I hate to break it to you, but elite players are keeping secrets from you.

There is something the professional bowlers and coaches don’t tell you about being a stellar fast bowler.

Despite being in the public domain for all to see, it remains hidden from the minds of fast bowlers at club and school level.

It’s almost like this secret is so simple it can’t be true.

This article is part 5 of the “How to use fitness training to make better young cricketers” series.

The late teens for a player can go one of two ways, and as a coach it’s up to you to know how to respond.

It’s either a race for the first-class game, or something a little more recreational.

Batsmen who like to take their time over scoring runs are seen as selfish. But there are times when slow scoring is essential to the success of a team’s innings.

It’s not all Geoff Boycott throwing away games just to have a red inker.

If you are a slow batsman yourself you will know acutely what I mean.

This drill is part of the PitchVision Academy fielding drills series, for more in this series click here.

Purpose: To practice slip catching concentration under a pressure situation. And to have a fun game.

Description: The coach hits the ball out randomly to players in the line for close catches. Any fielder who drops the catch moves to the bottom of the ‘ladder’ (as shown on the left), everyone else moves up a place.

This article is part of a series designed to show you how to adapt cricket drills for your needs. To see the full list of articles in this series click here.

Every team has a net player. Perhaps it’s even you.

Cutting-edge cricket technology system, PitchVision, was installed today at the ECB National Cricket Performance Centre at Loughborough University

Purpose: A drill that incorporates cricket skills into speed/endurance training. Can also be used as a pre-game warm up drill.

Description: Players get into equal team numbers. The first player in the queue at end A runs with the ball, places it down on the blue marker and runs to the back of end B.

This article is part 4 of the “How to use fitness training to make better young cricketers” series.

Some time in a cricketer’s early teens their focus shifts.

No, I’m not talking about the strange attraction to the opposite sex. I mean that the type of fitness training they can bear moves from movement skills to more traditional strength and endurance.

114. As a habit always slide your bat across the crease when completing a run. Every time, every run, no matter how well in you are, because it is almost unforgivable to be run out as a consequence of merely not grounding your bat through complacency.

“Mr Strong is the strongest person in the whole wide world.” - Roger Hargreaves

I’m not sure if children’s character Mr Strong ever played cricket, but if he did I’m betting he would be rather good at it.

Anyone who can throw a cannonball as far as you or I could throw a tennis ball has to be a useful bowler and fielder.