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COURTESY: www.fitness4cricket.com
Dear Friends,
The above website is the pure copyright owner of this article. It deals with all the fitness modules for playing cricket and improving cricketing skills. Here I have posted some essential tips from the website. I am happy to bring you all – the world’s popular tips for fitness. If you feel anything difficult or impossible to follow, you may comment here or send the feedback to my mail id to correct the same. All the best.
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© Fitness 4 Cricket 2005. Fitness 4 Cricket is part of the Fitness 4 Sport network of web sites. The author and Fitness 4 Sport LLP take no responsibility for injuries caused by attempting the exercises presented on this web site. Fitness 4 Sport LLP recommends that you always learn new exercises under the guidance of a professional and consult your GP before you start
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Endurance Fitness > Introduction
Endurance fitness is the cornerstone of your cricket fitness; it helps you generate energy and resist fatigue, so you can perform effectively for the duration of the game. The benefits of endurance fitness are:-
- It enhances your capacity to repeat short bursts of activity over an extended period of time
- it fuels your skill set so you have the energy to bat, bowl and field to your potential
- it reduces your chances of injury as muscles do not fatigue so quickly
- It enables you to maintain mental focus throughout a game.
Cricket is not a continuous steady state sport – there are frequent changes in running speed and intensity of effort, plus various strength and power movements like batting, bowling and fielding the ball at pace. Players, therefore, require a ‘fuel mix’ of aerobic and anaerobic energy to sustain performance.
The intensity and the duration of an activity determines the extent to which each energy system is used. In general, certain activities can be classified as being fueled by aerobic or anaerobic energy…
| Aerobic acitivities |
Anaerobic activities |
| walking |
smashing a four
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| walking backwards |
jumping to catch a ball
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| jogging |
accelerating and changing direction quickly
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| running at speeds less than 3/4’s pace |
running at speeds greater than 3/4’s pace
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However, the energy systems do not always work in isolation – more often than not players rely on a fuel mix of anaerobic and aerobic energy at the same time
Aerobic Training A sound level of aerobic fitness provides a platform for anaerobic training. Although running is specific to cricket, it is better to combine various modes of exercise including cycling, rowing, and swimming. The intensity of exercise for aerobic training should be light to moderate (for example a 4-6 out of 10 level of effort).
However, there is a limit to the level of endurance fitness that can be achieved through steady-paced training – this develops the aerobic energy system and as we can see from above, it is vital that training also develops the anaerobic system. The next step is to introduce interval training.
Core Stability > Introduction
Core stability allows you to hit harder and bowl faster by enhancing your ability to control arm and leg movement. Core stability is the buzz word in cricket fitness. Why? Because the ‘core’ is the origin of movement and the foundation for safe and dynamic cricket. It provides central body control, and allows you to generate power by maximising the efficiency of your muscular effort.
Core stability is the foundation for explosive movements and control (agility, balance and co-ordination), qualities vital in cricket. It is the ability of your trunk to support the effort and forces from your arms and legs. This is so that your muscles and joints can perform in their safest, strongest and most effective positions.
Benefits of developing ‘core stability’ In Cricket terms, you become more stable while batting, have better control while bowling, and become solid in your ability to catch and throw the ball. By training specifically for core stability, you gain a number of benefits:
- greater capacity for speed generation
- more efficient use of muscle power for batting and bowling
- decreased injury risk
- increased ability to change direction, as body momentum is controlled
- improved balance and muscular co-ordination
- improved posture
In a nutshell, your body can function more effectively with less risk
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Coaching Strategies > Introduction
All coaches are different and there are no set approaches – however, all successful coaches command respect. Coaching Cricket at any level requires a selection of coaching skills ranging from match analysis and planning sessions to developing team spirit and dealing with officials, for which coaches need a variety of communication qualities.
The best coaches are innovators who continually question traditional practices and are not afraid to try different approaches.
| Indicators of a successful coach/player alliance… |
| Players react quickly to coach’s instructions |
| Goals set by coach are realistic and frequently reached |
| Coach treats each player equally and with respect |
| Coach understands individuals and acknowledges their efforts |
| Coach listens to players’ ideas and opinions |
| Players are comfortable offering coach ideas and comments |
| High level of team spirit and cohesion |
Each skill is supported by the next and a weakness in one can undermine the strengths in another. The way to tackle areas for improvement is to continually self reflect with the help of feedback from players and fellow coaches.
Dealing with a variety of personalities is at the top of the list and is probably the most challenging aspect of coaching.
Ref:- Better Coaching: Advanced Coach’s Manual
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Injury Prevention > Introduction
Injuries in cricket can be classified as impact, indirect or overuse.
- Impact – e.g. being hit by a ball or collision with a player or the ground. Some of these are unavoidable although better judgement, footspeed, and protective clothing help reduce the incidence.
- indirect – e.g. muscle, ligament and tendon damage sustained while attempting to perform a specific activity. These injuries can often be prevented as they sometimes occur because of a poor warm-up routine or a lack of cricket fitness.
- overuse – e.g. repetitive movements that create, for example, a muscle imbalance or excessive stress on a particular area e.g. shoulder for bowlers. The most common recipients of overuse injuries are fast bowlers due to the repetitive extension, twisting and rotation of the trunk during the bowling movement.
Many actions in cricket place a lot of stress on one side of the body which can cause injuries and loss of form. Fitness 4 Cricket strongly recommend that all players develop core stability which can help provide a solid foundation for typical cricket movements and help reduce the likelihood of injury. Lower-back problems, hamstring strain, and tendon inflammation are just a few of the injuries that often result from having poor technique or weak stabilizing muscles, or from simply failing to warm up correctly.
Most soft-tissue injuries can be avoided by adhering to injury prevention strategies and a well-designed conditioning program. Prehabilitation involves strength and conditioning exercises for specific muscles and joints that help to reduce injury risks, before an injury actually occurs. Prehabilitation is sport-specific and targets common injuries and strength imbalances that occur in the particular sport.
Common Cricket Injuries and Prehabilitation Options
| Injury |
Prehabilitation Option |
| shoulder inflamation |
shoulder stability and flexibility drills |
| ankle sprain |
balance drills, calf strengthening, correct footwear, beware uneven surfaces, proprioceptive plyometrics |
| hamstring tear |
Strengthen the gluteals and hamstrings, core stability drills. |
| knee pain (patella tendon) |
Strengthen the VMO (teardrop muscle that drops down towards the inside of the knee) |
| knee ligament |
develop a good ratio of hamstring-to-quadriceps strength e.g. squats, swiss ball hamstring curls, proprioceptive plyometrics |
The following principles and drills can help to prevent injury, many of which are covered in the Injury Prevention section or other areas of Fitness 4 Cricket:-
- Take a functional approach to training that develops strength in various planes of movement by using, for example, rotational medicine ball drills, deceleration drills, and drills that mimic the movement patterns of Cricket.
- Include drills that enhance muscle and joint stability, such as balance drills, core stability drills, and strength drills.
- Progress from a focus on stabilization to strength and power training.
- Improve endurance capacity to help build resistance to fatigue, which is a key cause of cricket injuries.
- Design training programs based on an informed analysis of the demands of playing Cricket.
- Respect the importance of flexibility and posture.
- Begin each training session with appropriate warm-up exercises.
- Use recovery strategies such as cooling down, contrast bathing, and replacing fluids.
- Focus on using correct technique during all drills – if you are tired, it’s probably best to stop bowling!
- Individualize the training program and its conditioning targets and include appropriate fitness-testing protocols.
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