Cricket | Cricket coaching, fitness and tips

Coaching the IPL: Despite the Hype, Traditional is Effective

If I was to ask you what you picture when you think of "swing bowling" what would you tell me?

Zaheer Khan and Chaminda Vaas bowling in World Cups?

Kapil Dev, Malcolm Marshall and Richard Hadlee bending the red ball round corners?

Perhaps you go back further to names like Barnes and Lindwall, where their length was as impeccable as the crease in their trousers.

But in Twenty20 a length ball is smashed over midwicket.

So swing bowling is dying.

Cricket Show 207: Competition Winner

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This week's winner of the Cricket Show podcast question competition is Mark. He wins a free coaching course from PitchVision Academy.

The winning question was:

"When designing a programme for junior cricketers in season, how do you structure sessions?"

Listen to the panels answer to his question here.

To enter your own question for the chance to win your choice of online coaching course send your questions in here [E].

The New Science of Playing Straight

This is an article from Gary Palmer, PitchVision Academy batting coach.

Look at some of the best players in the world.

The guys who hit well down the ground and make playing straight look easy. The batters who are in control and effective when the ball is turning or swinging. The players who keep hitting the ball out of the middle of the bat consistently; they have a good technique.

Quick Tip: When to Introduce Strength and Conditioning

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Mark had a question:

"As a coach, when do you think is the right age to introduce children to strength and conditioning style training?"

It's a tough one for coaches, because our job is traditionally to make player's better through improving technique. But nowadays, "making players better" also includes understanding biomechanics, psychology and - yes - strength and conditioning.

This is because these elements are not distinct from technical coaching. If you understand the basics of how people move, you can feed that directly into better, more individual technique.

And that is where strength and conditioning crosses over most; the mobility and stability aspects that go beyond just understanding that lifting weights makes your muscles bigger.

S&C is not bodybuilding. S&C is not exhausting players. it is: [E]

Cricket Show S4 Episode 14: Planning Your Coaching

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PitchVision Academy - PitchVision Academy Cricket Show 207.mp3
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Mark Garaway and David Hinchliffe get together to discuss cricket, coaching and coping in cold weather.

The team answer your questions and comments on building an innings, how to control seam position and structuring junior cricket training sessions.

Pietersen's Chin, Ronaldo's Feet and the Wide Stance 8 Year Old

You are the coach. What do you do?

An 8 year old walks into a junior session for the first time and gets into a batting stance with his feet wide apart and his knees flexed.

There is a temptation to adjust the stance into a more conventional narrower stance as seen in MCC manuals from years gone by.

But is that right?

The Myth of Cricket Fitness

This is a guest article from Steffan Jones

There's a lot of confusion around strength, conditioning and fitness for cricket. Today I want to give you my perspective as a former first-class fast bowler turned strength coach.

Coaching the IPL: Wicketkeeping Techniques

In Twenty20 the wicketkeeper is often considered to be a batsman who keeps his pads on while fielding. A stopper not a show stopper.

But in IPL 6, Dishant Yagnik showed the value of an athlete and technician as keeper.

Yagnik spent a lot of time standing back to the quick men. That is a skill that requires good hands and athletic movement. In match 8 for Rajasthan against KKR he showed these skills to dismiss the danger man Gambhir.

Gambhir had walked down the wicket to force the pace, slashed at a wide ball outside off stump that flew at height to Yagnik's left.

Cricket Show 206: Competition Winner

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This week's winner of the Cricket Show podcast question competition is Brett. He wins a free coaching course from PitchVision Academy.

The winning question was:

"I'm involved in coaching the younger generation through an under 11s club side, and one thing that I have noticed is a great desire for my kids to want to play reverse sweeps, ramps and switch hits like they see on TV. Obviously, coming from New South Wales David Warner has a cult following. I'm struggling as I see many parents (especially fathers) encouraging these types of shots from the sidelines and in conversation with their children. Presently, I'm reluctant to give coaching instruction on these shots but I wanted your opinions please. Do I embrace these shots and provided my kids have the basics of batting encourage them to play these shots and develop their own natural flair, or do I steer them into more conventional shots?"

Listen to the panels answer to his question here.

To enter your own question for the chance to win your choice of online coaching course send your questions in here.

Cricket Fitness Workout: The Mixup

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This series is part of the Cricket Fitness Workouts series. For the full list, click here.

This is a gym workout designed specifically for cricketers to use to improve overall fitness: Strength, conditioning and power.

It's great for fast bowlers and batsmen especially but can be used by any discipline.