What is the most vital part of cricket performance? | Cricket coaching, fitness and tips

What is the most vital part of cricket performance?

Cricket is a game of multiple components: strength, power, speed, timing, mobility...

The list goes on and on.

But it's back to Vern Gambetta to shed light on the most important factor in cricket performance:

"Balance is the single most important component of athletic ability because it underlies all movement. It is a component of all movement whether that movement is dominated by strength, speed, flexibility or stamina. Problems that you thought were strength, speed, flexibility or skill-related could in fact be directly balance related and are manifested as a lack of strength, speed, flexibility, skill etc. Poor balance leads to poor technical or skill development which often results in injury."

Should you include balance training in your cricket preparation?

Gambetta recommends that you should, but not to isolate it. Instead treat balance training as part of your warm up and integrate it into other training.

For example:

  • Warm up games that involve jumping, standing on one leg or leaning.
  • A speed training drill that begins with you lying on the floor, eyes closed instead of going from a standing start.
  • Batting drills with a balance disc under your foot.
  • Single leg weight training exercises with a light weight.

So while it is critical to have good balance, developing it is so simple to do that there is no excuse to avoid it.

What are you doing to improve your balance?

© Copyright miSport Holdings Ltd 2008

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Comments

[...] Basic Coordination. Most people think they have coordination and skip this step. Don’t. It’s critical to ensure you can balance at the edges of your centre of gravity (both while moving and standing still). [...]

[...] your non-cricket specific dynamic balance, agility and reactions as part of your wider training [...]

sir when i play on front foot i sometimes loose my balance and bend towards covers......so please suggest me some exercises or drills.....