As you know, I'm looking for someone to be the miCoach Case Study for 2009. With that in mind, I thought it would be interesting to get some more informal views of how everyone is playing and preparing at the moment.

So how is your season (or off season if you are in the winter like me) going?

Ask most nutritionists about supplements for performance, health or any other reason and the stock answer is that a healthy diet requires no supplementation.

Stone Age man was probably too busy wrestling sabre tooth tigers, hunting, fishing and gathering to play even the most primitive game of cricket. He was pretty fit and strong though, so maybe we can learn a thing or two from his way of life.

One of the staples of his diet was plain old nuts.

He was certainly onto something, because research since has shown that raw nuts are quite the superfood. The boffins tell us that adding nuts to your diet leads to:

It sounds like one of those crazy fad diets, but body type training is grounded in science and growing in popularity.

Until we have genetic profiling, it's the best we can manage for personalised eating and training for cricket. You see you will react to different foods and training methods in different ways depending on your body type.

Whether you are a Simpsons fan or not, Homer is one fine philosopher.

Beer, he once said, is the solution to, and the cause of all life's problems. Which is a great way of summing up the relationship between cricketers and alcohol (in the West at least).

Most cricket clubs have a tradition of drinking after games. On tour the drinking can be before, during and after!

It's the grease that oils the social wheels.

When I was a boy I would do anything to get out of eating those dreaded vegetables on the plate at dinner time.

They were green and often overcooked. The very thought of putting slimy spinach near my mouth was enough to turn my stomach. I'd try every trick in the book from hiding the peas under the leftover mashed potato to pleading stomach cramps.

Cricket is very time consuming, so who has time to be the next Jamie Oliver?

I know I don't, but I also want to be able to eat in a healthy way while getting in and out of the kitchen as fast as possible. That's why I place high importance on having the right tools at hand to help me out.

Here is what I consider essential.

You are trying to get more omega 3 in your diet right?
Boffins in white coats have been looking at the benefits of this fat for years and the evidence is clear: Everyone can benefit from omega 3, especially those who play sport at any level.

After several hundred posts I thought it was time you got an introduction.
Or, more specifically;
Some of the ideas and people behind the practical tips on this site that make you a better player. If you understand these pillars, you understand the system I use and that's essential to your success.

If you like all the free advice I have given you on this site, why not buy me a beer?

Running this site is my passion. I love helping you and every other reader of harrowdrive improve their cricket and not charge for it.

I need to cover the cost of running the site without forcing intrusive ads on you that annoy both of us. So instead of putting a load of adverts on the site or charging you to read it I'm going to ask you to donate a couple of quid.