Speak to any great cricketer and they will tell you one of the secrets of their success is to play the game one ball at a time.

If you have ever tried to put a mistake out of your mind during a match you will know that playing like this is easier than it sounds. In fact, the phrase has become something of a cliché for players seeking advice when going through a dip in form.

But a cliché it is not.

Do you find you have problems with team standards and discipline at your club?

Many teams do, it's the nature of recreational sport. Club players are there to have fun as much as to win games. Teams can be collections of individuals rather than a unit with shared values.

• A perfect example of how to practice bowling.
• No one ever got better lifting light weights.
• A detailed discussion on visualisation tricks in sport.
• Discussion on cutting edge fitness, injury prevention and nutrition.
• Clive Lloyd: "Fitness is 60 to 70 per cent of your game".
• Players work as a team better if they set their own code of conduct.

With the league season fast approaching here, now is the time to set your cricket goals for the summer.

In the hope that you will be inspired to do this yourself, it's time for me to put my money where my mouth is. Here are my goals for the summer and how I plan to track them:

Overall Aim: To make 2007 my best cricket season ever.

Yesterday I suggested I could do a regular cricket podcast.

As a little test run, here is a conversation I had with Ben Barton, the man in charge of cricket at The Leys school in Cambridgeshire. We discuss the state of school and club cricket and the challenges of developing players.

Let me know what you think by leaving a comment or contacting me. Especially if you want more. I am relying on your feedback as a harrowdrive reader to know if it's worth doing more or not!

There is often little time or motivation for club players to practice fielding. That means doing everything possible to maximise what chance you have.

Good practice can give a club the edge. Based on experience and the advice of South African fielding coach Jonty Rhodes here is how you can do it:

• Keep it short and intense. Never drill for the sake of it. The intensity of your fielding practice should be close to game intensity. Do a few drills as hard as you can then move onto something else when the quality starts to go.

Your club games and the World Cup have plenty in common.

Having pride in your cricket means raising your standards as high as you can whatever level you are at. Here are 6 innovations that you can bring to your level even without the talent and time that the top players have:

1. Fielding is vital. All World Cup teams drilled like mad almost every day. The influence of baseball is growing. Teams now practice getting the ball back to the keeper quickly every ball, focus on backing up a shy at the stumps rather than not throwing and double teaming to get throws in from the deep or from one set of stumps to the other. How much quality, intense and realistic practice does your club do?

Get the groundsman to love you and you will improve your game. That's a secret many club players have learned to their benefit over the years.

This is because the groundsman controls and understand the pitch: One of the most important factors in any game. He is proud of what he has achieved and wants someone else to appreciate his efforts too, yet only the best players and captains seek him out.

While almost everyone agrees on the importance of regular sleep to sport performance, it seems nobody can agree on the right amount.

Sleep is a vital element in your cricket training plan no matter what your goals. According to studies (and probably your own common sense) the main reasons are all preventative: