Tip of the Month

Now the season has finished its a good time to go through a review of the season, evaluating your performance and identifying areas to develop for next season. Firstly, I recommend keeping a basic performance diary duriong the season, where you can record your stats, and note down any reasons for good or bad performance. This could include your focus on the day, preparation, game situation or an error you made in your batting (eg. premeditated a shot, shot selection, shot execution etc). If you did keep a diary look for any patterns. If you didnt keep one, get hold of your stats from your scorer or coach. Once you get your stats, look for any disparities in numbers between the different formats... i.e. 2-day games, 1-day games and T20. If there are any big difference in performance, try to evaluate why that would be. Think about your role in the team and how that may differ in various formats. Remember, the role you are given may not be always be your choice... you may not have had the opportunities you would have liked!

When doing reviews I like to identify strengths and weaknesses in the following areas:

  * Technical (eg bowling action, batting technique, throwing technique etc)
  * Tactical (playing spin, setting your own field, bowling variations, bowling to left handers, gapping the ball etc)
  * Mental (eg coping with pressure, confidence, gameplan, motivation etc)
  * Physical (eg aerobic fitness, speed, strength, agility, muscle balance, injury)

Commit these to paper, and then prioritise any weaknesses as areas to develop in the winter program, or preseason training. Remember to get advice from your coach, or an experienced player to help figure out an effective METHOD to develop these areas. Remember to reinforce the strengths you already have in your game by reinforcing it in the way you train or practice. Evaluate your progress during your training at how you are developing your areas that you have prioritised. If you are doing alot of fitness over the offseason, keep it interesting, by incorporating variety into your training.

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