As with many other sports, cricket requires its players to have a specific set of skills – and more importantly, a certain level of fitness, to successfully complete a match. Every cricketer, average or otherwise, will need to complete strength and/or conditioning programs to ensure they’re match-ready.
See some easy cricket warm up exercises here.
If you’re hoping to improve your fitness ahead of your next match (or if you’re curious whether your fitness levels are already up to par), here are eight crucial fitness components of cricket.
1. Strength
By having a high level of muscular strength, you’ll be able to help prevent acute injuries, increase muscle mass, and develop your metabolism – which will help you reach and maintain a healthy body weight, therefore helping increase your overall performance during a cricket match.
2. Stamina
In general terms, stamina can be defined as your body’s ability to process, store and utilise energy. This is an essential fitness component of cricket, as during high intensity exercise, you’ll need to use energy as quickly as possible to harness maximum speed, power and strength.
3. Speed
There’s a lot of running involved in a cricket match, so it’s advantageous to work on your speed in between games. If you’re out on the field, you’ll need to execute sharp sprints at short notice, so it’s best to practice quick stops and starts if training for speed. You’ll also need to run when batting, so complete a few short distance running drills to ensure you’ll be speedy enough when the time comes to make runs.
4. Coordination
To play cricket, you’ll need to throw, catch, bowl and hit the ball. These coordination-based skills take a lot of practice, so this is perhaps the most basic and essential fitness component involved in the overarching cricket playing process.
5. Accuracy
In multiple positions on the field, you’ll need to throw a cricket ball with extreme accuracy. Similar to ‘coordination’, ‘accuracy’ can be easily achieved with plenty of repeated practice. To do so, practice throwing a ball in a specific direction (for example, a target on the wall), and continue until you reach a streak of ‘on target’ throws.
6. Power
Muscular power refers to the ability to produce your maximum amount of force at the drop of a hat. Similar to ‘speed’, ‘power’ as a fitness component can be trained using quick stop-start methods. You can also try power weight lifting or running with resistance.
7. Endurance
Endurance is a fitness component that can greatly improve your performance in a cricket match. It refers to your cardiovascular and respiratory systems gathering and delivering oxygen to your tissues and muscles. As cricket matches can last for hours at a time, a healthy level of endurance is essential to stay on your feet.
8. Flexibility
Flexibility refers to the range of motion of your joints and muscles – and for cricket, it’s desirable to have increased flexibility. To improve yours, incorporate flexibility-based stretches into your workouts or warm up sessions before a match.
Enjoy this great game with products from Meulemans Cricket Centre
Meulemans Cricket Centre have you covered with all the cricket equipment and gear you’ll need for your next match. Browse their full range online, or head to their South Perth Store or Joondalup Megastore for further assistance, or to view products in-store.
