One of the traits of a strong fielding side is they get more chances than a weaker one. They do this not through better bowling or worse batting but through going for the ball more often and getting there more often.

It's not some unnatural talent given to the few. Anyone can do it.

Here's how

Go for everything

Wiser men than me have said that you catch zero percent of the balls you don't go for. This is true. Even if you do nothing else in this article, simply by going for everything you will take more catches.

It might only be one catch in ten. It might cost you in misfields if you mess up. You're still better off with that one catch than without it. So go for it.

The way you get used to this is to make it a key principle in practice sessions to try and get everything, no matter how tough it seems. This way you test your ability to the extremes and improve. Over time your judgement will get better and you will find yourself in the right place more often.

Good drills to pressure yourself into catching are:

• Monster machine gun drill
• The starting station
• Front and back
• Sidearm vs Katchet

Get faster

The second factor is your athleticism. Judgement is most important, but fitter and faster fielders get to more balls more often too.

So, work on accelerating, changing direction, and being able to jump (both diving and up).

These are longer term goals, but with 2-3 S&C sessions a week, even just as part of cricket training, you will see improvements and will get to more balls.

Summary

1. Good fielders create more chances, and are not afraid of failing so rarely pull out of trying to catch everything.
2. The more you practice, the better you will get mentally, technically and physically.
3. The stronger and faster you are, the better a fielder you will be.