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[fasteddie]

Big call this 90 per cent of clubs use nets as a social
Im looking to improve a little bit every winter net session and during practice thru the season
Im 47 and have been playing since 14.
I dont let anyone get me out at nets and dont slog
I think it was stuart law who said once you are past 30 you need to train and practice twice as hard as everyone else just to keep up

Very well put.

That does mean that you and I (at our age) should be forced to net every single day! It's a great excuse when walking out of the door and the wife loses her cool.

I agree about the 'not out and no slogging rule'. It's good discipline. I'm trying to get my 18yr old to adopt that but he still persists in reverse sweeping and switch hitting to all parts.
We also ask the bowlers to bowl as it where our home ground and not try and kill the batters, again hard to stop my youngster trying to kill me, but we can but try.

I've listened to the audiobook call 'Bounce' by Matthew Said. He claims 'purposeful practice' is the key. Many, many, many hours of it. I'd recommend that book.

See you in the nets!

[ProCricketer1982]

The problem is that you cannot train batsmen and bowlers at the same time in a big group.  Most club-provided cricket nets are to give the chance to get the players back into a bit of rhythm and touch.

If a player is wanting to improve, the bowlers should look to bowl good areas and batsmen to focus on playing correct shots to those deliveries. It will not benefit a bowler to bowl short balls to improve the batsman if he is not that type of bowler.

To improve, surely it is the responsibility of the individual player to organise their own structured practices, either batting with a bowling machine or bowling into an empty net (target bowling).

not sure why you've quoted me fella as you are basically agreeing with me

1) It's rare to find a decent bowler who is prepared to actually bowl lines and lengths and not get sucked into bouncers indoors
2) It's rare to find batsmen playing authentic shots to balls, defending the good ones and not openly slogging the part timers who come along to nets
3) It's rare to find a batsmen actually training something AND getting enough quality in that area to make it worth while
4) the odd 10/15 mins batting really isn't going to help much if we are honest is it
5) bowlers rarely target bowl in the nets.. they get sucked in to bouncers

So yeah, I completely agree that training a group of bowlers and batsmen won't work at the club level as everyone is out ot prove how good they are rather than actually train. so batsmen start slogging (or turn into batsmen who just hit through the line), bowlers start bouncing as they don't like being hit etc (I don't blame them tbh). What gets me is when they know you are playing properly and still find it amusing in your 15 mins to give you more bouncers than decent balls..zzz yeah that's worth training mate.. you cant' do that outside (well, not without getting smacked!) and it's no training for me either as no idiot bowls there..zzz

bowlers should stick to learnign control, learn how to block an end up (plug away on a length in the corridor) etc.. once they master that, start doing target training.. so get them to bowl everything full, everything back of a length.. yorkas etc. bouncers are pointless though for most club cricketers.. not only aren't they fast enough but the wickets aren't really good enough to make it effective.

[tim2000s]

5) bowlers rarely target bowl in the nets.. they get sucked in to bouncers

I'm not sure I agree with this statement. Most of the proper bowlers, and that's a key comment, PROPER, tend to bowl good line and length in nets to try and make the batsman struggle. I think that is exactly what they should be doing, and generally it doesn't involve the shorter ball. You are trying to hit the stumps or take the edge.

It's generally the part time bowlers who do the stupid stuff, in my experience...

[jamielsn15]

I've listened to the audiobook call 'Bounce' by Matthew Said. He claims 'purposeful practice' is the key. Many, many, many hours of it. I'd recommend that book.

See you in the nets!

'Bounce' is a superb book.  I studied Sports Psychology at Uni (way back when, I'm in my late thirties now), the most inaccurate term is 'practice makes perfect.' If you think about it, its the most ridiculous statement.

More accurate is 'practice makes permanent.' It could be perfect, it could more likely be not.  However you practice/net, will groove technique, but if you're doing it wrong, it won't be perfect.

Similarly, as you quote Syed, what's the point in practice if its not purposeful?  How many times do you visit a gym, to see people sat on bikes or on cross trainers checking their phones?  Its a social experience, as nets can be for players - but is it making them fitter/better?  Not likely.

Therefore everything you do should be purposeful to you.  It may not be perfect, as clubs may not be lucky enough to have qualified coaches on hand at every net, but you should be able to self-analyse and test yourself, be that through disciplined play (remaining not out/not slogging, etc.) or working to groove a technique, especially with a bowling machine.

We had out first club nets on Friday.  Three or four players came out after slogging a few, getting bowled, yet hitting 3-4 good shots in 10 minutes and all said "good net that, great to be back straight into form" ?!?!  You were probably out caught for 4 or bowled for 8!

I would suggest that regular purposeful practice is the key for those not lucky enough to have access to one-on-one sessions or a bowling machine...

[jamielsn15]

I'm not sure I agree with this statement. Most of the proper bowlers, and that's a key comment, PROPER, tend to bowl good line and length in nets to try and make the batsman struggle. I think that is exactly what they should be doing, and generally it doesn't involve the shorter ball. You are trying to hit the stumps or take the edge.

It's generally the part time bowlers who do the stupid stuff, in my experience...

How's this for a special kind of stupid?  The club has invested in side arms for nets.  No one has experience of using them, yet they are flinging them down full pelt at batsmen, coming out as beamers, etc.  And batsman are going into net against them without helmets...!  For what its worth I refused to bat against anyone using it.

I'm assuming Darwin's natural selection theory will prevail...

[Stuey]

To train effectively you need a focus or goal to work towards, otherwise you might as well go home.

[ppccopener]

Side arms are quite difficult to control
We only let 2 blokes use them otherwise its full bungers as you have experienced!!
When it is on target the ball does come onto you much quicker than you might imagine
 

[tate035]

Side arms are quite difficult to control
We only let 2 blokes use them otherwise its full bungers as you have experienced!!
When it is on target the ball does come onto you much quicker than you might imagine
 

Sidearms are like most things. The more you practice the better you get. I have used the junior one and last year invested in the senior one. I can't bowl at the speed my son needs me to bowl at naturally so the sidearm is great.
My son is at a county academy and the coaches there all use sidearms. One or two of them can get genuine swing when using them.

[GarrettJ]

one way to use a sidearm is to do it gently but do it off 15 yards.

[TangoWhiskey]

Here's my net routine:

Get there 15 minutes early.
Warm up with a Cigarette.
Put pads on before anyone else turns up, this ensures I get to bat first every week.
Swing my nuts off as hard as I can at almost every delivery.
Take a mental note as to who has tried to bump me throughout my batting.
Attempt a paddle scoop when chasing 16 off the last 6 deliveries.
Take pads off.
Find the hardest ball left.
Target the earlier bumpers by bowling as fast and short as I physically can at them, usually injuring myself in the process.
Try a bit of off spin.
Try a leggy.
Straight back to off spin.
Warm down with a cigarette.

Quite a lot to fit in to an hour on a Wednesday evening actually now I think of it.

[fasteddie]

Here's my net routine:

Get there 15 minutes early.
Warm up with a Cigarette.
Put pads on before anyone else turns up, this ensures I get to bat first every week.
Swing my nuts off as hard as I can at almost every delivery.
Take a mental note as to who has tried to bump me throughout my batting.
Attempt a paddle scoop when chasing 16 off the last 6 deliveries.
Take pads off.
Find the hardest ball left.
Target the earlier bumpers by bowling as fast and short as I physically can at them, usually injuring myself in the process.
Try a bit of off spin.
Try a leggy.
Straight back to off spin.
Warm down with a cigarette.

Quite a lot to fit in to an hour on a Wednesday evening actually now I think of it.

No beer?

[trypewriter]

I'm not sure I agree with this statement. Most of the proper bowlers, and that's a key comment, PROPER, tend to bowl good line and length in nets to try and make the batsman struggle. I think that is exactly what they should be doing, and generally it doesn't involve the shorter ball. You are trying to hit the stumps or take the edge.

It's generally the part time bowlers who do the stupid stuff, in my experience...

...mixed in with that nasty inswinger that follows the batsman... 

[yogi206]

Here's my net routine:

Get there 15 minutes early.
Warm up with a Cigarette.
Put pads on before anyone else turns up, this ensures I get to bat first every week.
Swing my nuts off as hard as I can at almost every delivery.
Take a mental note as to who has tried to bump me throughout my batting.
Attempt a paddle scoop when chasing 16 off the last 6 deliveries.
Take pads off.
Find the hardest ball left.
Target the earlier bumpers by bowling as fast and short as I physically can at them, usually injuring myself in the process.
Try a bit of off spin.
Try a leggy.
Straight back to off spin.
Warm down with a cigarette.

Quite a lot to fit in to an hour on a Wednesday evening actually now I think of it.

excellent

[TangoWhiskey]

No beer?

They don't serve beer at the nets, so technically it's on the drive home after I've finished.