Physically when I fall over I will try and play in front of my pad and therefore will be twisting my back to reach round my pad, this hurts my back sometimes.
Compared to an Elite Performer
Having watched Kevin Pietersen play the On Drive I observed that his front leg faces straight back down the wicked and is just inside the ball. I also noticed that when his leg went to the ball his head also followed. This told me that if I get my foot to the ball then my head will follow and I won’t fall over. The yellow arrow represents where my foot would come down to a ball of similar line, and this in turn,(red arrow) would push my head wider making it impossible to get my head over the ball and therefore execute the perfect on drive.
By having his foot beside the line of the ball, his head will , in turn, follow and will be in a much better position to execute the shot than myself at the present moment.
Cause Of Weakness
Poor Balance-
Weakness 3
When I am fielding in the ring I am slow on run out opportunities and therefore do not pick up the ball quick enough to run the opposing batsmen out.
Effect of Weakness on Overall Game/Performance
By not having enough speed to get to the ball quickly and affect a run out will let the opposition take quick singles to me and therefore rotate the strike. This is because they know that I am slow to the ball and have more chance of getting a quick single than hitting the ball to any other fielder. This will demotivate the bowler because he may have bowled a good ball but still the batsmen will get a run, likewise my team will get frustrated because they cannot build any pressure by bowling maidens and dot balls. Psychologically I may get angry that I cannot get to the ball quick enough and therefore will not be concentrating fully when a catch comes or my throw at the stumps may be wayward. Physically I could hurt myself trying to get to the ball more quickly, this could result in a strain or sprain which could put me out of action for a few weeks and would frustrate me and my team.
Compared to an Elite Performer
Having watched one of the best fielders of all time, Paul Collingwood, field he did a number of things differently to me. I first noticed that he walks in a very long way to cut off the batsmen’s angles and also walking in far, has the advantage of you having to run less to gather the ball. I also noticed that he was always on the balls of his feet ready to change direction for the ball. I tend to walk in only a little bit, increasing the distance I have to run. Also I am often not on the ball of my feet and therefore cannot adjust to where the ball is hit. Paul Collingwood is also a very fit man and regularly does bleep tests and over speed related tests to increase and maintain his speed. Not only does this help him whilst fielding but also in his running between the wickets.
Cause of Weakness
Lack of speed- When the ball is hit to me I am not fast enough to gather the ball and affect a run out. This is because of a lack of speed in my legs in general. The reasons of my lack of speed are below.
- A Poor Diet- I tend to take in too many fatty foods and not enough carbohydrates for energy. This results in me having low energy levels in a game and also stops me training to increase my speed.
- More slow twitch than fast twitch muscle fibres- I may just have a lack of fast twitch muscle fibres which are good for short sharp bursts of speed and strength and I may have more slow twitch muscle fibres which are good for stamina and running over long distances not short distances.
- ?
Corrections of weakness
To try and increase my speed I will do some interval training regularly in between matches. Interval training is described as mixing periods of hard work with periods of rest. Doing this type of training would replicate the game situation of affecting a run out because you are often inactive for long periods of time and then suddenly need to act.
The above drill is the drill I would use to improve my speed. Essentially it is interval training but it is adapted to replicate the situation of a run out. The coach would label each ball 1, 2, 3 and 4 and randomly with different rest periods would shout a number. The performer would then run as fast as they could to the ball and hit the stumps. I would set up light gates at the starting off point and next to the stumps so I could accurately time how long it took for the performer to sprint to the ball and throw it at the stumps.
The coach would have to make sure the performer did not work for too long because then it would not be interval training but endurance training as well, and we are only looking to improve speed not endurance, whether that be muscular or cardio vascular. The light gates that would be used would be a very accurate way of testing the speed of our performer, we could then monitor whether he was improving his speed.
Weakness 4
I do not have enough power in my tricep to get my bouncers above waist height.
Effect of weakness on Overall/Game Performance
By not having enough power to get my bouncers higher then I am offering the opposition four runs because they can execute the pull shot very easily due to the lack of bounce from my bouncers. This means the opposition can sit on the front foot and wait for the pitched up ball because they know that my bouncers will not push them back. My team may get frustrated that I cannot get my bouncers above waist height because it gives the opposition easy runs, especially if my captain is trying to apply pressure, I give them an easy scoring, high percentage shot. Psychologically I may be of poor arousal levels because I cannot trouble the batsmen on the back foot. Physically I may try to train too hard and therefore I won’t be able to bowl as effectively because quick bowlers need strength and power in their triceps but if they get too large then it can impair the action of bowling.
Compared to an Elite Performer
Having watched England test bowler, Steve Harmison, bowl bouncers I see that he does pretty much the same as me when I bowl. Naturally our actions are very different but he still pulls his non bowling arm in tight to his chest. This generates power. The yellow arrow represents where my bouncers would get, whereas we can see how high Harmison’s bouncers go.
Cause of Weakness
Lack of Power- I do not have enough power to get the ball to bounce higher, preferably at the batsmen’s head. I think that it is the tricep muscle is lacking in power because that is where the power comes from when you bowl. Power is strength x speed. Power relies on the speed at which muscles contract and how with how much force they exert. Muscles lack power for many reasons.
Correction of Weakness
Power could be improved by a weight training programme. However I will only do certain exercises that are very specific to cricket because certain exercises such as bicep curls can impair bowling. As I am looking to improve power I would set my number of repetitions low and the weight I am lifting would be high. I would have to find out my one rep max, which is the amount of weight I can lift in a single contraction. From this I can work out the weight that I will be lifting. I can then work out what weight I will be lifting for, for power it would be a high percentage i.e. 80%.
I would have to warm up intensely so my body is prepared for the training programme. It would consist of a jog and a range of stretches on the arms and chest area.
I would do this programme 3 times a week allowing rest days in between for my muscles to repair due to the intensity of training Power. I have given myself breaks to allow my phosphocreatine stores to be replenished. I have given myself a 2 minute rest because I am looking to improve power, not muscular endurance.
AA2
Weakness 1
I do not get my front elbow high enough and it isn’t bent enough when extending to play a forward defence, so my bat face isn’t facing down.
Effect of Weakness on Overall Game/Performance
By not having my front elbow high enough the opposition team will notice this and will bring in fielders close to the bat to try and get me out caught at silly point or short leg. Also they may bring a spinner on because with this flaw in my technique it is much harder to keep the ball down with an open bat face. I may get psychologically frustrated with this flaw in my technique and this may cause me to try and play other shots to spinners such as sweeps or I may advance down the wicket, increasing the chance of being out. I would do this because I know that my forward defence is weak so I would try and do something different so I do not have to play it that often. My team may get de-motivated is if I keep getting out in the same way- caught by close fielders. This may also put pressure on them to get runs.
Compared to an Elite Performer
Having watched Ricky Ponting play a forward defence I now realise what I am doing wrong with my front elbow. Ricky’s elbow is much more bent than mine and also his bat face is facing down so the ball would naturally go down to the floor eradicating the chance of a catch.
We can see from the red arrow how bent his front arm is, mine would be a lot straighter and therefore naturally the bat face would be facing in an upwards direction. With a solid forward defence the opposition team will think to themselves that I can bat. The forward defence is a fundamental in the game of cricket and Ricky Ponting, having this in his armoury can and will continue to be one of the best batsmen ever.
Cause of Weakness
Lack of flexibility at the elbow joint- My front elbow sometimes is very stiff which is why I cannot extend my elbow during a forward defensive. A Lack of flexibility can be caused by many things.
- Not Warming up- Warming up is a vital piece of modern day sport. It had three stages, a pulse raiser, a stretch and a skill related drill. The stretching part is relevant here; it increases mobility at a joint which will be vital to extend my elbow. I need to pay attention to the stretches we are doing before a game and, if necessary, go off on my own and work on stretching my elbow out on my own or with the aid of a coach.
- ?
Corrections of Weakness
Poor flexibility could be improved by using proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF). With the aid of a coach I would move my elbow to the limit of its range of movement and would stay in the position for several seconds. I would then isometrically contract the tricep muscle for 6-10 seconds. (Pushing against resistance from coach) The muscle is then relaxed and then the muscle is again pushed to the limit of its range of movement and it should be further.
When the tricep muscle contracts isometrically inhibitory signals override excitory signals from the muscle spindles which delay the stretch reflex. This cause the muscle to be relaxed therefore is increasing the range of movement.
I would do PNF during the week, well before a game because of the recovery time needed to overcome the strenuous effects on the target muscle whilst using PNF. If my game was on Saturday I would do PNF probably on Wednesday to allow recovery before Sundays game.
Weakness 2
When I am adducting my front leg whilst playing a back foot defence I tend to get squared on with the bowler resulting in getting caught in the slips.
Effect of Weakness on Overall Game/Performance
By getting square on to fast bowlers the opposition will know that I have a weakness there and try to bowl just short of a length on off stump. This will increase their arousal levels because they know they may have a chance of getting me out. However this could work to my advantage because they could be too focused on bowling there and get over aroused causing a drop in their performance. My confidence levels will drop if I am getting out on the back foot all of the time and therefore I may not get as many runs for my team. This may cause my team to get frustrated and will put pressure on them which may cause anxiety.
Compared to an Elite Performer
Rahul Dravid is a Number 3 batsman who plays international cricket for India. Having watched Rahul Dravid play the Back foot Defensive shot, I can now see what I am doing wrong. When I play the shot my back foot is pointing forward, whereas when Dravid plays the shot his back foot is facing out on the off side. This is a key feature of why I am not playing the shot correctly.
What way my back foot is facing determines where my shoulders go and the rest of my body. If it is facing forward then my shoulders will turn and I will be opened up- increasing the opportunity for an edge to the keeper or slips.
Dravid’s foot is facing to the off side and therefore he stays side on being able to get right behind the ball and play the ball on the off side instead of edging the ball.
Cause of Weakness
Incorrect Stimulus response bond(Operant Conditioning)- When a ball is short of a length outside off stump my back foot goes back and faces straight instead of to the offside. Many factors can influence why I have the incorrect Stimulus Response Bond. Mostly to do with Operant conditioning.
- Poor use of Positive Reinforcement- My coach may have not praised me enough for doing the desired action. For example when my back foot went back and facing to the off side, I was not given praise from my coach.
- Poor use of Negative Reinforcement- My coach would not remove an unpleasant stimulus when I performed the correct action. He would insist that I still wasn’t doing this or that right.
- Incorrect use of Punishment- My coach would make me do laps or press ups if I did things that were wrong but weren’t to do with my back foot. He should of focused only on whether the foot was right.
The use of these three build up and weaken the stimulus response bond because of their poor practice. This will make me more likely to perform the incorrect action of having my back foot face straight down the wicket
Corrections Of Weakness
To correct this weakness I would work hard on my back foot defence in areas of no competition, e.g. in the winter, so that It wouldn’t affect my overall game.
I would get my coach to praise me when my back foot goes back to a short, off stump ball and when it is facing to the off side. This would strengthen the S-R bond between that stimulus and that particular response, increasing the chance of that response occurring. I would also get my coach to shout if I wasn’t doing the correct action and stop shouting when I did it right. This would weaken the S-R bond of the stimulus and the incorrect action and would strengthen the S-R bond of the stimulus and the correct action. If necessary I would get my coach to make me do laps and press ups if the incorrect was performed. This would weaken the S-R bond. I would use punishment in moderation because it can get too much sometimes and can cause demotivation.
Weakness 3
When I am bowling at the end of an innings trying to restrict runs I do not get my arm high enough when rotating to get the ball at the feet of the batsmen.
Effect on Game/Performance
By not having my arm high enough to fire Yorkers at the batsmen’s feet my performance in greatly hindered. The opposing batsman will capitalise on my bowling because I am not bowling in the ‘block hole’ this will cause them to score more runs as a result and give them momentum for the start of their bowling innings. I will get demotivated because I will keep getting hit for runs at the end of an innings and therefore my captain may not use me at the end of the innings which will further demotivated me. My team will get frustrated that I am getting hit for runs and will mean that when we bat we will have to chase more runs, which will put pressure on the batsmen.
Compared to an Elite Performer
Having watched James Anderson bowl I can now see what I am doing wrong. I can improve greatly with the slightest of tweaks to my action. I just need to get my arm higher when I am trying to bowl Yorkers.
The yellow arrow represents where Anderson’s arm is (right next to his ear) and the red arrow shows where my arm would be. If I can just get my arm a little bit higher then the ball will be coming down from a higher angle and therefore it will be easier for me to bowl a Yorker. With my low arm action I am more inclined to bowl shorter than full.
Cause of Weakness
Poor use of Schema Theory
- The movement feels right (Sensory Consequences) however the Response Outcome is wrong because I am not doing what I intend to do.
- I try to use Knowledge of Response Specifications and ask myself what have I got to do to perform the movement, but I am unsure as to what I have to do.
- I have not practised enough parameters to adapt my schema to every situation. E.g. bowling to left handers, bowling to people who are advancing down the wicket, or following the batsmen.
These all build up and make it very hard for me to perform a Yorker, therefore making me less effective in a game situation.
Corrections of Weakness
To develop a further range of schema and parameters to correct this problem my coach can use various ways. Such as;
- Varying the practice
- Avoid blocking practices which are repetition of the same skill
- Ensuring my practice is relevant to a competitive situation
- Setting up small parameters to help with fine adjustments of technique
- Using accurate knowledge and feedback
- Use challenging and progressive tasks
- Develop as many Schema as possible
Weakness 4
When performing the long barrier, I do not extend my arm down far enough and therefore miss the ball.
Effect of Weakness on Overall Game/Performance
By not extending my arm down enough to stop the ball I often give away boundaries, and when your team is trying to build pressure this is most frustrating for my team. The opposition batsmen may see that I let boundaries through and would target me. Also my captain would have to ‘hide me in the field’ which means putting me in a position where the ball doesn’t go very often. This would demotivate me because I want to be trusted to field well and stop boundaries. My team will get frustrated that I cannot stop boundaries, and this in turn will mean they have to chase more runs which will put pressure on them.
Compared to an Elite Performer
Having watched Virender Sehwag perform the long barrier I know what I am doing wrong. It is all about timing and getting you’re hands down once you are in the correct position. I tend to either get them down too early, not in line with the ball, or too late so it hits my leg or I miss the ball completely.
Sehwag watches the ball, gets in line with it, gets his legs in the right position and then gets his hand in position. I should do the same and then I wouldn’t give away boundaries.
Cause of Weakness
Poor Methods of Guidance- The use of poor guidance causes me to go down to the ball in the wrong order and get the timings wrong.
- Incorrect execution of the skill using Visual Guidance- The coach shows me the skill but shows me it incorrectly; this means I will replicate the skill incorrectly.
- Verbal Guidance is poor- I am overloaded with too much information about each little tweak to get it perfect when I should be concentrating on the end result.
- Using Manual Guidance Too Much- I get self reliant on the manual help from the coach to assist me to perform the action. When I am in a game situation that help is not there.
These three mean that I have learned the skill , but I have learnt it incorrectly, therefore performing the wrong skill and missing the ball in the long barrier position.
Corrections of Weakness
To optimize the use of visual guidance the coach’s demonstrations must be accurate and all the information must be relevant to me. All the stimuli must be clear and realistic and the guidance must be used in conjunction with verbal guidance to explain what is happening. When using verbal guidance the coach has to use little bits of information every now and again, not overload me with information that I cannot take in. Also when using manual guidance the coach should slowly stop helping me every session, till I am able to perform the skill on my own.
AA3
Weakness
When batting against spinners I don’t advance down the wicket enough and at the right time.
Effect Of Weakness On Overall Game/Performance
Not advancing down the wicket enough allows the opposition bowler to settle on their line and length without having to worry about changing what they are doing. If I sit back in my crease then I will not accumulate runs easily, especially if the field is in the ring. I may get frustrated by this and then look to play a big shot and may miss time the shot or, worst case scenario, get out. If I do not accumulate runs by advancing down the wicket my team could be under pressure when they come into bat because they will need to score more runs at a faster rate than I was.
Compared to an Elite Performer
Michael Clarke plays for Australia and predominantly bats at number 5 for Australia.
Having watched Michael advance down the wicket on numerous occasions I can see very clearly what he does. He makes his decision early as to whether he is going to come down the wicket. If he has made a mistake and came down the wicket to the wrong ball then he can adjust. I tend to go through with the shot even though the ball isn’t there to play the shot.
He also chooses to come down the wicket to the spinners at regular intervals through the over to ensure runs are scored regularly. He also adjusts to the situation; if a few quick wickets have fallen he still comes down the wicket but not so often. He still will occasionally to keep the score ticking over.
I tend to choose incorrect times to advance down the wicket and I see that advancing down the wicket is not only for smacking the ball for six but to maneuver the ball into gaps as well.
Cause of Weakness
Evaluation Apprehension- When there is a big crowd watching I suffer because I feel that I am being judged.
My anxiety levels increase when I feel I am being evaluated by the other team and/or scouts and coaches. I can advance down the wicket easily during nets sessions or training. But when I get in a game situation I worry about what the spectators think. This results in a deterioration of my skill levels and I get apprehensive about coming down the wicket.
Correction of Weakness
To correct this weakness I will use various methods;
- Develop the use of mental rehearsal- so that I can visualize playing in front of a crowd and not worry about what they think.
- Train in front of others and gradually increase the size of numbers to get used to performing in front of people.
- Improve my selective attention and cutting out the audience. I can do this by focusing only on the skill.
- I have to reduce the importance of the event by telling myself it is just like a nets session.
- I should avoid social comparison with others and focus only on myself.
- Increase self efficacy by setting realistic but challenging goals and set performance goals rather than outcome goals.
- Use attributions correctly by knowing the reasons behind my success/failure.
- Ensure my skills are over-learned to encourage my dominant response to occur as my arousal levels increase.
Weakness
When batting I do not try and get a boundary early on in the over to relieve the pressure.
Effect Of Weakness On Overall Game/Performance
If I do not try and get a boundary early on in the over then there can be pressure on me to get boundaries later on in the over. If I already have a boundary then I can relax and just take the singles to get 6/7 runs per over easily. This can create pressure on my other batting partner because it means he will have to change the way he plays to get more runs because I am not getting as many. For the opposing team, they can set their field attackingly for the start of the over and defensively for the end of the over if they think that I am not looking to hit a boundary early on in the over.
Compared to an Elite Performer
Kevin Pietersen bats number 4 for England.
Having watched Pietersen bat I can see that he makes an early decision to relieve pressure by looking to hit a boundary at the start of an over. He talks to his other batting partner and lets them know what they are doing so there is a clear plan of each of their roles.
Pietersen adjusts if there is a good ball and will defend it if he cannot score off it. Once I’ve made a decision I am going to try and get a boundary I don’t adapt to the ball in the way that I should.
Pietersen always tries to hit the ball into a gap when he is attacking, so that if he messes the shot up there is a higher chance that he won’t get out from it.
Cause of Weakness
Poor Decision Making- I make the wrong decision when to attack a ball and when to defend it
Corrections of Weakness
To improve my decision making skills I would have to;
- Improve my selective attention by, practicing with distractions, and my using the correct practice.
- Expose various schema in as many different parameters as I can
- Use the relevant practice
