How to improve your cricket endurance if you hate running

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micoach

micoach

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How to improve your cricket endurance if you hate running

Most club players don't bother with running at all until they are chasing a ball to the boundary. At best, it's necessary evil.

Lucky for all of us, recent research has shown that we can get the benefits of running on our cricket in a fraction of the time.

Recently, a study* was published comparing the difference in fitness between cycling for long periods and sprinting for 30 seconds 6 times (with 4 minutes rest between sprints).

Both techniques saw virtually identical improvements in fitness based on several scientific measures
.
This is even though the latter, known as interval sprint training, took far less time and had far more sitting around recovering.

This is great news for club cricket. It means you can integrate high quality sprint training in a short time, improving your speed and endurance. Heck, if it's summer that high quality sprinting could be half an hour of fielding drills.

Just remember the secret is quality rather than quantity so never train like this while tired.

In summary, not having time for sprint training is not an excuse any more (not that it ever was of course).

* Gibala MJ, Little JP, van Essen M, Wilkin GP, Burgomaster KA, Safdar A, Raha S, Tarnopolsky M. (2006). "Short-term sprint interval versus traditional endurance training: similar initial adaptations in human skeletal muscle and exercise performance." Journal of Applied Physiology.
 
Re: How to improve your cricket endurance if you hate running

Our coach makes us run around the ground for 15 mins every morning. Does that benefit or is he doing wrong?
 
Re: How to improve your cricket endurance if you hate running

Tough question.

I would answer that with a question: What is your coach trying to achieve here? What's the big picture?

The answer would reveal whether a 15 minute daily run is worthwhile or not.

Can you ask him without being impertinent?
 
Re: How to improve your cricket endurance if you hate running

It depends.

Firstly on the type of running. Are you just sent around at a steady pace to improve your endurance?

If so, it is not terribly functional. Cricket is an intermittent activity sport, not an endurance sport. When a cricketer is called into action it is explosively, so best to train explosively.

If this is supposed to be your warm up, it is very wrong. Although a good pulse raiser, you really do need to mobilise all the muscles you intend to use during the activity. You would be better to spend the time doing dynamic flexibility drills.

Secondly on your criteria for 'doing wrong'. After all, your coach gets 15 minutes to himself each morning, he may think that's good :D
 
Re: How to improve your cricket endurance if you hate running

haha that's what I was thinking. Context is king!
 
Re: How to improve your cricket endurance if you hate running

Hi David and Liz,

How often (minimum and optimal) would you say is needed to see improvements?

Regards,
Danny
 
Re: How to improve your cricket endurance if you hate running

It depends how fit you are.

If you have never run before then start easy. 4-5 sets of 15 seconds running and 1 minute recovery is plenty.

Gradually up the running time and reduce the recovery time. Once you can do 30 seconds on/30 seconds off then start to increase the number of sets.
 
Re: How to improve your cricket endurance if you hate running

Liz Ward said:
It depends.

Firstly on the type of running. Are you just sent around at a steady pace to improve your endurance?

If so, it is not terribly functional. cricket is an intermittent activity sport, not an endurance sport. when a cricketer is called into action it is explosively, so best to train explosively.

If this is supposed to be your warm up, it is very wrong. although a good pulse raiser, you really do need to mobilise all the muscles you intend to use during the activity. you would be better to spend the time doing dynamic flexibility drills.

Secondly on your criteria for 'doing wrong'. after all, your coach gets 15 minutes to himself each morning, he may think that's good :D
Click to expand...
Hi Liz;Unfortunately;that is the typical cricketing scenario in our country.What is your best recommendation against it? :)
 
Re: How to improve your cricket endurance if you hate running

Virendersingh.berthwal said:
Hi Liz;Unfortunately;that is the typical cricketing scenario in our country.What is your best recommendation against it? :)
Click to expand...

Unfortunately Virender, my advice is so easily given but can be so hard to implement ;)

Unless the squad is playing at a good competitive level, with all members at a high level of fitness and ability, it can be hard to provide differentiation. I understand why a coach would send the squad on a 15 minute run; it's easy and all players should be able to do it. However, in my mind, this is lazy coaching.

As David mentioned, the coach must ask himself what he wants to achieve; for all members, not just the abled or the less abled.

I would like to see the Captain take control here; he can easily lead and have the others follow. For instance, he can turn the session posted here http://www.simplycricket.net/general-level-of-fitnessfrom-home-t580.0.html into a good fartlek by varying the intensity at his whim... and the coach probably would never know :D
 
Re: How to improve your cricket endurance if you hate running

Hi Liz,
I can manage this Session.
The coach as it never makes it for training before 7:30am till that time i will make some of the players do the same :D
Just to confirm does this session applies to all types of players i.e. batsmen,fast bowlers,spinners and wicket-keepers.
If you can get out, the following was used by the 1994 England World Cup Cricket Squad:

4 mins jog;
3 mins steady run;
2 mins jog;
3 mins steady (to include 1 x 50m fast burst every 30 secs);
2 mins jog;
3 mins steady ( to include 1 x 20m sprint every 30 secs)'
2 mins jog;
2 mins fast;
4 mins jog.

The bursts of speed match the distance, intensities and duration associated with demands made during a cricket game; bowler run-up, running between wickets etc.

Pls confirm Liz :)
 
Re: How to improve your cricket endurance if you hate running

Hi Everyone,
Should this type of training be done every day or 2-3 times a week etc?
Regards,
Danny
 
Re: How to improve your cricket endurance if you hate running

After a warm up I would recommend fielding drills done at good pace.

In season conditioning can be managed through drills if the tempo is high.
 
Re: How to improve your cricket endurance if you hate running

bonkers_1987 said:
Hi Everyone,
Should this type of training be done every day or 2-3 times a week etc?
Click to expand...

Danny, what are your goals and how much do you do at the moment to reach those goals?
 
Re: How to improve your cricket endurance if you hate running

The Fartlek session is good for all cricket players but it is a case of finding time to fit it in.

It is a good cardiovascular exercise for the beginning of a training session but I probably would not do it before a match.

Remember that the ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) guidelines to achieve a cardiovascular effect, recommends a minimum of 20 minutes of continuous exercise, three times a week at a heart rate of 55-92% MHR. For athletes (that's you ;)) it should be at the higher percentage. So try to do this workout or a sprint workout at least three times a week.

On top of this is the ACSM recommendations for Resistance Training; strength, hypertrophy, power and endurance.

On match days, I would recommend a quick 5-10 minutes pulse raiser followed by dynamic flexibility drills then fielding drills before segregation to work on skill specific drills.

However, if you have a coach who insists on sending you off for a 15 minute run, try to do this instead.
 
Re: How to improve your cricket endurance if you hate running

Liz Ward said:
The Fartlek session is good for all cricket players but it is a case of finding time to fit it in.

Remember that the ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) guidelines to achieve a cardiovascular effect, recommends a minimum of 20 minutes of continuous exercise, three times a week at a heart rate of 55-92% MHR. For athletes (that's you ;)) it should be at the higher percentage. So try to do this workout or a sprint workout at least three times a week.

On top of this is the ACSM recommendations for Resistance Training; strength, hypertrophy, power and endurance.
Click to expand...

You and I agree on the benefits of fartlek training Liz.

I don't like the ACSM recommendations too much though. Their recommendations are too general.

I don't know many cricketers who can train at 20 minutes at 92% MHR continously. I also don't know how that would help improve someone's cricket. I just can't see a crossover.

I prefer to see fielding drills at a high tempo, interval sprints, skipping, uphill intervals, med ball work and bodyweight training for conditioning.

It's quicker, the EPOC is greater and the crossover to cricket is more apparent.

Also at certain times of the year I would not focus on conditioning at all. Right now, for example, I'm on a strength phase. The only HR work I'm doing at all is agility drills and med ball work.

That said Liz, I also think you are right about using that 15 minutes as best as possible by changing it to a farlek session. If you HAVE to do a 15 minute run then you might as well make the most of it.
 
Re: How to improve your cricket endurance if you hate running

Can i just add your maximum heart rate is 220-your age. Also ive been taught it is best to work in the threshold of training 60-80% of your max to improve. I must agree that farlek is a very good method of training that i find effective.
 
Re: How to improve your cricket endurance if you hate running

I stand corrected :D. Its a good read aswell thanks for writing the article :).
 
Re: How to improve your cricket endurance if you hate running

I think we need to get away from the whole term 'endurance'. Long slow jogging is not the way forward. Cricket specific interval training is much more useful in most cases.
 
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