One of the fastest ways to gain an edge over the opposition is to improve your fitness because so few sides work on it.

But you don't want to waste your valuable time on fitness work that's useless on the pitch on matchday.

This is part of a series on How to exploit batsman's weaknesses. To see the other weaknesses click here.

It might be controversial to say it, but a backlift over middle or leg stump is a weakness dying to be exploited by all types of bowlers.

Coaching manuals often advise players to pick the bat up straight, but this method limits a player's scoring options and allows the bowler several obvious ways to get a wicket.

Judging by the number of questions we get here at PitchVision Academy, a lot of players and coaches have a cricketing problem they need solving. Everyone has something; a technical flaw in the cover drive, not quick enough bowling, getting gassed with low fitness levels and a hundred other things.

We also know that there is a frustrating gap for most of us.

The coaches and experts with the answers to your problems are expensive or inaccessible, or both.

At least they were.

There has never been a better time to get cricket coaching resources.

Since we started publishing the bestseller list in 2007 sales have gone from strength to strength and choices have never been better or higher quality.

Imagine the scene, you turn up at nets. The bowler's bowl and the batsmen bat. Sometimes they swap places. It's all pretty typical.

The guy is just expected to never make a mistake, even when all the work he gets involves taking throws from fielding practice.

The problem of coaching a specialist

After a handful of IPL 3 games the Royals had yet to register a win and were already written off as failures for another year.

After 7 games they had jumped to third in the table and looked unstoppable, despite not having the huge names of other teams.

Can your team copy the Royals method if your own season starts badly?

The show has had a spring clean and we unveil the new name and logo. But business continues as usual.

Gary Palmer gives us another detailed batting tip and we get back to your questions.

This article is part two of a series from Laurie Ward of the Complete Cricketer Academy. To go to part one click here.

In the last article we looked at head position in bowling and fielding. Today we look at head position in batting.

Arguably the most important area of the game to be aware of your head positioning and balance is batting.

In part 1 of this series we looked at why middle practice is so important and how to deal with the problems of running a middle practice session. Today we are looking at what types of scenarios you can set up, and how to keep them interesting to everybody, even the guy stuck at third man.

Middle practice is a far better way to improve your tactics and game plans than nets will ever be.

That's because nets lack context. There is no pressure of the game or fielders.

But to learn how to play under pressure you have to practice under pressure. And middle practice does exactly that.