Time to train is always a problem for club players. So why not combine your usual net time with time to improve your fitness?

Twice the results in half the time.

Hopefully you are already incorporating drills to improve your fielding skill and fitness. But you can go a step further by putting some conditioning work into net practice.

Bowler Combination Net

You can be sure Derek Shackleton didn't do much weight training or running. He just went out and bowled 1300 overs in the 1966 summer.

1300!

This is the basis many ex-players work on when they argue that the only way to get match fit is to play cricket.

Does sport science agree with the pundits?

There are no lazy bowlers.

At least I have never spoken to a seamer or spinner who thinks his performance is lazy. Batsmen, they say, are the lazy ones. Sauntering around taking all the praise while the bowlers do the real work.

I don't bowl myself. If it is as hard work as bowlers say then you need some tips to make life at the end of your run a little less stressful.

Be Realistic

I'm sure you have seen wild claim adverts like that almost every day. How do you separate the facts from the snake oil?

It's not easy.

Getting it wrong could be expensive.

You could always ask someone who knows. You could investigate the facts for yourself to see how things match up.

But the real key to remember with these types of claims is: 'If it's too good to be true, it probably is'.

Picture the scene: It's an important league game for your side. You take to the field on a sunny day full of enthusiasm. You jog between overs, clap every decent ball and are sharp on the singles.

But things don't quite go your way. The field starts to spread and wickets are not falling as you would hope.

How long before heads start to go down and the game is played in a kind of resigned silence?

England and Kent batsman Rob Key is an extremely talented player (ask King Cricket). It can also be said that he has sometimes carried a little extra weight.

He still managed a Test double century, so surely being a bit of a podge is no barrier to success?

It's bad news I'm afraid.

Chances are you are nowhere near as talented as Rob Key (and even the tubby faced maestro has shed some pounds in order to fight back into England contention).

Have you ever wondered why run rates in One Day International cricket are so much faster than those in club cricket?

Top teams feel comfortable scoring at anything up to 10 an over at the death, while many club games still meander along at 4.

As you know, there are factors like less true wickets and harder hitting batsmen to take into account but any side can improve the speed they score at.

David Parsons is the ECB National Spin Bowling Coach: A job in which he is entrusted to develop a new generation of spin bowlers for English cricket.

He is also a technical and theoretical whizz, always looking for creative ways to give players of all disciplines the edge.

One key factor of this is improving your decision making ability through coaching.

As you know, plyometrics are an excellent way to improve your cricket fitness: Be it sprinting a quick single or exploding into your bowling action.

Typically cricket plyometrics is used in the off season as a way of developing speed and power. Note that plyometrics need good technique, fitness levels and plenty of rest after sessions.

Cricket Plyometric Drills