When the season is over and the sun has disappeared from the sky the temptation is to hibernate until indoor nets start again.
But a recent trip to a physio for a sports massage changed my mind about winter training.
I had noticed over the last couple of years that my back began to feel tighter and tighter and now was the time to do something about it.
My logic was to give my back a service to allow it to feel loose for a few months before the strain started again.
The professional I went to see completely agreed that an annual service would do wonders for my back. In fact she told me the strain put on your body whilst playing cricket is unique.
The twisting motion of your back during bowling for example is something that is rarely replicated in our day to day lives; and the aching you get after the first half-dozen spells of the season will prove it to you.
She said that a lot of the strains she treats from cricket are muscular rather than spinal and are often found in muscles that are hard to stretch or warm up.
She said that sessions of Pilates or yoga are a benefit for this reason, plus they promote core strength.
I had seen on Twitter how pros like Paul Nixon rave about Yoga and the logic makes sense, especially for a wicket keeper.
Stretching in the right way helps you get into better positions, and the off season is a great time to do it because you are not getting beaten up from long afternoons in the field.
Combining your stretching routine with a well-planned strength and conditioning programme and you also build strength, power and work capacity to stave off injury.
Towards the end of the massage the physio highlighted muscle groups which she found to be extra tight and mentioned some stretches that would help keep these flexible throughout the season.
I left feeling 3 inches taller and inspired to take a full length one handed catch like Jonty Rhodes.
That’s how loose I felt.
The lessons from that session are things that I am going to do after every season and possibly pre-season and I can highly recommend you try the same.
