Cricket is a game of multiple components: strength, power, speed, timing, mobility...

The list goes on and on.

But it's back to Vern Gambetta to shed light on the most important factor in cricket performance:

"Balance is the single most important component of athletic ability because it underlies all movement. It is a component of all movement whether that movement is dominated by strength, speed, flexibility or stamina. Problems that you thought were strength, speed, flexibility or skill-related could in fact be directly balance related and are manifested as a lack of strength, speed, flexibility, skill etc. Poor balance leads to poor technical or skill development which often results in injury."

Gambetta recommends that you should, but not to isolate it. Instead treat balance training as part of your warm up and integrate it into other training.

For example:

• Warm up games that involve jumping, standing on one leg or leaning.
• A speed training drill that begins with you lying on the floor, eyes closed instead of going from a standing start.
• Batting drills with a balance disc under your foot.
• Single leg weight training exercises with a light weight.

So while it is critical to have good balance, developing it is so simple to do that there is no excuse to avoid it.

What are you doing to improve your balance?