The faster you can change direction, the better a player you will be. Running between the wickets, catching and chasing all become easier the more agile you are.

How do you gain that extra gear?

Agility training is actually simpler than you may think. The key to it is to make sure you make time to build agility training into your fitness plan. It's not enough to simply do fielding drills that involve a lot of running. That is a key element but there is more you need to do.

Injury and overuse of the the group of muscles and tendons around the shoulder (Rotator Cuff) is among the most common in cricket. Prevention is a simple matter of understanding.

A healthy, strong Rotator Cuff functions extremely well but as we get older the muscle and tendon tissue around this area lose some elasticity and can become damaged through repetitive use, which can cause pain and inhibit movement. Over time, the tendons wear thin and a rotator cuff tear can develop.

Fast bowlers understand the need for fitness more than any other cricketer. But like all sports participants, many bowlers are confused by what is best for them. The trick is comparing the principles to the methods:

Every cricketer wants to be a more powerful and faster player. One of the most misunderstood methods to improve is plyometrics. Read on to find out the simple tricks you can use to master the basics.

What are Plyometrics?

Plyometrics is a catch all term for training methods that use fast, explosive movements like jumping. The aim is to improve the amount of force your muscles can generate. The crossover to the cricket pitch is most obvious in running speed and fast bowlers leaps. However, you can also use plyometric style methods to improve throwing distance and speed as well as hitting power.

Don't put away your thoughts of cricket when the season ends. You can use the winter to improve your base of strength and power for next season.

The benefits are huge because work in the gym transfers directly to the pitch. More speed, more power and even better endurance.

The benefits are not the issue though. Most people know that working out is good for you. However many cricketers don't know where to start with this kind of planning and programming so they don't bother.

Can you call something a trend when you see it twice? If so there is a trend in top-flight cricket at the moment for fitness boot camps.

But are they any good?

What with Pakistan joining Australia as the latest International side to turn to the Army for fitness advice, can clubs learn from this too? (Thanks to Scott for sending me the news item)

Wouldn't it be nice if someone could cut through the mist of fitness training to give you a simple template to follow for all your workouts?

That's exactly what Alwyn Cosgrove has done over at EliteFTS, and it works perfectly for cricket training too.

This is cricket fitness myth #3, to go back to the list of cricket fitness myths click here.

It's often assumed that because of the long lasting nature of cricket, you need to run long distances to prepare your body. This is often called the 'aerobic base'

But if you study what a cricketer actually does on the field during a match you soon find out this aerobic base is totally irrelevant to game performance.

This is cricket fitness myth #2, to go back to the list of cricket fitness myths click here.

If you only know one thing about core or abdominal training make it this: Sit ups and crunches are one of the worst exercises you can do for them.

The crunch has a great reputation though. Thousands of sportsmen and women perform them regularly to give them selves the edge during the game and on the beach.

This is cricket fitness myth #1, to go back to the list of cricket fitness myths click here.

"Will I get too big and muscular to play cricket if I weight train?"

This is by far the most common question I'm asked when telling cricketers they need to do resistance training.

I'll be short with you: You won't.