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!