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.