Cricket should be kept as simple as possible I think we all agree. To keep it simple is great advice but easier said than done. But as far as preparing for cricket goes I would like to see the implementation of more complex training sessions included. This is probably more so in the physical preparation side. My reasoning being, there is already enough complex maneuvers going on in the actual act of playing and training the skills of the game.
Look at the act of bowling. You have running, jumping, landing, balancing, bending, twisting and this is just the torso and the legs. The arms haven't even been mentioned yet. Now lets look at batting. Positioned ready and tapping the bat, lifting the bat and twisting the torso, legs moving, head moving and torso twisting, legs lunging and balancing in position and arms flailing the bat. All sounds pretty complex doesn't it. Yet watch the methods of most training sessions and you will see pretty straight forward training methods.
I would like to see more complex training methods that include multi faceted movements in the conditioning phases of training. So rather than running drills to get players fitter I would use resistance training even body weight and structure up a routine that stresses you just as much physically. But includes movements that the body has to try and piece together just as it does in a game situation. Make the time frame of the conditioning phase similar to that of the act of bowling and batting, you then have a closer training and playing regime which can only benefit your game fitness and energy production.
This form of interval training we use in all of our fitness training in our studio and outdoors. And with the interest it's generating it won't be long before clubs will start using it for preseason type of training. Any takers?
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Stiffness in your back will increase your power output.
Flexibility, range of movement are two very common buzz words in cricket fitness and conditioning circles. But I believe to gain more power from your cricket you need to get some serious stiffness. Whether it be bowling or batting your power is generated from your core and if there isn't enough stiffness in your back then you will be leaking some serious energy.
Don't get me wrong we still need as full a range of movement as possible but it must be accompanied by the ability to stop yourself at a certain point in the movement. Without possessing this skill not only will energy be lost during your athletic exploits but maximum timing will never be fully optimised. Bear with me here as I try and explain why you must include torso stiffness training in your cricket fitness preparation. I will use the batting example as I couldn't bowl a ball to save my life.
When playing an attacking front foot drive there is a great amount of force originated from the core via arms and legs to get you to the ball, hit the ball with force and hopefully get it to the boundary. This is where stability is needed in the spine or torso to transmit force through to the arms and legs. If the spine moves during the explosion of force through the ball this is where power or energy is lost and won't be directed through the ball. One glaring example of this is when a batsman turns their back foot in the act of contacting the ball to open up the hips or pelvic region and in so doing un stabilises the spine and creates a big power leak. The alternative is to keep the back foot in a side on position and keep the hips locked into a side on position stabilising the pelvic platform the spine sits on. If the torso is then strong enough to hold its own position timing of the ball will be greatly improved with the use of less energy. Sounds too good to be true doesn't it.
As a kid I can always remember coaches like Norm O'Neil constantly barking instructions of stay still, you're moving around too much. They obviously were on to it years ago whether they new it or not who knows.
Don't get me wrong we still need as full a range of movement as possible but it must be accompanied by the ability to stop yourself at a certain point in the movement. Without possessing this skill not only will energy be lost during your athletic exploits but maximum timing will never be fully optimised. Bear with me here as I try and explain why you must include torso stiffness training in your cricket fitness preparation. I will use the batting example as I couldn't bowl a ball to save my life.
When playing an attacking front foot drive there is a great amount of force originated from the core via arms and legs to get you to the ball, hit the ball with force and hopefully get it to the boundary. This is where stability is needed in the spine or torso to transmit force through to the arms and legs. If the spine moves during the explosion of force through the ball this is where power or energy is lost and won't be directed through the ball. One glaring example of this is when a batsman turns their back foot in the act of contacting the ball to open up the hips or pelvic region and in so doing un stabilises the spine and creates a big power leak. The alternative is to keep the back foot in a side on position and keep the hips locked into a side on position stabilising the pelvic platform the spine sits on. If the torso is then strong enough to hold its own position timing of the ball will be greatly improved with the use of less energy. Sounds too good to be true doesn't it.
As a kid I can always remember coaches like Norm O'Neil constantly barking instructions of stay still, you're moving around too much. They obviously were on to it years ago whether they new it or not who knows.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Why do some cricketers play better under pressure?
You probably know someone that springs to mind immediately. That solid as a rock cricketer that everyone turns to to win or even save a game. They are the ones that perform better under pressure, but why? Because they control pressure, pressure doesn't control them.
Firstly pressure isn't real. You can't physically reach out and grab it can you. It is make believe so to speak, a perception. In real terms we manufacture pressure in our minds and either let it build and build until it breaks us or control it by following a plan or a process of some sort. I'm convinced that silly shots or bowling gone horribly wrong is a result of perceived pressure. The focus may be on winning at all costs and when the game gets to that make or break stage you naturally start creating pressure. Muscles tighten, stomach starts knotting up and the heart starts racing. We have all been there haven't we.
This is when bad cricket decisions are made. All because you aren't allowing your mind to free itself up to play on instinct or habit. I am probably going to go against the grain a bit here and suggest if this sounds familiar and bad decisions are robbing you of performing better try this on for size. Don't focus on winning or losing. Create a focus on what you are aiming to achieve that day. If it's batting it may be a run rate, the amount of singles scored or the amount of time batted. If it's bowling it may be how many dot balls you bowl, how many balls the batter has to play or areas you bowl to. Fielding can be the same by focusing on such things as singles against you, runs saved by you and so on. It is limitless what you can set yourself but I would suggest the team goal or direction should go towards influencing what your focus is on.
By doing this when the time comes to win or lose the game you are focusing on the processes not the result. So you don't get that pressure build up the others do. Try it and see if it works. Better still get your side to try it. This is why you see the great cricketers playing the same game under any conditions. They don't allow pressure to control their environment.
Firstly pressure isn't real. You can't physically reach out and grab it can you. It is make believe so to speak, a perception. In real terms we manufacture pressure in our minds and either let it build and build until it breaks us or control it by following a plan or a process of some sort. I'm convinced that silly shots or bowling gone horribly wrong is a result of perceived pressure. The focus may be on winning at all costs and when the game gets to that make or break stage you naturally start creating pressure. Muscles tighten, stomach starts knotting up and the heart starts racing. We have all been there haven't we.
This is when bad cricket decisions are made. All because you aren't allowing your mind to free itself up to play on instinct or habit. I am probably going to go against the grain a bit here and suggest if this sounds familiar and bad decisions are robbing you of performing better try this on for size. Don't focus on winning or losing. Create a focus on what you are aiming to achieve that day. If it's batting it may be a run rate, the amount of singles scored or the amount of time batted. If it's bowling it may be how many dot balls you bowl, how many balls the batter has to play or areas you bowl to. Fielding can be the same by focusing on such things as singles against you, runs saved by you and so on. It is limitless what you can set yourself but I would suggest the team goal or direction should go towards influencing what your focus is on.
By doing this when the time comes to win or lose the game you are focusing on the processes not the result. So you don't get that pressure build up the others do. Try it and see if it works. Better still get your side to try it. This is why you see the great cricketers playing the same game under any conditions. They don't allow pressure to control their environment.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Are you on all day?
One of the most commonly issued instructions given out by cricket coaches, players and followers of the game would be CONCENTRATE. If you start playing bad shots in the middle of an innings then you are probably inundated with cries of, come on keep concentrating or keep working. You get the idea. And you have all at one stage or another probably contributed to discussions about how your team mate is losing concentration. So many other factors can come into play when assessing concentration levels such as nutrition and fitness but I think one really vital aspect of keeping up concentration quality is not addressed adequately.
What if you were batting and some of your team mates started yelling out instructions such as relax, zone out or switch off. Firstly you would probably think to yourself I haven't heard them correctly and secondly; what the hell are they talking about?!! In all my years involved in cricket I haven't ever heard these instructions but I think the time has come to start hearing them occasionally.
The reason being cricketers, especially batsman are so caught up in the mindset of working hard and trying to achieve absolute rock solid concentration levels. They don't realise continuous concentration isn't sustainable and it isn't healthy for your performances either. You will literally melt down mentally in the middle of an innings. Analysing a fifty over cricket match and putting up the best case scenario, you bat for the whole fifty overs and you will be out there fielding all innings as well. You will need to concentrate for 600 balls. Initially that sounds like a lot and it sounds even more demanding when you say your game time in total will be 6.50 hours.
Step back and break it down and you will only need to be concentrating fully for 10 minutes. So if your process to switch on and off is effective you won't ever lose concentration. Here's a simple formula to follow to help you switch on and off during your games.
What if you were batting and some of your team mates started yelling out instructions such as relax, zone out or switch off. Firstly you would probably think to yourself I haven't heard them correctly and secondly; what the hell are they talking about?!! In all my years involved in cricket I haven't ever heard these instructions but I think the time has come to start hearing them occasionally.
The reason being cricketers, especially batsman are so caught up in the mindset of working hard and trying to achieve absolute rock solid concentration levels. They don't realise continuous concentration isn't sustainable and it isn't healthy for your performances either. You will literally melt down mentally in the middle of an innings. Analysing a fifty over cricket match and putting up the best case scenario, you bat for the whole fifty overs and you will be out there fielding all innings as well. You will need to concentrate for 600 balls. Initially that sounds like a lot and it sounds even more demanding when you say your game time in total will be 6.50 hours.
Step back and break it down and you will only need to be concentrating fully for 10 minutes. So if your process to switch on and off is effective you won't ever lose concentration. Here's a simple formula to follow to help you switch on and off during your games.
- Prepare early and get your self set up in your stance before the bowler reaches the top of his mark.
- Cue on at a point where the bowler is just entering his bowling stride. Just as he approaches the umpire. Something simple like NOW or ON or whatever works for you.
- Cue off as soon as the ball goes dead. Meaning once there is no chance of you getting dismissed. Think about anything and everything until it is time for you to Prepare again.
Monday, October 20, 2008
So you want quick feet.
Have you ever been told to get into position quicker. Or you need to get lighter on your feet. It is something I hear a lot of. Most of the time it is the cricketer them self that requests tips to get lighter on their feet. Usually because they are rushed in their shot when playing back or they are not into position on the front foot quick enough. Equating to a very rushed and disorganised batsman.
This may shock you but my tip is get heavier on your feet. The reason I say this is if you find you aren't in position quick enough you aren't getting enough drive from your front or back leg. And because the common response is do some skipping to get lighter on your feet. Once you get a good push into the ground your movements back or forward will be markedly quicker. How do you get this to happen I hear you ask? Give these 3 tips a go.
This may shock you but my tip is get heavier on your feet. The reason I say this is if you find you aren't in position quick enough you aren't getting enough drive from your front or back leg. And because the common response is do some skipping to get lighter on your feet. Once you get a good push into the ground your movements back or forward will be markedly quicker. How do you get this to happen I hear you ask? Give these 3 tips a go.
- Foundationalise: Make sure your stance is both comfortable and energy efficient. Look to have a straight back so the lower back isn't carrying all of the load and your shoulders` aren't rounded. This is an instant power sapper if your stance is inefficient.
- Stabilise: Keep balanced and stable on your feet when preparing to receive a delivery. Moving around before the ball is bowled can cause uneven weight dispersal between feet.
- Backsidise: Strengthen up your gluteal muscles and hamstrings. Without these muscles activating in the correct firing order and in sync with each other you won't be generating optimal power to drive you off the front or back foot quickly. You only have to look at where sprinters get all of their power from.
Give these steps a go and i can guarantee if you accomplish these 3 steps you will have no problem being quick enough on your feet.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Don't give up just improve your qulaity of movements
I am not going to be able to do this topic justice in a page or two but I will do the best I can. This may be an area that we do some more investigating in at a later date. In fact if you keep checking on www.cricketfitness.com you may well find this topic is getting addressed more and more. I have a dream I have been harbouring for a while now to improve the way our youth develop their cricketing talents to get them ready for senior cricket ranks. But this will all come out later.
Again I just want to put a point of view out there and hopefully raise some awareness of these factors that are often overlooked. I do not profess to knowing it all and never will. Case scenario where a cricketer tries to play a front foot forward defence. All ok until he makes contact and then everyone sees his elbows pointing to the square leg boundary and his shoulder pointing the same way. Consequently the cricketer’s chest is facing the umpire straight back up the wicket.
A lot of coaches, me included will point this out to the player. Then try and offer solutions to the problem. So what happens if after weeks and weeks this certain individual just can't get it right? Do we give up? Oh he'll never be any good he just hasn't got it!!
This is where I feel fixing movement inefficiencies will help individuals become better players as well as easier to coach. If my hip region was lacking the range of movement it should have I would automatically try to compensate with another movement. Something like taking a longer stride with my other leg or pushing one shoulder further forward to allow me to feel like I am all even in my movements. I will not try and explain the compensatory movements of the body but I will go as far as saying they would occur in almost every single body alive.
By leaving them unchecked you will only be increasing the compensation factor and I feel, not allow the body to get into correct positions for good solid technical cricket. Or at least the opportunity to get into these positions. I am not ever going to say you need to be technically correct to succeed in this great game. That would be like putting my head on the chopping block. I hope you get my basic drift here and as cricketers keep all avenues open in your quests for improvements. This is where increasing athletic development will have an immense value to the cricketers of today. Stay tuned I hope you hear more on this topic. If I have anything to do with it you will.
Again I just want to put a point of view out there and hopefully raise some awareness of these factors that are often overlooked. I do not profess to knowing it all and never will. Case scenario where a cricketer tries to play a front foot forward defence. All ok until he makes contact and then everyone sees his elbows pointing to the square leg boundary and his shoulder pointing the same way. Consequently the cricketer’s chest is facing the umpire straight back up the wicket.
A lot of coaches, me included will point this out to the player. Then try and offer solutions to the problem. So what happens if after weeks and weeks this certain individual just can't get it right? Do we give up? Oh he'll never be any good he just hasn't got it!!
This is where I feel fixing movement inefficiencies will help individuals become better players as well as easier to coach. If my hip region was lacking the range of movement it should have I would automatically try to compensate with another movement. Something like taking a longer stride with my other leg or pushing one shoulder further forward to allow me to feel like I am all even in my movements. I will not try and explain the compensatory movements of the body but I will go as far as saying they would occur in almost every single body alive.
By leaving them unchecked you will only be increasing the compensation factor and I feel, not allow the body to get into correct positions for good solid technical cricket. Or at least the opportunity to get into these positions. I am not ever going to say you need to be technically correct to succeed in this great game. That would be like putting my head on the chopping block. I hope you get my basic drift here and as cricketers keep all avenues open in your quests for improvements. This is where increasing athletic development will have an immense value to the cricketers of today. Stay tuned I hope you hear more on this topic. If I have anything to do with it you will.
Is your belief system telling you you must work harder
Fitness for cricket is unique and should be challenging yet fun as well as something you look forward to doing. But how many times have you been told,” work harder" or "you won't get any reward unless you do the hard work required". This usually comes after a bad performance or after a poor hit out on the training track. What coaches and parents sometimes don't realise, is unfortunately individuals don't like the THOUGHT of hard work.
It conjures up images of completing tasks that aren't fun. Not to mention the link between playing a game or training for a game we play for fun and our work. And sadly the majority of people don't enjoy their work. We need to change our belief system around cricket training.
Think of it this way. If you view fitness training for cricket as hard work are you going to throw absolutely everything at that task? Is your heart and soul going to be put into your work? Or are you going to be dreading attending because of the perceived HARD work required of you? Whereas if you were to change your belief system to embrace cricket fitness training maybe you would attack it differently. Subconsciously you would look forward to putting effort into your cricket fitness preparation. Attacking it with renewed enthusiasm and excitement.
And your new belief system will open your mind up completely to see your efforts as beneficial to your overall performances improving. If nothing else the enjoyment factor is going to skyrocket. This enjoyment will soon start to turn into excitement and anticipation as your cricket fitness and performances head north(upwards). I can tell you that a belief system that thinks of fitness for cricket as hard work is going to hold you back. Start believing that your good quality cricket fitness efforts are creating an improvement in you as a cricketer. And every effort from then on will be more purposeful taking you closer to becoming a better cricketer. Both in performances and enjoyment.
There is no better cricketer than the one who loves playing and training for the game. Your belief system is always going to be guiding you. So why not let it guide you into a better cricketer
It conjures up images of completing tasks that aren't fun. Not to mention the link between playing a game or training for a game we play for fun and our work. And sadly the majority of people don't enjoy their work. We need to change our belief system around cricket training.
Think of it this way. If you view fitness training for cricket as hard work are you going to throw absolutely everything at that task? Is your heart and soul going to be put into your work? Or are you going to be dreading attending because of the perceived HARD work required of you? Whereas if you were to change your belief system to embrace cricket fitness training maybe you would attack it differently. Subconsciously you would look forward to putting effort into your cricket fitness preparation. Attacking it with renewed enthusiasm and excitement.
And your new belief system will open your mind up completely to see your efforts as beneficial to your overall performances improving. If nothing else the enjoyment factor is going to skyrocket. This enjoyment will soon start to turn into excitement and anticipation as your cricket fitness and performances head north(upwards). I can tell you that a belief system that thinks of fitness for cricket as hard work is going to hold you back. Start believing that your good quality cricket fitness efforts are creating an improvement in you as a cricketer. And every effort from then on will be more purposeful taking you closer to becoming a better cricketer. Both in performances and enjoyment.
There is no better cricketer than the one who loves playing and training for the game. Your belief system is always going to be guiding you. So why not let it guide you into a better cricketer
Recovery is not just for after a big night out
A very vital, yet overlooked aspect of training is cricket fitness recovery. Because the game of cricket is generally anaerobic in nature. If training is carried out at good intensities you are certain to build up waste product. This will lead to muscle tightness and soreness, not to mention injury concerns. The build up of metabolic waste needs to be released obviously. The good news is the aerobic energy system uses certain kinds of waste products built up from anaerobic exercise for fuel.
If you grasp that point you will hopefully now appreciate the importance of a 5-10 minute slow jog and stretch at the end of your cricket fitness training. Aerobic work for recovery can be a very simple low intensity circuit training session. Or a 30-40 min brick walk. This isn't going to eliminate every bit of waste product from the body. But it will make substantial progress in your recovery process.
Other methods to help the recovery process would be regular massage. Massage is also very effective for releasing waste and toxins from muscles. So basically your recovery is all your responsibility. You will often find that a cricketer becomes better by dedicating more time to these not so glamorous aspects of their cricket fitness preparation. Please take this on board as you can benefit so much from a good recovery plan. It may add extra time on top of your cricket fitness training but it will pay dividends.
If you grasp that point you will hopefully now appreciate the importance of a 5-10 minute slow jog and stretch at the end of your cricket fitness training. Aerobic work for recovery can be a very simple low intensity circuit training session. Or a 30-40 min brick walk. This isn't going to eliminate every bit of waste product from the body. But it will make substantial progress in your recovery process.
Other methods to help the recovery process would be regular massage. Massage is also very effective for releasing waste and toxins from muscles. So basically your recovery is all your responsibility. You will often find that a cricketer becomes better by dedicating more time to these not so glamorous aspects of their cricket fitness preparation. Please take this on board as you can benefit so much from a good recovery plan. It may add extra time on top of your cricket fitness training but it will pay dividends.
Increase your strength way before you tackle agility training
Countless times I've been approached to assist someone get quicker and increase their cricket fitness agility. Unfortunately they get very deflated when I tell them they have to get stronger first. They just want to go from their existing fitness levels and with a few technical adjustments become instantly quicker and more agile for cricket.
So to be told it takes a strength increase is not exactly what they want to hear. To be truthful I don't think a cricketer needs to increase their linear speed much to get quicker for cricket. You need your lateral speed or agility to be improved. To do this you would be best served to develop your accelerating and decelerating abilities.
Without improved leg strength these abilities can't improve. You will not be capable of stopping and starting your body quicker than you can now. Very rarely do you run more than 20m at once in a cricket match. If you do it's up and down the wicket or to stop, turn and attempt to cut off a ball or chase it. So hopefully you can see why speed is handy but no where near as important as having great stopping and starting abilities to enhance it.
After all what's the point of having great cricket fitness speed if you don't possess the ability to develop adequate force to stop yourself effectively and push yourself in the right direction. Allowing you to cut the ball off in the field and getting through for those 2's and 3's quicker.
So to be told it takes a strength increase is not exactly what they want to hear. To be truthful I don't think a cricketer needs to increase their linear speed much to get quicker for cricket. You need your lateral speed or agility to be improved. To do this you would be best served to develop your accelerating and decelerating abilities.
Without improved leg strength these abilities can't improve. You will not be capable of stopping and starting your body quicker than you can now. Very rarely do you run more than 20m at once in a cricket match. If you do it's up and down the wicket or to stop, turn and attempt to cut off a ball or chase it. So hopefully you can see why speed is handy but no where near as important as having great stopping and starting abilities to enhance it.
After all what's the point of having great cricket fitness speed if you don't possess the ability to develop adequate force to stop yourself effectively and push yourself in the right direction. Allowing you to cut the ball off in the field and getting through for those 2's and 3's quicker.
Make youth earn their stripes!!
Standing around at a casual social event recently the topic of youth in cricket arose. As an ex cricketer (although not old) and my social counterparts, a mixture of matured and also ex cricketers. The comment was passed; they (young cricketers-17-21yrs old) aren't like they used to be. Translated generally to mean they are not as intense and don't seem to take the game as seriously and at times act as if it doesn't matter. This is what was getting bandied around the room. Some agreed and some had other points of view. Then a very telling point was raised that stopped all of the tooing and froing instantly. Especially amongst all of the members in the room still playing the game.
The more mature cricketers aren't providing that killer instinct or the passion that they want the kids to show. Then the example was given of a certain individual taking on a role and injecting lots of passion and feeling into his work and the younger cricketers following suit. It was also bought up the ridiculously harsh way the kids get judged by us more matured or aged cricketers. Striking me more than ever of this very important point.
In our Australian society where the options are numerous. The youth of today don't want to and don't have to put up with seniority issues. I'm sure we have all heard the phrase, "he's got to earn it". Well If we want to keep kids playing this great game we must honour talent. Give them opportunities as soon as possible. I'm not for one minute saying to forgo discipline and lessen standards. But remember this point. Because the kids that are good enough to play higher level cricket, they potentially will be good enough to play a higher level of some other sport also. After all they are athletes. Cricket clubs have choices just like the kids. I hope the cricket clubs make the right choices. For the kid's and cricket's sake. Everyone can be a winner here.
The more mature cricketers aren't providing that killer instinct or the passion that they want the kids to show. Then the example was given of a certain individual taking on a role and injecting lots of passion and feeling into his work and the younger cricketers following suit. It was also bought up the ridiculously harsh way the kids get judged by us more matured or aged cricketers. Striking me more than ever of this very important point.
In our Australian society where the options are numerous. The youth of today don't want to and don't have to put up with seniority issues. I'm sure we have all heard the phrase, "he's got to earn it". Well If we want to keep kids playing this great game we must honour talent. Give them opportunities as soon as possible. I'm not for one minute saying to forgo discipline and lessen standards. But remember this point. Because the kids that are good enough to play higher level cricket, they potentially will be good enough to play a higher level of some other sport also. After all they are athletes. Cricket clubs have choices just like the kids. I hope the cricket clubs make the right choices. For the kid's and cricket's sake. Everyone can be a winner here.
Enhanced energy levels goes far deeper than just increasing your fitness.
We've all experienced that overwhelming tiredness towards the end of a days play right; and some enhanced energy-levels would come in very handy at that time. You've probably put it down to just one of those days or you working extra hard for that day. And that may well be the case. How would you react if I told you energy was leaking from your body?
Like most people do. Say oh yeah and don't give it another thought. Reality is it is quite easily fixed. Energy leaks are caused initially by postural deficiencies. Think about it. You stand in the field for 3, 4 or 5 hours in a day. You may run 12.5 kilometres in a day or you may run 500m. Or you may do 300 - 500 squats in a day. It all depends on your job on the day.
If your pelvic positioning isn't correct, all muscles and ligaments connected with the pelvis will either be lengthened or shortened or tightened to compensate. Hopefully you now get an idea of how all of your body is affected if a region is not in correct alignment. You can now appreciate where your energy goes.
You lose it compensating for your bodies inefficiencies. Not to mention the increased injury chances. If you are utilising the correct stabiliser muscles only a fraction of the energy will be used during the day. You can then have those enhanced-energy levels you so desire. The problem is when our posture is incorrect we recruit the stronger more forceful skeletal muscles to do the deep stabilisers work. Unfortunately these more forceful muscles use double the energy of the stabilisers. The upside is you can increase energy levels tenfold by addressing the issue head on.
It is also quicker and simpler than you may think. If you are consistent and disciplined within a matter of weeks you will notice a big difference. Then all aspects of strengthening your body in these new found postural positions can be carried out in a well balanced preseason and in season training regime. Posture training will be the X factor of performance enhancement in future cricket training. Why not get in now and be ahead of the pack. Gaining enhanced-energy levels will put you ahead of the pack in more ways than one.
Like most people do. Say oh yeah and don't give it another thought. Reality is it is quite easily fixed. Energy leaks are caused initially by postural deficiencies. Think about it. You stand in the field for 3, 4 or 5 hours in a day. You may run 12.5 kilometres in a day or you may run 500m. Or you may do 300 - 500 squats in a day. It all depends on your job on the day.
If your pelvic positioning isn't correct, all muscles and ligaments connected with the pelvis will either be lengthened or shortened or tightened to compensate. Hopefully you now get an idea of how all of your body is affected if a region is not in correct alignment. You can now appreciate where your energy goes.
You lose it compensating for your bodies inefficiencies. Not to mention the increased injury chances. If you are utilising the correct stabiliser muscles only a fraction of the energy will be used during the day. You can then have those enhanced-energy levels you so desire. The problem is when our posture is incorrect we recruit the stronger more forceful skeletal muscles to do the deep stabilisers work. Unfortunately these more forceful muscles use double the energy of the stabilisers. The upside is you can increase energy levels tenfold by addressing the issue head on.
It is also quicker and simpler than you may think. If you are consistent and disciplined within a matter of weeks you will notice a big difference. Then all aspects of strengthening your body in these new found postural positions can be carried out in a well balanced preseason and in season training regime. Posture training will be the X factor of performance enhancement in future cricket training. Why not get in now and be ahead of the pack. Gaining enhanced-energy levels will put you ahead of the pack in more ways than one.
To fear or not to fear
Being your normal everyday bloke I don't let on when fear grips me. After all we can't admit we feel a emotional weakness can we. Especially not fear. Well if you are striving for improvement and success you must embrace the "F" word. In fact if used to your advantage, it may become your friend in a funny sort of way. You may find you already use fear to motivate yourself. The key is to make it work positively for you. To take this action you definitely require mental strength, discipline and ambition. Add some fear and manage it appropriately you have all the ingredients for improvement and ultimately enhanced performance.
Here's how the fear factor can present and I am pretty confident every cricketer will be able to relate to this. You will often have visions or minor anxiety attacks about failing. You need to take those fearful thoughts and visions and use them to catapult you into action. If you empower yourself to want a desired outcome strong enough you will positively direct your energies away from fear. Whether it be fear of injury. Or not being able to perform at your best because of your fitness levels. You could just have the fear of letting your team down. There would be literally millions of fearful thoughts and visions floating around in cricketers heads. By grabbing hold of fear and keeping it in check and taking action to keep it at bay you are positively driving yourself to improvement.
You can either sink in the hollow depths of fear and just don't try and accept defeat. Or let it drive you away from failure. Don't let it get hold of you. Keeping it in the background is where it belongs. Because you know what happens if you allow it to consume you. Not having fear around can also be detrimental. Your preparation will be too comfortable and you won't improve any more than where you are at now. So the question for you is to fear or not to fear. The choice is yours.
Here's how the fear factor can present and I am pretty confident every cricketer will be able to relate to this. You will often have visions or minor anxiety attacks about failing. You need to take those fearful thoughts and visions and use them to catapult you into action. If you empower yourself to want a desired outcome strong enough you will positively direct your energies away from fear. Whether it be fear of injury. Or not being able to perform at your best because of your fitness levels. You could just have the fear of letting your team down. There would be literally millions of fearful thoughts and visions floating around in cricketers heads. By grabbing hold of fear and keeping it in check and taking action to keep it at bay you are positively driving yourself to improvement.
You can either sink in the hollow depths of fear and just don't try and accept defeat. Or let it drive you away from failure. Don't let it get hold of you. Keeping it in the background is where it belongs. Because you know what happens if you allow it to consume you. Not having fear around can also be detrimental. Your preparation will be too comfortable and you won't improve any more than where you are at now. So the question for you is to fear or not to fear. The choice is yours.
Maintenance must be viewed for the long term
Whilst fantastic gains can be made in your preseason resistance training you must do maintenance. Those improvements in strength, range of movement and coordination can be undone just as quickly. In fact a lot quicker than it took to achieve. Not fair is it!!! Within as little as 2 weeks your body will start to de-train and start losing the benefits of all your resistance training labours. I'm sure you've heard the saying use it or lose it. Well the same applies here. I'm not going to go into the nuts and bolts of how your body de-trains you will have to take my word for it. Plus it would probably bore the pants off you.
The good news with maintenance training is it takes considerably less time to complete. And less time is consumed by resistance training in your training schedule. Maintenance training should be completed early in the week. Mainly to alleviate central nervous system overload too close to game day. The central nervous system must be fresh and clear for optimum match day performance. It involves low reps(4 - 8 max) and only 3 - 4 exercises with only 2 sets for each exercise. You should be done within 20 - 30 minutes. That's including a good warm up and a good stretch at the end. So in summary you need a short, sharp but intense weights training session. Yet again use quality not quantity.
By scheduling in a maintenance phase into your yearly training schedule you will be ensuring strength and coordination(central nervous system and muscle communication)improvements.Plus it will keep those soft tissue injuries at bay - HOPEFULLY!!! Don't underestimate the long term benefits of this action. You will progressively become stronger and quicker year after year which will equate to an improved ability to adapt to technique improvements which you should strive for continuously. The rest my friend is up to you.
The good news with maintenance training is it takes considerably less time to complete. And less time is consumed by resistance training in your training schedule. Maintenance training should be completed early in the week. Mainly to alleviate central nervous system overload too close to game day. The central nervous system must be fresh and clear for optimum match day performance. It involves low reps(4 - 8 max) and only 3 - 4 exercises with only 2 sets for each exercise. You should be done within 20 - 30 minutes. That's including a good warm up and a good stretch at the end. So in summary you need a short, sharp but intense weights training session. Yet again use quality not quantity.
By scheduling in a maintenance phase into your yearly training schedule you will be ensuring strength and coordination(central nervous system and muscle communication)improvements.Plus it will keep those soft tissue injuries at bay - HOPEFULLY!!! Don't underestimate the long term benefits of this action. You will progressively become stronger and quicker year after year which will equate to an improved ability to adapt to technique improvements which you should strive for continuously. The rest my friend is up to you.
Resistance shouldn't be caused by your resistance training.
If you didn't already know one of my major aims is to increase the quality of the physical preparation of cricketers. I have consistently said that cricketers of today are playing to train rather than training to play. Meaning they are playing and then training as a chore rather than viewing training as an opportunity to ready themselves physically, technically and mentally for game day. I am pleased to say in my short period of time producing this newsletter and having an online cricket fitness resource. Many cricketers have asked for advice on weights/resistance training and preparation topics. This is great and it probably shows that I am ranting to the converted.
Which rang a little alarm bell within me. I just want to pass on that if you are completing resistance training of some sort then please heed the following words of advice. Especially because a fair percentage of you are overseas and in season at the moment. And for the cricketers now starting to get into preseason mode this advice can be taken into the season with you. Any major challenging and new strength training work should be completed in the off and preseason periods. Any weights work that is going to be completed in season should be of a maintenance nature only. So if you are starting to prepare for the upcoming season and you have satisfied yourself you are in good postural alignment. It is time to get into your resistance training phase.
If you are new to strength training then I suggest you wait till the off season before you start. Your muscles, ligaments and joints will be already under enough pressure from the rigours of the game. Weights training will damage muscles slightly and they get stronger when they repair themselves. The last thing you want to do is severely tax your muscles and central nervous system in season and close to game days. This will only succeed in making you slower and you will fatigue physically and mentally a lot quicker. Plus the metabolic demand on the body will be increased and so will the nutritional demands. So in effect the whole process will cause too much disturbance metabolically, physically and mentally to your system. Not allowing you to perform at your peak and encouraging over training and breakdown. By the same token a maintenance phase in season is vital. You stand to lose more without a maintenance phase.
Which rang a little alarm bell within me. I just want to pass on that if you are completing resistance training of some sort then please heed the following words of advice. Especially because a fair percentage of you are overseas and in season at the moment. And for the cricketers now starting to get into preseason mode this advice can be taken into the season with you. Any major challenging and new strength training work should be completed in the off and preseason periods. Any weights work that is going to be completed in season should be of a maintenance nature only. So if you are starting to prepare for the upcoming season and you have satisfied yourself you are in good postural alignment. It is time to get into your resistance training phase.
If you are new to strength training then I suggest you wait till the off season before you start. Your muscles, ligaments and joints will be already under enough pressure from the rigours of the game. Weights training will damage muscles slightly and they get stronger when they repair themselves. The last thing you want to do is severely tax your muscles and central nervous system in season and close to game days. This will only succeed in making you slower and you will fatigue physically and mentally a lot quicker. Plus the metabolic demand on the body will be increased and so will the nutritional demands. So in effect the whole process will cause too much disturbance metabolically, physically and mentally to your system. Not allowing you to perform at your peak and encouraging over training and breakdown. By the same token a maintenance phase in season is vital. You stand to lose more without a maintenance phase.
Elephants and cricketers have similarities
I am going off the beaten track a bit to highlight something that came to mind recently after reading a holiday story from a mate. For some strange reason highlighted to me how the majority of us as cricketers think and stay in our safe comfortable little shelters. Very briefly the story pans out with the family going on a wonderful holiday in a certain part of Thailand. One adventure they undertook was a ride on tamed elephants. Not going to go into the details but I am sure one day I'm going over there with my family to do the same. It sounded amazing from his descriptions.
The part that amazed me most was where the leader stopped the party and hopped off and went for a walk. Not so amazing I know but; he was in charge of the elephant with a young boy on this huge animals back. As he disembarked this 5 tonne beast he produced a metre long stick and slammed it into the ground then attached the elephants collar to the pole. The pole would of been pulled out of the ground by my son who is 2 years old and 10kg in weight. So why did the giant animal quietly stay there and wait for his master to come back when he could of taken off any time it desired. It is conditioned to do as it has always done. After initially being tied to huge trees that wouldn't budge the elephant doesn't bother to try anything different again and try to get loose.
Although not related to elephants us cricketers tend to have the same mentality. Our conditioning means we go along with what has been done before. After all it is a very old, traditional game that has seen some very highly successful cricketers play the game with great skill. Why change that? But every where you look the vast majority of cricketers get fit by running long distances slowly; time and time again. Cricketers constantly train to be slow without doing any specific resistance training or high intensity skills training. The frustrating thing to me is that as soon as I put my point across to them they all agree without exception that the way they prepare for the game is not the best for them. But I am still met with, "this is the way we have always done it". So my point is that we are not breaking free and discovering new methods and techniques to prepare for cricket.
So we are no better than the elephant held by a 5kg stick meekly implanted in the ground.Wouldn't change be interesting and stimulating?
The part that amazed me most was where the leader stopped the party and hopped off and went for a walk. Not so amazing I know but; he was in charge of the elephant with a young boy on this huge animals back. As he disembarked this 5 tonne beast he produced a metre long stick and slammed it into the ground then attached the elephants collar to the pole. The pole would of been pulled out of the ground by my son who is 2 years old and 10kg in weight. So why did the giant animal quietly stay there and wait for his master to come back when he could of taken off any time it desired. It is conditioned to do as it has always done. After initially being tied to huge trees that wouldn't budge the elephant doesn't bother to try anything different again and try to get loose.
Although not related to elephants us cricketers tend to have the same mentality. Our conditioning means we go along with what has been done before. After all it is a very old, traditional game that has seen some very highly successful cricketers play the game with great skill. Why change that? But every where you look the vast majority of cricketers get fit by running long distances slowly; time and time again. Cricketers constantly train to be slow without doing any specific resistance training or high intensity skills training. The frustrating thing to me is that as soon as I put my point across to them they all agree without exception that the way they prepare for the game is not the best for them. But I am still met with, "this is the way we have always done it". So my point is that we are not breaking free and discovering new methods and techniques to prepare for cricket.
So we are no better than the elephant held by a 5kg stick meekly implanted in the ground.Wouldn't change be interesting and stimulating?
Watching the ball is easier said than done
There are some good solid methods that I have seen over the years. Methods such as identifying markings or colourings on a ball whilst in transit to you. I have even found the whole concept of switching off and on during play and training to be vital in the success of watching the ball from the bowlers hand. That really gets into the concentration training field. I tackle this type of training with a speed of reaction take on it. And with a sprinkling of spatial awareness type training.
Firstly I like to get players simply reacting to and catching a ball dropped in front of them. Starting with arms by your side you then wait for the ball to be dropped and react accordingly. Tennis ball is best as the cricket ball drops too quickly initially. Next step is the simple old wall ball drills. While facing the wall at a certain distance a partner throws the ball (from behind you) at the wall making you react and catch the ball or at least stop the ball after bouncing off the wall. A progression to that one is to then move closer, your partner throw harder and you dodge and weave to evade the ball. Always keeping your eyes on the ball. I favour these methods purely because there are added benefits to this type of training. Plus it is far more interesting and dynamic. I always come back to quality rather than quantity.
To really spark some interest I have prescribed exercises where a cricketer has thrown up his own ball and tried catching it behind his back. The objective being to increase the spatial awareness of the individual. This helps him when he watches the ball on its path judge the length and bounce as well as intently watching the ball. It acts as an extra sword in his armour. Another method is standing with your back to a partner who throws a ball over your head or shoulder area. As you pick up the flight of the ball you begin watching and react to the ball and hopefully catch it.
This is my approach to watching the ball training but I must admit it is usually best done in private or semi private situations. Due to the fact that lairizing and fooling around can completely ruin the intensity and value of these exercises. So this is my take on this type of training.The beauty of training like this is the amount of work the Central Nervous System has to do. Hence why it needs to be short and sharp with lots of breaks. Oh and keeping your eyes open usually helps.
Firstly I like to get players simply reacting to and catching a ball dropped in front of them. Starting with arms by your side you then wait for the ball to be dropped and react accordingly. Tennis ball is best as the cricket ball drops too quickly initially. Next step is the simple old wall ball drills. While facing the wall at a certain distance a partner throws the ball (from behind you) at the wall making you react and catch the ball or at least stop the ball after bouncing off the wall. A progression to that one is to then move closer, your partner throw harder and you dodge and weave to evade the ball. Always keeping your eyes on the ball. I favour these methods purely because there are added benefits to this type of training. Plus it is far more interesting and dynamic. I always come back to quality rather than quantity.
To really spark some interest I have prescribed exercises where a cricketer has thrown up his own ball and tried catching it behind his back. The objective being to increase the spatial awareness of the individual. This helps him when he watches the ball on its path judge the length and bounce as well as intently watching the ball. It acts as an extra sword in his armour. Another method is standing with your back to a partner who throws a ball over your head or shoulder area. As you pick up the flight of the ball you begin watching and react to the ball and hopefully catch it.
This is my approach to watching the ball training but I must admit it is usually best done in private or semi private situations. Due to the fact that lairizing and fooling around can completely ruin the intensity and value of these exercises. So this is my take on this type of training.The beauty of training like this is the amount of work the Central Nervous System has to do. Hence why it needs to be short and sharp with lots of breaks. Oh and keeping your eyes open usually helps.
When increasing range of movement caution is still needed
I just need to pass on another true life scenario involving a valued client plus a good mate. He has been working feverishly to bring his war torn sporting body back into good postural alignment. He is trying to prevent injury stopping his sporting activities and increase his cricketing playing days. He has made great progress and was just starting to set himself in his new found range of movement and alignment. Unfortunately his extra curriculum activities on top of his postural training has caused damage to one of his hip flexor muscles. Luckily it is classed as a minor injury and he will be back in the next week or two. Doesn't make him feel any better as he is still disappointed.
The reason I am passing on this story is not for you to feel sorry for him but to let you know of the potential dangers of this type of training. The benefits are massive in terms of increased range of movement, speed increases, agility benefits not to mention the injury prevention in the long term. But as I have stated in previous articles this type of training needs to be carried out in the off-season. And beware of other sports or activities carried out in conjunction. You need to be set and stable enough in your new found range of movements before any conditioning or fitness work is started. Potentially you could very well take muscles and joints into ranges of movement they haven't seen for a long time. Meaning they will lack the power and the stability at the end of it's range to stop; and possibly cause tears and strains or a range of other problems to appear.
Now is the time to complete this type of preparation for the upcoming season. Preseason is knocking on the door again and if not completed in the next month or two it will be too late. You would then be better off leaving it for next off season. Don't waste another year attack it now and feel the difference. Just remember to be safe!!!
The reason I am passing on this story is not for you to feel sorry for him but to let you know of the potential dangers of this type of training. The benefits are massive in terms of increased range of movement, speed increases, agility benefits not to mention the injury prevention in the long term. But as I have stated in previous articles this type of training needs to be carried out in the off-season. And beware of other sports or activities carried out in conjunction. You need to be set and stable enough in your new found range of movements before any conditioning or fitness work is started. Potentially you could very well take muscles and joints into ranges of movement they haven't seen for a long time. Meaning they will lack the power and the stability at the end of it's range to stop; and possibly cause tears and strains or a range of other problems to appear.
Now is the time to complete this type of preparation for the upcoming season. Preseason is knocking on the door again and if not completed in the next month or two it will be too late. You would then be better off leaving it for next off season. Don't waste another year attack it now and feel the difference. Just remember to be safe!!!
Take care for backs sake!
A new client joined me last week and we ran through a couple of good training sessions. Client left happy however the week after when training again I casually asked how things were going. To my dismay my client had been to the physio the next day after my session with severe back pain. How good did I feel? I was the fitness professional from hell. I was quickly informed that the pain was built up from years of training with numerous trainers forcing sit-ups on the client. I was then informed I should be given a gold medal for not allowing sit-ups to be completed in my facility.
The dreadful aspect is the client's back pain must be fixed and the investment this person undertook to be healthy could of potentially ruined a sporting career not enhanced it. What does this mean for you? Again your back must be kept in neutral or a straight position when undertaking any core or stabilizing exercise. So spine bending and crunching sit-ups are OUT. No appeal necessary, They can walk :) By completing these exercises such as sit-ups repeatedly you are smashing your lower back vertebrae together causing a shearing effect. After enough abuse the back will just stop working - ACUTE pain occurs and rest will be the only thing you can do for a while.
The next step is herniated discs which is irreversible. So please do not put your back into bent positions whilst force or fast movements will be taking place. Think of this fact when you bowl, bat and field. Will you need to make some adjustments to your cricket for your Back’s sake? Plus your own performance enhancement? Definitely forget the sit-ups PLEASE. As promised I will leave you 2 exercises to help you start to strengthen and stabilize your back and core.
1. The Plank - Lay face down on the ground, resting on the front of your toes. Move onto your elbows with your arms shoulder width apart. Brace your whole torso and lift your back to form a straight line or a plank. Hold for a designated time frame and then relax.
2. The Side Plank - Lay on your side and rest on one elbow and the outside of your bottom foot. Completely straighten your body from head to toe. Brace your whole body and lift from your hips towards the roof. Hold for a designated time frame. For both of these exercises please stat at 5 or 10 seconds holding time and build up weekly by 5 seconds. Try doing them in sets of 3 or 5 rather than 1 really long hold. Remember quantity not quality. Have fun with them but more importantly stay safe.
The dreadful aspect is the client's back pain must be fixed and the investment this person undertook to be healthy could of potentially ruined a sporting career not enhanced it. What does this mean for you? Again your back must be kept in neutral or a straight position when undertaking any core or stabilizing exercise. So spine bending and crunching sit-ups are OUT. No appeal necessary, They can walk :) By completing these exercises such as sit-ups repeatedly you are smashing your lower back vertebrae together causing a shearing effect. After enough abuse the back will just stop working - ACUTE pain occurs and rest will be the only thing you can do for a while.
The next step is herniated discs which is irreversible. So please do not put your back into bent positions whilst force or fast movements will be taking place. Think of this fact when you bowl, bat and field. Will you need to make some adjustments to your cricket for your Back’s sake? Plus your own performance enhancement? Definitely forget the sit-ups PLEASE. As promised I will leave you 2 exercises to help you start to strengthen and stabilize your back and core.
1. The Plank - Lay face down on the ground, resting on the front of your toes. Move onto your elbows with your arms shoulder width apart. Brace your whole torso and lift your back to form a straight line or a plank. Hold for a designated time frame and then relax.
2. The Side Plank - Lay on your side and rest on one elbow and the outside of your bottom foot. Completely straighten your body from head to toe. Brace your whole body and lift from your hips towards the roof. Hold for a designated time frame. For both of these exercises please stat at 5 or 10 seconds holding time and build up weekly by 5 seconds. Try doing them in sets of 3 or 5 rather than 1 really long hold. Remember quantity not quality. Have fun with them but more importantly stay safe.
Pull your shoulders back and stick your chest out- It's not that easy!!
The shoulder blades (scapula) are a joint although not fixed at a certain point like the hips or knee. It should glide smoothly over the ribcage. I won't go into all of the muscles however the rotator cuff all runs from the scapula region to the shoulder joint and the upper arm. If the shoulder blades aren't stable then all of the musculature involved with the rotator cuff will be under strain whenever the shoulder is used. You don't have to be Einstein to know how much you use you shoulders in a game of cricket.
Before you go training to throw, bat or bowl or strengthening your shoulders you need to mobilise and stabilise your scapula in the correct position. If you have rounded or slightly slumped shoulders then you aren't in correct alignment. If left in this postural position you will eventually start to take on a hunchback appearance - later on in life(commonly seen in the elderly). You may have heard this saying numerous times - "Pull your shoulders back and stick your chest out." This is good in theory and will fix the problem temporarily. However it will not be comfortable and you will drop back into the bad postural position sooner than later. Why I hear you ask? Because your major chest muscles which attach to the upper arm will be shortened due to the position they are in constantly. These shortened muscles will pull the shoulders forward and in turn pull the scapula out of position making them unstable and not as strong.
Once corrected then the shoulders can be held in position comfortably and your shoulder blades retracted or drawn back to their correct position also. Then you can start to strengthen the muscles responsible for holding the blades in position and your chest(mirror) muscles. This involves getting the shoulder blades moving freely and in their full range of motion and then stabilising them whilst performing exercises like a seated row. As well as pressing movements or push ups for the chest.
Once stable and set in correct posture all of your throwing and bowling can be attempted with more power safely, providing your technique is right. As a batsman you should aiming to be relaxed in your stance. Without checking and setting your shoulder blades and shoulders in good alignment comfortably for extended periods you won't be as relaxed as you possibly can be. The most important factor from a cricket specific training point of view is your chances of shoulder injury will decrease significantly. And keep you out on the park without restrictions.
Before you go training to throw, bat or bowl or strengthening your shoulders you need to mobilise and stabilise your scapula in the correct position. If you have rounded or slightly slumped shoulders then you aren't in correct alignment. If left in this postural position you will eventually start to take on a hunchback appearance - later on in life(commonly seen in the elderly). You may have heard this saying numerous times - "Pull your shoulders back and stick your chest out." This is good in theory and will fix the problem temporarily. However it will not be comfortable and you will drop back into the bad postural position sooner than later. Why I hear you ask? Because your major chest muscles which attach to the upper arm will be shortened due to the position they are in constantly. These shortened muscles will pull the shoulders forward and in turn pull the scapula out of position making them unstable and not as strong.
Once corrected then the shoulders can be held in position comfortably and your shoulder blades retracted or drawn back to their correct position also. Then you can start to strengthen the muscles responsible for holding the blades in position and your chest(mirror) muscles. This involves getting the shoulder blades moving freely and in their full range of motion and then stabilising them whilst performing exercises like a seated row. As well as pressing movements or push ups for the chest.
Once stable and set in correct posture all of your throwing and bowling can be attempted with more power safely, providing your technique is right. As a batsman you should aiming to be relaxed in your stance. Without checking and setting your shoulder blades and shoulders in good alignment comfortably for extended periods you won't be as relaxed as you possibly can be. The most important factor from a cricket specific training point of view is your chances of shoulder injury will decrease significantly. And keep you out on the park without restrictions.
Postural issues and how they can affect your concentration.
Now that you realise (or should do) posture training is a very important factor in your cricket fitness. Here are a couple of the areas that need attention when trying to achieve ideal and correct posture for you to transfer into your cricket. Starting from the top you must check how the head is faring in the posture stakes. Do you have a forward head position or lean in relation to the body in particular the shoulders. Can be referred to as the chook head position for obvious reasons. STOP and see how you are positioned reading this newsletter. There is a fair chance you are stooped over and you have the chook head position happening.
This will have consequences if this positioning of your head is carried into your cricket and even cricket fitness training. The consequences may seem minor and you don't seem to be suffering because of it. Well try these on for size. Your deep neck stabilizer muscles will not be working to anywhere near their full potential. These are the muscles surrounding your spine that keep your head upright and in the correct position. If these muscles aren't keeping your head in correct alignment then all of your superficial muscles are over activated and working overtime to keep your head from falling even further forward. Muscles such as the ones at the front of your neck and at the back of your neck. The reason you can keep your head in a forward position without pain is that these superficial muscles are stronger than your deep stabilizing muscles.These muscles if used for this purpose are being recruited for the wrong tasks.
You can see if someone has over activated front neck muscles by seeing two long lines(stick like in appearance) running down each side of the neck and are quite visible in their normal posture. Relating this to how it affects you the cricketer is the main issue and then correcting it should be on the agenda.If you have the forward head lean in your batting stance you will definitely not be totally relaxed. So if batting for long periods of time is something you want to do. This issue needs attention. Your neck or cervical muscles are working overtime and this means energy leaks and inefficiencies. Your energy leaks will cut short your concentration because of the amount of wasted energy used up. As soon as we start to tire our concentration drops off pretty quickly.
Then there is the issue of head position in all parts of your game. Batting, bowling and fielding. If your head is out of position initially you are going to be hard pressed to line it up in the heat of battle as you are bowling a ball or even throwing a ball. It will drag other vital muscles and joints out of alignment and cause more problems. The next area that would be affected by this is the upper back and shoulder region. This area isn't very important for your bowling, batting and throwing is it? Excuse the sarcasm. Anyway this area might have to be dissected later. But to fix this head lean may seem easy but needs quite a deal of attention and if not completed correctly can have serious implications.Headaches and so on have been known to occur not to mention structural issues that need medical attention to correct alignment problems.
You must get your head back into it's rightful position. This is where the ears line up with your shoulders when viewed from a side on position.Then you need to begin strengthening the deep neck flexors while in this position with certain exercises of varying time sequences.
This will have consequences if this positioning of your head is carried into your cricket and even cricket fitness training. The consequences may seem minor and you don't seem to be suffering because of it. Well try these on for size. Your deep neck stabilizer muscles will not be working to anywhere near their full potential. These are the muscles surrounding your spine that keep your head upright and in the correct position. If these muscles aren't keeping your head in correct alignment then all of your superficial muscles are over activated and working overtime to keep your head from falling even further forward. Muscles such as the ones at the front of your neck and at the back of your neck. The reason you can keep your head in a forward position without pain is that these superficial muscles are stronger than your deep stabilizing muscles.These muscles if used for this purpose are being recruited for the wrong tasks.
You can see if someone has over activated front neck muscles by seeing two long lines(stick like in appearance) running down each side of the neck and are quite visible in their normal posture. Relating this to how it affects you the cricketer is the main issue and then correcting it should be on the agenda.If you have the forward head lean in your batting stance you will definitely not be totally relaxed. So if batting for long periods of time is something you want to do. This issue needs attention. Your neck or cervical muscles are working overtime and this means energy leaks and inefficiencies. Your energy leaks will cut short your concentration because of the amount of wasted energy used up. As soon as we start to tire our concentration drops off pretty quickly.
Then there is the issue of head position in all parts of your game. Batting, bowling and fielding. If your head is out of position initially you are going to be hard pressed to line it up in the heat of battle as you are bowling a ball or even throwing a ball. It will drag other vital muscles and joints out of alignment and cause more problems. The next area that would be affected by this is the upper back and shoulder region. This area isn't very important for your bowling, batting and throwing is it? Excuse the sarcasm. Anyway this area might have to be dissected later. But to fix this head lean may seem easy but needs quite a deal of attention and if not completed correctly can have serious implications.Headaches and so on have been known to occur not to mention structural issues that need medical attention to correct alignment problems.
You must get your head back into it's rightful position. This is where the ears line up with your shoulders when viewed from a side on position.Then you need to begin strengthening the deep neck flexors while in this position with certain exercises of varying time sequences.
Cricket Specific Training is Best.
The fitness training industry has and will continue to grow at a rapid rate. The marketing alone of fitness is a huge industry. Let alone the actual business of fitness itself. I don't envy you these days because of the barrage of fitness information around. If it isn't the major clubs it's Pilates or Yoga or the Swiss/fit ball. Then you have the little guys like me floating around also. All of these exercise options can be marketed to help you play better cricket. Fitness is defined as simply; to be in good physical condition. Add specific to the mix and it starts to look like this. To be in good physical condition for a particular or definite task. Ideally cricket fitness should be gained by training as as the game is played. Unfortunately you can't gain all of the physical fitness from cricket itself. You need to add supplementary training methods to assist you in meeting your needs.
The area that needs to be addressed before any other training for cricket should be your Posture first and foremost. Without this training you are not giving yourself every opportunity to improve. If you were to start your batting stance or bowling action in a bad postural set up there is no way you can end up in a good postural position as you bowl or hit the ball. Injuries will occur at some stage as muscles, ligaments, tendons and joints will all be placed under extra stress.
Your safety will be compromised. You will also lack dynamic flexibility. This will stop you getting into and moving freely through certain movements in cricket. Such as a bat swing or a bend, gather and throw.You will not have the ability to firstly develop a foundation to build a strength base onto and then increase your power output.If you aren't recruiting the correct muscles then your strength base will never be safely built. Posture setting training will bring your body back into balance by eradicating any muscular imbalances. You will then automatically start to use the right muscles for the actions used in your cricket. Your muscles will be at their correct lengths ready for action and the strength and dynamic flexibility will be almost immediate.
The area that needs to be addressed before any other training for cricket should be your Posture first and foremost. Without this training you are not giving yourself every opportunity to improve. If you were to start your batting stance or bowling action in a bad postural set up there is no way you can end up in a good postural position as you bowl or hit the ball. Injuries will occur at some stage as muscles, ligaments, tendons and joints will all be placed under extra stress.
Your safety will be compromised. You will also lack dynamic flexibility. This will stop you getting into and moving freely through certain movements in cricket. Such as a bat swing or a bend, gather and throw.You will not have the ability to firstly develop a foundation to build a strength base onto and then increase your power output.If you aren't recruiting the correct muscles then your strength base will never be safely built. Posture setting training will bring your body back into balance by eradicating any muscular imbalances. You will then automatically start to use the right muscles for the actions used in your cricket. Your muscles will be at their correct lengths ready for action and the strength and dynamic flexibility will be almost immediate.
The Caffeine Nap
Following on in the sleep mode my little research tit-bit this week regards taking a 20 minute nap or siesta in the afternoon and the associated benefits. This really interested me as I have extended family in Italy and have holidayed there a couple of times. Where we stayed it was a regular occurrence for my wife's Nonna to have lunch an espresso coffee and then a nap for 20 - 40 minutes. She would then get up and do dishes and farm chores, get dinner ready and so on.
Doesn't sound so amazing except that she is 90 years young.The research confirms to me why she feels so good and will never miss her nap. A study by Hayashi M, Watanabe M, Hori T found that a coffee hit followed by a 15 - 20 min sleep clears the system of Adenosine which is a chemical that makes you feel drowsy. Participants were found to be alert for the longest period of time.
I know it has very little to do with cricket however maybe at lunch you could incorporate a coffee and a 15 minute nap. Unfortunately knowing some cricketers and how they love to play practical jokes you may wake up nice and alert but missing some clothing or cricket gear.
Doesn't sound so amazing except that she is 90 years young.The research confirms to me why she feels so good and will never miss her nap. A study by Hayashi M, Watanabe M, Hori T found that a coffee hit followed by a 15 - 20 min sleep clears the system of Adenosine which is a chemical that makes you feel drowsy. Participants were found to be alert for the longest period of time.
I know it has very little to do with cricket however maybe at lunch you could incorporate a coffee and a 15 minute nap. Unfortunately knowing some cricketers and how they love to play practical jokes you may wake up nice and alert but missing some clothing or cricket gear.
Sleep Is More Important Than You Probably Realise
This is one area of your cricket preparation that I am very confident in predicting you don't place a high priority on. You will see why I feel sleep is a much underrated area in the holistic approach needed to become a better cricketer. To be classed as sleep deprived you need to be in 30 - 72 hours sleep debt. So as a general rule if you only sleep for 6 hours a night, after two weeks you are on the verge of being sleep deprived. How easily can that happen? Especially if you study or have a new edition to the family.
Don't panic your body is great at catching up as long as you start getting your 8 or more hours sleep a night.If you constantly under sleep it keeps adding up and you could have become chronically sleep deprived. Sounds serious doesn't it!!! And it is, so if it sounds like you take steps to alleviate it ASAP.
The problems associated with Sleep Deprivation ar as follows:
1. Cardio-Vascular performance is decreased dramatically. Athletes have reported experiencing exhaustion quicker than usual after not getting their regular 8 - 9 hours sleep.
2. Regeneration of the bodies cells are affected because of a lack of sleep. After training and games you need the body to rebuild and regenerate cells to allow recovery. Protein is a key ingredient needed for recovery and less of it is produced when sleep is not adequate. Therefore recovery is also compromised. Injury may then start to appear more often.
3. Appetite disruption is also interrupted. A lack of sleep reduces production of the hunger regulating hormone and also increases another hormone that increases hunger. So you feel constantly hungry even when you eat because your hunger controlling hormone is not getting produced enough. Your system will continually crave calories. Concentration will suffer due to hunger cravings and energy will be lacking due to excess energy spent on digesting food. Immunity suffers also. A major component in your blood is suppressed when not enough sleep is experienced. This component sparks all of the other cells into action that are necessary for immunity. Health and wellbeing are then not at their peak so that will not allow optimum cricket performances. Colds and flues in-season could be tell tale signs of suppressed immunity.
So if this is an area of your cricket preparation that you feel may not be quite right take action and see if it makes any difference.Balance up the sleep scales in your favour and get 8 - 9 hours sleep every night. It may mean sacrificing some of those mind numbing un-reality TV shows at night.
Don't panic your body is great at catching up as long as you start getting your 8 or more hours sleep a night.If you constantly under sleep it keeps adding up and you could have become chronically sleep deprived. Sounds serious doesn't it!!! And it is, so if it sounds like you take steps to alleviate it ASAP.
The problems associated with Sleep Deprivation ar as follows:
1. Cardio-Vascular performance is decreased dramatically. Athletes have reported experiencing exhaustion quicker than usual after not getting their regular 8 - 9 hours sleep.
2. Regeneration of the bodies cells are affected because of a lack of sleep. After training and games you need the body to rebuild and regenerate cells to allow recovery. Protein is a key ingredient needed for recovery and less of it is produced when sleep is not adequate. Therefore recovery is also compromised. Injury may then start to appear more often.
3. Appetite disruption is also interrupted. A lack of sleep reduces production of the hunger regulating hormone and also increases another hormone that increases hunger. So you feel constantly hungry even when you eat because your hunger controlling hormone is not getting produced enough. Your system will continually crave calories. Concentration will suffer due to hunger cravings and energy will be lacking due to excess energy spent on digesting food. Immunity suffers also. A major component in your blood is suppressed when not enough sleep is experienced. This component sparks all of the other cells into action that are necessary for immunity. Health and wellbeing are then not at their peak so that will not allow optimum cricket performances. Colds and flues in-season could be tell tale signs of suppressed immunity.
So if this is an area of your cricket preparation that you feel may not be quite right take action and see if it makes any difference.Balance up the sleep scales in your favour and get 8 - 9 hours sleep every night. It may mean sacrificing some of those mind numbing un-reality TV shows at night.
How Alcohol Consumption Can Impede Your Development
The old chestnut is about to be opened up again in regard to alcohol and sport. You can't escape the fact that alcohol and sport are commonly linked together. The power of the mighty sponsorship dollar means that alcohol can be advertised at major sporting events and on television. Also some sporting celebrities align themselves with certain brands of alcohol in advertising for purely their own financial benefit. I am not for one minute going to criticise our cricket stars or our major sporting event organisers. And I am certainly not going to criticise the alcohol producers and their marketing practices. Alcohol will always be in our society due to the money that it generates for our Government and the participation rate of the population in consuming alcohol.
As a former cricketer I consumed alcohol and today I still partake in consuming alcohol very moderately. So I am definitely not going to get on my high horse and try to persuade you to steer clear of alcohol without confessing to my very moderate consumption of alcohol. Now my point is that if you want to improve and be a successful cricketer which includes your fitness and preparation for the game you would do well not to consume alcohol excessively if at all.
Firstly it dramatically reduces your mental focus for up to 2 days after alcohol is in your system. Your kidney's get worked overtime when alcohol is taken in. The kidney takes in a lot of the bodies water in an attempt to metabolise as much alcohol from the body as possible quickly. So you can see how your body can become very dehydrated after alcohol consumption. Adequate hydration is vital for sport and especially cricket. Another important factor that cricketers should be aware of is how alcohol affects the bodies recovery process.After a game or training your muscles begin to recover from the damage created by your efforts produced. As soon as alcohol enters your digestive system the protein synthesis process stops. Protein synthesis is where protein is absorbed into the muscle to aid and foster muscle rebuilding and recovery. All of the processes mentioned can be interrupted for up to 3 days due to alcohol.
To the body alcohol is a poison that will be used as an energy source until totally used up. Unfortunately it is a nutrient lacking energy source which makes it a very inefficient energy source. Alcohol can disrupt other processes such as fat loss also but I won't go into that in this article. So all things considered the poison called alcohol will in no way shape or form benefit your cricket and fitness. So my advice to you is that if you are serious about becoming a better cricketer and rising above the pack then alcohol isn't a good option for you.
As a former cricketer I consumed alcohol and today I still partake in consuming alcohol very moderately. So I am definitely not going to get on my high horse and try to persuade you to steer clear of alcohol without confessing to my very moderate consumption of alcohol. Now my point is that if you want to improve and be a successful cricketer which includes your fitness and preparation for the game you would do well not to consume alcohol excessively if at all.
Firstly it dramatically reduces your mental focus for up to 2 days after alcohol is in your system. Your kidney's get worked overtime when alcohol is taken in. The kidney takes in a lot of the bodies water in an attempt to metabolise as much alcohol from the body as possible quickly. So you can see how your body can become very dehydrated after alcohol consumption. Adequate hydration is vital for sport and especially cricket. Another important factor that cricketers should be aware of is how alcohol affects the bodies recovery process.After a game or training your muscles begin to recover from the damage created by your efforts produced. As soon as alcohol enters your digestive system the protein synthesis process stops. Protein synthesis is where protein is absorbed into the muscle to aid and foster muscle rebuilding and recovery. All of the processes mentioned can be interrupted for up to 3 days due to alcohol.
To the body alcohol is a poison that will be used as an energy source until totally used up. Unfortunately it is a nutrient lacking energy source which makes it a very inefficient energy source. Alcohol can disrupt other processes such as fat loss also but I won't go into that in this article. So all things considered the poison called alcohol will in no way shape or form benefit your cricket and fitness. So my advice to you is that if you are serious about becoming a better cricketer and rising above the pack then alcohol isn't a good option for you.
Your Butt is not just for Sitting on!!
I am going to point out to you why you should be using your butt for much more than just sitting. First and foremost from a cricket fitness and conditioning point of view. Injury prevention should always be a number one priority. The gluteals(butt) particularly the gluteus medius should be constantly active and doing a lot of the work that most cricketers backs do. Most cricketers do not use their glutes enough if at all. Meaning you are using your back muscles too much. This can lead to over activation of the lower back and hamstrings to compensate for this lack of gluteal activation. This will eventually lead to a breakdown and a medical professional will have to be consulted. An unwanted rest period usually follows and then some rehabilitation to get you back on the playing field. Or as most of you will do after your down time. Just continue on as you were before and hope it doesn't happen again. Unfortunately the percentages are stacked against you and it probably will happen again but this time it will be worst.
Before you go and start doing heaps of sit-ups and abdominal work to help take the load of your back think butt. And I don't mean the way in which most of you do!!! You need to get your gluteals working and start taking a lot of the work off your back. I can't go into it too much in this short article but you can test yourself simply to see if you are using any gluteal muscles at all. Simply stand on one leg and poke the butt cheek of the leg that you are standing on with your finger. If that butt cheek is not rock hard then you aren't using your glutes enough and your back is doing too much work. It will only be a matter of time until back soreness or even Hamstring or Quadriceps injuries start appearing.
Now a simple way to start activating your glutes is simply squeezing your butt cheeks. This sounds simple yet some people have difficulty doing this. I find the following cue always works for my non butt activating cricketer clients. Imagine you have a $100.00 bill in between your butt cheeks and if you let it go you will lose it. Funnily enough they immediately get those gluteals activated. Maybe that is where the term tight arse originated from :) That is enough butt talk from me.
I hope this information has inspired you to take some action, take the work load off your back and get those glutes working. It will require consistent attention to convert this activation to habit but for cricket-fitness and injury prevention it will be a worth while investment. I would advise you to check for gluteal activation in a private area or be prepared to be the butt of all jokes and cop some funny looks and maybe some unwanted attention!!!
Before you go and start doing heaps of sit-ups and abdominal work to help take the load of your back think butt. And I don't mean the way in which most of you do!!! You need to get your gluteals working and start taking a lot of the work off your back. I can't go into it too much in this short article but you can test yourself simply to see if you are using any gluteal muscles at all. Simply stand on one leg and poke the butt cheek of the leg that you are standing on with your finger. If that butt cheek is not rock hard then you aren't using your glutes enough and your back is doing too much work. It will only be a matter of time until back soreness or even Hamstring or Quadriceps injuries start appearing.
Now a simple way to start activating your glutes is simply squeezing your butt cheeks. This sounds simple yet some people have difficulty doing this. I find the following cue always works for my non butt activating cricketer clients. Imagine you have a $100.00 bill in between your butt cheeks and if you let it go you will lose it. Funnily enough they immediately get those gluteals activated. Maybe that is where the term tight arse originated from :) That is enough butt talk from me.
I hope this information has inspired you to take some action, take the work load off your back and get those glutes working. It will require consistent attention to convert this activation to habit but for cricket-fitness and injury prevention it will be a worth while investment. I would advise you to check for gluteal activation in a private area or be prepared to be the butt of all jokes and cop some funny looks and maybe some unwanted attention!!!
Need more power?
Cricketers don't realise how much the hips and surrounding musculature are needed to generate power. If used with a strong and stable trunk or core, efficient hip flexors make you a more powerful cricketer. The majority of you spend a fair portion of your time seated. Look at the position of your hips at the moment as you will be seated to read this newsletter. They are flexed at around 90 degrees meaning your hip flexors are shortened.If they (hip flexors) are in this position consistently and rarely stretched. Your range of movement is going to be restricted in some way.
Your hip flexors will be shortened and won't go back to their optimal length until you make a conscious effort to lengthen them. You may not be aware of it because your body adapts to any stresses thrown at it. So your movements will feel normal to you. That is why so many cricketers feel greater freedom in their normal running motion and movements after the simplest of hip mobility exercises. From a batting view point. How many of you find it almost impossible to keep your back leg straight or your back foot grounded? Or as I commonly see the back foot swivelling around to allow the hips and upper body to open up and face the bowler. This is caused by the hip flexor and associated muscles not allowing the hips and leg to stretch out adequately to lock your hips in the side on position.
As a bowler you can't be expected to generate maximum power output if you can't move your hip region through a full range of motion. The hip region impacts on your lower back also. The majority of your upper leg muscles (quads & hamstrings) involve the hips also. Hopefully you can start to see how a lack of hip mobility can seriously impede your efficiency. Not to mention increase your chances of injury. It goes without saying that your mobility and agility will also be seriously impeded in the field because of your hip flexor limitations. Bending, lunging, sprinting and so on will all be affected. As stated earlier you may not realise it until you develop a greater range of movement and feel the difference.So give it a go. Start with the basics and every night or every other night stretch out your hip flexors, adductors (inner thigh), hamstrings and quads and also your iliotibial band which runs down the outside of your thigh. See if you feel any difference in your movements. I'm betting after a couple of weeks you will.
Your hip flexors will be shortened and won't go back to their optimal length until you make a conscious effort to lengthen them. You may not be aware of it because your body adapts to any stresses thrown at it. So your movements will feel normal to you. That is why so many cricketers feel greater freedom in their normal running motion and movements after the simplest of hip mobility exercises. From a batting view point. How many of you find it almost impossible to keep your back leg straight or your back foot grounded? Or as I commonly see the back foot swivelling around to allow the hips and upper body to open up and face the bowler. This is caused by the hip flexor and associated muscles not allowing the hips and leg to stretch out adequately to lock your hips in the side on position.
As a bowler you can't be expected to generate maximum power output if you can't move your hip region through a full range of motion. The hip region impacts on your lower back also. The majority of your upper leg muscles (quads & hamstrings) involve the hips also. Hopefully you can start to see how a lack of hip mobility can seriously impede your efficiency. Not to mention increase your chances of injury. It goes without saying that your mobility and agility will also be seriously impeded in the field because of your hip flexor limitations. Bending, lunging, sprinting and so on will all be affected. As stated earlier you may not realise it until you develop a greater range of movement and feel the difference.So give it a go. Start with the basics and every night or every other night stretch out your hip flexors, adductors (inner thigh), hamstrings and quads and also your iliotibial band which runs down the outside of your thigh. See if you feel any difference in your movements. I'm betting after a couple of weeks you will.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Get Active after the Break
Over the holiday period you would of enjoyed the time off from routines and socialised with friends and family. I also know from experience that this time can be difficult to motivate yourself to get out there and get back into some activity. The hardest part is starting, so make it a little easier for you by following these tips.
Just remember if you want to be ahead of your opposition by getting active when they aren't you are already a step ahead of the rest. You can make it easier on yourself by carrying out a small yet intense interval cardio session that will clean out the cobwebs. Something simple like a 10 minute dynamic warm up. Followed by five 30 second sprints at an exertion level of about 85-90%. Allow yourself at least a minute or even two to recover between intervals. Then a simple warm down run or walk to clean out all of the lactic acid (waste product) built up from the intense activity just completed. Please include a basic stretch also to help alleviate any tightness that may occur. You should be done in 30 minutes and you will feel better for it.
All of a sudden your feel good hormones created by exercising will hopefully motivate you to get into some serious fitness and cricket training. Not to mention that the interval training described is so much closer to a game type scenario than long, low intensity continuous running, cycling etc - aerobic exercise. The intense and explosive nature of interval training -anaerobic training is far closer to specific cricket situations plus the recovery periods making the work load intermittent are more specific to cricket also. By training like this you are keeping with the cricket fitness motto of quality training not quantity.
Just remember if you want to be ahead of your opposition by getting active when they aren't you are already a step ahead of the rest. You can make it easier on yourself by carrying out a small yet intense interval cardio session that will clean out the cobwebs. Something simple like a 10 minute dynamic warm up. Followed by five 30 second sprints at an exertion level of about 85-90%. Allow yourself at least a minute or even two to recover between intervals. Then a simple warm down run or walk to clean out all of the lactic acid (waste product) built up from the intense activity just completed. Please include a basic stretch also to help alleviate any tightness that may occur. You should be done in 30 minutes and you will feel better for it.
All of a sudden your feel good hormones created by exercising will hopefully motivate you to get into some serious fitness and cricket training. Not to mention that the interval training described is so much closer to a game type scenario than long, low intensity continuous running, cycling etc - aerobic exercise. The intense and explosive nature of interval training -anaerobic training is far closer to specific cricket situations plus the recovery periods making the work load intermittent are more specific to cricket also. By training like this you are keeping with the cricket fitness motto of quality training not quantity.
How to Save the Extra Kilos over the Festive Season.
With Christmas on top of us already I think it is only fitting that I pass on a few tips to help keep unwanted body fat away. You will quickly learn that I like simplicity and I like taking any advice or tips back to the very basics. Because like everything once the basics have been achieved progressing is easier. These tips are basic but extremely effective for everyone.
You probably have been told countless times to drink in moderation yet we all have been in the position where we start in moderation and it keeps going and away we go. Well try filling up before you start!!!! That’s right you read right. Let me explain.Before heading off to the party or barbeque have a substantial feed of good quality lean protein and salad or vegetables or even a serving of fruit and yoghurt as an example. Then top it off with 500ml to 1 litre of water. You are going to feel pretty full and content by this stage. By doing this you are hopefully stopping the customary picking at finger foods and heavy binge drinking. Even consuming a substantial heavy drink such as a protein shake or a healthy milkshake will also give you that full feeling.
Because the message we hear every year of be disciplined and moderation is easier said than done for most people. I feel that taking some action like this is better than simply talking the talk. I'm sure you are all aware that to put on weight you must consume more than you put out exercise or activity wise. So another way to divert body fat production is to keep up your activity levels even if it means two or three little 15 - 20 minute walks in a day. Better than nothing. Because I know you will be consuming some high energy content foods and if you can restrict yourself to minor quantities of them and keep some activity up your calorific balance will balance out. Or be close to it at least. Exercise your discipline and you will save yourself extra work after the holidays.
You probably have been told countless times to drink in moderation yet we all have been in the position where we start in moderation and it keeps going and away we go. Well try filling up before you start!!!! That’s right you read right. Let me explain.Before heading off to the party or barbeque have a substantial feed of good quality lean protein and salad or vegetables or even a serving of fruit and yoghurt as an example. Then top it off with 500ml to 1 litre of water. You are going to feel pretty full and content by this stage. By doing this you are hopefully stopping the customary picking at finger foods and heavy binge drinking. Even consuming a substantial heavy drink such as a protein shake or a healthy milkshake will also give you that full feeling.
Because the message we hear every year of be disciplined and moderation is easier said than done for most people. I feel that taking some action like this is better than simply talking the talk. I'm sure you are all aware that to put on weight you must consume more than you put out exercise or activity wise. So another way to divert body fat production is to keep up your activity levels even if it means two or three little 15 - 20 minute walks in a day. Better than nothing. Because I know you will be consuming some high energy content foods and if you can restrict yourself to minor quantities of them and keep some activity up your calorific balance will balance out. Or be close to it at least. Exercise your discipline and you will save yourself extra work after the holidays.
What cricket fitness is all about.
Welcome fellow cricket enthusiasts and cricket fitness followers. Due to the game of cricket being an international sport I can't as yet speak for the methods utilised in other countries. So please remember if I refer to anything in regard to preparation methods, fitness routines and even such things such as warm ups I am basing it all on Australian ways. In particular Perth, Western Australia.
The inspiration to start up this resource came from seeing first hand the widening gap between State Cricketers (professional) preparations and Grade cricketers (semi professional mainly amateur)preparations for cricket. Also witnessing the influx of junior cricketers entering the senior cricket world with great expectations only to find themselves unable to approach their batting with freedom and the youthful exuberance that I would like to see.
I was once told a story about a young bright eyed and confident young batsman around 17 or 18 years of age by the name of Graeme Wood (a future Australian representative and West Australian captain) playing against an older and very experienced Kevin Gartrell, also a Western Australian representative cricketer at the other end of his playing career. The young tyrant was getting some unwelcoming advice from the wily old fox and immediately told Gartrell to get back to his mark and bowl with a few extra expletives added. My point Graeme Wood as a youngster was confident in his own ability and skills to express himself confidently by word and mouth. Something I haven't seen enough of in my short time involved as a coach of cricketers due to the fact too many youngsters spend their early senior cricketing days trying to fix flaws in their techniques rather than starting to master skills and techniques needed to take them to the next level.
So as a consequence of all of my experiences as a cricketer, a coach and a fitness professional with a real passion for removing all restrictions within individuals. I have created www.cricketfitness.com to help anyone that is willing to invest in themselves and develop themselves personally and physically in an attempt to become a better cricketer or coach. As you will find when touring the site and this blog there is a real flavour on approaching preparation methods differently and training for cricket very specifically rather than a one size fits all methodology. I hope you benefit from this resource and can grow as a cricketer or coach from the messages you take from here.
The inspiration to start up this resource came from seeing first hand the widening gap between State Cricketers (professional) preparations and Grade cricketers (semi professional mainly amateur)preparations for cricket. Also witnessing the influx of junior cricketers entering the senior cricket world with great expectations only to find themselves unable to approach their batting with freedom and the youthful exuberance that I would like to see.
I was once told a story about a young bright eyed and confident young batsman around 17 or 18 years of age by the name of Graeme Wood (a future Australian representative and West Australian captain) playing against an older and very experienced Kevin Gartrell, also a Western Australian representative cricketer at the other end of his playing career. The young tyrant was getting some unwelcoming advice from the wily old fox and immediately told Gartrell to get back to his mark and bowl with a few extra expletives added. My point Graeme Wood as a youngster was confident in his own ability and skills to express himself confidently by word and mouth. Something I haven't seen enough of in my short time involved as a coach of cricketers due to the fact too many youngsters spend their early senior cricketing days trying to fix flaws in their techniques rather than starting to master skills and techniques needed to take them to the next level.
So as a consequence of all of my experiences as a cricketer, a coach and a fitness professional with a real passion for removing all restrictions within individuals. I have created www.cricketfitness.com to help anyone that is willing to invest in themselves and develop themselves personally and physically in an attempt to become a better cricketer or coach. As you will find when touring the site and this blog there is a real flavour on approaching preparation methods differently and training for cricket very specifically rather than a one size fits all methodology. I hope you benefit from this resource and can grow as a cricketer or coach from the messages you take from here.
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