Picture the scene. You are at the end of your run up. Conditions are in your favour and the ball has been swinging. Slips, gulley and the wicketkeeper are waiting.

You have been pitching the ball up a little further to encourage it to move but so far the batsman has been on top of you, hitting three drives through the gap at cover. He’s 12 not out.

You are not worried.

Nobody knows what the core is.

Is it your abs? Your deep musculature? Your lower back? Your shoulders? Your bum?

Try and find common textbook definition and you fail. Everyone has an idea what the core is, but it’s hard to find agreement on what exactly it is.

Add to this, the ability of the core area to do more than one thing and no wonder there is so much myth and confusion around core training to improve cricket.

So let's get back to basics.

Cricket and golf have a lot in common: sports that go on in the head as much as in the body.

For example, there is a story about a famous golfer who lost his form. He decided to seek one of the finest golf coaches in the world to sort out his technique.

The coach took the player to the driving range with a bucket of balls and asked him to show him his swing. The coach sat down on a chair and watched as the player hit a few balls.

In two simple practice sessions your club side could make dramatic improvements in both speed between the wickets and judgement of runs. That could lead to an extra 50 runs per innings in an afternoon match.

These sessions can be run by coaches or captains and don’t require much equipment beyond normal cricket stuff.

After warming up, this is how you do it.

Practice session one: Improving technique

After several hundred posts I thought it was time you got an introduction. Or, more specifically; Some of the ideas and people behind the practical tips on this site that make you a better player. If you understand these pillars, you understand the system I use and that's essential to your success.

This drill has been kindly sent to me by regular reader Lyndon. If you have a drill you want featured please contact me.

Aim for players: to get 10 wickets by either direct throw on stump or catching.
Aim for coach: to score the set amount of runs.

Coach and players decide in advance how many runs the coach needs to get. Lower the number the easier it is to score and harder for players to defend. Players throw ball at the stump. Other players back up throw. Coach can play shots to try and find gaps. If ball goes through or over fielders coach allocates a number of runs scored off that shot. Coach needs to try and aim for gaps to reinforce the idea of covering all areas. Also aim over the top if fielders get too close. To ensure it is competitive allow a few free throws at the stump and give catches. Try to make sure there is no time taken over lining up a throw (like in a game situation). Always praise good fielding and backing up, not just throws but backing up other fielders.

photo credit: diongillard

It's long been known in the world of weight loss that the better your social support the more success you have in losing the pounds. It part of why weight watchers is such a successful business.

Why can't we use the same principles to improve our cricket?

I think we can it's something that, in my experience, can make a massive difference but is underused by club cricketers.