This is a guest article by powerlifter and club cricketer Brian Wardle.

The jump from junior to senior cricket is a big one. Many don’t make it and are lost to cricket; dropping out when they finish the colts game.

That’s why it’s so important for senior players in the lower teams to make the transition to adult games easy for the lads (it’s usually lads).

It’s all too simple to pick an enthusiastic – or bully a less enthusiastic – player and forget about him.

Think of the death of a typical top-level one day game: The quicks always finish the game.

It makes sense to follow their lead at club level.

Except club cricket is a different game and, in fact, spinners are far the better option to finish off an innings and get the win.

The possibility of the draw means batsmen can shut up shop and aim to just not lose the game. This is much easier against club seam bowlers with an old ball that it is against spin.

This drill is part of the PitchVision Academy fielding drills series, for more in this series click here.

Purpose: To practice a range of fielding skills at once under pressure; the pickup and underarm throw, running and throwing and chase and return.

Description: The wicketkeeper rolls a ball out in one of the 4 angles shown below. Each roll has a different reaction:

Comedian Chris Rock regularly fills stadiums with his stand-up comedy act. Amazingly, it’s nothing to do with being naturally funny.

Rock is known for his ruthless practice skills. He is a joke craftsman; leaving nothing to chance when he has to perform to 20,000 people own his own.

These are skills you can copy to become a classy cricketer and reach your equivalent of having Madison Square Garden rolling in the aisles.

Today’s article is a guest post from personal trainer Brian Wardle.

Cricket requires power: power to hit, power to bowl the ball with pace or with revolutions, power to sprint.

If there is one guy who knows about power its Louis Simmons.

He for decades he has got people powerful with a training methodology called the conjugate system.

It’s allowed his gym to produce powerlifters who regularly break records in the squat, deadlift and bench press.

This drill is part of the PitchVision Academy fielding drills series, for more in this series click here.

Purpose: To practice fielding against drives as well as grooving batting drive technique.

Description: Players are split into teams of 6. The batting team are aiming to score as many runs as possible from a bobble feed from the coach.

Dead pitches make for very dull cricket: Unless you learn how to spice things up.

My club is a perfect example. Pitches that have no pace or bounce means batsmen have plenty of time to handle stock line and length bowling.

Slips have little chance of a catch carrying.

It’s why our bowlers have started working on variations that help on slower pitches when it’s a stalemate:

This article is part of the “How to Improve Your Batting Shot Selection” series. To see the full list of shots click here.

In 2002 Michael Vaughan was in imperious form and it was a pull shot that set the tone.

Does your club train in the way that gets the best results?

Given the chance, I’m sure you would be quick to change some frustration or other you feel about training.

After all, you read PitchVision Academy, you know the secrets.

But changing culture is difficult; it takes strong personalities and a groundswell of support. Most people take the easy option; keeping quiet and getting increasingly annoyed when team results are erratic.