How can an American economist help you play better cricket?

John Hussman that very American economist. Although we can't be sure, my guess is he hasn't done much in the world of cricket.

What he has done is set up a website for people who want to get fit and lose weight. That site is based in the solid grounding of physiology, which means you can adapt what he says to make you a better player.

If the cricket club you play for is anything like mine, success means a great deal. We may be amateurs but we still want to do well personally and in our leagues.

But playing well means training well, especially for those of us who are not lucky to have the talent of Ponting, Flintoff or Ntini.

Time restrictions might stop you practising as much, but you can still train the way the top guys do. Here is how:

Make a commitment

Great bowlers at any level are strong, fast, injury free and talented: The first three you can achieve with the right training, the last one needs the right parents.

As we can't change your mum and dad, we might was well focus on training.

Yesterday we talked about how to make running an interesting and specific exercise for bowlers. Today I want to help with your strength training.

Debunking the myths

Club cricket has a lot of terms that are totally alien to newcomers in the game. I thought it would be interesting to collect these terms into a glossary to make it easier for everyone new or old.

Email me your suggestions for odd cricket terms, especially those used in club cricket.

Here are a couple to start you off.

I wouldn't like to be a bowler.

It looks too much like hard work to me. All that running in, slamming your front foot down with forces ten times your own weight on your knee only to watch a fancy-dan batsman casually smash you through the covers. Then you have to do it all again. Lucky for me there are plenty of people who do like bowling, but in order prevent injury and bowl better you need to be fit. Ian Canaway of Cricketsecrets agrees:

There comes a time for most cricketers where they have to put their kit away for the winter.

It's a sad day, and for many players putting our cricket equipment to bed for winter involves getting home and shoving the bag somewhere out of sight until winter nets start.

Although this might lead to nothing more than an unpleasant smelling surprise when you dig out your whites there are a couple of important things to do when putting your kit away.

• Some random cricket coaching tips from Cricketfundas
• A study (pdf file) that compares three different wicketkeeper stances with interesting conclusions
• 2 free ground fielding drills
• Fitness training tips at performbetter
• Cricket's equivalent of jumpers for goalposts?
• A new cricket world cup information and betting source

1. Play cricket. No matter how complicated and scientific we get about hand-eye coordination, the best way to improve it is to play and practice as much cricket as you can. This also includes practice drills with catching cradles and nets to help.
2. Play other sports. Games like hockey, golf or table tennis are all great ways to get your eyes and hands working together.

One of those sticky problems in cricket is the best thing to do while waiting to bat. After all, surely there must be something you can get on with that is better than sitting down worrying about getting out?

Ian at Cricket Secrets has an article today about that very issue: What to do while waiting to bat. For me the key points are:

Just as a counter to my previous posts on gyms, here is a great post from Vern Gambetta about training without the aid of expensive facilities:

"I always start with the assumption that I have a bare room or a field with no equipment. If you start with that assumption then the focus is on the athlete and what they need to do to get better."