Fitness for Cricket - Part One

How good is your endurance?

If you are a pace bowler you will need a high level of aerobic and muscular endurance in order to perform to your best. If you are a top-order batter keen to bat for long periods, you too will need to have high levels of endurance.

Are you strong enough?

If you are a pace bowler, do you have the necessary strength in your shoulders and arms to deliver the ball at top speed for four to seven over spells? Do you have the necessary strength in your hands, wrists and arms to swing your bat consistently in the right zones for long periods?

Are you flexible enough?

In cricket, your body will have to move in all directions in all aspects of the game. If your flexibility is poor, you will have difficulty in getting into the correct position to perform the tasks demanded of you. This is especially important if you are the team’s wicket-keeper. Lack of flexibility often results in poor performance and inefficient or faulty technique. It will lessen your speed and power and may contribute to injuries as your muscles will have to work harder to overcome resistance. Poor flexibility will make you tire more easily.

Are you fast enough?

In cricket the necessity for speed is most evident in fast bowlers, in batsmen when running between the wickets, and in out-fielders when chasing the ball that is heading towards the boundary.

How to improve your fitness

1. Go for a long run of at least 30 minutes once or twice a week.
2. Ask your coach to establish a circuit-training routine for you at your school or local gym. A basic circuit will target the development of your arms, shoulders, trunk and legs.
3. Have your coach design a weight training routine for you. Try to perform it at least twice a week. Use light weights and high repetitions to lessen the possibility of injury.
4. Make flexibility training a regular part of your practice and pregame routines. An increase in strength will not be of much benefit without an accompanying increase in mobility. Your coach will design a program for all team members to perform before practice and matches begin.
5. Practise to improve your reaction times. This can be done solo by bouncing a tennis ball off a wall or with devices such as Crazycatch, in groups with the traditional slip-catching cradle and organised training games that focus on speed of reaction.
6. Make sure you are an efficient runner. Cricket is primarily an endurance event interspersed with short bursts of speed. Eliminate sloppy habits from your running style such as head wobble and flapping arms which will reduce your speed and tire you more quickly.
7. Batsmen need to concentrate on developing flexibility and strength in the wrists and forearms. A strong neck is needed to support the weight of the batting helmet and powerful leg muscles are required for carrying the pads while running between the wickets.
8. Bowlers need good wrist flexibility and control. They need a strong and flexible lower back, groin and hamstrings.
9. Fielders need endurance for repeated chases, power for long throws, quick reactions for close catching, and flexibility for the bending and crouching that is required when stopping the ball in the outfield.
10. Wicket-keepers need the agility and speed of a trained gymnast. They need strong neck and shoulder muscles, power in their thigh and calf muscles and plenty of courage. They need to be especially careful to avoid muscle shortening due to constant crouching by regular stretching exercises during the game.
    
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