TRAINING
SPEED
An essential element of successful cricket performance is to accelerate, change direction quickly and move your feet quickly while at the crease. This requires development of speed and agility.
In Cricket, the ability to accelerate, decelerate and rapid movements in all directions is more important than simply running fast. To analyze this element of fitness we need to consider the components of speed and agility separately. These are:
KEY POINTS:
Speed strength – force required to facilitate acceleration, deceleration and change direction .Agility – ability to explosively brake, change direction and accelerate again
HOW CAN SPEED AND AGILITY IMPROVE MY PERFORMANCE?
Speed and agility training is an integral part of training for all top players, and can help you successfully perform the following cricket movements.
FLEXIBILITY
The aim to improve Cricket performance and injury prevention, will be incomplete without incorporating a dedicated approach to flexibility. Failing to accept the importance of this quality can undo all of the benefits achieved with other types of conditioning and increase the chance of injury while reducing movement efficiency and effectiveness.
Flexibility refers to the ability to move a joint and the surrounding muscles through a full range of motion. Flexibility is critical in Cricket because of the joint stress associated with dynamic multi-joint movements like batting and bowling. Lack of range of movement can lead to injury and a reduction in speed, agility, strength and endurance potential. It can also limit your individual cricket skills.
Certain approaches to stretching will dictate the outcome – if you wish to increase your range of movement on a permanent basis, you need to include regular sessions in your program. The main principle during these session is that you must hold each stretch for a long period of time and during a dedicated session i.e. not as a pre-workout stretch. Conversely, if you are preparing for a game or training session, your approach is elastic elongation – these stretches promote temporary muscle lengthening and should be held for less time i.e. 10 seconds, so that the muscle does not become too loose before training, which is a hazard.
ENDURANCE
“Being fit will not make a player but it will make a BETTER PLAYER”
It’s a game for which a player needs all the physical aspects of ever other sport. It needs stamina, strength, agility, a keen eye, a strong character, individual initiative, team spirit, cool judgment & fast reflexes. Many other sports need one or more of these, but not all of them.
Bodies need fuel. The type of fuel will be different dependent upon the demands we intend to place on the body. Cricketers need to know what will give them strength for tomorrow’s match, what will give them energy during the game and a sensible eating plan for those times in-between.
We will share with you the nutrition tips and dietary advice prepared by leading sports dieticians for the world’s best cricketers today. To know more about physical training then please registers with us:
CORE STABILITY
An essential element of successful cricket performance is to accelerate, change direction quickly and move your feet quickly while at the crease. This requires development of speed and agility.
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
INJURY PREVENTION
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.
FLUID & NUTRITION
It is well accepted that fluids and nutrition play a vital role in cricket performance, and that a player’s requirements are different to that of non Cricket players.
Optimizing fluid intake and nutrition leads to better health and higher standards of performance. This section addresses and provides guidelines for the key topics concerning a fluid plan, nutrition plan, fuel for performance, the importance of protein, good and bad fats, supplements, and pre- and postmatch food intake.
Fluids for Performance Losing fluid during training and playing is the body’s way of controlling temperature and should be treated as a positive outcome. However, failure to replace the fluid is a major problem as excessive losses of fluid reduce your endurance capacity, power, reaction time and concentration. A fluid loss above 2% of your bodyweight is detrimental and should be prevented by following a fluid plan, that covers pre, during and post match drinking.
Thirst is not a good indicator of fluid needs – if you’re thirsty then your probably too late! Hyper-hydrating has proved to reduce the negative effects of fluid loss during games and training. This involves raising your body fluid level above the normal rate to counteract the inevitable fluid loss during the game or training.
