FREE SKILLS: CRICKET - FIELDING PDF Luke Sellers | 32 pages | 04 Apr 2008 | Bloomsbury Publishing PLC | 9780713686944 | English | London, United Kingdom Fielding (cricket) - Wikipedia Cricket requires a variety of skills that are commonly used in a number of Skills: Cricket - Fielding. Hand-eye coordination, throwing or catching a ball, balance and intense, long-term concentration are just a few. Through consistent practice and by applying these skills to the elements of cricket, such as a batsman watching the ball at all times, you will see a dramatic improvement in your game. Bob Woolmer, former head coach of the South African cricket team, wrote in "The Art and Science of Cricket," that batting has five basic principles: "Watch the ball, keep your head still on release of the ball, judge length accurately, allow your hands to lead your body and feet into the correct position Skills: Cricket - Fielding select the correct shot. Your grip on the bat should feel natural, using the same tension as when you pick the bat up from the ground. Try to relax at the crease since tension will restrict your movement and have a negative impact on your technique. Lift the bat up as the bowler approaches, keep your head still, focus on the ball and commit fully to the shot you select. Whether you're a fast bowler, medium-paced bowler who swings the ball in the air or spin bowler who gets the ball to move dramatically off the pitch, bowling has a foundation of skills that each player must learn. Woolmer wrote that by focusing on "momentum, balance and timing" within the context of the run-up, the set-up, the unfold, the delivery and the follow through, bowlers will become consistent and accurate and will be able to take wickets. Bowlers should start off slowly and gain speed and momentum as the run-up progresses into the set-up. Point your left arm -- if you're a right- handed bowler -- in Skills: Cricket - Fielding direction you want the ball to land. As your action begins to unfold, your bowling arm will begin a degree rotation. Fix your eyes on the target and place your left foot on the popping crease to begin the delivery. Your momentum will naturally bring your arm through to release the ball. Always complete your follow by continuing until you naturally come to a stop. Do not stop quickly or you'll increase the risk of injury. Catching requires five basic skills: Excellent reflexes to get the ball, good hand-eye coordination, anticipation and alertness to react to the ball quickly, and a still head to keep the technique together. As the ball comes toward you, try to Skills: Cricket - Fielding two hands, keep still and keep your eye on the ball. Point your fingers away from your body to create a large surface area by spreading your fingers wide. When the ball enters your hands, try to cushion the ball by Skills: Cricket - Fielding your hands back toward you. This "give," as Woolmer calls it, will reduce the chances of the ball bouncing back out of your hands. Picking the ball up quickly and efficiently and throwing the ball at the wickets are the other skills required to be a good fielder. A quick pickup requires short steps as you approach the ball. Bend your knees, place your strongest Skills: Cricket - Fielding alongside the ball Skills: Cricket - Fielding pick it up with one hand. Skills: Cricket - Fielding explains that "the ideal throw is the one used in baseball," where you draw the ball back over the shoulder "so it faces backward" before unwinding the arm and throwing it straight over the shoulder at the target. Based in North Wales, U. By: Daniel Rhodes. Published: 05 December, More Articles. Home Sports Baseball. Skills in Skills: Cricket - Fielding By: Daniel Rhodes. Helen Moffett. Basic Skills & Techniques for Cricket | SportsRec Sadly, a lot of cricketers are not born with a talent for catching a cricket ball. This can lead to a lot of embarrassing moments for them in the field! Thankfully, we can all Skills: Cricket - Fielding our catching abilities by making sure we have all of the basics right, and putting some hard work in along the way! Read on to find those! While fielding, it may help you to imagine the sort of shot a batsman may play that will result in them hitting the ball at a catchable height in your direction. For example, if you are fielding at the cover position click here to see my full breakdown of all the fielding positionsthen any ball that travels in your direction will probably come from Skills: Cricket - Fielding batsman playing the cover drive! If you keep a mental image of the batsman playing a lofted cover drive towards you in your head, then it can help to prepare you for the catch you will have to take. I like to think about what sort of ball the bowler will have to bowl in order for the batsman to hit the ball Skills: Cricket - Fielding me, and the position the batsman will have to get his body in to do so! Visualising this sort of thing as the bowler approaches the crease Skills: Cricket - Fielding helps me to stay focused on every ball, which is vital for a fielder. It also helps to prepare your body for the catch you will have to take! Obviously, a catch could present itself to you in Skills: Cricket - Fielding very different way from the one you are picturing in your head, therefore it is necessary to Skills: Cricket - Fielding balanced and on your toes, Skills: Cricket - Fielding to react to any shot the batsman plays! Most cricketers are very willing to put a lot of time into practicing their batting and bowling, but a lot of them are less willing to practice fielding! If you want to improve your catching, you should be including some drills in all of your club practice sessions, and getting in as much practice as you can at home too! This one is simple! Your only Skills: Cricket - Fielding will be to complete the catch and then throw the ball quickly back to where it came from! It is the most effective way to practice high catches and simulates a game situation perfectly! These drills are designed to test your reactions! The ball will be coming towards you much quicker and closer to the ground. There are a few different ways you can do this:. Play Catch With A Partner — Stand around 5 metres away from a partner and get them to throw the ball towards you fast and hard. Ask your partner to throw the ball towards different parts of your body to give you a more difficult catching test. Once you have caught the ball, throw it back towards your partner so they can have a go at catching it too! I like this drill, because you can set yourselves little challenges. One of my personal favourites is the first one to drop a ball has to Skills: Cricket - Fielding 20 press ups! That certainly provides a little bit of motivation! They are basically small ramps that are placed on the ground a few feet in front of the person who is looking to practice their catches. Your partner should throw the ball at the ramp at different angles! This causes the ball to fly off the ramp at different angles giving you a tough catching test! The Katchet training Skills: Cricket - Fielding can also help you practice your batting in the same way! Place the training aid around metres away from the crease and have someone throw a ball onto the ramp while you attempt to Skills: Cricket - Fielding the ball! It adds a bit of uncertainty to your batting practice which is great when you want to simulate batting in dangerous conditions! Use A Rebound Skills: Cricket - Fielding — Rebound nets are great because they allow you to practice close catches without a partner or anyone else being involved! Rebound nets basically consist of a net that is tightly wound around an adjustable metal frame. This means that when a ball is thrown at the net, it will bounce off at an accelerated speed! Also, because you can adjust the angle of the metal frame, you can get the ball to bounce towards you at different angles! I would stand a few metres away from the net, throw the ball onto it at an exaggerated angle, and pretend I was fielding in the slips for England before trying to take an acrobatic catch! Alternatively, to have a look at the double sided ones which are a bit more expensive, click here! One player or the coach should act as the batsman, while another player or coach throws the ball forcefully towards them. The players hoping to practice their catches should form a slip cordon behind the batsman! From here, whoever is closest to the ball should be trying to take the catch cleanly! This is one of the best ways to practice slip catching and I would recommend it very highly! There are loads more drills that you can do! You should always aim to get your body into a balanced position just before the ball is going to be bowled. Getting into this position is the foundation of any movement that you will make once the Skills: Cricket - Fielding has been struck by the batsman! I would recommend standing with your feet about a shoulder width apart, and making sure that your weight is evenly distributed over both of your feet.