CRICKET TRAINING PROGRAM

Like any athlete, cricket players also need to follow a strength and conditioning program that aims towards them peaking at certain stages of the year. By concentrating on a combination of strength training and CV workouts throughout the winter / off season will enable you to perform with greater ability and reduce risk of injury during the summer season.

The members area of the site, has a number of strength programs that will be suitably for improving all-round strength, especially in vital areas such as the abdominal oblique's, and also shoulder girdle.

To prevent, injury, and to enable a full season to hopefully be completed, its essential that a correct warm up and stretching routine be implemented prior to the start of each match, along with dynamic movements to enable bowlers and bats man to stay in optimum performance during long matches. There is dedicated section on stretching within our members area, designed purely for cricket players.

Along with building a good base of strength and fitness, the skills of the game should be worked on, ideally as a team in order to produce a higher level of combined skills, as cricket is a sport that is played in two forms, batting and fielding.

BATSMAN

Batsman aim to stay at the crease for as long as possible, sometimes for periods of over 4 hours. In order to occupy this position, a good bats man most be able to stay focused, have good ball / eye skills, and have the strengths and fitness to make each shot played count. The power will come from having a strong core, abdominal mid-section and the ability to generate explosive upper body actions, however with that said, using the kinetic energy of the ball as it speeds towards you, only requires a slight change in direction in order to score 4 runs - unfortunately this skill has only be given to a few class bats man.

FIELDING

Fielders need the ability to sustain a concentrated effort for a 6 hour plus period without fatigue, in sometimes very warm conditions. There bodies most be capable of explosive bursts at any given time - such as racing for a ball, jumping for a catch. Aim to keep your body moving whilst on the pitch, walking and stretching the muscles whenever possible. Keep your mind busy by visualizing exactly what you will do when the ball comes towards you.

Bowlers require both explosive strength and speed, combined with good muscular endurance,  in order to be able to maintain a high number of over's. Poor fitness and muscular strength will result in inaccurate bowling, and greater risk of injury, especially for high speed bowlers.

Because all players will at some time in the game, play a combination of batting and fielding, the below training program will aid all players.

AEROBIC TRAINING

You should aim to spend at least two sessions a week performing some form of aerobic training over a period of 45 to 60 minutes plus. This exercise does not need to be at a high intensity (Heart Rate at about 65 75%). You should be able to hold a little conversation, however finish with a good level of sweat. Good forms of aerobic exercise are cycling, rowing, and running. If you have a poor fitness level, work on spending 15 minutes on each of these three exercises, aiming to build up to 45 minutes plus on one of the disciplines. The aim here is not only to get fit whilst working for 45 minutes plus, but to also keep your mind busy and focused whilst performing a simple exercise, it may become lonely out on the boundaries.

SPEED WORK

Look at the plyometric circuit to developing explosive power, aim to do this circuit no more than once a week, and certainly not on days before a match, as this type of circuit takes a few days to recover from.

Shuttle sprints:- most sprints last for between 6 and 40 meters in a match, so look at this distance for your training. Work your sprints in the following form, standing start, running start, lying start i.e. (as if you have just dived for a ball and missed it) walk forward for 4 steps then turn either to the side or completely behind for a short sprint. Once you can complete these drills in normal training kit, work all the drills wearing all your pads and carrying your bat.

HAND EYE DRILLS

Practice makes perfect, hence getting together as a team and working in the nets, simple throwing and catching drills will help the nero-muscular system. These should be practiced at all training sessions, but most importantly, prior to stepping on to the playing field. Just like your car, if its not warmed up, it won't work to its optimum level, in cricket, that means you just dropped an easy catch, or going back to join your team in the club house.

Fielders throw the ball to each other, especially the slips, bats man should not sit around waiting to go on, the next 2 or 3 bats man in, should be stretching, warming up, and being bowled at - Rest is Rust.

FOOT DRILLS Used to gain speed in footwork, lay out a rope ladder, or chalk out an area with approximately 15 inch squares. Combining ladders so that you go both forward and sideway's, will give you rapid results. The numbers indicate the order to run in.

1

2

3

4

5

6

Single leg run; aim to run on the ball of your foot, without catching the rope or chalk lines. = Left foot   = Right foot

1 2

3 4

5 6

7 8

9 10

11 12

Double leg run; aim to run at speed through the rope ladder, pumping with your arms. = Left foot  = Right foot

1     2

3     4

5     6

7     8

9     10

11   12

Double side step, run through the ladder in a sideways direction, with either double or single leg. = Left foot  = Right Foot

		6		12		18
2 1	4 5	8 7	10 11	14 13	16 17	Ickey Shuffle, As with the double run, but this time every third step comes outside the rope. = Left foot  = Right foot
	3		9		15

1

2

3

4

5

6

Cross over's, Side step through the rope, taking your leading leg both in front and then behind the trailing leg.  = Left foot  = Right foot

By performing these drills in both directions, you will soon realize that you are better on one side than the other. Aim to work on your weaker side for greater improvements in your game.

The following strength training exercises can be worked after you have performed your CV aerobic workout, or on completely different days, totally depending on how much time you have to perform your fitness training. Remember never work muscles when they are tired or sore, as this will lead to injury and negative results.

Where is states a rate of 2 - 0 - 2, this simply means that your lifting the weight up for a count of 2 seconds, having no rest at the final part of the movement, then lowering the weight for a count of 2 seconds. Your aim is to establish good lifting technique, whilst having a fixed body position (strong core muscle development) similar to that required whilst batting.

UPPER BODY

Perform the following session once a week in your competitive season, and ideally twice a week during the closed season, aiming to keep good form throughout the exercises. Avoid taking the weight too heavy as this will result in gaining muscle bulk, rather than strength and speed.

	Single Arm Triceps Pullover, an excellent exercise to isolate the triceps. Stabilize the weighted arm with your free hand, whilst lifting the weight up, keeping your elbow pointing upwards. Perform 3 sets of 12-15 reps with a lightweight, at a 2-0-2 rate. The triceps muscle plays an important part in throwing of the ball, and also extending the arm in batting.
	Bench Fly's on either inclined or flat bench, using dumbbells. Remember not to allow your elbows to go lower than your shoulders, and bring your hands together at the top, 3-0-2 rate 3 sets of 12 -15 reps same weight. If your bench can decline and incline, aim to work on a flat - incline and then decline, as this will work both your upper and lower chest muscles.
	Lateral Pull Downs; remember to pull the bar to the front of the body, aim for 3-4 sets, reducing the weight each time, aiming for 12-15 reps. Try and perform this routine with minimal rest between sets, keeping a smooth rate of 3-1-3. Keep your back straight and abdominal muscles contracted to avoid any forward movement from your waist. If you can work using a Swiss Ball, this will force you to fix your abdominal muscles, rather than having your knees under the machine restraints.
	Rear Deltoid Pull; using the lower pulley of a cable machine perform 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps with a suitable weight. Remember there is nothing wrong with either using a lighter weight or fewer reps with your weaker arm. Avoid twisting the body in a 3-0-2 rate. If you feel that your twisting, then perform this exercise seated, ideally with a bench with a back support, however by doing this, you should reduce the weight, as the exercise will become harder.
	Inclined bench (30°) 1 set 12 - 15 reps with light weight, concentrate on good technique, and warming the chest muscles up. Follow this with 2-3 sets x 10 -12 reps dumbbell presses. Aim for a 3-0-2 workout rate, 3 sec's to lower the weight, then 2 sec's to lift. If you don't have an incline bench, or suitably dumbbells, then you can work with a flat bench and a barbell.
	Standing Biceps using either cable pulley or free weights, keep the elbows tucked into the side, avoiding any swinging movement. You may want to work with your back against a wall, to totally isolate the biceps muscle, however always focus on keeping your elbows tucked into your sides. By working with dumbbells, you can perform a hammer action curl, however this is a harder movement, so the weight should be reduced. Aim to work for 2 - 3 sets of 10 - 12 reps in a 2-0-2 action.
	Reverse Fly's, an excellent exercise for developing the back muscles. Rest your body on either your thigh or a bench to give support to your lower back. Aim to perform 3 sets with a light weight, for a high number of reps (20+) in a smooth 2-0-2 rate. Avoid any jerking action during the movement.
	Sit with your right hand shoulder facing towards a low pulley, holding a single stirrup connection in your right hand, having your arm bent to 90 degrees, with your forearm parallel to the floor, having the cable extend across your body. Make sure you sit far enough away from the pulley, to prevent the cable rubbing against your right leg. Pull the cable in a smooth motion across your body so that your hand finishes by your opposite side. Aim to work for 2 sets of 10 - 12 reps at a rate of 2-1-2.

LOWER BODY WORKOUT

Look at performing the lower body session, or lower body circuit ideally once a week. Do not perform these sessions on the same day as either the upper body workout or your plyometric session. You can perform these sessions on the same day as your CV aerobic workouts, and your abdominal sessions.

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There are currently over 1,500 different exercises and numerous training programs in our members area, including a Plyometric section for cricket players.