Whether you aspire to play at professional level or not, there are many things you can learn from first class players.

Professional players rely on their form for a living. Without it they would be out of a job. More often than not that means they are doing everything they can to stay on top of their game. Even if you only play on the village green, you can apply some of this determination to improve your results.

What does this look like? I have come up with 6 golden rules.

First class teams always have a coach and the players are not afraid to use them. For some reason, this is less prevalent in the club game once you have gone beyond the age of 16 or so. This means that if you swallow your pride and ask for help from a decent coach you will be streets ahead of most club cricketers.

You don't need to enlist the help of a talented ex-player. Most club coaches are more than qualified to work with you on your game, even if it's just to setup a video camera and give you some throwdowns so you can analyse your own technique.

Most coaches can help you learn new skills (nobody has every shot in the book and can bowl a handful of variations accurately). They can act as a training buddy, motivator and councillor if you so desire. If the pros are doing it, what is stopping you?

Professional cricket has the luxury of being able to focus on cricket every day. Whether this is playing, training or hitting the gym. You may not have as much time, but you can still do something every day to improve your game.  Visualisation takes less than 20 minutes, a trip to the gym is an hour, training could be a little longer but with creativity and application you can do the same as the pros in spirit at least.

Ask yourself every week: Am I doing something every day in the coming week to improve my game?

Top players range hugely in personality and habits. Most successful cricketers know what works for them and what doesn't. England's Alec Stewart was famous for eating grilled chicken breasts and having early nights. Other players might prefer a couple of drinks to relax of an evening. As long as your routine is allowing you to score runs or take wickets there is no sense in changing things.

This also applies to what happens during the game. According to his autobiography, ex-England captain Nasser Hussain was very nervous waiting to bat, but it allowed him to get his mind ready for the task and he often scored runs at crucial times. His team mate Michael Atherton, also very successful, used to read the paper and take his mind off the game totally to relax.

The point is, find out what works for you and stick with it.

No matter how dishevelled and untidy a professional is off the field, when they train and play they look the part.

They are fortunate to have fresh kit supplied on demand, where you probably have to pay for your own whites and washing bill. That should not stop you looking your best on the pitch. Laundered and ironed whites and clean equipment put you in a professional frame of mind.

If you have ever experienced the difference in feeling between slipping on a fresh shirt and one that has been left unloved in a kitbag for a week you know what I mean. Take the time to look good on the field and you will feel a little more like a professional cricketer.

Failure is inevitable in cricket. Even Bradman got out for a duck in his last innings. Professionals learn to cope with this quickly, especially if they play county cricket where the sheer number of games is bound to bring a few bad days.

Good players remind themselves that mistakes happen and don't let it get to them. They know that a mistake does not mean you will lose the game. You or someone else can still perform exceptionally to make up for the error.

Good pros are also quick to help players who have made mistakes. A few positive words at the right moment can make all the difference to a player who is dwelling on their error. There is certainly no rule that says club players can't do the same for themselves or others.

As part of a team, the professional has access to good social support. Other players know what he or she is going through and can help each other. Granted, this help might often just come in light hearted relief such as practical jokes or shared ribbing of someone else. However, strong bonds are also formed in the dressing room waiting to bat or for it to stop raining.

This is harder for the club player as teams spend much less time together. You may only see an occasional team mate once a year. However, club players are usually friends away from the pitch too and a good cricket chat over a post-match pint in summer is one of the best ways to get the support you need.

There is also online support. Coaching forums and sites like miCoach exist in part to give support to you. In fact, the slightly more anonymous feeling of online help can get you to open up more than 'in real life'.

Whatever support you go for, make sure you have some way of venting.

Image credit: Free-ers

Today's article is a mock 'job description' for a cricket captain. If you were applying would you get the job?

The details have been supplied by Ryan Maron, Assistant Coach to the Netherlands national cricket team, VRA player coach and Director of Ryan Maron's Cricket School of Excellence in South Africa.

Job title: Club Cricket Captain.

Job Requirements

Practice and pre-match

• Able to attend practice regularly and lead by example.
• Able to attend selection meetings and be confident to have a say in the balance of the side.
• Willing to discuss game plans with coaches and/or senior players.
• Take the time to talk to each player about their role in the team.
• Able to make last minute changes to the team due to injury or other reason.
• Have a number of player contacts to call up due to last minute drop outs. 

During the match

• Prepared to make practical arrangements for players where needed including provision of meals and transportation to matches.
• Able to assess conditions including the pitch, weather and local rules.
• Decide whether to bat or bowl and toss up with opposing captain.
• Analyse strengths and weaknesses of opposition, sometimes on little information.
• Decide a batting order and let everyone know the plan.
• Calculate bowling changes based on conditions and match situation.
• Set the field for each batter in combination with your bowlers.
• Willing to set unusual fields or use unorthodox tactics based on hunches.
• Keen to watch the match, even when not directly involved (i.e. Have just got out).
• Able to encourage fielders and bowlers at all times.
• High levels of concentration on captaincy as well as your own skills.
• Able to keep the game flowing and not let a situation get out of control.
• Calmness under extreme tension.
• Have a 'play to win' attitude, fighting to the last ball. 

Post Match

• Able to listen to and process advice.
• Willing to learn from mistakes.
• Develop a 'thick skin' to criticism and look forward to the next game whatever the result.
• Able to smile and stay positive even in defeat.
• Be a polite and friendly host to the opposition. 

If you are thinking of becoming a captain, consider this 'job description' as a checklist to all you have to do. It's a job you can only learn through experience and you are bound to make mistakes on the way. Sometimes those mistakes will be very obvious too. 

It can be a thankless task sometimes but the benefits outweigh the costs when you get it right.

Remember this is just for fun, don't apply and thanks again to Ryan Maron for contributing the majority of the tips in this article.

Photo credit: ervine_wa