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[Chrissy]

I have been to some batting seshions with my county coaches today and it was the last week this week and the advice they gave me was be confident and finish your shot. So any ideas how to get the confidence boosted ? 

[sultanofswing]

alcohol??? they say if you have alcohol you are over confident about your driving ability, so why not your cricketing ability?

[Chrissy]

Hm maybe a couple of pints before a game yeah could do me some good haha. But come on be serious.

[Coach]

Hit lots of balls from throwdowns lots and lots and when you think your done do another bucket! Just practice harder than everyone else and go into bat knowing that you worked harder than anyone else and be confident in that fact

[ianbuchanan]

what county do u play for mate?

[Chrissy]

Durham U14's.

[ianbuchanan]

cool, basically play straight and in a match your confidence will go up!! u cant go wrong driving down the ground your only gonna score runs mate!

[Chris1976]

Best advice I ever got given was to forget the last ball and just play every ball on its merit.
I used to have a confidence issue and used to strive for perfection.... then I realised that the balls I edged in the nets and the bowlers were celebrating actually normally went for 4's in matches..... bowlers take no notice of soft hands in the nets lol

Seriously just enjoy your cricket mate and try not to have any fear of failure because we all do fail from time to time.  I used to worry about getting out and looking good when I was around your age, it was the fact I felt that way that made me tentative and more likely to get out.
We all get nervous before we face up at the start of an innings but all I now do is as the bowler is running in to bowl in my head I'm thinking BALL, BALL, BALL to trigger myself to watch the ball as closely as possible..... I've found that it really helps me concentrate and the fact that I'm concentrating so hard on the ball means I've very little time to feel twitchy and worry about anything other than where the ball is pitching.... once I'm set I tend to stop thinkning "ball" without realising.... and I'm away.

You obviously have a good basic technique or you wouldnt be at the county so its about developing the mental side of the game too along with tweaking your technique which is what your coaches are paid to do.... become mentally strong and you are on your way to becoming a top player.

[CricketBoy]

alcohol??? they say if you have alcohol you are over confident about your driving ability, so why not your cricketing ability?

I actually think its a good idea, dont take too much (you'll end up playing a backward sweep on your first ball !)

[Chrissy]

Best advice I ever got given was to forget the last ball and just play every ball on its merit.
I used to have a confidence issue and used to strive for perfection.... then I realised that the balls I edged in the nets and the bowlers were celebrating actually normally went for 4's in matches..... bowlers take no notice of soft hands in the nets lol

Seriously just enjoy your cricket mate and try not to have any fear of failure because we all do fail from time to time.  I used to worry about getting out and looking good when I was around your age, it was the fact I felt that way that made me tentative and more likely to get out.
We all get nervous before we face up at the start of an innings but all I now do is as the bowler is running in to bowl in my head I'm thinking BALL, BALL, BALL to trigger myself to watch the ball as closely as possible..... I've found that it really helps me concentrate and the fact that I'm concentrating so hard on the ball means I've very little time to feel twitchy and worry about anything other than where the ball is pitching.... once I'm set I tend to stop thinkning "ball" without realising.... and I'm away.

You obviously have a good basic technique or you wouldnt be at the county so its about developing the mental side of the game too along with tweaking your technique which is what your coaches are paid to do.... become mentally strong and you are on your way to becoming a top player.

Thanks for your advice mate ! Much appreciated.

[E-Unit]

Agree with the alchohol, rocked up hung over opening the bat, scored a run a ball 34 then lost concentration though:P

[Chris1976]

I remember when I was 18 turning up 3 weeks in a row with a stonking hangover and scoring 50's

.....I put it down to me being so out of it that I was having to really concentrate!!! I would not recommend that approach to the game.... maybe sober I'd of scored 3 hundreds instead.

[Master Blaster]

Keep your head free of thoughts and bat instinctivly thats why your net sessions are so crucial to your performance in the middle.

[art]

hmmm, Dynamite Bats gives good advice.

The most important thing in a game of cricket is the ball. if you are a batsman then you concentrate on the next ball you are going to receive and play it on its merits to the best of your ability. Next practice and coaching hone your skills and ven if they are somewhat limited you will learn quickly what you can and can't do with every ball you receive.

Forget the last ball, forget the chatter and concentrate on the next ball. Braodly what this does is clears your head of anything else other than the ball you are about to receive.

As for alcohol, only a fool drinks before or during play.