miCoach | Cricket coaching, fitness and tips

How to have a club cricket indoor fielding session

Last night I ran a fielding only net session for my club.

As it's winter here the cold and dark restricted us to the local sports hall.

Normally we have a net session but I have long been gunning for more fielding practice and Sam, our club captain, decided he wanted the same and asked me to run a session. The session was an hour for around 14 adults ranging in skill from club first to third team. We had the whole hall to train in. All the equipment we had were 4 sets of spring loaded stumps, some bats and balls.

Does SAQ work for cricket?

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cricketball.jpgThe proof of any cricket system is how well it works for real coaches and players. SAQ is no different.

That's why I was delighted when Matt got in touch with me to tell me his experiences with adding SAQ to his coaching.

Here is what he told me:

I used the SAQ for was with a group of 11/12 year olds last year of mixed ability. In terms of the skills required in some of the phases within SAQ such as Mechanics (hurdles) , Innervation (ladders) and Explosive movements there was a vast improvement from the start of the 10 week course to end in terms of running technique and quick multi directional fast foot movements which are vital in all aspects of cricket.

Ask the readers: Help Saif to bowl inswing

inswing.jpgIn a new series I will be asking you for help for another reader of harrowdrive. Please leave your thoughts and opinions in the comments section.

Today Saif needs assistance with his swing bowling and accuracy. He left a comment here asking for help:

"My pace did increase when I bowled yesterday but I was very much off target. I also changed my bowling style but still I don't get how to make the ball to come back in to the right handed batsman."


Case Study Profile: Trevor

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Trevor is the third player in the harrowdrive.com case study series this year.

case-study.jpgTrevor is the most senior player in the study and splits his cricket time between playing 2nd XI UK Premier League club standard with coaching and umpiring. As a player Trevor is mainly a bowler, taking 29 wickets last summer.

What happens in your body when you score a hundred runs?

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What are the physical requirements of a batsman batting through an innings to score a 100 runs?

As a batsman or coach, knowing which energy systems are at work in your body can help you plan your training more specifically for your cricket. This will help you get to that elusive 100 more often.

Before the game

Spread the word

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I need your help to get harrowdrive.com into every cricket club.

As you know, harrowdrive is free to use, free to subscribe and gives free advice on cricket coaching, fitness, tactics, nutrition and psychology.

Amazingly, not everyone knows about this unique service. So that's where you come in.

I promise to continue to offer harrowdrive for free. In return I'm asking you to do one of the following:

Diary of a future cricket star

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Today is the first in an occasional series by harrowdrive reader and cricketer Shaaz. He is a 14 year old all rounder who has already played for the UAE Under 15's, Young Talent Cricket Academy and Talent Cricket Club. In the future he plans on a long and illustrious International career. Follow his progress here.

Case Study Profile: Guy

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case-study.jpgGuy is the second player in the harrowdrive.com case study series.

Guy is club captain of his side in the Derbyshire County Cricket League. He is a middle order batsman (averaging around 21 last year). He has a part time off spin string to his bow taking 2 wickets last season. He is in his mid-twenties.

The perfect batting stance: Does it exist?

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batting_stance.jpgShiv Chanderpaul averages in the high 40's in Test cricket yet if I saw a kid I was coaching with a front on stance like that I would be jumping to correct such a glaring error.

What gives?

The short answer is that everyone is different. That doesn't explain it enough for me though. Surely simple physics dictates a biomechanically perfect setup and backswing that everyone should be doing. So why is there variation?

Get the upper hand: How you can use strength training to get more runs and wickets

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Alwyn Cosgrove put it perfectly recently when he said that any sport where men outperform women proves that strength is a vital factor to success. Research and practical experience has shown that the right strength training can: