Cricket is a simple game, but getting good during preseason gets complex when you look at the hundreds of different methods espoused by coaches and fitness gurus.

These are the things I have tried and tested over a 20 year period as both a cricket coach and fitness trainer.

Controversial? Only if you don’t follow the evidence.

I stand by every one (and have made them all at one point or another).

If you could boil preseason training down to its most basic and important elements what would you be left with?

The answer is the following 4 ingredients that anyone can mix together to improve their game in the shortest possible time. Think of it as your cheat sheet for what to work on in preseason.

That’s something which is especially important for those of us with limited time to train.

How strong should you be? Well, that's relative, but here are some general benchmarks.

I have been coaching and playing cricket for decades. Every year I come across the same frustrating attitudes that stop people reaching their potential.

It all happens long before the season starts. People mess up their pre-season training and simply never recover when the weather improves.

If only they realised what they were saying and took positive action. It’s time we changed things for the better and started giving you the summer you deserve by giving you a preseason to be proud of.

These myths drive me mad, yet I hear them every preseason nets.

As you know, the Cricket Show is on a Christmas and New Year break, but that doesn’t mean the team are resting.

We are busy getting the new season ready for January 13^th and we need your questions.

The first show back will have a couple of surprises – so subscribe for free to get it when it’s out – and will be themed around getting ahead at preseason training.

What’s more traditional than an end of year review of the season?

All good teams do it, so all good coaching websites should too. Here are the most popular and relevant posts of the last 12 months here at PitchVision Academy.

It’s been a stellar year, thanks for coming along.

The Case Study

There are two types of fielders; people who are allowed to field in the slips and those who aren’t.

This is more down to the fielder’s reactions that their ability to catch.

The edge that flies straight into the body is regulation for the slip fielder, but many club and Academy cricketers struggle to react to catches either side of their body simply because of the variation in the pitch.

The more variation in the pitch the greater variation in the carrying edge.

It’s junior fielding lesson number two: walking in with the bowler.

Unfortunately, you often see a least one fielder in every side who doesn’t do it; and it makes a massive difference.

But you can go one better than walking in; you can trot in.

Walking in keeps momentum going forward.  Move continually towards the ball prevents a quick single or allows you to cut the firmly struck ball off before it is past you.

Unwrap this early Christmas gift as the show has its festive special.

Burners, Mark Garaway and David Hinchliffe share out the egg nog and talk through all the cricket coaching issues of the holidays.

We find out why attacking spin bowling is becoming more important in limited over games and find out what issues Garas is seeing at his Christmas coaching camp in Somerset. Plus we answer your questions on making sure you are not undercooked and how to play off your legs.

It’s the last in the series this week, but don’t worry the show is back in the new year better than ever.

I don't know about you, my eyes are good, but they can’t freeze frame, move images forward and back frame by frame or calculate angles.

So to support my coaching, irrespective of the standard of players, I use cameras and computer applications to support my players learning and development.

In the modern world there is no excuse for a coach to avoid the use of video cameras and visual feedback with players.

The technology is so easy to use and accessible. Yet incredibly powerful.

Tennis balls: bright, light and fluffy; obvious descriptions.

But what is not discussed is how much harder they are to catch than cricket balls when at speed.

Cricketers won’t admit this because everyone knows a cricket ball is one of the most dangerous things in the universe, but it’s true!

Because they are so light and have high rebound properties, they take more skill to catch than a heavy and hard cricket ball.