Finding the Pressure Points

This weekend saw one of the most dramatic finishes to a cricket game I have experienced in quite a while. I suppose the real drama of it was mainly created by the speed at which Clifton capitulated from a seemingly unassailable position. My last memory of such a turnaround was when I played at Loughborough University in BUSA Final. There, it was Durham University who were cruising towards our modest total when suddenly they embarked on a self-destruction mission. We always joked that they had their victory cigars on a half price sale the next day. Yet how can teams lose matches from such a comfortable position?

Cricket is such an unusual sport. I can’t think of many others like it other than perhaps Baseball or Rounders, which combine the adversarial individual battle of ‘me against you’ within a team context. Yes you are playing within a team, and you are reliant on your teammates to support you when fielding and batting (making sure they don’t run you out!), but ultimately it is a contest between batsman and bowler. Others would also argue that is as much a battle with yourself as it is with your opponent, stating the famous adage that ‘cricket is 90% in the mind and 10% in ability’.

The fielding team can put a batsman under pressure

Does this explain though how we can get such dramatic swings? Well a huge part of playing any sport is the ability to perform under pressure. This is an area which is traditionally associated with the field of sports psychology but it is just as much about training methods as a whole. The reason we practice the repetition of skills is so that when we need to draw on that particular aspect of our game, it becomes tacit, and stands up to the scrutiny of competition. Much of training is geared around repetition, but as players and coaches, how much of that repetition is high quality? Do we spend enough time repeating the skills that should be core to us? Only when we do this can we expect to perform well under the scrutiny of pressure.

Yet what creates a pressure situation? Surely Clifton on Saturday at 117-2 needing 148 to win would have felt little pressure with the target so close and men left in the shed. What they probably started to do, was concentrate on the scoreboard and less on the execution of batting well. We suffered the same fate last week at Sandiacre. With an ugly pitch, rain in the air, and a high quality attack, as batsmen we were probably worrying less on ‘batting’ and more on the excuses we might have for getting out. As wickets then started to tumble, the bowling side can make you feel like you are doing worse than you probably are. It is only the most mentally robust batsmen who can shut out those external factors, and concentrate on playing the ball as they see it. I am not saying that batsmen should not play to the situation they face, this is something that is critical to success. The skill though, is can they accurately read the situation they are going into and react accordingly.

On Saturday, when we were 15-3, Dominic Brown and James Mann batted slowly, yes, but intelligently, as they recognised the importance of building a partnership at all costs. That was being mentally robust. Thankfully for us, Clifton missed that trick, and as well as Atif Sheikh bowled, we should not have really won that game. If we can continue to win the mental battles through the season, it should be worth some points, Saturday being a casing example.  

Is it time to call time on tea time?

As the rain hammered down on Saturday afternoon, frustrated cricketers around the country spent the day looking for things to do to keep them from boredom. With such a young side at Kimberley, it is normally the case that the changing room becomes a ‘play area’ with different versions of one-hand-one-bounce, slip catching, and football keeping the young pups occupied!

For myself and Sam on Saturday, we were able to enjoy the build up to the FA Cup Final, where his fiancée Victoria was singing Abide With Me and the National Anthem as part of her brilliant classical group Amore (they are definitely worth a listen!).

Losing time in a cricket match though is always a frustrating experience, as the reason everybody gives up their time on a Saturday, as well as their match fee, is to come and play. While I love a good game of changing room cricket, it is not the same as being out in the middle. One way that we often try to ‘save’ a bit of time in the game on a rain day, is to take tea early. It is this that has got me thinking this week.

What on earth are we doing have tea in the middle of a sporting match? On the face of it, it is just ludicrous that we stop the game then sit down to have a meal at an arbitrary point in the fixture. Could you imagine a 30 minute half time in the Six Nations or Premier League where both teams sat down to eat a nice spread of sandwiches, crisps, pizza and cakes before heading out for the second half? Or Sir Chris Hoy chomping on a some sausage rolls and chips with his cycling opponents in between sprint heats at the Olympics? It would hardly fit into the ‘marginal gains’ approach of Sir Dave Brailsford. Yet at over 6,000 cricket grounds around the country each week, we put down our bats, balls and gloves and break off for a nice spot of tea.

A typical cricket tea involves sandwiches and cakes

Some would say that this is an institution that is vital to keeping the traditions of our sport going. But that is just poppycock. Sport, and cricket in particular, are constantly evolving to meet the needs of its participants, and also their desires to maximise their performance. Quite frankly, an arbitrary tea break, does not meet those requirements in the vast number of situations. I would like to add at this point that this article is by no means a slight on the quality of the teas at Kimberley (which are exceptional, especially Karen’s chocolate cake) or on any of the teams in the Nottinghamshire Premier League. My argument is however a simple one, move the meal until after the game.

If the main tea was taken after the game, players would not only be able to eat without the worry of participating immediately after, but they could do so in a much more social environment, where they could have a (soft) drink and reflect on the game with the opposition. It would put an end to the real shame of teams, rushing off at the end of fixtures and encourage them to socialise with opponents, something that has sadly been lost from our sporting landscape.

So what would players and umpires do for food during the day I hear you scream!? Well I imagine the players they would do what they do one the other six days of the week, and eat when they want to making their own arrangements. For instance, an opening bowler might choose to eat a sandwich or spot of pasta they brought with them during the first innings if his team are batting first, while the opening batsman can eat when he is out. For umpires, a small spread could be provided to keep their energy levels up, and all players would be able to get some biscuits and cups or tea mid innings.

I know cricket is a game steeped in tradition, but in my opinion this is one tradition that needs to be evolved.

Now we are warming up for the cricket season, is it time to stretch ourselves?

Now we are a couple of weeks into the season, the initial excitement of being back outside on the cricket pitch has started to wear off and the realisation has kicked in that we need to work hard on the training ground if we are to reap the benefits on the Saturday’s.

I have been trying to run our training sessions differently this year, placing emphasis on high quality repetition, and practising with a clear focus on outcomes. The players seem to have responded well so far, and hopefully as the season goes on, that hard work will begin to pay off.

One area that I think we can develop both at training and prior to the matches, is the way we warm-up. This year I have been lucky enough to be part of the Nottinghamshire County Council Talented Coaches Scheme. During the past week as part of the scheme, I attended a session run by Sport981 on injury prevention and performance preparation. I found this a most eye-opening experience, particularly with regard to stretching.

Stretching before and after a game is considered
a must, but how much care do we take with it?

I have always found warming up for cricket a peculiar process. If you think of a typical invasion game such as rugby, football or hockey, your warm-up can be timed and planned around the fact that all players will soon be engaged in dynamic movement activity. Therefore a programme of stretching, pulse raising and sport specific practice routines can be planned to ensure players are at the perfect point of arousal prior to the match. It still bemuses me a little that Premier League footballers do all that preparation prior to a game then at half time, sit down for 15 minutes where their muscle temperature drops by up to 2 degrees and the body switches off from activity, and do nothing to prepare fully for the second half. Some research has suggested that is why injuries are common in the first ten minutes after half time as players muscles get back up to speed.

If we take the way we warm-up for cricket for example, this same problem can be accentuated by a few hours! We can spend 40 minutes doing a thorough warm-up then find out from the skipper “right boys, were batting first”. Suddenly, it is back to the pavilion and put your feet up for a couple of hours. Then bang, a couple of wickets, and you’re at the crease.

So how could we prepare more thoroughly? Well one of the techniques exposed to me during my session this week was the use of Self Myofascial Release or SMR. This technique usually involves a foam roller, or even a cricket ball, and is used to help stretch muscles and relieve tension in tight muscular groups. If done in combination with thorough dynamic stretching, and on a regular basis, it can improve muscle movement, increase the power base, and most crucially reduce the chance of repetitive injuries.

It is certainly an interesting question though why we all warm-up for cricket in the same way we would for playing football? Should we not start to plan our preparation around the different roles we are likely to play? Should a batsman go through a full warm-up routine as he prepares to go in next? Should the bowlers not have a lighter tea and hit the field for a warm-up earlier if you are fielding second (I know some who would not be keen!)? These are all questions I am considering as we look forward to an exciting double header this weekend, where a cool down is definitely on the agenda on Saturday evening!