Critically analyse your own performance in your chosen sport using suitable notational methods. Include forms of formative, continual and summative assessment in order to evaluate and plan for future progressions
INTRODUCTION
TASK: Critically analyse your own performance in your chosen sport using suitable notational methods. Include forms of formative, continual and summative assessment in order to evaluate and plan for future progressions, developing performance criteria in your sporting performance.
I have chosen to analyse my performance in cricket, which means I have to do a season review as it is out of season at the moment, so I will analyse a 6 week period in the season that has just been completed and show how my performance has improved or decreased over the set period. Instead of using action plan after each game I will just review and do an overall action plan after the 6-week period to see where I can improve for the next season. In conjunction with my action plan I will put the fitness and strength work I am doing in the gym during the off-season into my analysis, which will help me to improve my performances next season. I can analysis parts of my off-season fitness and strength in relation to the targets I set myself in those areas for the next season. I also want to set myself some goals to achieve by the end of nest season analysing my performance last season and noting how much I improve will make it easier to set a tough but achievable target/targets. Goal Setting has become such a mainstream activity in sport, and so while setting goals for next season I have to consider one of the most valuable words in sports SMART.
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic
Time Based
When setting goals I have to make sure that my goals are specific to the areas that I need to improve, that I can measure the improvements I have made in trying to reach my targets. I must make sure my goals are challenging but not to difficult to achieve, I should also take into account the scale of time I have to reach my target so adapt my long-term goals into deadlines and priorities. I could also use process goals, which are different to outcome goals. Although outcome goals such as hitting a certain amount of runs in a season can be very useful it is important to ask myself "How am I going to achieve it?"
Process goals could include:
• Technical goals - shot selection
• Tactical goals - the game plan
• Physiological goals - these are easier to set if you have scientific testing available, but could include my diet or the amount of fitness work I had done before the match.
• Psychological goals - maintaining concentration for the whole innings
"Perhaps even more central to adult learning than elaborating established meaning schemes is the process of reflecting back on prior learning to determine whether what we have learned is justified under present circumstances. This is a crucial learning process egregiously ignored by learning theorists." Mezirow 1990
I really like this quote as describes what the basic idea of reflection without using scientific words, and although not directly related to sport it is certainly something that could be. It also links in well with Kenneth Wolf's quote.
"Reflection is what allows us to learn from our experiences, it is an assessment of where we have been and where we want to go next." Kenneth Wolf
I think this is a very intelligent comment and relates well to sport, in order for a sports performer to improve you must analyse past performances, learn from and correct your mistakes and then move on to your next performance with hopefully a better ability and attitude. Research has shown that providing athletes with accurate feedback, based on systematic and objective analysis, is a key factor in improving sporting performance. Throughout professional sport, performance analysis is used to help with future and current sports performance. It works on the theory that if you know what you have done well and bad you can adapt your performance accordingly. The analysis that accompanies the evidence an athlete presents in the performance-based product is a critical part of the candidate's development. Through reflection and in-depth analysis athletes can begin the ongoing process of mixing the art and the science of performance to improve in the future. Understanding why an activity or practice was productive or non-productive in a sporting environment is a key element in the progression from being a novice or professional in sporting analysis. Reflective practitioners will work closely with sports psychologists as there areas of expertise cross over within a lot of aspects. For example a sportsman maybe having trouble dealing with pressure of performing and a reflective practitioner would work on ways of helping the athlete dealing with pressure by looking at past performances where they have dealt with pressure and created a way of recreating that for the performer. The psychologist will deal with obviously the mental side of it, trying to find out why the athlete struggles with pressure and try to help them.
Performance Analysis is an area of Sports Science that informs the coaching process through the provision of statistical and video information. Throughout professional sport there are many different ways of analysing sports performance. Throughout my assignment I will be applying many techniques to assess my sporting performance and ability. Probably the most commonly used analysis within sport is stats or statistics. This type of analysis is known as quantitative analysis and can cover many aspects of sporting performance. For example within football stats can tell you what the percentage of completed passes a player makes or the percentage of shots on target a striker has in a match. This type of analysis doesn't always tell the how the performer is really performing it only gives maybe an overview although some statistics are better than others. A striker may have only had three chances in a game and missed all of them, but might have actually got in good positions and the ball wasn't passed to him and the chances he missed may have been extremely tough chances. To analyse an athletes performance and to say if they performed well you have to use qualitative analysis as well qualitative analysis, then you can say which type of analyse gives more accurate results. Sometimes the statistics can say it all about a performance and other times it can be a complete contrast for example Celtic Vs Blackburn Rovers in the Uefa cup second round first leg where Blackburn dominanted the game but lost 1-0.
I think this diagram can be very helpful in describing the value of reflection within sport and how it can help your performance.
Mezirow maintains that such reflection on assumptions and presuppositions leads to "Tran formative learning"
"Perspective transformation is the process of becoming critically aware of how and why our presuppositions have come to constrain the way we perceive, understand, and feel about our world; of reformulating these assumptions to permit a more inclusive, discriminating, permeable and integrative perspective; and of making decisions or otherwise acting on these new understandings." MEZIROWS explanation of his diagram.
"A measure of one's power is the ability to control one's future." Centre for teaching and learning
This quote is saying that if you know your ability you can decide how to improve it and so have control how far you progress, which is important as although coaches can help you to improve nothing, helps you more than yourself.
Formative Assessment - is an ongoing measurement during educational preparation, set out for the purpose of improving student learning within sport. This type of assessment evaluates critical thinking, decision-making, and problem-solving skills. To analyse formative assessment you need to include oral and written components, as well as demonstrations of clinical proficiency to measure the results.
Summative Assessment - is a comprehensive evaluation of learning outcomes at the culmination of educational preparation. Summative assessment holds critical information for determining an individual's achievement of knowledge and skills. This type of assessment is completed at the end of the performance period.
Continual Assessment - this form of assessment is used to keep ac lose eye on improvements made throughout an assessment period, for example regular testing good be taken after each week of performance, continual assessment could include running records (amount of runs scored each week), observational records (how good was the actual performance, did you play good shots), and Check sheets (give certain targets for each game and check them off if completed).
The reason I think it is important for me to use different types of assessment is that each one yields different results substantially different from the other one. Formative assessment monitors the acquisition of knowledge and skills. This maybe suited to a training session rather than a match where you are in more of a learning process. Continual assessment is more of an overall assessment as it analyses your overall and doesn't really specify on one particular area.
TESTING
AGE: 17
HEIGHT: 5ft 10in
WEIGHT: 65Kg
SPORT: Cricket
POSITION: All-Rounder
LENGTH OF ANALYSIS: 6 Weeks
After each game their will be several things I will need to analyse, runs scored and balls faced, what number I batted, 4's and 6's scored, wickets taken, amount of overs bowled, runs conceded from bowling, wides bowled, no-balls bowled, catches taken and droped, run-outs made, positions fielded and amount of misfields. As well as this we have a member of the club who analysis's performance and has details of the amount of chances given, shots in the air and the amount of shots and balls bowled on the leg side and offside. This will give a good idea where my strengths are with batting and bowling. I will also have reviews of what have done well in training and what I have worked on. What specific methods of improvement have worked best and how I have tried to improve my weaknesses. As I'm doing a review of my cricket season it isn't possible to provide video footage and analysis of my performances but this something I would hope to change if I were to do this type of assignment during the season. I have chosen to use both qualititative and quantitative analysis, I think if I use statistics in conjunction with a written review of my performance I will get an accurate reading of how well I performed. I think that using percentages will give me accurate results, for example the percentage of shots I played on the leg side or off-side or the percentage of my strike rate, as this shows how quickly I scored my runs which is quite important as I only play limited over matches and you need to score as quickly as possible. For a couple of league matches I have participated in I have newspaper reports I thought I would add to back up my analysis. This would also give me an idea of how the newspaper saw my development.
Other than actual batting, fielding and bowling the are some other factors I have to look at to give a wider picture of why I performed in that way. I am going to compare and contrast my bowling performance with my general fitness in that particular match. As I go to the gym I test my fitness every couple months just to check that my fitness level doesn't drop below a certain level. By doing this I could maybe explain why in one match I performed well and why I had a bad game the next game. As well as comparing my performance on a Saturday to a Sunday and also compare my fitness levels in 50 over games compared to 20 over games by writing how I felt after each game and whether I was able to give 100% throughout the match. I will also give some specific fitness targets for the beginning and end of next season which is something I can work to in the off season, for example bowl at an extra 5mph. Bowling speed is important part of my game and to show improvement decline in speed I have used my monthly bowling speed checks to see the results and although bowling speed doesn't always rely on you being quick it does give a good indication. At the start of my six-week period I was clocked at bowling 63mph, by next season or possibly sooner I want to increase this to 70mph. I feel that would allow me to work my way to opening the bowling instead of being a change bowler with a used ball.
Darren Gough
To show results and improvements I thought it would be better if I used several different performance profiles which will show different aspects of my performance and give me different strengths and weaknesses. I also researched the reflection cycle and although directly related to sport I thought it would be interesting to see what sort of results it would give.
Before analysing myself in a six week period I have already identified which areas of the game I believe to be my strengths and weaknesses
STRENGTHS
* Scoring runs quickly
* Scoring a good percentage of boundaries
* Catching
* Taking wickets in bowling spells
* Diving in the field.
WEAKNESS
* Shots on the offside.
* Hitting the ball in the air too much.
* Throwing accuracy.
* Close range catching.
TARGETS
* Average over thirty with the bat.
I think this is a target I can definitely achieve especially if I perform to what I am capable of, and its not the sort of target they necessarily takes ...
This is a preview of the whole essay
STRENGTHS
* Scoring runs quickly
* Scoring a good percentage of boundaries
* Catching
* Taking wickets in bowling spells
* Diving in the field.
WEAKNESS
* Shots on the offside.
* Hitting the ball in the air too much.
* Throwing accuracy.
* Close range catching.
TARGETS
* Average over thirty with the bat.
I think this is a target I can definitely achieve especially if I perform to what I am capable of, and its not the sort of target they necessarily takes a great deal of time to achieve as I can play one game an score thirty and have an average of thirty. It is a task that I think I can realistically achieve.
* Get into the league side.
Depending on how the team are performing and how well the other players play comes into account here but as long as I perform well in the friendly matches I play, I feel I will be given at least one chance in the league side.
* Get in the match report.
This something that is going to be a real challenge, this requires me to have a good performance in the league side, as only the league matches get reported. I believe I can achieve this but it will be one of the hardest targets I have set myself.
* Increase bowling speed between 65-67mph.
I believe that I can actually bowl 70mph during a good spell in a match but I get clocked during training so this will be tough as I am currently bowling at 63mph, which is roughly an increase of 5mph.
* Improve fitness levels.
I will take the bleep test at the beginning, the third week and at the end of my six-week period. To see how my fitness has improved, I will to improve it by doing a thirty-five minute run in the gym
* Improve offside shots.
This is something that cannot directly be analysed as I can't tell where the bowler has been bowling from my analysis but I can see how the amount of shots on the offside that I play has increased over the period.
* Score a fifty.
This is the target I want to achieve the most as I feel it is an important benchmark for batsmen and if I can score one fifty I feel that they will come regularly.
* Take twenty wickets.
I think this is definite possibility, but it does rely on how many overs I bowl during league matches as I know I will take wickets in the friendly matches but it usually takes me more overs to get wickets in league matches.
* Open the Bowling in the league side.
This is going to be the hardest target as the captain so far has only bowled me a few times but I do open the bowling in friendly matches, which does give me a chance to impress.
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
For many years now sports analysis has been used to help improve sports performance, through the years many different techniques have been used and created to analysis a sporting performance. Nowadays, especially within television special computers are used to analysis hundreds and thousands of different statistics. For example within football to analysis performance they use the percentage of possession a team has had, or number of shots on goal. There is now a sports channel that is dedicated for sports news and sporting statistics Sky sports.com news channel, this brings you stats from all of the major sports within Britain and around the world. Also eurosport news brings stats from sports that aren't in the public eye as much, sports such as Skiing and many other winter sports. Something that changed the world dramatically was the invention of television and later on the video. The use of video replays within sport has become more and more intensive to the extent that within cricket especially the role of the umpire has been degraded hugely, as every bad decision they make is replayed on television over and over again. Although that video and TV seems to damage the sport it has huge benefits for sports training and performance. It gives you the chance to analyse past performances to see identify which areas you need to correct. Professional sportsmen now use video analysis to observe on future opponents to develop game plans and identify weaknesses in the opponent.
Something which is useful when considering reflection
The Reflection Cycle
Qualitative Analysis: - This type of research is to find out what has happened. Qualitative research is a detailed examination of a single instance or case of something, usually through intensive interviewing or analysis of other evidence, used in conjunction a lot with quantitative analysis. The importance of qualitative analysis is to explore potentially factors that maybe used in a quantitative study. For example explain why a batsmen in cricket had hit the majority of his runs on the leg side. This type of research offers a result with a reason behind it, rather than just a simple result.
Quantitative Analysis: - This type of research is used to ask the question "What is happening generally?" Quantitative research can either be descriptive (performer usually analysed once) or experimental (performers analysed before and after a training period) Quantitative give exact results where as results that are produced from qualitative research can be debatable.
RESULTS
Bleep Test Level
0.6
TRAINING LOG
Throughout the summer I trained twice a week and I had at least one match per weekend, I quite often played on both Saturday and Sunday and played occasionally in cup matches during the week. Training takes place on a Tuesday and Thursday night and matches take place on Saturday and Sunday and the occasional Monday.
WEEK 1
Saturday Match
Lustleigh Vs Roborough (50 over league match)
Batting Stats
Opposition
Roborough
Batting Position
6
Team Runs Scored
236
Individual Runs Scored
42 not out
Balls Faced
55
Four's Scored
4
Six's Scored
Strike Rate
76.36
Shots On Off-Side
4
Shots On Leg-Side
41
Shots In Air
0
Drop Catches
3
Batting Graph
Bowling Stats
Overs Bowled
4
Maidens
0
Runs Conceded
8
Wickets
0
Average
---
Wides
0
No-Balls
2
Balls Down leg Side
3
Run Rate
4.25
FIELDING
Positions occupied
Mid-Off, Cover, Point and Fine Leg.
Catches
2
Dropped Catches
Diving Stops
Misfields
3
STRENTHGS IN MATCH 1
I scored my runs at a reasonably quick pace; my shots on the leg side were good.
In twenty deliveries I only bowled three down the leg side.
In early season I had struggled to hit boundaries, but I hit five in total in this particular innings.
I remained not out at the end of our allocated overs.
Areas selected for further development:
Out of the 55 balls that I faced 10 were in the air and I was dropped three times which on another could have meant that I scored fewer runs.
In only four overs I bowled three no balls.
When the pressure was on towards the end of the match I made three misfields.
TARGETS
Improve shots on the offside.
Hit my shots along the ground.
Work on ground fielding.
PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS
Although I scored 42 runs, this was mainly down to the fielding side, playing poorly as I gave them three chances and played countless shots in the air, playing against a better side I would have probably made fewer runs. I felt that when I was bowled a bad ball I did play good shots and when I hit the ball in the air I tried to hit it as hard as I could as you are less likely to be caught. I felt I bowled reasonably well although I did concede a few runs; it was mainly down to bowling one bad ball in a over, with five consistent balls. Although I dropped a catch towards the end of the game I felt I fielded well especially as it is near the start of the season where I tend to make more mistakes. Being as this was my first league appearance for the club I felt in went well. Match Rating 6
SUNDAY
No match
NAME
Craig Bartlett
SPORT
Cricket
DATE
Tuesday Week 1
START
TIME
6:30pm
FINISH TIME
8:00pm
TOTAL TRAINING TIME
hr 30 min
STAGE
AIM OF SESSION
Improve shots on the offside.
Hit my shots along the ground.
Work on ground fielding.
BENEFITS OF SESSION
To improve on faults after weekend matches, and to get net practice.
WARM UP
MAIN CONTENT
COOL DOWN
* 3 laps around the pitch
* Stretching
* Shuttle runs
* Fielding drill.
* 10 minute net facing human bowlers
* 10 minute net using the bowling machine, set-up to deliver bowls in different areas on the off side.
* 10 minutes of throw downs.
* 10 minutes bowling at one stump.
* Marking out my bowling run-up correctly
* The rest of the time spent bowling at my teammates.
* Light jog, kick around followed by light stretching
NAME
Craig Bartlett
SPORT
Cricket
DATE
Thursday Week1
START
TIME
6:00pm
FINISH TIME
7:30pm
TOTAL TRAINING TIME
hr 30min
STAGE
AIM OF SESSION
Practice fielding, bowling and batting techniques.
BENEFITS OF SESSION
To get your technique in order for the forthcoming weekend matches. And to improve fielding.
WARM UP
MAIN CONTENT
COOL DOWN
* 3 laps around the pitch
* Stretching
* Shuttle runs
* Fielding drill.
* 10 minutes, bowling machine catching, the ball is fired from the bowling machine up in the air.
* 10 minutes of fielding drills, stopping the ball and throwing it at one stump.
* 10 minutes of long distance throwing, running after the ball and sliding to stop it, followed by long throw to the stumps.
* 30 minutes of batting technique with the team coach
* 30 minutes of bowling run-up and technique with the bowling coach.
* Light jog, kick around followed by light stretching
WEEK 2
Saturday match
Lustleigh Vs Ivybridge (50 over league match)
Batting Stats
Opposition
Ivybridge
Batting Position
7
Team Runs Scored
213
Individual Runs Scored
4 not out
Balls Faced
6
Four's Scored
Six's Scored
0
Strike Rate
87.5
Shots On Off-Side
5
Shots On Leg-Side
7
Shots In Air
Drop Catches
0
Batting Graph
Bowling Stats
Overs Bowled
8
Maidens
2
Runs Conceded
20
Wickets
2
Average
20.00
Wides
No-Balls
Balls Down leg Side
Run Rate
2.5
FIELDING
Positions occupied
Slip and Fine Leg
Catches
Dropped Catches
2
Diving Stops
3
Misfields
4
STRENGTHS IN MATCH 2
Even though I was only in bat for a short time I made sure my scoring rate was good.
In my short innings I didn't give any chances to the opposition.
My bowling was a strength in this match, took two wickets both bowled and only bowled two extras in eight overs.
Areas selected for further development:
My fitness as I was feeling very tired in the last couple of overs I bowled and my bowling speed seemed to be a lot slower than at the start of my spell.
I felt my fielding was poor, as I am not used to fielding in slip.
TARGETS
To improve fielding by practising fielding at slip, work on my endurance so I don't feel so tired during long spells of bowling. Improve on my catching from close range.
IMPROVEMENTS MADE:
I felt that I have improved on some certain areas from the last match; in a spell of eight overs I only bowled one no ball, which I put down to marking my bowling run-up out properly.
PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS
I always felt that if I were allowed to bowl a long spell that I would bowl well, I always struggle to bowl short spells that is why I am not as good in twenty over matches. I thought that bowled extremely well in this game and bowled quickly. I did tire towards the end of my speed as to be expected and although I wasn't at the same speed, I still kept the runs down. As I was only batting for a short time it's hard to analysis my performance, the good thing is that I remained not out again and didn't just swing the bat at anything and still scored my runs at a good rate. My fielding was the area of my game I was most disappointed with as I dropped two catches and made four misfields, I did hold on to a catch at fine-leg. I spent the majority of their innings fielding a t slip, which I feel, isn't my best position as I struggle to catch from close range which is something I need to work on. Match Rating 6
SUNDAY
No match
TUESDAY Match
Bovey Tracey Vs South Devon (20 over cup match)
Batting Stats
Opposition
South Devon
Batting Position
0
Team Runs Scored
12
Individual Runs Scored
2
Balls Faced
4
Four's Scored
0
Six's Scored
0
Strike Rate
50
Shots On Off-Side
3
Shots On Leg-Side
0
Shots In Air
Drop Catches
0
Drop Catches
0
Batting Graph
Bowling Stats
Overs Bowled
4
Maidens
0
Runs Conceded
24
Wickets
2
Average
2.00
Wides
3
No-Balls
0
Balls Down leg Side
3
Run Rate
6.0
FIELDING
Positions occupied
Point, 45 and Mid-off
Catches
Dropped Catches
0
Diving Stops
5
Misfields
STRENGTHS IN MATCH 3
* Having bowling figures of 2-24
* Having an excellent game in the field, saving runs and taking a catch.
Areas selected for further development:
* When hitting in the air try to beat the field.
TARGETS
* Build up strength to hit the ball further.
PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS
I think I bowled well in this game especially when they were always going to go after my bowling as I was the youngest in the bowling attack and it was a twenty over cup match. I went through one over where I bowled two wides and got hit for two fours, but in the next over game back with two wickets, which I think showed a lot of character, and showed I can handle the pressure. I also took a one-handed catch to remove their best batsmen; this almost won the match for us. Match Rating 6
NAME
Craig Bartlett
SPORT
Cricket
DATE
Thursday Week2
START
TIME
6:00pm
FINISH TIME
7:30pm
TOTAL TRAINING TIME
hr 30min
STAGE
AIM OF SESSION
Practice fielding, bowling and batting techniques.
BENEFITS OF SESSION
To get your technique in order for the forthcoming weekend matches. And to improve fielding.
WARM UP
MAIN CONTENT
COOL DOWN
* 3 laps around the pitch
* Stretching
* Shuttle runs
* Fielding drill.
* 10 minutes, bowling machine catching, the ball is fired from the bowling machine up in the air.
* 10 minutes of fielding drills, stopping the ball and throwing it at one stump.
* 10 minutes of long distance throwing, running after the ball and sliding to stop it, followed by long throw to the stumps.
* 30 minutes of batting technique with the team coach
* 30 minutes of bowling run-up and technique with the bowling coach.
* Light jog, kick around followed by light stretching
FRIDAY
Gym work
Since a cricketer needs to have strong upper body strength I though that two weight sessions a week would help develop my overall strength and fitness.
FRIDAY
35 minute run SPEED: 12 Kmph DISTANCE: 7000m
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
WEIGHT
Full Bicep Curl
3
0
2.5Kg
3/4 Bicep Curl
3
0
5Kg
Peck Deck
3
0
5Kg
Bench Press
3
0
50Kg
Angel Wings
3
0
5Kg
Curl + Press
3
0
25Kg
21's
3
21
0Kg
Lunges
3
0
20Kg
Knee Raises
3
0
Squat
3
0
50Kg
Leg Curl
3
0
Knee Extension
3
0
Press-Ups
4
70
-------
Sit-Ups
4
30
-------
Pull-Ups
4
2
-------
Dips
4
0
-------
Tricep Kick-Backs
3
0
WEEK 3
Saturday match
Lustleigh Vs Dawlish (50 over league match)
Batting Stats
Opposition
Dawlish
Batting Position
7
Team Runs Scored
240
Individual Runs Scored
26
Balls Faced
20
Four's Scored
4
Six's Scored
0
Strike Rate
30
Shots On Off-Side
0
Shots On Leg-Side
7
Shots In Air
0
Drop Catches
0
Batting Graph
Bowling Stats
Overs Bowled
6
Maidens
0
Runs Conceded
30
Wickets
Average
30.00
Wides
4
No-Balls
2
Balls Down leg Side
7
Run Rate
5.0
FIELDING
Positions occupied
Point, Gully, Square leg and Third man.
Catches
0
Dropped Catches
3
Diving Stops
6
Misfields
5
STRENGTHS IN MATCH 4
* Scoring runs quickly when the team had a mini collapse.
* After a poor start (3 overs for 22 runs) I cam back and bowled well and got a deserved wicket.
Areas selected for further development:
* After having a good start in bat, I have a swing at a straight ball and got bowled.
* Dropping three catches through a lack of concentration and nerves
* My first three overs went for 22 runs and I bowled four wides in that spell.
* Once making fielding mistakes at vital times during the match.
TARGETS
* Work intensively on my ground fielding and catching.
* Keeping my composure when under pressure.
IMPROVEMENTS MADE:
Once again after bowling a few very poor overs I made sure that didn't damage my confidence too much and came back with three good overs ad took a wicket with a good ball.
PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS
With the exception of my batting for a bit and three overs I felt I had a very poor match, I made mistakes in the field and dropped a batsmen on seven and he went onto to make eighty-four. I also bowled three extremely poor overs which made my bowling figures look bad even with a good last three overs. I also stopped a ball from hitting the stumps when a run-out attempt was made. Match Rating 4
SUNDAY
Lustleigh Vs Stokenteignhead (40 over Friendly match)
Batting Stats
Opposition
Stokenteignhead
Batting Position
3
Team Runs Scored
80
Individual Runs Scored
34
Balls Faced
33
Four's Scored
5
Six's Scored
0
Strike Rate
03
Shots On Off-Side
9
Shots On Leg-Side
2
Shots In Air
2
Drop Catches
Batting Graph
Bowling Stats
Overs Bowled
6
Maidens
3
Runs Conceded
8
Wickets
2
Average
4.0
Wides
0
No-Balls
Balls Down leg Side
0
Run Rate
5.0
FIELDING
Positions occupied
Point, cover and Fine Leg
Catches
2
Dropped Catches
Diving Stops
3
Misfields
STRENGTHS IN MATCH 5
* Batting was attacking and defensive at the same time, hit the balls that were poor and defended the good balls.
* Bowled on target for my entire six over spell and bowled as quick as I could.
* Took a superb diving catch after running a good 20 yards.
Areas selected for further development:
* Getting out playing a reverse sweep.
* Losing concentration in friendly matches.
* Dropping a simple catch.
TARGETS
* To keep concentrating even if playing in a friendly match.
PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS
A complete contrast to Saturday's performance, there was no pressure to perform and I relaxed and batted, bowled and fielded well. Only the occasional lack of concentration prevented me from having a really good game. Match Rating 7
MONDAY
35 minute run, speed: 12 Kmph Distance: 7000meters
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
WEIGHT
Full Bicep Curl
3
0
2.5Kg
3/4 Bicep Curl
3
0
5Kg
Peck Deck
3
0
5Kg
Bench Press
3
8
50Kg
Upright Row
3
0
5Kg
Angel Wings
3
0
5Kg
Press-Ups
4
50
-------
Sit-Ups
4
25
-------
Pull-Ups
4
0
-------
Tricep Dips
4
0
-------
NAME
Craig Bartlett
SPORT
Cricket
DATE
Tuesday Week 3
START
TIME
6:30pm
FINISH TIME
8:00pm
TOTAL TRAINING TIME
hr 30 min
STAGE
AIM OF SESSION
To cut down the amount of wides I bowl.
Clock my bowling speed.
BENEFITS OF SESSION
To see how my bowling speed has improved. To help me to bowl better while under pressure.
WARM UP
MAIN CONTENT
COOL DOWN
* 3 laps around the pitch
* Stretching
* Shuttle runs
* Fielding drill.
* 10 minute net facing human bowlers
* 10 minute net using the bowling machine, set-up to deliver bowls in different areas.
* 10 minutes of throw downs.
* 10 minutes bowling at one stump.
* Bowl with the speed gun. (66mph Average)
* The rest of the time spent bowling at my team-mates.
* Light jog, kick around followed by light stretching
NAME
Craig Bartlett
SPORT
Cricket
DATE
Thursday Week3
START
TIME
6:00pm
FINISH TIME
7:30pm
TOTAL TRAINING TIME
hr 30min
STAGE
AIM OF SESSION
Practice fielding, bowling and batting techniques.
BENEFITS OF SESSION
To get your technique in order for the forthcoming weekend matches. And to improve fielding.
WARM UP
MAIN CONTENT
COOL DOWN
* 3 laps around the pitch
* Stretching
* Shuttle runs
* Fielding drill.
* 10 minutes, bowling machine catching, the ball is fired from the bowling machine up in the air.
* 10 minutes of fielding drills, stopping the ball and throwing it at one stump.
* 10 minutes of long distance throwing, running after the ball and sliding to stop it, followed by long throw to the stumps.
* 30 minutes of batting technique with the team coach
* 30 minutes of bowling run-up and technique with the bowling coach.
* Light jog, kick around followed by light stretching
FRIDAY
35 minute run SPEED: 12 Kmph DISTANCE: 7000m
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
WEIGHT
Full Bicep Curl
3
0
2.5Kg
3/4 Bicep Curl
3
0
5Kg
Peck Deck
3
0
5Kg
Bench Press
3
0
50Kg
Angel Wings
3
0
5Kg
Curl + Press
3
0
25Kg
21's
3
21
0Kg
Lunges
3
0
20Kg
Knee Raises
3
0
Squat
3
0
50Kg
Leg Curl
3
0
Knee Extension
3
0
Press-Ups
4
70
-------
Sit-Ups
4
30
-------
Pull-Ups
4
2
-------
Dips
4
0
-------
Tricep Kick-Backs
3
0
Season Stats after three weeks.
Batting
Matches
Innings
Runs
Not outs
Highest
Average
50's
5
5
18
2
42*
39.33
0
Bowling
Matches
Overs
Maidens
Runs
Wickets
Average
Run Rate
Wides
No-Balls
Best Bowling
5
28
5
00
7
4.29
3.57
8
4
2-8
Matches
Catches
Drops
Misfields
Sliding Stops
Catching Percentage
5
6
7
8
4
46.15
Bleep Test Level
0.8
WEEK 4
Saturday Match
Lustleigh Vs Kenn (50 over League match)
Batting Stats
Opposition
Kenn
Batting Position
6
Team Runs Scored
220
Individual Runs Scored
46
Balls Faced
60
Four's Scored
4
Six's Scored
Strike Rate
76.66
Shots On Off-Side
24
Shots On Leg-Side
28
Shots In Air
6
Drop Catches
0
Batting Graph
Bowling Stats
Overs Bowled
0
Maidens
5
Runs Conceded
23
Wickets
3
Average
7.66
Wides
No-Balls
0
Balls Down leg Side
2
Run Rate
2.3
FIELDING
Positions occupied
Slip, Mid-on, Cover, Fine leg, Point and long-on.
Catches
2
Dropped Catches
0
Diving Stops
5
Misfields
2
STRENGTHS IN MATCH 6
* Played my best innings of the season with also was my highest score.
* Took best figures in the season and very economical.
* Didn't drop a catch, and took one at slip.
* Concentration level was high throughout game.
* Awarded man-of-the-match for the first time.
Areas selected for further development:
* Once I'm batting well, go on to make a big score.
TARGETS
* To make a fifty.
* To develop my fielding after a good performance.
PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS
Easily my best performance of the season so far, a superb bowling display followed by a confident and well organised batting with some excellent fielding as well. Although we were in trouble when I came out to bat I made sure that when I was out we were in a strong position. Had a partnership of 112 with the captain. My bowling spell was exceptional with five maidens in a spell of ten. I also bowled my ten overs straight out and felt I could have gone on. My fielding was also good with a few fine stops at point and good catch at slip were I had struggled in an earlier match, the work I have done on my fielding seemed to have paid off during this match. And finally got a mention in the league match report, this is something I had set myself to achieve before the six-week period and even before that at the beginning of the season. Match Rating 9
Sunday Match
Lustleigh Vs Erractics (50 over Friendly match)
Batting Stats
Opposition
Erratics
Batting Position
3
Team Runs Scored
65
Individual Runs Scored
Balls Faced
6
Four's Scored
0
Six's Scored
0
Strike Rate
.66
Shots On Off-Side
2
Shots On Leg-Side
2
Shots In Air
0
Drop Catches
0
Batting Graph
Bowling Stats
Overs Bowled
5
Maidens
0
Runs Conceded
37
Wickets
0
Average
----
Wides
3
No-Balls
Balls Down leg Side
5
Run Rate
7.4
FIELDING
Positions occupied
Point and Fine-leg
Catches
2
Dropped Catches
Diving Stops
6
Misfields
STRENGTHS IN MATCH 7
* My fielding performance.
Areas selected for further development:
* Stamina.
TARGETS
* I haven't performed well in both matches in a whole weekend so far this season, improve my stamina so I feel 100% for both games
PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS
It was a baking hot day and I had to field and watch the opposition score over three hundred in fifty overs. The fielding took a lot out of me and was chasing balls to the boundary often, I bowled my overs towards the end of innings and the batsmen were already set and they took my bowling apart. I wasn't bowling at 100% pace, as I was tired from fielding. One wicket straight away after tea so I was in bat straight away and was physically drained from yesterdays match and my fielding and bowling display and played lazy shots against good bowlers. Overall it was a poor performance with the exception of my fielding and I was really tired after this match. Match Rating 3
MONDAY
35 minute run, speed: 12 Kmph Distance: 7000meters
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
WEIGHT
Full Bicep Curl
3
0
2.5Kg
3/4 Bicep Curl
3
0
5Kg
Peck Deck
3
0
5Kg
Bench Press
3
8
50Kg
Upright Row
3
0
5Kg
Angel Wings
3
0
5Kg
Press-Ups
4
50
-------
Sit-Ups
4
25
-------
Pull-Ups
4
0
-------
Tricep Dips
4
0
-------
TUESDAY MATCH
Lustleigh vs South Devon (Brockman Cup Final)
Batting Stats
Opposition
South Devon
Batting Position
8
Team Runs Scored
21
Individual Runs Scored
0 not out
Balls Faced
2
Four's Scored
0
Six's Scored
0
Strike Rate
-----
Shots On Off-Side
Shots On Leg-Side
0
Shots In Air
0
Drop Catches
0
Batting Graph
Bowling Stats
Overs Bowled
Maidens
0
Runs Conceded
4
Wickets
0
Average
----
Wides
0
No-Balls
0
Balls Down leg Side
0
Run Rate
4.0
FIELDING
Positions occupied
Mid-on, Point, Cover and Long-on
Catches
Dropped Catches
0
Diving Stops
8
Misfields
0
STRENGTHS IN MATCH 8
* My fielding performance.
Areas selected for further development:
TARGETS
*
PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS
It was the cup final I was selected for bowling and pulled with a back injury after just four balls (all had been dot balls until then) and was only able to bowl one over. Although I had an injury I fielded superbly well and was probably the best fielder and took a good close range catch. Match Rating 5
THURSDAY
No training recovering from injury to try and play in the last league match on Saturday.
WEEK 5
SATURDAY MATCH
Lustleigh Vs Woodland Fort (50 over League match)
Batting Stats
Opposition
Woodland Fort
Batting Position
Team Runs Scored
41
Individual Runs Scored
43 not out
Balls Faced
74
Four's Scored
3
Six's Scored
0
Strike Rate
58.18
Shots On Off-Side
24
Shots On Leg-Side
40
Shots In Air
2
Drop Catches
5
Batting Graph
FIELDING
Positions occupied
Slip, cover, 45 and mid-on
Catches
0
Dropped Catches
2
Diving Stops
2
Misfields
0
STRENGTHS IN MATCH 9
* Although I was under pressure I stayed calm and remained unbeaten at the end of the game and hit the winning runs.
Areas selected for further development:
* Try to hit the ball on the ground while under pressure.
TARGETS
* Make a fifty, concentrate while fielding.
PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS
The back injury meant that I would be unable to bowl for the remaining games in the season. Having being asked to open the batting for the first time I produced one of my best batting displays ever. Although I did hit a lot of shots in the air I had to deal with a superb bowling display and kept concentrating until the end and finally got another mention in the league match report. Match Rating 7
Sunday Match
Lustleigh Vs Ashburton (40 over Friendly match)
Batting Stats
Opposition
Ashburton
Batting Position
Team Runs Scored
266
Individual Runs Scored
33
Balls Faced
31
Four's Scored
2
Six's Scored
0
Strike Rate
06.45
Shots On Off-Side
0
Shots On Leg-Side
6
Shots In Air
6
Drop Catches
3
Batting Graph
FIELDING
Positions occupied
Slip, cover, 45 and mid-on
Catches
Dropped Catches
0
Diving Stops
6
Misfields
2
STRENGTHS IN MATCH 10
* I felt it was my best batting display until I was run-out
Areas selected for further development:
* When batting well don't go for silly runs.
TARGETS
* Make a fifty, and make sure I don't get run-out again as it's the worst way to get out.
PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS
I felt I batted well for the time I was in and thought I would score my first fifty, but I went for a silly run and was run-out, although it thought it was a dodgy decision. Match Rating 6
NAME
Craig Bartlett
SPORT
Cricket
DATE
Tuesday Week 5
START
TIME
6:30pm
FINISH TIME
8:00pm
TOTAL TRAINING TIME
hr 30 min
STAGE
AIM OF SESSION
Find Weaknesses and Strengths in game at the end of season.
BENEFITS OF SESSION
To see how my bowling speed has improved.
Setting Targets for next season.
WARM UP
MAIN CONTENT
COOL DOWN
* 3 laps around the pitch
* Stretching
* Shuttle runs
* Fielding drill.
* 10 minute net facing human bowlers
* 10 minute net using the bowling machine, set-up to deliver bowls in different areas.
* 20 minutes discussing targets for next season
* The rest of the time spent bowling at my teammates.
* Light jog, kick around followed by light stretching
NAME
Craig Bartlett
SPORT
Cricket
DATE
Thursday Week 5
START
TIME
6:00pm
FINISH TIME
7:30pm
TOTAL TRAINING TIME
hr 30 min
STAGE
AIM OF SESSION
Have Fun
BENEFITS OF SESSION
To see how my bowling speed has improved.
Setting Targets for next season.
WARM UP
MAIN CONTENT
COOL DOWN
* 3 laps around the pitch
* Stretching
* Shuttle runs
* Fielding drill.
* 50 minute practice game.
* Slip cradle competition
* Light jog, kick around followed by light stretching
FRIDAY
35 minute run SPEED: 12 Kmph DISTANCE: 7000m
EXERCISE
SETS
REPS
WEIGHT
Full Bicep Curl
3
0
2.5Kg
3/4 Bicep Curl
3
0
5Kg
Peck Deck
3
0
5Kg
Bench Press
3
0
50Kg
Angel Wings
3
0
5Kg
Curl + Press
3
0
25Kg
21's
3
21
0Kg
Lunges
3
0
Knee Raises
3
0
Squat
3
0
Leg Curl
3
0
Knee Extension
3
0
Press-Ups
4
70
-------
Sit-Ups
4
30
-------
Pull-Ups
4
2
-------
Dips
4
-------
Tricep Kick-Backs
3
0
WEEK 6
SATURDAY MATCH
Lustleigh Vs Denbury (40 over Friendly match)
Batting Stats
Opposition
Denbury
Batting Position
Team Runs Scored
212
Individual Runs Scored
43
Balls Faced
36
Four's Scored
8
Six's Scored
0
Strike Rate
27.77
Shots On Off-Side
20
Shots On Leg-Side
1
Shots In Air
5
Drop Catches
Batting Graph
FIELDING
Positions occupied
Point, Cover, Square Leg and Mid-on.
Catches
2
Dropped Catches
2
Diving Stops
4
Misfields
4
STRENGTHS IN MATCH 11
* The bowling was poor, so I took it apart.
Areas selected for further development:
* Don't get carried away when the bowling was poor.
TARGETS
* Make a fifty, and make sure I don't get carried away when the bowling isn't great.
PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS
I should have gone on to make a big score today as the bowling was really poor, but I played a really stupid shot to probably the worst bowler and was caught on the boundary. MATCH RATING 6
SUNDAY MATCH
Lustleigh Vs Ipplepen (40 over Friendly match)
Batting Stats
Opposition
Ipplepen
Batting Position
Team Runs Scored
73
Individual Runs Scored
33
Balls Faced
37
Four's Scored
2
Six's Scored
0
Strike Rate
89.19
Shots On Off-Side
3
Shots On Leg-Side
4
Shots In Air
Drop Catches
0
Batting Graph
FIELDING
Positions occupied
Sqaure Leg, Point and long-on
Catches
Dropped Catches
0
Diving Stops
8
Misfields
STRENGTHS IN MATCH 12
* The only time in the season where I didn't hit too many shots in the air and I managed not to give a catches. I was facing two aussie quick bowlers who were very accurate and I felt to score thirty three opening the batting was a
Areas selected for further development:
*
TARGETS
*
PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS
I was facing two aussie quick bowlers who were very accurate and I felt to score thirty three opening the batting was a good achievement and I thought I fielded well especially as it was the last game of the season and there was nothing to play for. MATCH RATING 7
Season Stats after the second three-week period.
Batting
Matches
Innings
Runs
Not outs
Highest
Average
50's
7
7
99
2
46
39.80
0
Bowling
Matches
Overs
Maidens
Runs
Wickets
Average
Run Rate
Wides
No-Balls
Best Bowling
3
6
5
64
3
21.33
4.00
4
3-23
Fielding
Matches
Catches
Drops
Misfields
Sliding Stops
Catching Percentage
7
9
5
39
0
64.29
Season Stats after the six-week period
Batting
Matches
Innings
Runs
Not outs
Highest
Average
50's
2
2
317
4
46
39.63
0
Bowling
Matches
Overs
Maidens
Runs
Wickets
Average
Run Rate
Wides
No-Balls
Best Bowling
8
44
0
64
0
6.40
3.72
2
5
3-23
Fielding
Matches
Catches
Drops
Misfields
Sliding Stops
Catching Percentage
2
5
2
57
24
55.55
Bleep Test Level
1.4
CONCLUSION
Before starting the analysis of my six-week period I set myself certain targets, and although I am doing a review of my season I do actually set myself targets as I feel it is a way of tracking progress. I set myself targets within my actual game (to improve my off-side shots, which will ultimately help my to achieve a fifty) and targets to achieve (score a fifty). During my conclusion I want to set certain targets for next season as well in conjunction to what I have managed to achieve this season.
Although I was only analysing a six-week period I believe I have made big improvements. I set myself a target at the beginning of the period to break through into the league it just so happens were absences during the first week and I made my debut in the league. Once achieving this I wanted to establish myself in the team so that the league appearance was not a solitary one. My first match in the league was against Roborough and I scored forty-two not out which I think was a good debut. In a way I achieved my first major target in my first game as I made my debut and gave a performance that meant that it was going more than just the one. At the start of my six-week period I identified that my off-side shots are a weakness in my batting, I tend to drag a lot of shots to leg-side, when the more appropriate shot would be on the off-side. This was evident during my first innings when I only fourteen out of fifty five shots on the offside. This area of weakness is probably down to having a year of cricket without coaching. I have also noticed that I hit a lot of my shots in the air, which against a team who are good in the field will prove costly. To improve this during my six-week I decided to work on these areas in training. I set-up the bowling machine to deliver bowls jut outside off stump so it improves my off-side play and I get into a habit of playing on the off-side. I also got the coach to spend about ten minutes every training session giving me throw downs outside the off stump. I have noticed a gradual improvement with my offside shots throughout the period, there wasn't a drastic improvement but by the end of the six-week period my scoring graph was a lot more even and I was hitting the ball where it should be hit. As you can see throughout the six-week period the amount of shots I was hitting on the offside have gradually increased. I think I have turned my offside shots into a habitual skill, where as before I had to really concentrate to hit the ball on the offside. You can noticed that my off-side shots have improved as the last few matches I was hitting roughly the same amount of shots on the off-side as I was on the leg-side which shows a marked and quick improvement, it was something I had expected though, as weaknesses within sport can be quickly correctly with intensive coaching.
Something that I was quite surprised with during my six-week period was how quickly my bowling speed was improving. At the start of the period I was bowling at 63mph and only three weeks later I was consistently bowling around 66mph, I was unable to clock my speed at the end of the six-week period as I had pulled a muscle in my back and was unable to bowl for the last two weeks of the season. I had stated that I wanted to be able to bowl between 65-67mph at the end of training period, unfortunately I wasn't to clock my speed at the end but I do believe that if I were able to bowl during those last two weeks I would have bowled at 70mph. I think if I could have my bowling speed clocked during a bowling spell in an exciting match I could have possibly reached something near 73-75mph. I think with adrenalin of high intense match that would give me the extra pace. Although I haven't being doing any sprint training, I put my increase in bowling speed down to weight training, and careful analysis of my bowling action. I "ironed out" all the mistakes and flaws in my bowling action so that is felt comfortable and smooth. I have also worked closely with my coach with my bowling run-up, it has now been marked out properly so I am not worrying about the crease while I'm bowling. I think the strength work I have done has definitely improved my throwing arm and my bowling speed. This is how I can prove that my strength has improved over just a few weeks. I feel I don't have to put as much effort in throwing the ball to the stumps from the boundary now. Although I haven't done any sprint (in retrospect I think I should have) work my bowling speed has probably benefited from doing a 7k run two times a week. It enables me to bowl longer spells which I did just before I got the injury. I would have to say I have been pleased with the progress I have in terms of bowling speed, as although I set myself to improve by 5mph I new that was going to be unrealistic, but having seen how I progressed I truly believe that if I had been able to bowl in the last two weeks I would have reached my target, unfortunately I will never know.
Although I am an all-rounder I feel that the best chance of breaking through into the league side is to be batsmen that can bowl. I set myself the target of averaging over thirty at the end of the six-period and to be honest I think this was an easy target to meet, especially playing in league matches where I batted around five, six and seven and there were opportunities to remain not out at the end of the innings which obviously doubles your average. At the end of the six-week period I ended up with an average of 39.63, which is a bit of shame as it would have been good to average forty. Throughout the six weeks my batting average didn't dip below the thirty mark, which shows me that maybe I set my target a bit low, but with no previous benchmarks to go by I didn't know exactly what to predict. At one stage my average did go down to the low thirties and at that stage it might have looked like my target could have been in trouble but for majority of the six-weeks my batting average hovered around the forty mark. It's hard to judge why my batting was so consistent; I made sure that I practised during training. I think I just found a good vain of form and managed to keep my average close to forty without scoring any big scores, and this was down to the fact that I remained not out on four occasions. I think probably the major reason why I was consistent was every time I discovered something wrong with my batting and went to the next net session and pacifically worked on that area of my batting and so my faults were quickly corrected although I don't think all the practice in the world can stop you playing rash shots, that's just down to experience and patience. After looking at my batting stats in the six-week period I would have to say that I am pleased with the outcome, without scoring a fifty I achieved my target.
This leads me onto another target I set myself within my batting. Having played cricket for a while now I had never scored a fifty, as my batting had only become a priority last year. So I felt with the amount of friendlies we play there was definitely a chance of fifty, especially with some off our opponents not being the best. Unfortunately I didn't manage to achieve my aim although I did remain not out on forty three and forty two were I felt if there had been more time I would have made fifty's. I think the major reason why I didn't make a fifty was lack of experience and a lack of patience. I was in several situations where the bowling was poor and i was scoring runs quickly and there was no danger of getting and I threw my wicket away by playing a rash shot. This happened several times throughout the six-week period and this is something I will have to look at next season, if I am to become a regular batsmen for the league side then I am going to have to make big scores throughout the season and sometimes thirty's and forty's and just not enough. Although there isn't anything specific I can do to change this I think I will just have to concentrate a bit more and think about what I'm doing when I'm in the forty's as I feel once I have made one fifty then I wont have a problem getting there again.
Once I got into the league side I could have a go at getting in the match report. Before I had my man of the match performance I felt I had been performing consistently and felt it was only time until I had a really good performance. Although I had been consistent in the league I had never had a really all-round performance. Other times I had performed well with the bat and not with the ball and vice versa, and sometimes I had good performance with both but had a mere in the field. In match six everything went right. I batted at six and made forty-six runs and felt really pumped about bowling. The adrenalin was really high and it was a very important match. We had only scored two hundred twenty from our fifty overs and we all felt that it was about forty too few. Everyone was really up for match and felt if I had a chance to bowl that I would bowl well. In the early overs of their innings I made few really good diving stops and took a catch a slip, so I knew if I bowled that I would bowl well, I felt it was just one of those days where everything was going right. When I did bowl I returned with my best figures of the season 3-28 off my ten overs. I was awarded man-of-the-match for this performance. You can never really attach one thing to why you had a good match it is normally down to a number of factors. I had been putting the effort in during training to correct my technique and correct all the faults, I also felt part of the team, if I had been in that situation in my first match I don't think I would have had the confidence to bowl so quickly straight away in my bowling spell as I would have the felt the fear of failure. But having been in the team for a few weeks I backed my own ability to perform under pressure and after analysing my performance throughout the six weeks I feel I perform better under pressure. Although I didn't have another man-of-the-match performance I did get another mention in the match report for my resilient batting against Woodland Fort when I opened the batting and once again I was under pressure as some of the opposition bowlers were really getting fired up ands I could have easily just took a swing at a ball and got out.
"Reflection is what allows us to learn from our experiences, it is an assessment of where we have been and where we want to go next." Kenneth Wolf
I think this relevant to me as after my first league match where I had a chance of glory but took a swing at a ball and missed it and got bowled and missed the opportunity to score a fifty on debut. I had taken that match under my belt and kept telling myself not to do it again and there were several times during the Woodland fort innings were I had to stop and compose myself. If I hadn't learned anything from the innings earlier in the season I would have probably would have got out against Woodland fort and would not have impressed my captain. I would definitely agree with Kenneth wolf's quote as if we did not reflect we wouldn't know how to improve and so would keep making the same mistakes and wouldn't move forward in terms of improvement. I have definitely been impressed with the way I have performed during league matches and the fact that I have appeared in two league match reports, when one of my aims was just to get into the league team, shows my quick improvement with the mental game.
Last season I felt that when I was performing I was hindered by the fact that my fitness levels weren't up to a high standard. So I set myself to be at a better fitness level. Although I couldn't really test how it has improved within my game play I did three bleep tests. At the start of the program I recorded a level of 10.6, which I was a bit disappointed with as I was hoping for 11. After three weeks it had only improved slightly to 10.8 but I had only just started my fitness program. My last test produced results of 11.4, which was a big improvement from week three, but I thought I would make an improvement as I felt fitter and my fitness training had improved my fitness levels a great deal. The reason why I had made such a great improvement at the end as I had been doing my fitness work for four weeks and when you run 15k per week it is bound to improve your fitness levels. I also felt the improvement with my running between the wickets and found I could go for a lot more quick singles. Also my fielding improved during the second half of the six-week period. I was making a lot more diving stops and I found myself cutting a lot more balls off before reaching the boundary. Although I designed my fitness program to help me bowl longer spells it has helped in many aspects in my game and you could even attribute my consistent batting to my fitness programme as I my levels of fatigue were shorter and so I was less likely to produce false shots and be able to concentrate for longer periods.
I set myself tough targets in terms of my bowling, as I know that as long as I get a chance to bowl regularly I will bowl well. I feel my bowling is my strength and is something that comes naturally to me. As already stated my bowling speed was coming on leaps and bounds probably down to having a lot of match practice an bowling a lot of overs brings confidence to try new things. Unfortunately after four weeks I pulled up in a twenty overmatch with a pulled muscle. This meant that all any chance of opening the bowling for in the league and picking up twenty wickets were gone. I had missed five matches where I could have bowled and needed to pick up a further ten wickets, which I felt could have been done even though I had only taken ten in the previous eight matches. I felt although I had taken many wickets that my bowling was improving along with the fact that I was getting quicker with each game. But although I designed a weights programme designed to build-up upper strength to increase my bowling speed it probably back-fired as I hadn't put any exercises to strengthen my back and with the weights on the front of the body it probably made my back weaker and more prone to injuries. If I were to set myself a weight programme in conjunction with my cricket season a gain I would have to include exercises that strengthened my back as well so I was working the body evenly. Before the start of the six-week period I set myself nine targets to achieve I have managed to achieve six of them, which I think is a decent effort, and could have possibly achieved eight if it wasn't for an injury.
I think I have made improvements in many different areas throughout my the six-week period and many of the performance profiles have shown this, I have also rated my cricketing abilities myself at the start middle and end of the six-week period. This shows how much I think I have improved. I think the most drastic improvement was with my bowling speed, as I didn't think I would have improved so much during six weeks. I went from bowling at 62-63mph to 66-67mph, which only a short space of time is big improvement. I also think my strength has improved a great deal over the weeks, but I think I expected this as it was the first time I designed a weight training programme specifically for cricket and strength. Something I hadn't really anticipated was that I would make drastic improvement with my throwing. Thursday nights was really dedicated to fielding and throughout the six-weeks I noticed that my throwing from distance was becoming more accurate and consistent, a number of factors helped this the fact that we spent twenty minutes every Thursday practicing throwing and technique, but I also strengthened my shoulders and arms which has helped me get more power and distance in the throws.
Something that I was disappointed with was my fielding, as it went in peak and troughs, one week it was good then the next week it was poor. Even though I spent a lot of time in training practising I never seemed to get any consistency. This was probably down to the fact I never really had a set position to field and so was always being moved around. I was really disappointed in the fact that I dropped twelve catches, which is an average of one-drop catch per match, which is a really poor match. My fielding is something I am going to have to look at in depth for next season and really set some goals as to where I want to be in relation to my skill and performance level while fielding.
As this being the first season where I set myself goals to achieve I possibly didn't know how difficult or easy certain would be to achieve I now have a benchmark to work by for next season.
IMPROVEMENTS
If I were to evaluate a certain during a cricket seasons again there would be many things I would do differently in retrospect. Firstly I believe that certain targets I set myself were really related to SMART. I think that averaging thirty over six weeks was far too easy and didn't really challenge me as I didn't even dip below an average of thirty-two. I think I should have looked at what I had done in the past and analysed what I think would have been a more realistic target. In retrospect thirty-five or forty would have be more realistic and challenging. I think that saying want to improve my fitness levels was far too vague, and it made it hard for me too record improvements and thus hard analyse records and stats. If were to do this assignment again I would assign certain targets to each aspect of fitness for example stamina, speed and flexibility. This give me an idea of what areas of fitness I need to concentrate on and improve, as I so I could dedicate more time to that area rather than spending too much time on areas that are already good.
I think something I could do to improve this in the future is to have regular testing throughout training sessions so I can see how the training sessions have directly helped to improve skills and helped it making improvements in my game.
TARGETS
After seeing how I have progressed in a six-week period it easier to set targets for the next season. Just as a basic target setting I have some targets I wish to achieve for the whole of next season.
* Make a fifty then a hundred.
* Score over 750 runs in the season
* Take 75% of catches.
* Take 30 wickets
* Bowl at over 70mph.
* Open the bowling and batting in a match.
* Get level 12.5 or over in the bleep test.
* Make over five league appearances.
* Top run scorer in friendlies.
REFERENCES
www.sportcoach.com
Mezirow
Kenneth Wolf
www.sportscience.org
CRAIG BARTLETT
REFLECTIVE PRACTITONER ASSIGMENT
