Every year, cricketers spend thousands on a new bat and then crack it in the very first net session — not because the bat was faulty, but because it was never knocked in. Knocking in is the one step that decides whether your bat lasts two seasons or two overs.
What Knocking In Actually Does
A brand-new cricket bat is made from raw, uncompressed willow. Even factory-pressed bats haven't been compressed enough to survive the full force of a hard cricket ball straight away. Knocking in — repeatedly and gently striking the face, edges, and toe with a wooden mallet — compresses those willow fibres so the bat can absorb impact without splitting, cracking, or denting.
Skip this step, and even a well-made bat can crack on one of its very first deliveries.
How Long Does It Actually Take?
The honest answer: longer than most people expect, and it depends on the willow.
- English Willow bats: 4–8 hours of knocking, spread across multiple sessions over 1–2 weeks. English willow is softer and more responsive, which is exactly why it needs more careful preparation.
- Kashmir Willow bats: 2–4 hours is usually enough. Kashmir willow is denser to begin with, so it needs less compression.
Trying to rush this into a single afternoon is the most common way bats get damaged. Short, repeated sessions — 20–30 minutes at a time — give the fibres time to compress properly without overstressing any one spot.
The Right Order
- Oil first (English willow only): A light coat of raw linseed oil keeps the willow supple so it compresses instead of splitting. Kashmir willow bats typically don't need oiling.
- Start on the face: Gentle, glancing taps with the mallet — never a flat, direct strike — worked evenly across the full hitting area.
- Move to the edges and toe: These are the most vulnerable areas on any bat, and where most cracks start. Strike at an angle, rounding the edges gradually rather than flattening them.
- Test with an old ball: Once mallet marks are barely visible, move to throw-downs with a worn, softer ball before ever facing a brand-new one.
How Do You Know It's Ready?
Check the face after a session. If the ball or mallet is leaving deep, obvious seam marks, the willow is still soft and needs more time. Once strikes leave little to no visible marking, your bat is ready to graduate to a newer, harder ball in the nets — and eventually match play.
Skip the Hours — Let Us Do It
Knocking in properly takes patience most players don't have time for between matches. Our in-house machine knocking service compresses the willow evenly and consistently, without the weeks of manual mallet work. Browse our English Willow and Kashmir Willow bats, and ask about adding professional knocking-in at checkout.