Newsletter | Cricket coaching, fitness and tips

Hi,

So much of good cricket is good problem solving. That's mainly because there are so many problems to solve, no matter where you are in the game. This week we solve some classic issue: poor net bowling, low confidence and changing formats.

Plus we also look into boosting your game through the infamous "one percenters". It turns out there are simple things you can do to add stuff to your game easily.

Have a great weekend,

David Hinchliffe

Cricket Practice Tips: Dealing with the Problem of Poor Net Bowlers

Have you ever suffered from this issue: You turn up to a net, only to find the bowler or batter you are up against is not up to standard?

Sure, Jimmy is a fully paid up member of the club and he has the same right to come to practice as you. However, that doesn't change the fact that you face his 55kph bowling with every third ball in the side netting.

It's also no good for Jimmy, as when he does bowl a decent length ball you smash it. You have just wrecked the confidence of a youngster, you bully.

How do you both get a good practice instead?

The natural answer is to train players of similar standards on different days. The seriously skilled players get together on Tuesday and the occasional recreational tryers stick to Thursday.

But that rarely works out.

What if your star bowler can't make Tuesday because of work and can only come on Thursday? You can't turn her away and she will be wasted - or even dangerous - bowling to lesser skilled batsmen. The system only works if the right people can make the right time. That's rare in non-professional cricket.

At my club we have that exact issue. So, here is how we cater for mixed abilities while developing everyone, whatever the standard.

Sector off

Break the large group into roughly equal abilities. Group sizes don't have to be equal. Then get players working on different things in different areas. On an outfield you can get three to five sectors to work in.

For example; you can have a fielding station, a batting drill station and a bowling station. At each station the drill difficulty, intensity and fitness requirement can match the players. This is easily done by someone sensible upgrading or downgrading the drill to make it harder or easier.

A simple close catching drill could be pairs throwing back and forth (for learners), throws off a Katchet for better players and nicks off a bat for the advanced ones who need real pace. There is always a way to adjust a skill practice.

Bowling machine

Bowling machines might be like Marmite, but they are perfect for mixed ability batsmen.

You can easily have an average 12 year old face slow balls, then crank up the pace to 80mph for a 1st team player in a few moments. The accuracy of the machine allows a great deal of volume for technical work at an acceptable pace. You just need someone sensible to man the machine and you are away. You can easily keep three or four batters engaged in a session at once, and all can face a lot of balls in a short period of time.

Combine it with PitchVision and you can easily have video analysis and data on how technique adjusts to different speeds, lines, lengths and deviations.

Naturally, there are limitations. It's not the same as facing real bowlers, as is well documented. If it's overused you start seeing players very good at hitting balls from the machine without getting better at hitting real bowling. This is not a deal breaker as volume has to be very high before the effects kick in.

Technical drills

The final way to keep everyone happy is to work on technique.

Everyone can do with technical work from the total beginner to the International cricketer. For mixed groups this is easy because technical drills can be done with anyone. You can work together with batting buddies. You can pair up and do your bowling drills. You can even throw low intensity catches to each other simply to make sure you are getting in good positions.

The options are endless as soon as you drop the pace to work on body position. And everyone can benefit from that approach.

So, next time you are at training and feel like you are not getting realistic practice because of the guy at the other end, try one of these approaches instead, and let me know how you get on.

Discuss this article with other subscribers

Change Your Format: Change Your Learning and Experiences

In a recent game, Millfield School scored 258-4 against Eton School's 107-7. Sounds like a one-sided game of limited overs cricket doesn't it? But this was far from the truth. This was declaration cricket. This was drama right up to the last ball.

Both coaches met before the game to discuss the format for the day. The pitch was a used one from a game earlier in the week. It was a good pitch, very dry and with patches of rough developing at both ends. We decided that there was potential for a declaration format to be played where bowlers, particularly the spinners, could have extended spells with no restrictions on field placement.

I was hoping that we won the toss as our spinners may have the opportunity to bowl with men around the bat; something that the limited overs a game rarely provides.

The game was on.

Let's examine why it was so good.

We won the toss, the batters went off to do their preparation. Three of the Millfield players asked if they could do some practice in short leg and silly point. It was lovely to hear that people actually wanted to go in there, rather than being asked to go under the lid.

The Eton seamers were the most accurate that we had faced all year. They hit fantastic lengths, kept 3 slips for all of the first 12 overs and most of our runs came through the vacant 3rd man area. In the 14th over, Millfield lost their 1st wicket to a full length diving catch at 1st slip. The score was 68.

Would Eton have had a slip in if it had been a limited overs match?

The reward for this positive thinking was a wicket.

Millfield lost their 3rd wicket on 101 and the game was in the balance.

Tom Bevan and Ned Dunning then put on a fantastic 157 run partnership over 30 overs. Full of excellent running between the wickets and classical shots.

Declaration is a skill

Captain Tom Bevan declared after 51 overs. He wanted as much time as possible to try and bowl Eton out. This is something that many Test captains could learn from! How many captains look to ensure they don't lose before they look to win?

Our seamers were told that they had "3 or 4 over spells only, so make the most of each delivery".

Matt Jones did exactly that in a fiery opening burst of 3-17. He bowled swinging length balls and aggressive bouncers to 3 slips, 2 gullys and a short leg; Test match stuff.

At this point, the spinners came on and the close fielders were placed to pick up on the slightest error in technique or decision making.

The mere presence of the fielders seemed to have an effect as one batter charged and was stumped and 2 others defended from the crease and were taken brilliantly at slip.

Toby Dennis was in inspired form at short leg making stop after stop to keep the scoreboard static.

A time to dig in

Then best part of the day came when Eton's 8th wicket partnership dug in. 5 men were placed around the bat, the pressure mounting. They defended brilliantly, not offering a chance for an unbeaten 58 runs in 166 balls.

It was compelling viewing.

The result was a draw. Millfield batted for 51 overs and Eton for 49.

Every player came off that pitch knowing that they had given everything to try and bowl out the opposition. They were shattered yet proud of their efforts.

The Eton 8th wicket partnership were rightly clapped off by the sizeable crowd and Millfield players. It was a brilliant game of cricket to watch.

Ned Dunning bowled 13 overs with men around the bat to record 3-14.

Questions from the game

Do we rely on to heavier diet of T20 and limited overs cricket?
Can we provide a different challenge, stimulus and format to facilitate different experiences and learning from the game?
Is there a place for just a few games per season to use timed cricket as a way of developing strategic thinkers and tactical captains of the future?

Discuss this article with other subscribers

Cricket Show S6 Episode 21: The Limpet Leaves Us

Shiv Chanderpaul has been dropped from the West Indies Test team. So, the PitchVision Academy team of Mark Garaway, Sam Lavery and David Hinchliffe talk about the crabby left hander's legacy on cricket technique.

Plus, there are the usual couple of cricket coaching questions. This week we talk about maintaining spin throughout a bowling spell. You can get some exercises here. Then the team talk seam bowling by explaining how you can hit the seam more and nip it about.

Listen to the show for all the cricket coaching fun.

How to Send in Your Questions

If you want to win a cricket coaching prize, you need to send in your burning questions to the show. If your question is the best one we give you a free online cricket coaching course!

Send in your questions via:

Or you can call and leave your question on the Academy voice mail:

+44 (0)203 239 7543
+61 (02) 8005 7925

How to Listen to the Show

Just click the "play" button at the top of the article.

Or, the show comes out every Friday and you can listen to it on your computer, smart phone or tablet every week automatically. Simply choose your favourite podcast player and do a search for the show:

iTunes (Mac and PC)
Overcast (iOS)
Apple Podcasts (iOS)
Pocket Casts (Android, iOS)
Dogg Catcher (Android)
Podcasts (Windows Phone)

Or subscribe manually with the RSS feed. Right click here, copy the link and paste it into the appropriate place for adding new feeds in your podcast subscription software or RSS reader.

You can also download this show onto your computer by clicking the play button at the top of the article, or clicking on the mp3 to download.

This is show number 312.

Discuss this article with other subscribers

How to Defeat Low Confidence After A Horrifying Start to the Cricket Season

The worst has happened: You have got off to a horrifying start to the season. Your early hopes have been shattered. Your confidence is shot. Runs and wickets are a mere distant memory.

Bad form at the start of the season is always horrible because you feel you have no point of reference. Without a good performance to your name this season you start to feel like the purple patch is gone for good.

Maybe this year is the year you lost it?

This is the problem my team's batting unit have had since the season began four weeks ago. None of the top six have scored a fifty in 30 one day digs. Like you, we are deep into the land of doubt. Can it even be done any more, or are we resigned to just being so rubbish we can't compete?

This is the classic issue of lost confidence: Players who have performed before who can't repeat it.

So before you throw in the towel, show some grit, dig in and rebuild your game.

	Thank you for subscribing to PitchVision Academy. Read more at www.pitchvision.com