Overs under the belt: When is playing more important than practice?
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.
How fast is it possible to bowl?
In this free cricket coaching video Ian Pont discusses how fast he thinks bowling can get with his brand new, top secret fast bowling method: the drop step and front foot block.
Ian has noticed that 99% of bowlers don't use this method, but most of the really fast ones do. It makes perfect sense to emulate them.
Why are bowlers not getting faster?
How deliberate is your bowling practice?
Recently I arrived early for a net session and a young left arm seamer was there alone bowling at the stumps.
I watched him for a few minutes and his length seemed to vary quite a bit. As I knew him quite well I wandered up and asked him where he was aiming to pitch the ball.
Solve your cricketing problems with this online tool
Judging by the number of questions we get here at PitchVision Academy, a lot of players and coaches have a cricketing problem they need solving. Everyone has something; a technical flaw in the cover drive, not quick enough bowling, getting gassed with low fitness levels and a hundred other things.
We also know that there is a frustrating gap for most of us.
The coaches and experts with the answers to your problems are expensive or inaccessible, or both.
At least they were.
5 Middle practice scenarios to make cricket training more realistic
In part 1 of this series we looked at why middle practice is so important and how to deal with the problems of running a middle practice session. Today we are looking at what types of scenarios you can set up, and how to keep them interesting to everybody, even the guy stuck at third man.
How to use middle practice to improve your cricket
Middle practice is a far better way to improve your tactics and game plans than nets will ever be.
That's because nets lack context. There is no pressure of the game or fielders.
But to learn how to play under pressure you have to practice under pressure. And middle practice does exactly that.
Use your head and become a better cricketer (part 1)
This article is part one of a series from Laurie Ward of The Complete Cricketer Academy.
This series of articles isn't about what you think.
Reading a title like this you will think of mental toughness, tactical awareness and the psychological side of the game.
But today we are going to talk about your head has a key role in the techniques of cricket.
How to exploit batting weaknesses: Open stance
This is part of a series on How to exploit batsman's weaknesses. To see the other weaknesses click here.
On the surface, an open stance is an excellent way to play. It gives the batsman a balanced position from which he or she has a wide range of scoring options.
But it can also lead to their downfall, if you know how to read it properly.
Ask the coaches: How do you stop a young player bowling down the leg side?
This article is part of the 'Ask the Coaches' series. To get the full list of questions and answers click here.
Imagine you are coaching a typical club side of young cricketers. Aged between 11-13 they are of varied ability.
