This is the 3rd in the "Principles of Cricket Fitness" series. To go to Part 1 click here.

It's been said before and will be said again: The best way to get fit for cricket is by playing cricket.

That, in a nutshell, is the principle of "specificity": Your body adapts to demand put on it in a highly specific way.

This is a very exciting time for UK club cricket. I have talked about how the new club 2020 league has potential to transform the way clubs play previously. Yesterday I was lucky enough to meet (in real life) the guys from North Gear who are behind the National 2020 Premier League over a hot chocolate.

This is the 2nd in the "Principles of Cricket Fitness" series. To go to Part 1 click here.

Ancient Greece is more famous in sport for the Olympics rather than the smack of leather on willow. These two great endeavours do have an element in common and that's how the Greeks can show cricket the way.

Fitness for cricket is both simple and complex. Simple because it is built on certain principles that anyone can understand. Complex because there are a million ways to interpret those principles and turn them into a training plan.

It seems to me that a good place to start would be to understand these principles so you can see if your fitness programme is the best for your needs.

• Alwyn Cosgrove talks about the link between stress in life and performance. It's something I am going to be talking about a lot more soon.
• Can doing more exercise make up for eating more food?
• Vern Gambetta on swimming for baseball pitchers. This applies just as much to any sport with throwing and bowling, cricket included.

This is the final part of the "Cricket Fitness for Older Players" series. To go to part 1 click here.

Retirement from any recreational sport is a highly individual matter and not just for older players.

Unlike professionals, retirement for many club players is more a matter of life taking over: Family, work and other interests all cause early 'retirements' every year. We have all had games where we feel the last thing we want to do is waste our weekends dropping catches and getting belted all round the park!

This is part 4 of the "Cricket Fitness for Older Players" series. To go to part 1 click here.

Balance and mobility are two often overlooked factors for all cricketers. For older players they are even more important.

Balance is vital because it is the starting point for both power and technique. Mobility is needed to reduce the risk of injury and increase power through having a greater range of motion through your hips, trunk and shoulders.

Imagine having a button you can press on the cricket pitch that shuts your stress down, while leaving you in full control.

In fact, you can have one of these buttons.

It's called an 'anchor' and the idea is based entirely on the most famous successful psychological experiment in history.

Pavlov's Dog

This is part 3 of the "Cricket Fitness for Older Players" series. To go to part 1 click here.

It's not a nice thing to think about, but as you get older there are increased risked related to both you cricket life and your real life.

As long as you are active you are helping reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease and osteoporosis. As a cricketer you need to consider how age affects your game: