As mentioned before, net practice is an integral part of cricket. You can’t hit balls with the bat unless you have hit them with the ball! The same goes for bowling. To improve your game, you need to spend time doing either one or both.
In this article, we will go through some smart strategies to improve your net batting. We will also talk about some ways to fine-tune your net bowling.
Net batting includes things like hitting shots, timing your runs, understanding the different types of nets, and how to use each type effectively. While most cricketers already know what kind of nets are needed and when to use them, there are always new tricks to learn.
This article will help you achieve that.
Repetition is the mother of skill
As we mentioned before, the best way to improve your cricket net bowling is by doing it enough times. But how many times do you need to practice? And what kind of practice are we talking about here?
Practicing with no plan is pointless. You will get the same result as practicing for an hour while listening to music! The song will still be there when you’re done, but you won’t learn anything.
So now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s look at some different types of nets. We’ll discuss which ones are the most important to have, and give tips on how to make the most out of each one.
Slow and steady wins the race
Whilst most of us enjoy playing cricket, not many of us actually do it very well. The vast majority of people who play the game have fun doing so, but they seem to give up quickly because they don’t know what to do next.
There are several reasons why this happens. Some players get nervous when the ball is hit towards them, so they try hard to run away instead of sticking around and waiting for a mistake.
Some feel uncomfortable taking chances if the other team has more experience than them, so they choose safety over adventure.
And some lose interest as soon as there’s an interruption or something new comes along, like a new type of bowler or a different way to bat.
Whatever the reason, these kinds of behaviours usually result in quick losses of confidence.
Practice makes perfect
As we mentioned earlier, practicing with a net is one of the best ways to improve your game! There are many different types of nets you can use for this purpose. You do not need to go out and buy an expensive net designed just for practice.
Any type of net will work well as long as it does not have too much bounce. A low-bounce net like our standard green net that has no rope attached works very well. If the ropes ruffle in the wind slightly then that is okay as well.
There are three main reasons why having a net helps you hone your skills more effectively. First, by putting up a barrier between yourself and the ball, it forces you to learn how to hit through the ball rather than have it come down and hit you at full speed.
This also teaches you how to manage power when hitting the ball. By doing this with a softball sized net, you get better accuracy and control over where the shot goes. Second, using a net gives you the opportunity to test out your reflexes.
If you are looking to gain some quick points, letting the ball roll off the edge of the net and seeing if you can save it is a great way to do so. Lastly, using a net allows you to assess whether or not your swing is smooth and fluid.
By watching your stroke, you can tell if there are any hiccups in the action.
Getting enough sleep
One of the biggest mistakes that amateur cricket players make is not getting enough sleep. As mentioned before, good sleep helps regulate your mood and mental state which can have an influence on how you play the game.
If a player notices their performance decreasing due to lack of sleep, they should consider changing their sleeping pattern immediately!
There are many ways to achieve this, but one of the most effective is to try and get at least seven hours of sleep every night. It’s also important to be able to recognize when you’re no longer feeling fully rested so that you can either wake up earlier or ask someone to help out with duty of keeping you awake until you feel better.
Another way to improve sleep quality is to reduce alcohol intake and avoid drinking caffeine after sunset as these both inhibit sleep induction.
How much alcohol you drink has little effect on sleep if you stay within recommended limits, but too much can impair it.
Practice makes perfect
As we mentioned before, practicing with a net is one of the most important things you can do to improve your cricket game. While some people feel that trying to hit a ball while it’s bouncing off the wall is too difficult, doing so will definitely help you get better!
By working on your net practice, you’ll be improving your skills more effectively than just by simply going through the motions during actual games.
Practicing with a net gives you an opportunity to work on all of the different parts of the game — batting, bowling, fielding, and goal-setting.
It also helps you develop muscle memory, which means you’re able to apply your new skill quickly because you’ve already got some stuff down.
