It’s a heartbreaking moment as a batsman. The bowler serves up a half-volley, the ball pings from the middle of the bat.

The ‘keeper probably compounds your pain with a quick “you missed out there, I thought that was a gimmie” perhaps you let the frustration get to you and end up playing an injudicious shot (let’s be honest, we all have had an ugly heave under pressure), miss it and get out.

All because you hit the fielder and not the gap.

Fast bowlers are a temperamental lot, especially if it’s not ‘coming out right’.

 The same guy who last week was scaring batsmen and knocking over stumps with fury in his eyes has this week become a warm cuddly friend to the batsmen bowling gentle medium pace.

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

Purpose: A realistic way to practice slip catching for the whole cordon. This drill requires a well practiced coach to make it worthwhile.

Years ago, changes to the Laws of cricket changed the game.

Round arm allowed bowlers to increase their pace in the 1800’s. In the 1930’s, the Bodyline controversy caused fielding restrictions and the banning of the overuse of bouncers.

These days Law changes don’t have quite the impact, but they still happen.

This is a guest article by Daniel Maddocks of T20Kids.com: Promoting Cricket for Kids. Daniel is an ECB Coach with experience in coaching young cricketers in the North West of England.

When it comes to role models we often think about the likes of Glenn McGrath or Sachin Tendulkar; the great cricketers who had the ability to inspire millions.

Local cricketers around the UK are fast filling up slots at the interactive cricket coaching event of 2010: PitchVision Academy Live!

It’s a club game on a typical summer afternoon. Tell me if what I saw is a familiar story.

The opening batsman are being tied down by some accurate medium pace bowling. After 10 overs the score is 18-0.

Seeing that he needs to get on with it, one opener plays a defensive nudge towards cover and makes a dash for a quick single. His partner is looking for it too and they make it home. In the next few overs they do more of the same, making the scoreboard look a little fuller before the first wicket falls.

You only have to look at a great fast bowler like Brett Lee to see how important coordination is to cricket skill.

When Lee bowls, his muscles fire in a perfectly synchronised order to propel the ball towards the batsman at 90mph (145kph) or more. He is balanced and in rhythm.

It’s no different for batting and bowling either. The skills of coordination underpin everything we do on the pitch.

In part 1 we looked at the mental and nutritional parts of your match day. Today we get to the nuts and bolts of how to warm up, including the best drills for your needs.

Warming up: Preparing the body and mind together

Can a little bit of rubber tubing really make you a better player?

There is no doubt in my mind that resistance bands have an important place in cricket training, and you don’t need a personal trainer to get the best from one.

But like any tool, you have to use it right to get results.