Having clear goals is like having a map to success. That's why I have been working with our case study subjects on getting some clear goals for the English/Welsh summer in 2009.

It has taken a while to get things into place but we have finally come to an agreement on what they can achieve and how we can measure it. As you recall from the mental training for cricket course on PitchVision Academy, for goals to work they need to be specific, measurable, achievable, controllable, challenging and realistic.

However, that does not mean we ignore the less specific or controllable aims. The secret is to set goals that will automatically lead to our wider aims. Let's look at our case studies for examples.

Geraint feels he will score more runs by improving his ability to convert starts into scores of 50 or more. He also feels his role with the ball is to tie players down and frustrate them out with a combination of accurate bowling and surprise variations.

As a result of this he has set some general aims of:

• Score 400 runs
• Take 20 wickets
• Make 10 1st XI appearances
• Achieve a conversion rate of 20 to 50 of 75%

You will notice all these aims are, at best, partially controllable. A host of things outside of his control could scupper his chances of reaching these aims. So while we will monitor the aims closely to make sure they remain realistic but challenging, the focus will be on his goals instead.

If Geraint focuses on these goals then the aims should look after themselves:

• Bowl 60 balls a week target practice (no batsman)
• Bowl 20 balls a week to develop an accurate slower ball
• Face 100 balls a week against a bowling machine or throwdowns
• Do 2 fitness sessions a week
• Stick to the nutrition rules 90% of the time

Geraint will track his success in these areas each week and report back to us as he goes along.

Naz has aims to re-establish himself in his club as a 2nd XI top order batter and change bowler. Ideally as part of a successful team who win the league thanks to his contributions. His general aims are:

• Score 500 runs
• Take 15 wickets
• Play 1st XI cricket

Again we need to break these down into more controllable actions he can monitor weekly. For Naz this is less about technique/practice and more about mental preparation:

• Rehearse innings and bowling spells in his mind before every match and training session
• Use visualisation once a week
• Stick to a pre-written matchday checklist every game
• Bowl 30 balls a week target practice (no batter)
• Attend gym 3 times a week
• Stick to the nutrition rules 90% of the time

It's important to note that with both players, these are the things they feel that they can control that will help their game. It gives them something concrete to work on week to week safe in the knowledge they are heading towards their overall aims.

Preseason matches start in a few weeks. Let's see how they get on.