When done wrong, team meetings are a waste of time. I know. I spent years working in a big company who had the ability to make meetings about meetings last for hours for no reason.

So if you are going to have one make the most of it by doing it right. It's only respectful of the player's time.

If you have watched much cricket on TV you will hear the commentators often talk about the 'classic dismissal' of a certain type of bowler.

This series aims to show you what those dismissals really are, from off spin to away swing and everything in-between.

During his career, Shane Warne was one of the loudest opponents to coaches; famously saying the only use for a coach was to drive the team to the ground. Yet even he turned to a mentor in Terry Jenner when times were tough or he needed some external help.

Every now and again someone will challenge one of the central pillars of our coaching philosophy.

As you know, we feel that fitness is important to cricket. Others put less of an emphasis on it, which can lead to some interesting debates. Where is the truth?

In the death match between skill and fitness, who is the winner?

This free video guides you through a simple drill to help you improve your bowling control without becoming robotic. Filmed at Activate Cricket Centre in Sydney, you can do the drill on your own or with a coach giving feedback as you perform it.

Despite all the recent innovations in coaching, some things remain constant.

I have been a coach since 1994 and have taught kids at almost every age and skill level. Long ago I learned that to be a success you need to do certain things. You could be standing in front of 40 8 year olds or trying to get the most out of an elite group of under 16 Academy players. These are the immutable laws of coaching kids' cricket:

Do you dream of bowling the perfect spinning delivery?

You know the one. For the off spinner it's the one the drifts away from the batsman before ripping sharply back off the pitch through the gate. For the left-armer and leg spinner it's the one that pitches on leg stump and clips the top of off stump. Bowled Warnie!

International cricket grounds in England are dotted with brushed metal containers on the edge of the boundary advertising the energy drink Red Bull.

The drink claims in its advertising to "give you wings" and England Captain Kevin Pietersen is on record as drinking a can before going out to bat. Its big business for the companies that sell them but do energy drinks really help your cricket?

Imagine sitting down at a desk, blank sheet of paper in hand and trying to come up with a brand new fielding drill.

Many give up before getting to that point. Where do you even start? If you do make one up, what if it goes horribly wrong when you do it 'live'?

With a simple process in place to follow, it's easier than you think.

Effective ground fielding is a hallmark of the fine fielder. Knowing when to aggressively seek the run out and when to be more circumspect will get you the results your captain and team mates expect from you.