By now you should have your skills sheet filled in with all the skills you require (including the ones you already have).

The next step is to create a number to add to the Score column.

This is so you can monitor improvements, which will not only motivate you but give you a clearer picture from which to set your own training.

Before you can improve your game of cricket you need to assess your own strengths and weaknesses.

Once you know where you are you can set yourself some targets for the coming few months to improve in those areas. Without the initial overview you are not getting the best out of your nets, gym work and practice games.

Do you ever find yourself falling asleep in the field?

Have you ever got out to a poor shot after batting well for a while?

If so then it's time to work on your concentration skills.

Many boffins think that the amount you can concentrate is fixed at about an hour per day. The way to get better is to concentrate less at the right time.

The way to do this is to teach yourself to switch on and off at the right moment

Do you have a cricket dream? Perhaps it is to play internationally or maybe its just to get more runs than last year in you club side.

One of the most effective ways of improving your motivation and focussing the mind on any task is by goal setting.

Cricket is no different. Goal setting is a powerful tool to becoming a better player.

It helped Richard Hadlee achieve the incredible double feat of 1179 runs and 117 wickets in county cricket in 1984.

We can learn much from the Australian attitude to one-day cricket. Bobby Simpson gives an insight.

This advice applies to club games just as much as it does to the top level so it is worth repeating the key advice:

Batting Tips

Butterflies in the stomach, shaking hands, anxiety and lack of confidence are all signs of performance reducing nerves.

While to causes and effects of nervousness are complex, there are certain simple tricks to control your tension and make it work for you.

How to control tension before cricket

You can use a simple technique at any rest point before or during a game. For example: The night before a game, in between deliveries or while waiting to bat.