How to stop cramp

Are you a cramper? If you have ever cramped up on the cricket pitch you know how annoyingly distracting the pain can be from batting, bowling and fielding.

From experience I know it can put you off enough to get you out or prevent you from bowling.

Science is well aware of the issue. We know that some people are more inclined to exercise related cramps than others. But that is about as far as the facts go. The rest is theory based on incomplete information, despite reams of research.

Where does that leave the cricketing cramper?

Let's take a look at the ideas and see if we can come up with some simple steps to follow.

What is cramp?

Cramp is the pain you feel when a specific muscle unconsciously contracts. You have no control over when it happens but it always happens during or just after playing cricket (or other exercise).

While you are cramping you can barely use that muscle, if at all. Even after the cramp has gone (and sometimes they can last for several minutes) the muscle can feel sore.

Some people cramp more than others.

 

What causes cramp?

Traditionally, cramp has been thought to be caused by loss of salt and/or potassium through sweating. While you do lose electrolytes when you sweat, there is a debate among scientists as to whether this is enough to cause the problem.

Nobody knows for sure.

There is one other theory. It's a complex one that says the when the nervous system that controls a particular muscle gets tired it also gets confused and contracts more than it should.

This second theory explains why cramp is more common in certain muscles. Muscles that span 2 joints spend too much time contracted (for example gripping the bat). They get fatigued which kicks off the reflex of cramping.

But again, it's never been proven beyond doubt.

Preventing cramp

Nobody knows enough about cramp to give an absolute answer to preventing them. Here a few things you could try:

• Drink water at about 500ml per hour.
• Drink a sports drink at the same rate to replace lost electrolytes.
• Avoid drinking too much of anything to prevent diluting your electrolyte levels.
• Eat a banana for the potassium.
• Stretch every day and certainly after exercise or playing.

Cramp varies from person to person. Some things work for some people and not for others. Experiment with how much you drink (don't overdo it as this can be highly dangerous) and what you eat.

7 Ways cricketers can stop lower back pain

 

1. Examine your technique

By far the biggest cause of back pain in bowlers is a mixed action. That is when your hips and shoulders are not in line when you enter your delivery stride.

The reason this is bad for the back is that your lumbar spine is not designed to twist. It can twist a little but repeatedly asking it to do so (such as when you bowl a spell) will eventually cause an ache that perhaps grows to a full stress fracture

2. Stretch your hips

Very often with back pain, the symptom is not the cause.

I see players, even at professional level, stretch their lower back when warming up. As we already know, the back is not designed to stretch. It's the equivalent of picking at a scab: Feels good but not the right thing to do.

Instead, take a look at your hips. Modern lifestyles of inactivity and sitting in daily life lead to inflexible hips with your lower back taking up the strain of reduced range of motion. So the answer is simple: Stretch your hips, not your back. Stronglifts has an excellent guide on hip mobility here. You can do this stretching every day without fear and should at the very least be doing it before any physical activity (cricket included).

3. Strengthen your core

The muscles in your back and stomach area that can't be seen (even if you have a six pack) act as stabilisers for your back. They hold the spine in a healthy position and work on a subconscious level. That means you can't strengthen them with crunches.

Instead, focus on the body awareness that will help your body hold the spin in place. Yoga can teach you the basics of body awareness as can a corrective exercise plan designed by a qualified sports medicine practitioner.

Combine this with core stabilising exercises like planks and side bridges and you begin to bulletproof your back.

As Gray Cook says, the focus is not on creating more power from the core, but learning how it can stabilise your back while movement is occurring.

4. Warm your muscles

It's common in England when the season starts in April to be less than warm. It's also common to see club players, on the first day of the season, getting out of their cars after months of inactivity and going out to bowl or bat.

I'm sure it's similar all over the world. No wonder the back starts to complain.

It's essential to warm up before play in any conditions, especially the cold of the English spring. Build up to the big stuff by warming up for a few minutes.

The same applies to any heavy or long lasting activity. A few minutes of dynamic stretching will make all the difference.

5. Stand up

As we know from our hips, modern living is hard on the body. We sit down to drive, sit down and hunch over the computer and even sit down on the machines in the gym!

If you spend a lot of time sitting, just standing up will do your back the world of good. Once an hour or so, get up and do something: get a drink, walk around, do a couple of static stretches then get back to sitting. It should only take 1 minute.

The same also applies if you are on your feet all day. Take a few minutes every couple of hours to sit or lie down. Your back needs the variety.

6. Get a massage

Everyone gets knots in their muscles through daily use, even if they don't play cricket. Massaging the soft tissue can work them out, restore full function to your muscles and reduce pain.

You can get a professional to do it, or even do it yourself with a foam roller.

7. Move your butt!

Physical trainer Keith Scott deals with a lot of clients with back pain. He claims 99% of his clients have weak glute muscles. Sitting all day shuts them off and cause the hamstrings to take up the slack which puts pressure on the back again.

The simple solution to this is to reactivate the glute muscles in two ways. First, as part of your warm up include movements like glute bridges. Second, in the gym train your glutes directly with exercises like single and double leg deadlifts.

TYPES OF PITCHES

TYPES OF PITCHES

In general there are 6 different types of cricket-pitches:-


1. THE GOOD WICKET :
This is good for scoring runs as neither the spin nor seam bowlers are able to make the ball bounce surprisingly.
 


2. THE FAIR WICKET:
Allows both spin and seam bowlers to achieve a degree 
of movement, but at even pace and height
 


3. THE SPORTING WICKET:
Generally results from a period of drought with dry, 
hard soil under the grass. Fast bowling can be lethal on this wicket.
 


4. THE GREEN WICKET:
Is generally created by a moist atmosphere, and is usually 
well-grassed. This wicket allows medium to fast seam 
bowling, sometimes in contradiction to the swing.
 


5. THE CRUMBLING WICKET:
Also results from dry weather and lack of grass to bind it. 
Spinners and medium-paced cutters do well under such circumstances.
 


6. THE ROUGH WICKET:
Does not give batsman a fair chance as the ball does not bounce truly

Mental Preparation

There are certain pitfalls to preparation that can lead you to the wrong mental approach. So to help you avoid them here are my tips to creating your own pre-match checklist.

1.    Block out the negative thoughts and make everything you do a positive step.
2.    Think about what works for you personally. One person’s crazy tick is another’s essential tool.
3.    Consider every aspect of your preparation and keep a note of what works best.
4.    Refine things as you go along until you find the perfect routine.
5.    Think about elements that might upset your routine and plan around them.

Everyone will have a different level, but everyone would benefit from having a fixed routing of some kind. For example, I am driven by consistency and have a tried and tested routine on match days. Others may need just a general idea, or one or two small things they need to do (like put on lucky socks).
Do what works for you. But whatever it is, make sure you know your routine inside out. It will help you put in good performances more regularly. As proven by science.
Cricket is no different to life: Teams and individuals operate best when they feel in control of a situation.
Unfortunately, the unpredictability of a cricket match makes it hard to keep this feeling. It’s also why you find so many superstitious cricketers with lucky socks putting their left shoe on first: It provides the illusion of control.
A more effective method is to ensure your team is well drilled in agreed routines. This has the double effect of making you seem highly professional and effective externally while bringing you together as a team internally.
Each club team will have it’s own routines and standards so there is no set approach. In short, you have to do what works for you.
Examples of routines and standards that work for many club teams are:

• A commitment to all wear team shirts or caps.
• Jogging between overs.
• Always acknowledging good moments and never giving up.
• Pre-game fielding drills.
• Polishing the ball as it’s passed around.
• A team huddle before the game
• Watching the captain.
• Sitting together and watching the game while waiting to bat.
• Making sure everyone has a turn at scoring/umpiring if there is no official.
• Running onto the field together.
• Shaking hands with opposition captains, scorers and umpires.

You may have your own ideas too. The critical point is that doing these things together every time will lead to more effective unit, no matter what standard you play.
And that means more positive results.

Individual Preparation Routine

Pack your kit bag the night before. Be prepared. Imagine padding up….is all your kit there?
Think positively about the match and your own performance.
Eat nutritious foods and get a good night’s sleep.
Relax your mind on match day. Avoid distractions and being hurried.

At the ground:

Familiarise yourself with the set-up. Field, pitch and surroundings. Light and weather conditions.
Lay out your kit (if there is room in the changing room and it won’t “disappear”.)
Warm up. Light jog and stretches.
Discuss match plans with team and coach.

Match time:

Batting: Watch the game when waiting to go in. Not too closely but take in visual cues. Who are the strong/weak fielders. Does the bowler have an odd action?
Breath properly and relax your muscles.
Don’t rush padding up. Be prepared and settled.
Bounce the ball on your bat/have throw downs to focus eyes.
Walk in positively to the centre (good body language)
Look up at the sky (not the sun!) to adjust your eyes to the light.
Take guard and mark carefully.
Take a good look around at the field set-avoid eye contact. Be aware of strong fielders and where gaps are.
Get into your pre-set routine. Line up feet, grip, backlift. (This should be natural and automatic)
As bowler runs up, say verbal trigger (eg watch the ball/play straight etc)
At delivery stride focus closely on ball and watch from hand onto bat.
After delivery “switch off” concentration but remain aware (fielders moving etc)
Re-start crease management routine and switch back on.
Bowling: Measure and mark your run-up before the game. Mark both ends, not just your preferred end as the game situation may require you to change. Be aware of the ground conditions in your run-up.
Get a feel for match conditions; weather, wind, under-foot conditions.
Get a feel of the ball early on. Keep it clean and shine one side. Make all fielders aware which side is to be shined.
Observe each batsman. Are there any tell-tale signs of shot preferences/weaknesses (eg grip/stance/etc)
Be happy with your field before bowling.
Know your role for each spell.
Have a plan for each ball. Make it relevant to match situation. Make it part of an overall strategy to get wicket/slow run-rate.
Do not try unrehearsed deliveries in a match.
Set yourself at your mark. Focus on intended target. Get balanced and mentally set. Mentally rehearse delivery and imagine positive result.
Fielding:
Know your role.
Use verbal/physical trigger for each delivery (eg touch hands together.)
Every ball is coming to you. Be prepared and balanced.
Encourage team-mates. Keep team focused and together.

Does the "Bowl Dots" Cricket Tactic Really Work?

It's based on the theory of building pressure in one day cricket: The longer you can go squeezing a team, the more likely they are to try something unusual and get out. I've heard it for years and seen it work at every level of the game from villiage to professional cricket.
But I wanted to test it out more scientifically.
So, this season I have come up with a new metric for the team I coach: I call it Pressure Rate (PR)

Pressure rate

The PR is based on the general idea I first heard from Micheal Vaughan's TV commentary: You bowl two maidens and something always happens.
It's a great sound bite. Is it true?
So, I asked myself, how many dots do we need to bowl before "something" happens?
We analyse every game, so we can be very clear about the "something". In this case, it means a wicket falling, a catch dropped or a stumping missed. In other words, a chance taken or missed.
(NB: If you don't keep a note of missed chances, you can still do this, just use the scorebook to count the dots and count the "something" as a wicket falling. It's not quite as accurate but it gives you a good enough figure to show the team.)
Instead of Strike Rate - worked out by number of balls it takes to get a wicket - we end up with Pressure Rate (PR). That is to say, the number of dot balls it takes to create a chance for a wicket.
For example, in 50 over limited over cricket in 2017 so far my team has played eight games, bowled 1417 balls (71% of them dots) and taken 59 wickets (excluding run outs).

The average number of dots it takes to create a chance is 12.39.
Pretty much bang on Vaughany.
I knew he was brilliant.

Measure pressure

Of course, numbers and spreadsheets are not much use unless you can put them into practical action.
So what does it mean to players in the heat of battle?
First, it means that our team now know we are, on average, only 12 dots from a chance. And as we bowl about 4 dots an over, that's two or three overs just by "sitting in" and doing the basics well.
Second, it also gives players a reason to try and bowl dots.
You always get the cricketer who is against dot ball bowling because he wants to strike. They don't mind buying some wickets because they get so many. But if your team's limited over plan is to bowl dots and let the wickets look after themselves, you can show any dissenter a clear link: The best bowlers bowl dots and create chances.
From my primative research, bowlers who keep it tight will give a PR around 10.00-15.00. Below 10.00 and you are buying wickets. Above 15.00 and you are not creating chances. It's a balance based on your best method.
You can combine Pressure Rate with Dot Ball%, Strike Rate, Average and Runs per Over to get a complete picture of the way each bowler (and the whole team) gets wickets.
In my team's case, the bowlers are trying to bowl dots to build pressure. We know it's working because we can point to a PR between 10-15 and a DB% above 70%. It proves the point.
And if it didn't work?
Time to try another plan!

Tactics You Should be Using: Cross Seam Bowling

Holding the ball cross seam is horrifying to swing bowlers, but vital on good batting days.

How many times have you heard your bowlers say "the ball has stopped moving"? Yet how often do you persevere with the seam up, hoping the ball will somehow start to reverse or move off the seam?
In this moment, stop flogging that dead horse. It's time for a new plan. It's time to go cross seam.

Why cross seam bowling?

The down side of going cross seam - holding the cricket ball with the seam pointed at 90 degrees to normal - is that the ball will no long swing or move off the seam.
For fast bowlers who love to beat the bat and get catches behind, this feels bad. They have lost their main weapon of destruction. They feel like cannon fodder. Think 2017 Champions Trophy where the ball barely moved.
I would agree that the main plan should always be to get the ball moving sideways. It's a great skill and a proven way to take wickets. Look after the ball and experiment with getting it moving.
What if that plan fails?
What if the ball is poor and stops swinging early?
Most of us fall back on hope: If we shine it a bit more maybe it will come back. Maybe it will go the other way. Maybe it's time for spinners.
Deep down you know this is pointless.
You want some wickets, so it's time to try a bit of cross seam.

How to bowl cross seam

The beauty of cross seam bowling is that you don't need to change much.
Use the same action and same grip on the ball, you simply turn the seam in your hand so you are holing it like you would throw it. Across the seam.

The benefit is bigger variations in bounce. If the ball hits the seam it can jump and stop. If the ball hits anywhere else it can skid on. This makes it hard for the batsman to predict things and put off their timing. Your wickets come through catches in front of the wicket.
The bigger changes are in length and field settings.
Your length is better shorter than usual. I always advise bowlers they have two options:

1. Back of a length, about 6-8m from the stumps for club and older school seamers
2. Bouncers, if you have the pace.

Most seamers are shooting for the 5-7m range, especially if your pace is around the 100-110kph. With cross seam, you pull length back a bit because you want the ball to "hit the pitch" and do something strange, rather than get the batsman driving to catch an edge.
As a result, you can remove the slips more quickly and have fielders in front catching from the mistimed shot. Anything from one to four at short midwicket and short extra cover.
The other option - bouncers - is higher risk but also higher reward.
With cross seam bouncers that get up to the chest, you can see great variation in height and pace on the ball off the pitch. The outcome is always something: A swing and miss, a wide, a hook to a fielder or a six.
If you can bowl them, and you want to make something happen, an over of well-directed cross-seam short stuff is a superb option.

Give yourself options

In club and school cricket we work hard on mastering the basics.
Cross seam bowling is an option because it's different when you need it. Most of the time you won't need it (for example, in my team the average opposition innings lasts 35 overs). As a result we tend to forget about our options.
But there will be times when these options are needed. The ball is not swinging and the opposition are batting well. You could just sit back and hope for a mistake or you could try a canny cross seam over or two.
When you are in those moments, what have you got to lose?

Here's A Simple Way to Improve Your Bowling

Every bowler, whether they admit it or not, knows how many wickets they have taken.

It's human nature to want to know how your cricket is doing compared to other. Wickets are the easiest and best way to see how you're doing. There's no shame in knowing.
That said, cricket is also a bit more complex than how many wickets you took. If you want to get better, or you want to get the whole bowling unit better, you should also be on top of a few other things.
We all know about strike rates, averages, and runs per over. These are great to have at your fingertips too. They motivate, they provide a measurement to try and improve. They show who is bowling best. They show where you can improve.
And here is one more essential piece data to help you hone your training and tactics to squeeze out every drop of your talent.

Phase average

Your "phase" average is how well you do at different stages of the game.
A good death bowling performance looks very different from bowling in the first 10 overs of a fifty overs match. Yet, the overall averages lump everything together into one number. The good news is that it is pretty simple to find out this information.
For the team I coach, I look in the scorebook and split bowlers analysis into phases,

• Opening overs (1-10)
• Middle overs (11-30)
• Pre-death (31-40)
• Death (41-50)

In our scorebook, it's just a matter of looking at the bowler number in the over-by-over section. Then I look at the runs and wickets for those overs for each bowler.
With these data, I can easily see which bowlers take wickets and restrict runs at different times in the match. I feed back my analysis to the captain to give him a better picture of who is most likely to do well in any given situation.
For example, we have one seam bowler who does poorly opening and bowling at the death but is very good at breaking partnerships in the middle overs. Deploying him in the last 20 overs will likely lead to more opposition runs, so we use him earlier ahead of other, better, bowlers because we know when he is at his best.
We are also able to use PitchVision to track performance in game scenarios at training to better help him learn how to bowl at different times, turning his strengths into super strengths and giving him tools he can use if he does have to bowl at a later stage of the match.
Sure, it takes someone to do a little work in front of a scorebook and spreadsheet, but if it leads to a better awareness of the right time to bowl and the right things to train for, it's got to be worth the little bit of effort!