Kindly check my other posts if you want to understand more about cricket fitness. This post only covers my latest assignment with U19 team.
Check the transition in one month while hogging onto 5 star buffet and eating desert twice a day! And this transition has happened in all 16 players depending on where they were at the beginning of season.
Knowledge of nutrition also plays a key role in managing players health.
Q. How does that happen? Did he train hard? What is it that he did for abs?
Ans: Its difficult to explain my training in one write-up but let me try to explain the first step of fitness in my training model.
Facts: No gym training, no therabands or any other bands, no resistance props, no long distance running
Training: on an average 30 – 40 minutes a day focusing on speed, balance, reflexes, posture and alignment among other things.
Feedback from the entire team: we are feeling light, strong and fast. We can feel more energy now.
My feedback: their bodies have started to work as one unit. They are more focused and passionate about training. They have a better mind & body connection (CNS). Every player lost weight and got fitter.
Injuries: ZERO
Looking at the picture we can now understand what it means when somebody says ‘he looks like a sportsman’. Almost same weight and body but one can tell the difference. The first identification of sportsmen is not muscles but in fact it is the body posture that separate them from others.
Heavy workout is off season work. You can look at my earlier posts to know the reasons especially my research article:
No heavy weight training in season
Cricket fitness is about holistic training:
Holistic training results in Cricket
Bands: be it any kinds….it may be used sometimes but not as a routine. Do not let your muscles get used to of any external medium of resistance to move in a manner that it is suppose to on the field. Finds ways to produce resistance from within via natural movement. Let muscles groom in a natural setting. Good for long term.
Bands are more appropriate for rehab unless otherwise advised.
You are not playing with any weight or bands on the ground. Make your body move in the most natural manner via drills, honing possible movements on the field.
What’s the advantage?
Cricket is a game which can make your body stand in a posture for very long with very little movement. But cricket is also a game where your body may have to shoot off suddenly demanding your best possible acceleration from a static posture.
Therefore the naturally you train your body the better your body is capable of fighting the battle by itself. Additionally it will not get injured that easily because you have trained the body in a natural setting. Your body can’t back from what it has learnt unless it’s out of practice! Check out the below link for more:
The video below shows you one of the drills to train for balance, leg strength, achilles tendon, core, shoulders, neck, wrist and most importantly your body is learning to move as one UNIT now. I take use of drills like these which are more natural…happiness friendly and easy, yet challenging.
As he trains more he would improve upon his jumping and landing alignment, balance, his muscles would start to coordinate better, and his body structure will improve further. This also attends to the most talked about subject – CNS (Central Nervous System) training without it being mentioned.
Even though he only trained with me for a week or so in the camp and he was not travelling with the team and yet you see a difference.
Q. Who do you think (two versions of same player) can run, jump or speed better?
Q. Who do you think is lighter yet stronger?
Q. Who do you think has more stamina?
Q. Who do you think bend or swing his arm better?
Simplifying training……
Umesh Chhikara
Movement specialist I S&C trainer I Relaxation therapist
Umesh Chhikara 