There are no lazy bowlers.

At least I have never spoken to a seamer or spinner who thinks his performance is lazy. Batsmen, they say, are the lazy ones. Sauntering around taking all the praise while the bowlers do the real work.

I don't bowl myself. If it is as hard work as bowlers say then you need some tips to make life at the end of your run a little less stressful.

Be Realistic

Some bowlers start every new spell with the plan to never bowl a half volley or long hop. When they do their heads go down, they overanalyse their action and before they know it they are taking a blow after getting clouted.

Everyone bowls bad balls from time to time.

To set your goals too high in this way is setting yourself up for failure. Instead, plan things out. What is a realistic aim for this season, game, spell or over? With a realistic and achievable target to go for you can forget about the actual process of running in and focus on the outcome: more wickets for fewer runs.

Stop Doubts

Everyone gets moments of doubt. You might make a mistake that causes the captain to groan in despair or wake up the night before a big game in a cold sweat.

It's how you deal with the doubt that makes the difference.

You can learn to recognise and stop doubts creeping in by using the stop technique found here.

Once you are actively preventing your doubts overtake your mind you will no longer be paralysed by fear of failure.

Build Confidence

The English are notorious for playing down their achievements. Don't fall into this trap. Good performance is built on self-confidence and you can build this up within yourself by making sure you focus on your successes.

The most confident players are able to quickly call on their memory of past victories to help with the current situation. The more experience you have the better you become yourself.

When the pressure is on, try to consciously recall how you felt when you got things right and took that last 5 wicket haul or got the winning wicket in the last over.

You can also trick yourself into remembering success in more general ways. Take a look at these imagery tricks to get a better idea.

Concentrate

A general cry from the slips of 'come on concentrate!' is not the best when you have just been driven over your head for 6. But being able to switch on and off your focus is a vital tool for bowlers.

The key to this is having a trigger to start your concentration at the top of your run. Once the trigger is set there is nothing else in the world apart from you and your goal. When it's safe to relax then switch off again until the next delivery.

Be Your Own Captain

Club batsmen (even the best ones) are limited. Don't wait for the captain to come up with masterful plans: Start plotting yourself.

• What is the best line to bowl?
• What shots can you cut off with deft field placing?
• Where should you put the best fielders?

Of course, that's not to say you can ignore the captain's strategy in place of your own. It's his ship after all. But a brief conversation is all it takes between balls and overs.

It's also handy to chat to the keeper to get the view from the other end.

If you are a hard working bowler, you might want to also consider getting fit, practising right and eating well. But all the above strategies work well and require very few changes to bring about. Just right for the lazy bowler.