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[edynamo]

About to start pre season training once again and as a coach it will be time for the perennial battle - convincing batters that the bowlers need to spend time doing their drills in the same way batters face a machine! How has anyone else had success in convincing the batters that bowlers can't spend their entire pre season bowling at batters?!

[Stuey]

Doing this at a club net is difficult unless you have lots of nets and time. The best way is to get  bowlers to chip in for a private net with you.

[ProCricketer1982]

Doing this at a club net is difficult unless you have lots of nets and time. The best way is to get  bowlers to chip in for a private net with you.

This is what I e started doing with our good bowlers, booking up lanes, then just letting them train.. Of course, at the same time I'm up the other end having a cheeky net too

Works well as they get time to train properly, I don't play silly indoor shots like most do so they know I'll play the right shot to the ball. Win win. Seems to be working this year as two of the main bowlers after 4 sessions are far. Ore accurate and one is a yard quicker already. Bodes well

[edynamo]

I was thinking one week the batters use the bowling machine, the next week bowlers can do their drills in that net?

[Over Gully]

Our club has skill-specific training for the first few sessions, basically won't face a bowler at all, and bowlers won't bowl at a batsman. We all fill in IIP (Individual Improvement Plans), outline what you want to get out of pre-season, where you think you need to improve, and then going about doing it. For me it was improve my hitting straight down the ground, so we spent hours working on my straight/on-drives, faced so many underarm throws just working on that shot. We'd do this for the first few weeks, then go in and face bowling/bowling machines. It is tough to appease everyone granted...

[TangoWhiskey]

Jesus christ, which club's are you guys at? I'm lucky if I get a 10 minute bat once a week and 6 minutes of that will be retrieving the ball from the side netting as another no hoper has barely made it halfway down...

[Over Gully]

Jesus christ, which club's are you guys at? I'm lucky if I get a 10 minute bat once a week and 6 minutes of that will be retrieving the ball from the side netting as another no hoper has barely made it halfway down...

This was at Western Suburbs in Perth, but I have since moved back home to Melbourne for work. The guy running it was coach of both the WA and Australian U15 schoolboy squads, and he did this for them and decided to implement it for us. He worked with me for hours on end, I had a problem with my head position and used to fall across to the offside quite a bit and get trapped lbw or hit the ball through mid-wicket in the air. Basically did drills just working on stance, back lift, initial movement, all without hitting the ball, then introducing the ball toward the end of the session, firstly underarm, then bowling machine. If you stuffed around he wouldn't bother, if you were serious he'd go out of his way to help. Great bloke, absolute cricket nut!

[Stuey]

This was at Western Suburbs in Perth, but I have since moved back home to Melbourne for work. The guy running it was coach of both the WA and Australian U15 schoolboy squads, and he did this for them and decided to implement it for us. He worked with me for hours on end, I had a problem with my head position and used to fall across to the offside quite a bit and get trapped lbw or hit the ball through mid-wicket in the air. Basically did drills just working on stance, back lift, initial movement, all without hitting the ball, then introducing the ball toward the end of the session, firstly underarm, then bowling machine. If you stuffed around he wouldn't bother, if you were serious he'd go out of his way to help. Great bloke, absolute cricket nut!

Aha now it makes sense! I spent some time at Blacktown in Sydney Grade many years back and the gulf in their training (attitudes and facilities) to ours in the UK is vast. I tried to implement something similar when I returned to my club, but describing it as an up hill struggle would be a massive understatement!

[ProCricketer1982]

Our club is beginning to do more serious training. However, realistically, even the ones you'd expect to be keen and train can't really be bothered. They are happy to plod along as they always have.

If you ran a club for the keen ones, I doubt you'd have a club

[Stuey]

If you ran a club for the keen ones, I doubt you'd have a club

I think this is the heart of the problem, attitude to training at club league level, and why generally Australia have a more consistent flow of talent coming through than we do in England. It also helps that from my experince employers in Aus are more flexible with allowing players to get to training sessions than here in the UK.

[edynamo]

Our club has skill-specific training for the first few sessions, basically won't face a bowler at all, and bowlers won't bowl at a batsman. We all fill in IIP (Individual Improvement Plans), outline what you want to get out of pre-season, where you think you need to improve, and then going about doing it. For me it was improve my hitting straight down the ground, so we spent hours working on my straight/on-drives, faced so many underarm throws just working on that shot. We'd do this for the first few weeks, then go in and face bowling/bowling machines. It is tough to appease everyone granted...

Yeah - we tend to set up individual plans based on the summer and watch the video footage of both matches and trainnig to agree a plan for the winter sessions and then review the progress or otherwise half way through.  Think we may go down the route of having some sessions just for the bowlers - maybe the easiest way forward!

[edynamo]

Well - we have added a few sessions just for the bowlers so they can come in and practice their skills away from the congestion of the club nets, and allow the batters to use the bowling machine every week and guess what - the batters are moaning they dont have extra sessions where they get filmed too!!!  I guess we can never win!!!

[Come in 5 and left a bit]

I've just started training with a new club and I have to say this is the most serious and organised training I've ever been to in my life.

They have a net for the quick bowlers and one for the dibbly dobblers and spinners. They also do skills practice for the keepers. And specific bowling tasks such as Yorkers for the quicks.

In the other part of the hall they play a legside game where you have to play legside shots. This also get people involved in fielding practice. Surprised how good it's been for my all round game.

[The Palmist]

Seems to be working this year as two of the main bowlers after 4 sessions are far. Ore accurate and one is a yard quicker already. Bodes well

Our pacers have gone a yard or so quicker as well but it is because they keep bowling no balls. I don't understand why they think it is alright to bowl from outside the crease in nets.

[The Palmist]

We have a club meeting this week as the net turnout has been poor. The guys are trying their best to be organised but the participation levels are really poor.

I also find our club nets biased towards first team or the captains.

First teamers come late, get to bat first and bowl if they feel like. If a few of them turn up then there is no chance of me getting a bat in an hour long net. So I have asked the guys to book two lanes or for more than hour else there is just no motivation for rest to turn up.

I am not a bowler and end up doing more bowling than anyone else.

Signing up to academy development course at Headingley was the best thing I ever did. Much organised nets, coaches, variety of bowlers so I am very pleased with that. I have started circuits and jogging etc. at home as well to trim down a bit.