1. Not warming up – The warm up is not only about injury prevention. A good warm up improves your performance by mobilising your key muscles so they can be used both more quickly, powerfully and with better timing. A good 15-20 minute warm up is vital before every session or match if you want to get the best from your skills.
2. Warming up badly – This is almost as bad as not warming up. A bad warm up can slow you down and cause injury. It is important that you warm up for long enough before you pick up a bat or ball and don’t do any static stretching.
3. Playing without a goal – Going to the nets or a game without a goal is not a very effective approach. It is far better to know what you are aiming for. In tests, the people who did the best were those who set goals compared to those who just tried their best.
4. Avoiding fitness – Good fitness training is both enjoyable and vital for your game.
5. Being too specific – Cricket is a game of skill, but just practicing cricket skills will not improve your general sports skills such as speed, agility, power and mobility.
6. Not being specific enough – It is vital to develop both cricket and general sports skills. It is counter productive to train in ways that are not related to cricket at all.
7. Not drinking enough – Dehydration is a major cause of performance loss.
8. Staying the same – Different times of the year call for different approaches to training. If you train the same all the time your body and mind will get used to training and you will stop improving.
9. Doing too much – Make sure that you have a rest from training at least once a week.
10. Giving up after failure – If you drop a catch in the slips you may tell yourself you are a bad slip fielder, if you are not getting results quickly in the gym you pack it in. Failure is an indicator that you are learning. Good players keep trying.

The wicket keeper in cricket is one of the most important players in the game. One team member is designated to fit the role and he can be the difference between the team achieving and winning or a loss or draw. This article will briefly guide you in training your team’s wicket keeper.

Start with a warm up. Some simple exercise drills that target the legs, ankles and knees should do the trick. This is important for the wicket keeper as he will often be forced into sudden bursts of activity from a static position and injuries can easily occur.

Do exercise drills involving foot speed. Skipping, ladder and hurdle drills will help increase foot speed and coordination. This will ultimately help when it comes to footwork technique.

Practice on stance technique. Do individual or team bowling practice with the wicket keeper in the proper stance (on the balls of the feet, leaning forward slightly in a crouched position, head motionless and always following the ball, hands together and fingers spread out).

Practice the proper footwork involved. First practice while telling the wicket keeper where the ball is going to be bowled. Then practice without notifying of its direction and let the wicket keeper use his own judgement of its flight.

Practice hand eye coordination and reflexes. This can be best achieved by simulating match conditions. Have the wicket keeper practice by standing behind a wicket with a real bowler and a batsman in between.

When fielding during cricket there are many things to think about and consider. This article will look at a few essential cricket fielding tips which you can incorporate into your game to improve your fielding.

Wherever you are fielding you should always be on the balls of your feet so you can react and change direction quickly. If you are caught flat footed you’ll be slower off the mark and potentially give away more runs.

Try to anticipate where the ball will go; you can do this by carefully watching the batters shape and movements. This might be difficult at first but after a bit of practice it will become second nature and you’ll react much quicker to any shots coming your way.

When you are fielding close to the boundary and have to throw from the deep, try to aim your throw just above the keepers head and the ball should drop nicely in to his gloves.

When catching close to the wicket, such as in the slips, gulley or short leg make sure your stance is correct with your feet shoulder width apart or slightly wider. Spread your weight evenly across both feet, resting lightly on the balls of your feet, with your knees flexed. Keep your hands together, close to the ground with your fingers pointing down. Keep your head up with your eyes level and stay alert.

When catching the ball in the close, watch the ball all the way into your hands, allowing the ball to come to you, don’t try to snatch it. When catching the ball in the deep, try and catch the ball at eye level and cushion the ball into your chest.

Transforming a junior cricket team from under achievers to champions won’t happen overnight. However, with a positive attitude and willingness, the possibility of winning becomes more likely. A motivated and positive coach will help build the success of a team. We have put together a few tips to help you coach junior cricketers.

• Keep things simple: Don’t over complicate things when it comes to younger players. Skills need to be taught simply and correctly. Make sure to actively demonstrate examples before each drill so all players know what to achieve. Be positive and praise your players when needed. Don’t be too hard on your players as they will lose confidence and enjoyment.
• Add variety: Refrain from being to repetitive with the drills you use during training. Get involved in the training and have fun. Every so often review a domestic or international match on television. Take notes on important players and how they play. This will inspire young players.
• Goal setting: Setting goals is a great way to develop a team. Set different targets throughout the season and reward your players for achieving them. Review your goals at practice sessions, stating the progress and what areas need work. Make yourself approachable to your players.
• Team work: Players must learn to communicate in various aspects of the game whether it be running between wickets or even throwing the ball to each other in the field. Create a healthy team spirit with positive communication and realistic goal setting.
• Promote enjoyment: Make the game fun by mixing it up in practice with different drills and playing new games. Act positively as a coach; limit your criticism of players. Teach players to enjoy their cricket and have some fun while doing so.

A cricket bat’s rubber grip will never last as long as the bat. Even one long session, producing more than 50 runs and lasting two or three hours might wear out a grip. Grips vary in thickness and consistency and come in a variety of colours.

Firstly, you will need to assemble your equipment i.e. a gripping cone and the new grip. The gripping cone is a piece of wood a few inches longer than the handle. The top is narrower than the bat handle and the end, a metal cup is wider and fits over the top of the bat handle. Remove the old grip and dust the bare handle with talcum powder.

Put the new grip on the cone, with the surface facing outward. Roll the grip up from the bottom until it is completely rolled up.

Take it off the cone, turn it upside down and put the grip back on the cone. Roll it to the bottom of the cone. Put the cone over the bat handle and roll the grip down the handle. Some rubber will still hang over. Hold the bat firmly and tap the grip down until it is in place.

Secure the bottom of the grip to the bat’s shoulders with electrical tape.

The Asics Gel Advance 4 cricket shoe is known for being extremely lightweight. If you’re after the ultimate performing cricket shoe, than look no further than the Asics Gel Advance 4 cricket shoe.

Featuring a Solyte midsole and a new injection PU outsole, the Gel Advance 4 is lighter than traditional rubber outsoles and gives players a more supportive base.

The Asics Gel Advance 4 cricket shoes are primarily used for batting and come with a full compliment of screw in metal and PU soft studs.

In addition, the upper fit has been enhanced with the introduction of the Clutch Collar. Also, the P-Guard on the toe box ensures protection against toe drag.

The Asics Gel Advance 4 cricket shoes are now available at Sportsmart. You can view them online or visit our stores to try a pair on for yourself.

The most important task of a fielding side in cricket is taking catches. You can’t win matches without taking catches in cricket. Catching a cricket ball is something all cricket players should learn.

Catching the ball when the fielder is standing in the infield is known as an infield catch. There are two positions for a fielder in cricket. One is infield and the other is outfield. A fielder can take catches in both positions. The infield positions are the slip, the point, cover and square leg region. The infield is near the pitch and close to the batsman. Sitting catches or sitters that need little or no movement are taken in the infield. The ball will come to the infield fielder flat and fast.

Catching in the outfield involves taking a catch far away from the batsman. These catches are sometimes taken on the boundary line of the field. Fielders will have to run a distance to take the catch. The long on, long off, third man, deep and fine leg are the outfield positions where fielders are placed to get a catch.

Catching a cricket ball with the fingers down catch or the reverse cup is usually an outfield catching method. The palms of the fielder are positioned in a form of a circle forming a cup. The fingers of the fielder are positioned in a downward direction. This makes it comfortable to catch the cricket ball that comes at excessive speed from the sky. A fielder can jump or take the catch while running using the fingers down catch.

Catching a ball with the fingers up is also called the orthodox cup. Here the fielder holds his hands with fingers joined and crossing at their base to form a regular cup. This catch is for close call catches from the infield. The fielder can keep his cupped fingers against his body and take the catch easily. Flat yet powerful hits to fielders in infield positions can fetch wickets using this catching method.

It is important to closely monitor the body language of the batsmen as soon as the ball leaves the hand of the bowler. The eye should never leave the ball. Practice makes perfect and snatching the ball instead of catching the ball will result in injured fingers.

DON’T leave your cricket bat in the hot boot of your car. This is one of the worst things you can, especially in the summer.

DON’T use your cricket bat against cheap cricket balls

DON’T expose your cricket bat to excessive moisture or rain. Always dry your bat immediately if it does get wet.

DON’T over oil your cricket bat. Less is best when it comes to oiling.

DON’T throw your bat around.

DO take care of your cricket bat.

DO prepare and run your cricket bat in correctly.

DO oil your cricket bat regularly (a very light coating once every few months)

DO store your cricket bat in a cool and dry location.

DO make runs with your cricket bat! 🙂

DON’T forget to check out The Cricket Sale this weekend to get some great deals on cricket gear!

To ensure that your cricket bat lasts for a long period of time it is important to take proper care. A decent cricket bat is not cheap and batsmen tend to become very attached to their bats. Repairs you can do yourself range from regular maintenance such as replacing the rubber handle to restoring the blade.

Regular maintenance tasks include:

Wind bat repair tape a few times around the blade where and when you notice surface cracking. Don’t use too much tape as this will deaden the feel of the bat. Act as soon as the cracks appear, especially those across the blade.

Replace the rubber handle whenever it wears or cracks. Roll the new grip on gently and tape it to the top of the blade with bat repair tape.

Wipe the bat with a dry cloth whenever it gets wet. Put it somewhere cool to dry out, but away from the heat. Excessive dryness will shorten the bat’s life. Apply one coat of oil when properly dry to keep the bat moist.

Post-season bat care:

Remove any anti-scuff sheet on the face of the bat at the end of the season. Treat the bat with a coat of raw linseed oil and apply another coat 24 hours later. Leave the bat for at least a week to let the oil sink into the willow and dry.

Apply a new anti-scuff sheet, sand and restore the entire blade. This gives the bat a near new finish. Sanding keeps the willow supple and allows it to breathe, extending the bat’s life and minimising the chances of cracking. Follow this with two good coats of raw linseed oil.

For further advice on taking care of your cricket bat, speak to our Bat n Ball staff at any our Sportsmart stores. Also, don’t forget to check out The Cricket Sale!

The following guide will give you tips on how to bowl more consistently in the right areas. A quality bowler will be able to bowl in the same spot every delivery. Bowling like this is something that all bowlers should aim for.

Use a stiff arm when you bowl. Don’t bend your elbow. The ball can gain more velocity if you do this. You must release the ball before you step over the crease which is a line about a yard from the wickets at either end of where you are throwing from.

Strengthen your shoulder muscles and arms so you can hurl the ball faster. A fast bowler needs to have a lot of upper body strength. Remember to run from further back to gain the most momentum. Run to the crease fast. The faster you are moving, the faster your bowl will be.

Bounce the ball toward the batsman. This doesn’t lower the speed if you are throwing the ball with a forward spin. When the ball hits the ground with a forward speed, it will gain momentum. To gain the most accuracy, start by lining yourself up to your target and making a few practice throws without the ball. Visualise the movement and make sure your arm is locked.

Mark the starting point of your run up and repeat from the same location to get the form loaded into your brain. If your practice it enough, it will become a habit and this will help both your accuracy and speed.

Sportsmart stocks a variety of cricket gear and equipment. You can view our cricket range online or visit our stores to try some cricket gear out for yourself.

Remember The Cricket Sale is now on! View some of our great specials online!