Cricket related fitness tests

[Boris]

Cricket related fitness tests

Just wondering about good fitness tests related to cricket. When I played baseball we did tons of these to assess ourselves over a period of time, but never in cricket. It was always a good motivator for me so it would be good to find some related to cricket.

Baseball and cricket are pretty closely related, but baseball has a more power based emphasis than cricket, and as such almost all of our tests related to things like vertical jumps, grip strength, sitting basketball chest pass distance, 50/100 metre sprint times, various agility tests, plus baseball related ones such as time to run the diamond and so forth.

What ones are used commonly for cricket? I'd like to take readings during the off season, start of the season, mid season and end of season (with averages) to see the differences.

 

[Liz Ward]

Re: Cricket related fitness tests

This is a really good subject Boris; one I have <almost> given up on. Trying to interest most cricketers in functional fitness is like trying to swim in treacle [not that I've tried swimming in treacle! Perhaps next year ].

Cricketers usually come with one of two agendas. Firstly, "why bother, the best way to improve fitness for batting, bowling, fielding etc, is to bat, bowl and field". Or, they go all out and follow SAS style fitness programmes. I have no issues with SAS style fitness programmes, they are great for those in SAS style activities... not a lot of those really cross over to cricket!

If you were one of my clients, I would ensure you had a good, general fitness base. This would be with respect to your lifestyle; work, leisure, sport etc. Of course, this would not be the case if you were an elite player, in this case, the 'base' would be totally different.

Testing would then be specific to your discipline. It is wrong that the emphasis is not more power based in cricket; I can't quite understand it. Sprint times are extremely important, although I would suggest 25/30 metres.

For a wicket keeper, I would develop explosive tests to develop and assess vertical power, multi-directional explosive movements, lateral power, fast feet/eye-hand coordination etc.

A bowler needs explosive power for bowling. Tests to assess the breakdown of run up, delivery stride, rotational speed etc are easily designed.

A batsman needs explosive quick feet to get on to the front or back foot, explosive turning, acceleration/reacceleration, upper body strength and power etc.

The possibilities are endless. You should also be working agility, balance and coordination. These are also easily tested. I would be quite interested to read the tests others are using at the moment.

 

[Boris]

Re: Cricket related fitness tests

So far I have worked with the general all round fitness testing. I don't much care for aerobic capacity testing - one because for my roles in cricket that endurance isn't really needed, and two because I'm quite terrible with them - but I still test it, just not as often.

I base my tests around power, strength, speed, muscular endurance, agility, balance, flexibility and co-ordination.

These are the tests I have carried out the past couple of years:

Power:
- Vertical jump height
- Sitting basketball chest pass distance
- (when available) Accelerometer testing punch displacement
- Push up test - how many push ups can be done in 10/20 seconds (sometimes with feet lower than hands, sometimes hands lower than feet dependent on what coach I had at the time, I haven't done this one on my own)
- Standing still jump distance

Strength:
- Grip strength dyno
- Usual max rep test for various resistance training methods

Speed:
- 30, 40, 100 metre sprint times

Muscular Endurance:
- Push up test (how many can be done)
- Various resistance training methods - max continuous reps using endurance speed

Agility:
- Agility runs including Illinois agility run, baseball agility run and another I can't remember the name to (ask if you want them explained)

Balance:
- Stork stand test (on toes, one foot on opposite knee, held for as long as possible)

Flexibility (or torture tests as I call them ):
- Sit and reach box
- Other tests that I have never done consistently, always at a lack of good fitness tests

Co-ordination (from my least to most favourite, could test these all day long ):
- Alternate hand wall toss in one minute
- Various other fielding like exercises

To add to these with baseball were bat speed tests, diamond sprint times, throw speed, reaction time, horizontal dive distance, fielding error tests, etc.

I have never come across cricket related ones as simply put, coaches have never made us do them.

Should I just make them up and see if they are suitable?

Any suggestions on the ones I already do?

 

[TonyM]

Re: Cricket related fitness tests

Agility:
- Agility runs including Illinois agility run, baseball agility run and another I can't remember the name to (ask if you want them explained)

Interesting topic that unfortunately I dont have much to contribute to by way of practical experience (always seem under pressure to 'coach' which I know is not always helpful but I am not fully in control of my own destiny as yet). So please could you give a quick run through of the test, thanks

 

[Liz Ward]

Re: Cricket related fitness tests

...I have never come across cricket related ones as simply put, coaches have never made us do them.

Two reasons for this. Firstly, cricket coaches are not required to have strength and conditioning qualifications and secondly, there is very little in the way of scientific findings, when compared to [say] baseball.

Having said this, Harrowdrivers may remember David and I giving advice to Jacko when he was working to obtain his Level III in Oz. It would appear that to gain this award in Australia, a coach needs to write a paper on the energy systems and muscle fibres etc... a very good start.

I actually believe it better that a coach does not include S&C if they do not really know what they are doing. Quite often it is a waste of time; non-functional at best and dangerous at worse.

I like your tests very much but wonder how you train for these. For instance, your vertical jump height I imagine is from a crouch position, jumping up with outreached hand to mark the height. What training do you do for this? Many do not train at all but I see little point in testing without training; it then becomes focused on maintenance rather than development.

I am so pleased you include flexibility testing; this is really, really underestimated by cricketers and contribute to many injuries, but it is clear you are looking at this from a baseball perspective.

I would like to see you include a test for rotational strength. Looking at baseball, a batter's hip segment rotates to a maximum speed of 714 degrees per second, followed by the shoulder segment which rotates to a maximum speed of 937 degrees per second. This kinetic link produces a maximum linear bat velocity of 31 metres per second. Imagine the forces involved! Training and testing with weights; russian twists, reverse trunk twist etc. Include more plyometrics here too.

Looking good Boris

 

[Liz Ward]

Re: Cricket related fitness tests

Quite funny really... I was banging on about this back in 2007... haven't moved forward much

Hitting the Seam is a fantastic tip bit; a shame it is not more frequent and available to everybody.

I take it you are referring to the interview with Brian Ashton. I found it extremely interesting, especially as rugby is my first sport and the majority of my clients are elite rugby players. The message seems to be taken more seriously in rugby. At the level I train, the guys have technique and a certain degree of fitness under control but are learning how mental toughness, functional fitness, nutrition and tactical awareness can maximise their potential... exponentially.

The guys spend a lot of time with me learning how to control their emotions which, if left unmanaged, can become so expensive; to themselves as well as the squad.

Also, as a Strength and Conditioning Practitioner, I take Personal Training several stages further; using biomechanics and kinematics, I strip down their fitness training. It helps to know what actually goes on with the body during the game; which muscles are working, which fibres are utilised and which need to be ready to fire. For instance, I would do things with the front row differently to the back row, let alone the backs; so much training these days is unnecessary, leaving little time to do the necessary!

They find the nutrition side very interesting; not just what to eat for maintenance but how to provide the right fuel for the right competition and how to prepare their bodies, reaching optimum, for the next one.

I will not insult your intelligence by talking about tactics; you know how important it is to think!

With the above, it is easy to take a player from County to Regional to Elite very quickly and all these tools can be easily transferred to cricket but unfortunately, very few cricketers in this country think it important enough. I think it is the culture of the sport here; don't get me wrong, I love village cricket and what could be better on a warm Summer's Sunday afternoon? However, there is a huge opportunity out there for those wishing it and the first place to start is with your Goals.

From: http://www.bigcricket.com/forum/t57480/

 

[Boris]

Re: Cricket related fitness tests

Interesting topic that unfortunately I dont have much to contribute to by way of practical experience (always seem under pressure to 'coach' which I know is not always helpful but I am not fully in control of my own destiny as yet). So please could you give a quick run through of the test, thanks

Illinois Agility Run:

Let's see if I can draw it!

B          D          E

           x

           x
           
A          C          F

All the letters in that rough drawing are cones. From A to C is 2 metres, C to F also 2m. From A to B is 10m. The xs are spaced evenly between D and C.

Start lying prone at A on the outside of the cone.
Once commenced, you have to run up and around B, turning towards C.
Run around the right side (from this diagram) of C and then back to the left side of the bottom x, then slalom around the next x (right side), and you should end up on the left side of D.
Run around D, and slalom back through the xs in the opposite direction.
You should end up on the left side of C, spin around the cone to face E.
Run up and around E, then a sprint finish to the right side of F.

Ensure that runners run ALL the way around the cones, not over the top. The easiest way to do this is to place poles or even chairs.

General rankings for the average male (if you want female, then ask):
Ranked in three bands for each rating.

[B]Rank[/B]     [B]Time (sec)[/B]
Super                    <15.3
                         15.7
                         16.1

Excellent                16.3
                         16.5
                         16.7

Good                     16.9
                         17.1
                         17.3

Average                  17.5
                         17.7
                         17.9

Fair                     18.1
                         18.3
                         18.5

Poor                     18.7
                         18.9
                         19.1

Very poor                19.3
                         19.7
                        >20.1

Remember to take at least 3 (preferably 5 or more) readings over a couple of days, and allow full recovery between each one for accuracy, and average.

Don't be surprised if scores are pretty high, I think this ranking system is a little out. In general everyone I've seen do it have been quite fit, but not so fit that we have everyone all scoring in the very good or super. I scored 15.9 seconds on average, and I'm not what you would call super agile. I am young though, and these readings are taking into account a lot more of the old buggers, so I guess it depends on what age group as to how you'd adjust it.

EDIT: Took me a little while to type that out, and have run out of time for now. I will reply soon with the VicFit, Semo and Baseball/Softball Agility Run, with some rankings to go along with it.

If you need any of the other tests, or rankings for any of the tests I am more than happy to give them to you

 

[Boris]

Re: Cricket related fitness tests

I like your tests very much but wonder how you train for these. For instance, your vertical jump height I imagine is from a crouch position, jumping up with outreached hand to mark the height. What training do you do for this? Many do not train at all but I see little point in testing without training; it then becomes focused on maintenance rather than development.

Vertical jump:
Mark a height on a post at full stretch, flat footed, arm in the air. Then jump, as you said from crouched up, marking (I use chalk on my fingers to smudge a dark post) a spot as high as possible.

I have never trained specifically for a fitness test, aiming to improve it. I have a training programme that works on baseball (hopefully soon for cricket) and is fully adapted for my needs baseball wise. These fitness tests help to give me an idea of my strengths and weaknesses objectively. If my vertical jump score was very low (usually this ranking gathered from the variety of sources on age with relation to body structure, so can be inaccurate, but we can usually tell if the rankings are telling lies) then I know that my lower body strength, in particular whichever muscle groups put into effect a vertical jump, need training work done including them. In the same way if my lower body scores high and my upper body (in general) scores low then I wouldn't do more training on my lower body than upper. I don't test as such in relation to the exact qualities of the training programme, but it gives me a more broad look as to who I am physically, and then I can periodically adjust the programme to suit.

The way I've always done it, but if it's the wrong way to go about it then I guess I better change it!

I am so pleased you include flexibility testing; this is really, really underestimated by cricketers and contribute to many injuries, but it is clear you are looking at this from a baseball perspective.

Without baseball I would never have known fitness testing existed, but I'm looking very much to apply it to the better of the two games.

And I hope you don't mean flexibility testing causes injuries there, or am I just reading that wrong?

I would like to see you include a test for rotational strength. Looking at baseball, a batter's hip segment rotates to a maximum speed of 714 degrees per second, followed by the shoulder segment which rotates to a maximum speed of 937 degrees per second. This kinetic link produces a maximum linear bat velocity of 31 metres per second. Imagine the forces involved! Training and testing with weights; russian twists, reverse trunk twist etc. Include more plyometrics here too.

Ah, never thought of that. How would you measure/rank that though? Or is the ranking idea a waste of time? (Keeping in mind I compare my past results to new results to look for differences, not just compare everything to a number in a book).

 

[TonyM]

Re: Cricket related fitness tests

Boris, thanks very much for taking the time to draw out the test. I work mainly with children so would guess the scores will vary a little and they should 'automatically' improve with age although the proof of that will only show in time

The most I have ever tested by way of running or agility is running 'twos' which is more cricket specific in that it not only tests speed but also technique on the turn and running the bat in at the end

 

[Boris]

Re: Cricket related fitness tests

Boris, thanks very much for taking the time to draw out the test. I work mainly with children so would guess the scores will vary a little and they should 'automatically' improve with age although the proof of that will only show in time

The most I have ever tested by way of running or agility is running 'twos' which is more cricket specific in that it not only tests speed but also technique on the turn and running the bat in at the end

Tomorrow I will do up the Baseball (soon to be cricket ) agility run, that will be a good one for the little 'uns.

These runs are surprisingly fun, and if you do them once you just want to do it again and again until you improve your time. The baseball run is especially fun, and good fielding practice at the same time!