punjab Kings power-hitting coach Julian Wood ahead of IPL 2022

Former Hampshire cricketer Julian Wood is all set to take Punjab Kings (PBKS) batters for a new ride, teaching the art of power-hitting in the upcoming IPL 2022.

Picking up the nunances of power-hitting during a stint with the Texas Rangers baseball team a decade ago, Julian Wood imbibed it into T20 cricket, which also gained momentum around that time.

Julian Wood, who has played 27 first-class and 55 List A games, has since worked extensively to master the art and helped many international cricketers excel in it. Julian Wood has worked with the likes of Ben Stokes, Carlos Brathwaite, Prithvi Shaw, and Liam Livingstone, among others, who are considered to be lethal hitters of the cricket ball.

After doing wonders in various T20 leagues, Julian Wood is keen to work his magic in the IPL and impart his knowledge to the likes of Mayank Agarwal and Shikhar Dhawan over the next two months.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, the first-ever power-hitting batting coach, Julian Wood, talks about the nuances of power-hitting, his encounter with Prithvi Shaw as a young cricketer, experiences of working in the BBL, BPL and Punjab Kings' chances of winning IPL 2022.

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Excerpts from Julian Wood's exclusive chat with Sportskeeda:

Q: This is your first stint in the IPL. How excited are you for the challenge?

Julian Wood: Very excited. When I was called, I was in the Bangladesh Premier League. Jonty Rhodes asked if I was available. I was very excited about having the opportunity to be here and now I am here, just jumping at the bits of a start really. Trying to get involved as it's a new team, it’s a new coaching team as well, a new squad of players and the vibe and environment that has been created, it’s pretty nice to be in.

Everything seems pretty natural and I hope this continues for the entire tournament. It is a healthy environment to succeed in, so for me it is a massive opportunity, as I have given up a 20-year job to be here, so that’s how big it is for me and I am very excited.

Q: Punjab apparently wanted to have you onboard for the last few seasons. Any specific reason why you didn't join earlier?

Julian Wood: Interestingly, I was not aware of that. I think for me the reason why I was not involved in the IPL earlier is that you have to earn the right to do it and I think the way the game is changing now you are getting hitting coaches involved. Obviously, my history is in cricket and I am a batting consultant but I have expertise in power hitting, that’s probably the best way I am known for. I am the founder of power hitting and so for me I believe that it was only a matter of time before I was at this level, and to be given this opportunity now to showcase what I can do and hopefully I’ll rub off on the players and hopefully be successful.

Also, I believe now in T20 franchises around the world you don’t need batting coaches. These guys can all play and they are very, very good players, especially in the IPL. They are the best players in the world and they don’t need batting coaches, they are players who can bring other things into the game and that is exactly what I do and that’s how I see it.

Q. Can you teach someone power-hitting?

Julian Wood: Yeah you can. It’s different from the traditional techniques of batting. When you bat, you tend to lead with your head, when you hit you tend to lead with your hip. Batting over the years has always been very hands led. What I mean by hands led is that you tend to time the ball, tend to tailor made to have your head over the ball to keep the ball on the ground. If you look at the grip, the traditional grip is to roll the wrists, everything is quite negative and quite subdued, whereas now players want to change the language massively.

So as a coach, what I do is l change the language that I use and make it more powerful and more stimulating. Nowadays the buzzword is power-hitting, power excess speed, low in triangle, hand speed, etc., and you measure all these things and the things that can be measured can be improved upon. So can I teach power hitting to different players? Yes, I can, but there are different ways of doing it.

You can coach someone who is 6ft 5 and will be different from someone who is 5 ft 7. So you have the skill, touch and power game and it basically incorporates everything. It works out what is best for the player, there is no one way that fits everybody, everyone moves differently so we have to coach them likewise.

Q. Is there any technique behind power-hitting?

Julian Wood: I think I have answered that in the previous question, so yes, there is a difference. What I do is I get them how you can generate power through your body and your hands. There is rhythm and and timing of the movements, some players will stimulate and will get power from rhythm and timing. For the smaller guys it is balance and for the bigger guys it is more of brute power.

Q. How did you land up with the idea of teaching power-hitting? What is the story behind it?

Julian Wood: I moved to America and spent some time with the Texas Rangers for about 10 years. Maybe I sole-wear the game quicker than other coaches and players possibly. Then I started putting stuff together and like you’d see there is going to be more power-based batting, almost becoming more like baseball to be fair.

I have spent the last 10 years studying this. Like if you face 30 balls in a T20 game, how many sixes do you hit - 2 to 4, you still have 26 balls to face so you still have to be at your best. It's about incorporating the hitting element into it, which is what I have done so far. So there is a story behind it and it’s been a good journey and long may it continue.

Q. With the changing landscape in white-ball cricket, how important is it for teams to have power-hitting coaches in their side?

Julian Wood: I think now is the time where it’s going to change. You have a batting coach who will cover everything, I kind of don’t agree with that. I think the game is becoming more specialized now. There are players who just play T20 cricket and there are coaches who have just come to teach T20 cricket and the hitting element of it.

So that’s why I am out here, because I add something different. Even though I am a batting coach, I am primarily a hitting coach and other coaches concentrate on the long form. That’s the way the game will go and will continue to do so.

Q. You have worked in BBL and BPL earlier. How was the feedback from the players?

Julian Wood: I have done the PSL, Big Bash League and Bangladesh Premier League. I have touched on the PSL and the Dubai T20. The feedback from the players was great, the key thing is body awareness for the players, their understanding of how their bodies work and how they can generate power to add skill and touch to their game.

As a coach you have to challenge players and what I do is I challenge them from a different angle. It is proven as well that anything you can measure now like hand speed can be improved on. There is no negativity to what I do, it is all positive. And the feedback’s been great specially over here in the IPL. This is a process but hopefully we will be seeing results on the pitch.

Q. Which international players have you worked with till now? How would you rate them?

Julian Wood: I have worked with a lot of international players - England, Australia and the best strikers of the ball, like the West Indies team. If you look at the lives of [Kieron] Pollard, [Chris] Gayle back in the day, these guys have been around as hitters. Gayle was a batter who hits. The England team in 2015, they invested in a viable game and that’s why they are doing what they are doing now. The Pakistan team on the other side are naturally very aggressive but their mindset is very good, they just need a bit more structure in terms of technique and ball striking.

The Indian team are not as aggressive but they are technically better, for me they are the best at this since they incorporate normal batting with the hitting element. If you can marry the two together then you are a serious player. So I believe the Indians are at the best at it. England are very powerful and the West Indies are built for power since they are big strong guys who look to strike the ball. So as said earlier if you can marry the batting and the hitting element together then you have a serious player having skill, touch and power all rolled into one.

Q. You have worked with Prithvi Shaw before. Where was it? What areas did you guys work on? How would you rate him as a cricketer?

Julian Wood: I first saw Prithvi Shaw when he was eight years old. He was the best thing I have ever seen. I have never seen a boy that young, technically so sound and compact. He hit the ball very hard for someone so small. He was a punchy player and it is no surprise to me what he is doing is doing.

(On fulfilling his potential) I'm not sure yet, but there is a lot more to come. I just think that he needs to be a bit more professional but he's an absolutely phenomenal talent. He's someone who doesn't need to try and whack it, he doesn't need to try and hit the ball, he just bats.

I saw him in Mumbai and I will never see that again. I will never see a young player as good as that ever again in my life. It was a lifetime moment and I have enjoyed seeing how he has progressed.

Q. What is your exact role in the Punjab Kings side?

Julian Wood: My exact role within the Punjab team franchise is as a batting consultant. But I see myself emphasizing on the ball-striking side of it. As I said before, these guys can all bat so I believe now in T20 cricket you don’t need batting coaches anymore. As coaches now you need more specialists and you need to bring some difference to the table to stimulate them and challenge them more and that is what I am doing.

Q. You have had a couple of stints in training. Who impressed you the most?

Julian Wood: All the players have been very receptive and open to what I am doing. They can see the value in it. We have been using power stickers as well which has been awesome as it gives me and the players more information on the back-lift angle, ball access speed, show efficiency, bat twisting in your hand, etc.

It is a massive tournament like the IPL but it is also the best training camp that they will get, so it is a win-win. So you obviously got to win the tournament, but if you can get out of here even though you're not playing many games since it is going to be a big squad, if you can leave at the end of the 10 weeks and prove as a player that in itself will be a win.

All the guys have worked hard. Captain Mayank has been fantastic, though he plays Test cricket and is one of the best players in the world but has been very open to it. He is a skilled and touchy player with not much power, so we work mainly on rhythm and timing with him for his movements. He is the one who has shown the maximum improvement and has come to me the most.

As we progress with our training, the guys are really hitting the ball hard with more consistency. Fingers crossed, it is different when there is a game on and the pressure of the game, we have to control that by having the rhythm in the chaos, I hope it will all come through on the pitch.

Q. How would you rate Punjab Kings' chances of winning the tournament?

Julian Wood: I think we are the dark horse, all the big guns the Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals everybody talks about them. However, I haven’t heard much about our team being mentioned much in the TV which is good as we can stay under the radar, though I think we are a pretty explosive side with both bat and bowl. So I believe we can win it and hopefully we have a lot luck with this one.