Talent Pathway Activities from home Stage One

Stage One - Programme One

Warm Ups

1. Lunges - Forward and Backwards Lunge

2. Press Up and Catch

• Start in the press up/plank position, push up and take a catch.
• Throw the ball back and jump back down into the press up/plank position.
• Repeat 10 times.  Complete 3 sets of 10.

3. Bowling Stability

• Stand on your right leg. Bend down (staying upright) and pick up a book/cone/a sock…
• Balance it on your head and stand upright without dropping the book/cone/sock….
• Bend back down and put the book(etc) down, stand back up again.
• Turn your body 90 degrees and start again.
• When you get back to the start, rest, change to your left leg and start again.

Skillsets

1. Move to Catch 

• Set up two cones 3 metres either side of you, one to your left and one to your right.
• Start in the middle and take a first catch, throw the ball back to your feeder.
• Run around one of the two cones, return to the middle and take a second catch.
• Repeat with 11 catches in total, having moved to the left cones five times and the right cone five times.
• Repeat the drill three times.
• For a greater challenge, try catching one handed only.

2. Chin Drop Drill

• Hold a tennis ball under your chin, step forward with your front foot into a set position.
• Drop the ball and hit the ball before it bounces for a second time.
• Repeat 10 times.
• Complete 3 sets of drops.
• Aim your hit towards a target in front of you.

3. Staying Tall

• Stand ten large paces away from your helper.
• Standing on your back foot only (right arm bowlers will be right leg, left hand bowlers will be left leg) and balance.
• Without a run up, step forward with your front foot and staying tall bowl the ball for your helper to catch at chest height…without bouncing first.
• Repeat 10 times.
• Complete 3 sets of balls.
• Concentrate on staying as upright as possible throughout your action. Head over chest over waist over legs.

4. Bounce catch

• Bend your knees and crouch down in a wicket keepers position, hands should be together, with little fingers touching each other.
• Open your two hands up like a book.
• Get your feeder to stand in front of you and under arm throw you balls so that land two steps in front of you.
• As the ball bounces, move your body upwards so that you catch the balls at waist height with both hands, like you are closing the book.
• Throw the ball back to your feeder.
• Repeat ten catches and rest.  Complete 3 sets of catches.

Stage One - Programme Two

Warm Ups

1. Sideways Hurdle Step Over Drill
   Using a flexiband for resistance or not…..the decision is yours.
   Complete ten seconds of as many step overs as possible, using two things as hurdles…..a book, a cardboard box, your pads stacked one on top of the other…
    

    

2. Kneeling Pop Ups
   Creating an explosive movement in your legs.
   Start kneeling up and using your arms to push up with the top half of your body to jump up onto your feet.
   Complete five pop ups, then rest. Completed three sets.
    

    

1. Lunge with front kick
   Progression from the forward and backward lunges from Session 1
   This time, explosive movement forward with the back leg, five repetitions. Then change legs.

Skill Sets

1. Sweep Shot Practice (using a static ball)
   Using Lydia Greenway’s three top tips, put your ball on a batting tee (or toilet roll or on top of paper cup).
   Look to hit the ball off the top of the tee/toilet roll/paper cup and keep your balance going forward through the shot.

1. Catching distractions
   A progression from the catching drill from session 1.
   Using an obstruction, using a tennis ball, have your “feeder” bounce the ball either under/over or to the side of the distraction so you react to the distraction.
   Complete ten catches and then rest.  Complete three sets of catches.
    

    

2. Cone Raiders
   Set out five targets in your space either inside or outside (using cones, books, anything that you can find that is safe)…..
   Set the targets out closer to you to start.  You have five throws to hit all five targets.  If you miss one, you have to start again.
   Progression will be, if you hit all five targets, to move the targets further away and try again.
   
    
   
    

1. Bowling over your front leg
   Start kneeling down, with your back knee on the ground and your front knee up. (Right hand bowlers will have their right knee down and their left knee up).
   Staying tall, bowl over your front knee against a wall.  Take the rebound catch off the wall and bowl again.
   Complete six bowls, stand up and rest.  Complete three sets of the activity.
    

Understanding Your Game:

Below are some quick questions to help you to understand 'Your Game' and the way in which you like to play cricket. Some of the best cricketers are known as 'Thinking Cricketers' and they all have their individual preferences and ideas!

1. You are the captain of the team…..you win the toss……regardless of the weather, the pitch and the opposition…… do you want to bat first or bowl first?
    
2. You are playing pairs cricket…or opening the batting in the first innings of a game…….do you want to face the first ball or do you want your batting partner to?
    
3. You arrive at the ground, put your cricket kit in the area that is allocated to you (changing room/coned off area)…do you sit down/eat something/chat to someone or do you get up and do something active?
    
4. You are fielding at the start of the first innings….the captain asks you where you want to field….anywhere……where do you choose?
    
5. You are playing a T20 game, you have a choice of when to bowl during the innings…..do you choose to bowl….at the beginning (overs 1-6)? The middle part (overs 7-14)? Or the end (overs 15-20)?
   NB – You will only get to bowl one spell in the game. So you cant say 1 at the beginning, middle and the end!!
    
6. You are fielding in the outfield near the boundary line and the ball is hit towards you…… do you want the ball to be in the air (so you can catch it)? Or on the ground (so you can stop the boundary)?
    
7. You are batting in the middle of the game…….the wicket keeper and the fielders close to you are trying to talk to you….. what do you do?
    
8. You are bowling in the middle of the innings….the batter on strike has scored 25 runs and has batted for 20 minutes….. the next ball that you bowl….. are you trying to get her out? Or are you trying to stop her from scoring a run?
    
9. You have just been batting and scored 15 runs…. You get out…. Bowled…. When you get off the pitch and sit down to take your pads off… what is the first thing that you are thinking about?
    
10. Finally… a slightly longer question…… think about the highest batting score you have made (could be 5, 10, 50..)….what one thing do you think you could do differently in the way that you bat that would help you score just ten more runs…?