In Twenty20, you have to get a move on. Traditional practice won’t cut it. So use this routine instead.

With regular, focused practice like this, you will find your Twenty20 game improve dramatically in a short time. Instead of walking out with fear and no game plan, you will find yourself better at strike rotation, scoring under pressure and going big.

So, strap on the pad and get a bowling machine or throwdowns with a PV/ONE system to hand. You’ll need it for the fast improvements you want.

Hone the basics

Even in T20, the basics apply. So start your practice session with the basics:

• Check your setup
• Drive the ball straight, aiming in the V
• Make sure you are well aligned, balanced and completing the shot.
• Hit the ball on the downswing, not the follow through.

These basics are not glamorous and will get you no roars of approval for your genius play. They will allow you to build your game into something you can rely on.

Use PV/ONE’s video analysis tools to check your setup, balance and alignment. You can review your videos during the session, or afterwards. This idea of reflection is one of the most powerful tools you can use in your quest for success. More on that later.

Go round the ground

When you are satisfied you are connecting in a good way, you can move on to picking up runs. Dots are cricket suicide in Twenty20, so you need a way to score.

So, with a reliable feed (bowling machine is best), start to hit the ball to different areas. Go round the ground, starting at mid off and hitting balls into “gaps” round the ground through extra cover, cover, point, third man, fine leg, square leg, midwicket and mid on.

To do this, you need to adjust your body position to line up to deflect the ball into the right space

See how many balls it takes you to go round the clock.

Look at the video afterwards of the shots you did well alongside the shots you struggled to score. Ask yourself what adjustments you can make and try again.

Hit hard

No it’s time for the real fun: whacking it.

In this part of the session, try to hit boundaries over the top. Usually this is once bounce fours because aiming for one bounce means you don’t try to hit too hard and lose technique.

Modern hitting techniques have taken a lot from baseball, so have a go at some power hitting methods over both the leg and off side. There’s a lot more technique to it than closing your eyes and swinging.

You can also get shorter balls and work on pulling the bouncer and long hop for easy runs.

Once again, you can review your performance. Use both personal feedback (the intention 12 game for example) and watching your method on PitchVision videos. Ask a coach or trusted advisor how they think you can improve your results with technical changes.

Monitor your progress

Throughout your session you have been trying your hardest to succeed, but will have failed a few time too.

Both of these things are good.

Success is good because it shows you what you are doing right. Failure is good because it allows you to know what doesn't work.

So, after the session, go through your PV/ONE videos and review them. What did you do that worked? What did you do that needs adjustment? How will you change things at the next session?

Having a skilled coach to help with this is useful, but you can easily do it yourself. Replay the video slowed down to see everything. Draw lines and angles on PitchVision’s snapshot feature. Filter different speeds, lines and lengths to see what differences there are.

Then head to your next session loaded with new things to try and basics to hone.

With a feedback loop this powerful, you’ll be amazed how fast you see improvements.

Simple, yet not easy. Hard work but surprisingly satisfying.

To boost your game with PV/ONE, contact us:

• Kapil Bhatia on +91 9321 243797 or kapil.bhatia@pitchvision.com
• Shantanu Sah +91 99535 55778 or shantanu.sah@pitchvision.com
• Neil Fairbairn on +44 (0) 7813 649054 or neil.fairbairn@pitchvision.com
• Craig van Dyk on +27 (83) 5568019 or craig.vandyk@pitchvision.com