Gary Palmer has been coaching batting for over 20 years and he knows how to do it right. In this article he discusses why the on drive is the easier shot to learn first.

What was the first drive you learned, or taught to someone else?

There is a fair chance it was the front foot off drive. The great looking signature shot of many great Test players.

Since we stopped doing the weekly PitchVision Academy podcast I’ve been constantly asked when it’s coming back.

The great news is that we are planning the new series right now and all the PitchVision audioheads can get their fix again very soon.

In opposition to the traditionalist’s view of preparation, England’s bowlers prepare for the first Ashes Test of 2009-10 by skipping a warm up match.

Critics say that bowlers need competitive overs ‘under the belt’ rather than hours in the nets.

It’s a common quandary for those lower down the scale too.

As you know, we have been running a series of coaching events across England called PitchVision Academy Live!

Along the way I have met many club, school and University coaches/players and shown them how they can improve their game. Today I want to give you a flavour of what that is like by following my day at Chelmsford.

This article is part of the “How to use fitness training to make better young cricketers” series. Click here to go to part 1.

Coaching kids under 9 is no different to herding unruly sheep. But a conscientious coach is laying important ground work that is about more than babysitting in a tracksuit.

A bad butcher with a sharp knife is still a bad butcher.

And for cricket coaches, technology is the same: A shiny tool can make you feel like you are going to make a difference to players. But in reality the best thing technology can do is add to good coaching, not make bad coaches better.

And at worst, technology can become a distraction from the coaching process. You can spend so much time tinkering that you get less done than you would have if you had just set up some cones and balls.

It’s a natural reaction to the unknown and a way of protecting yourself. But as a coach your job isn’t to live in fear of negative results, it’s to get best from your players.

And that means learning how to train your players in more than cricket, even if they are very young.

Fitness training for teenagers or younger though? Surely that doesn’t feel right?

 We all know how important fitness is to cricket, but nets don’t realistically recreate the fitness you need to get a big score.

That’s where BATEX© (BATing EXercise) comes in.

Normal netting rarely tests batsmen's endurance. It doesn't accurately reflect the effects of fatigue on the batsman's skill levels. But BATEX does exactly that.

Everyone goes to nets in the hope of finding form and improving technique. But the way most people do it is totally ineffective.

But Gary Palmer takes things totally differently.

In this short video, Gary explains how he uses nets at his CCM Academy to make significant and noticeable differences to players technique, mental approach and run scoring ability.

Click here to watch the video and find out more.

It’s a heartbreaking moment as a batsman. The bowler serves up a half-volley, the ball pings from the middle of the bat.

The ‘keeper probably compounds your pain with a quick “you missed out there, I thought that was a gimmie” perhaps you let the frustration get to you and end up playing an injudicious shot (let’s be honest, we all have had an ugly heave under pressure), miss it and get out.

All because you hit the fielder and not the gap.