miCoach | Cricket coaching, fitness and tips

Reflection on the Season So Far

We are approaching the mid-season break for Christmas so I thought I'd write a few words about reflecting on your performance so far this summer.

At a very basic level, everyone will assess their season so far in terms of statistics. That is fair enough, cricket is a game of numbers and players should realise that it is their numbers that will progress them in the game (or keep them back).

Why angles are so important to bowling and batting tactics

Ex-England captain Nasser Hussain once said that Duncan Fletcher taught him cricket was all about angles.

Don't worry; you can put down your protractor. Both men are right but you don't need to be a maths whizz to be able to use angles to your advantage whether you are batting, bowling or captaining.

So what do I mean when I talk about different angles?

Cricket Show 16: Training logs

AttachmentSize
miCoach - PitchVision miCoach Cricket Show 016.mp3
30.36 MB

Training logs are a great way to keep yourself accountable to your cricketing goals. Kevin and I both started one this week and we discuss how you can start one and interact with the site in other ways including:

We also answer your coaching and fitness questions:

Field setting: Fast/medium pace, new ball, any wicket, Twenty20

This article is part of "The complete guide to cricket field settings" series.

Limited over cricket (especially Twenty20) is all about restricting the runs and this field is designed to help the opening bowler. When the ball is new and the bowlers are fresh, it's possible to be a little more attacking to get early wickets and restrict the run rate with the field up.

What's the missing link?

I got an email the other day from a reader telling me the miCricketCoach pages have too many tips, drills and information. As a result they are going to stop reading.

They didn't say they were going to get outside and play cricket instead, but if they did I would probably applaud their action. As Merlin Mann said:

Circuit training for fast bowlers

Filed in:
There are no great fat fast bowlers.

To me that shows how important fitness is to the art of fast bowling. Successful bowlers are strong, athletic and supple. Talent alone is no longer enough.

Ask the Readers: How is your season (or off season) going?

As you know, I'm looking for someone to be the Case Study for 2009. With that in mind, I thought it would be interesting to get some more informal views of how everyone is playing and preparing at the moment.

So how is your season (or off season if you are in the winter like me) going?

How to stop your cricket team's losing streak

Filed in:

Putting terrible larger events aside for a moment, England's one day losing streak in India after winning 4 against South Africa got me to thinking about how teams get themselves out of a cricketing hole.

I'm sure your own side has had similar times.

Cricket Show 15: Team unity, run ups and tips for older players

AttachmentSize
miCoach - Pitchvision miCoach Cricket Show 015.mp3
46.61 MB

More cricket coaching questions answered this week by Kevin and I. This week we cover:

  • Kevin's successful week
  • Bowling well under pressure
  • Team unity and preventing cliques forming
  • Strength, mobility and cardio training for older players
  • What to do if you keep bowling no balls

If you have a question or feedback for miCoach drop us an email.

You can download the show onto your computer by right clicking on the link below and choosing "Save Target as..."

Field settings: Slow Left Arm spin, old ball, turning wicket, long format

This article is part of "The complete guide to cricket field settings" series.

This is a standard and easily customised field for the orthodox left arm finger spinner bowling to a right handed batsmen. With accurate bowling and plenty of turn the spinner should be able to use this field and it's variations to bowl a side out.