Its human nature to focus on the negative side of life and take the positives for granted. Cricket is no different. I know I've often got frustrated with some of my performances even when I did most things right.

An effective strategy I have found as both a coach and cricketer is to keep a performance file for the season.

I can be as simple as a folder with some notes about each of your games. As a coach I like to keep a file for each player, getting feedback from them and adding my own observations too.

Here is what I include in my performance files:

• Player details (age, contact information etc.)
• Last season's statistics (runs, wickets, average)
• Goals for the season
• Fitness and training plan
• Current season's statistics
• Game comments (good things, bad things)
• General comments

As the summer goes on you can keep your own file (or have your coach do it). This will help you spot any trends in your game, focus on the stuff you are doing right and allow you to tweak your aims as the season goes on to keep them realistic.

Knowing this information gives you the control to have a great cricket season.

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