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Strength and conditioning for Cricket Batsmen

We all know the powers of concentration it must take a batsman to score a hundred and above runs in a 5 day test match and then potentially repeat that feat a day or so later in the second innings, but what about the demand placed upon his body?

Rather strangely, batting has long been viewed as the least physically taxing side of the gentleman’s game. That stereotype may have been true in the more portly days of WG Grace or even more recently household names such as Mike Gatting, however, the recent boom of T20 cricket has lead to an overwhelming emergence of explosive and much more agile batsmen.The need for quick scoring and regular runs in the shorter forms of Cricket could be credited with this rebirth of the traditional batsman.

Less dot ball deliveries where no runs are scored means more shuttle sprints and changes of direction required by the batting side in order to register runs quickly on the scoreboard. The very nature of the game is explosive now and it’s important that batsmen can keep up. Research within Cricket has

The need for quick scoring and regular runs in the shorter forms of Cricket could be credited with this rebirth of the traditional batsman. Less dot ball deliveries where no runs are scored means more shuttle sprints and changes of direction required by the batting side in order to register runs quickly on the scoreboard. The very nature of the game is explosive now and it’s important that batsmen can keep up. Research within Cricket has analysed batsmen and found that overtime, decreases in squat jump height, slower sprint and change of direction times all occur in an innings. Naturally the slower the batsman runs or changes direction, the increased chance of a run out or even stumping. Either that or the team’s run rate slows to a snail’s pace and they are unable to chase down ambitious totals set by fitter and quicker sides.

So how can you improve these elements of your game? Simply tailor your strength and conditioning  to the game you play and the role you have. Ask yourself, does this 5km treadmill run improve my ability to run between the stumps on the weekend? If the answer is no then you need some guidance on how to smash your training out the ground so you can maximise your ability to score quickly and frustrate every bowling attack you face whilst making it as hard as possible to get run out.

As with our previous article on bowling, some of the best ways to improve sprint speed is training for power, using high weight and low rep exercises such as squats and deadlifts in order develop your ability to maximal muscular contractions from a standing start.In order to transmit all the high levels of

In order to transmit all the high levels of power you are producing into directional speed the human body must be adept at converting this force. Tendons are the best force transmitting tissue in our bodies and the Achilles tendon is best exponent of this job. The way in which the tendon develops as we are in the womb leads to the tendon becoming twisted on itself and forms a helical fibre arrangement.

This non-linear arrangement of the collagen in the achilles permits it to stay rigid and cope with huge amounts of force that can then be converted into forward or upward travel in the case of running and jumping.Although mechanical properties of the Achilles haven’t been shown to improve with any kind of training, however, Plyometric training has displayed increases in Achilles size and rigidity indicating increased resistance to these elastic

Although mechanical properties of the Achilles haven’t been shown to improve with any kind of training, however, Plyometric training has displayed increases in Achilles size and rigidity indicating increased resistance to these elastic forces . Plyometric training utilises short duration explosive movements to train the stretch-shortening cycle of a tendon. In the case of the achilles, drills such as box jumps, standing high jumps and depth jumps combined in a programme have been proven to be effective at increasing these properties.

 

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    References:

    Houghton, L.A., Dawson, B.T. and Rubenson, J., 2013. Effects of plyometric training on achilles tendon properties and shuttle running during a simulated cricket batting innings. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 27(4), pp.1036-1046.Burgess, K.E., Connick, M.J., Graham-Smith, P. and Pearson, S.J., 2007. Plyometric vs. isometric training influences on tendon properties and muscle output. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 21(3), pp.986-989.

    Burgess, K.E., Connick, M.J., Graham-Smith, P. and Pearson, S.J., 2007. Plyometric vs. isometric training influences on tendon properties and muscle output. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 21(3), pp.986-989.Arya, S. and Kulig, K., 2010. Tendinopathy alters mechanical and material properties of the Achilles tendon. Journal of applied physiology, 108(3), pp.670-675.

    Arya, S. and Kulig, K., 2010. Tendinopathy alters mechanical and material properties of the Achilles tendon. Journal of applied physiology, 108(3), pp.670-675.

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