Off-season training in cricket
The cricket season is currently taking a hiatus and many amateur cricket players may be enjoying a well-earned break, but Newitts is here to remind players it's not time to sit on your laurels just yet!
Certainly, the cricket season can be very demanding. It's busy, and long, and it demands high physical and mental commitment if players are to survive and come out of it triumphant. But in order for players to stay on form throughout the winter, a certain degree of off-season cricket training must be done.
Below, Newitts offers some off-season training tips to cricket players throughout the winter months.
Take a break
Despite the importance of keeping fit during the cricket off-season, you are also entitled to a well-earned break. Every cricket player needs time to relax the mind and get the thoughts of technique and pressure of performance out of their systems for a few weeks. Taking a holiday or immersing yourself in a complete different sporting activity for a while, will help sway your mind away from cricket and give your body and mind a rest.
Join a yoga group
Yoga is a popular sport, and one of the best forms of exercise for cricket players out of season. Similarly to Yoga, cricket playing is all about timing and touch. Yoga trains the brain to stay mindful and focused on the task at hand. In a similar way, cricket is all about staying focussed on the ball at a specific time. A player's concentration can be the difference between making a good decision or not, therefore it is imperative that this skill is practiced regularly.
Practice Pilates
During the height of winter in December and January, Pilates is an excellent way to train the mind and body whilst your body takes a rest from the gym. Pilates strengthens your inner core and keeps your body strong. Pilates focuses on core strength and alignment and for those cricket players with any back issues, it can be invaluable. Once your foundations are strong and the weather starts to thaw, you can then return to heavier power weight sessions in time for the rigour of the full cricket season.
Start meditating
This may not seem like an obvious connection to cricket, but meditation is becoming increasingly popular in Western society , and if performed regularly it can be a powerful tool to train the mind for cricket. The ability to bat for a length of time comes from mental concentration, patience and the ability to do simple things over and over again. In a similar way, meditation trains the mind to focus on 'the breath' - cricket players such as Sachin Tendulkar have described how they focus on the breath in between balls to keep a clear mind.
What do you find is beneficial to your game during off-season? we'd love to know what you do when the cricket season comes to a close....