| The Mental and Psychological Side of Cricket - Batting | | | | negative thoughts entering the mind and also stops |
| When you watch cricket on television, it can appear | | | | any possible distractions drifting into your thoughts. |
| to be quite an easy and simple sport, but under the | | | | As the bowler enters his final steps your focus level |
| helmet of the batter, there is a whole different game | | | | should increase to what is commonly known as a |
| going on inside the batters mind in an attempt to | | | | state of fierce focus, in this stage all mental powers |
| banish any possible distractions, and focus every bit | | | | should be focusing on the ball and the ball only, your |
| of mental energy on the ball as it is released from | | | | mental screen should now just be the size of the ball. |
| the bowlers hand, this is the psychological side to | | | | This allows your brain to compute and work out the |
| batting. | | | | line, length and flight of the ball and so gives you the |
| As a batter, your aim is to score runs, stay in and | | | | maximum amount of time to help you get your feet |
| help your team reach a certain particular target. To | | | | and body into position as early as possible helping |
| achieve this, you need to be in the correct mental | | | | giving you the best possible chances of making a |
| state. To help reach this state of fierce concentration | | | | good decision and playing a good shot. |
| there are several things that you must do. | | | | This should be applied to nets as well as matches as |
| Firstly, you need to be clear your mind of any | | | | this will get you well trained and so it becomes |
| possible distractions, distractions can come in many | | | | second nature. |
| forms; these may be concerns about the pitch, | | | | The Mental and Psychological side to Cricket - Bowling |
| fielder's comments, being scared of the ball, fear of | | | | As a bowler, like batting, to gain optimum results, |
| getting out etc. These matters need to be cleared | | | | there are certain thought processes that need to |
| out of the head prior to the start of the bowlers run | | | | take place. Again, like batting you need to eradicate |
| up to allow for the stages of concentration that will | | | | possible distractions from your mind as you prepare |
| soon follow, this is vital, if there are distractions | | | | to bowl, such distractions include worries about the |
| floating around your mind, you are sure not to be | | | | batsmen "hitting out", fear of making mistakes e.g. |
| focussing to your optimum level and are more likely | | | | bowling down the leg side/a wide etc. With negative |
| to male a mistake. | | | | thoughts running through your mind, you are much |
| Every ball requires you to concentrate at your | | | | more likely to tense up and make mistakes, your |
| highest possible levels, and in so you should have a | | | | thought patterns should always remain positive. |
| strategy to help you concentrate. I was taught by a | | | | Bowlers need a game plan (I discuss game plans in |
| prominent cricketing figure this following method that | | | | the free e-book), and they should plan their next ball |
| I find extremely useful in exploiting my maximum | | | | as they are walking back to their mark. If you are |
| concentration levels. Firstly, after clearing all | | | | deciding what ball you are going to ball while you run |
| distractions from your mind, as the bowler starts to | | | | up, then you are likely to get caught in two minds |
| run up, you should enter a state of fine focus, in this | | | | and make mistakes. If you decide prior to starting |
| state, your mind should have no negative thoughts | | | | your run up what type of ball you are going to bowl, |
| and be concentrating on the top half of the bowler, | | | | e.g. slower ball, it gives you the opportunity to really |
| you vision should be like a television, only focussed in | | | | focus and concentrate on how and where you want |
| on the top half of the bowler as her approaches, in | | | | to pitch the ball. How you go about deciding where |
| this period you should have constructive positive | | | | about you focus on e.g. the base of off stump, or |
| thoughts, for example I say to myself over and over | | | | where you want to pitch the ball is very much a |
| "Focus, watch the ball, focus, watch the ball" etc... By | | | | personal matter which should be worked out in nets |
| doing this and saying positive statements, it stops | | | | as everyone is different. |