This is a guest article from Steffan Jones.

You're bowling speed can drop in a just a week.

It's no good training all winter for speed, coming to the start of the season and losing the vital physiological qualities that enable you to bowl quickly. That's why understanding the timing of training is crucial if you want to stop wasting your off-season.

So, for weekend warriors that means a simple rule:

Do not have Friday off before your Saturday game

The short residual effect seen with speed means you must always peak as close to game day as possible. Friday seems a good day to me.

Make your session speed specific. Use weighted ball training to activate your nervous system and have a direct carry over to your bowling.

In season - and especially before a game - is not the time to lift heavy with squats and bench pressing and so on. That type of training has a place as it develops the potential to be athletic. But that is useless unless you make those gains transfer where it can influence performance.

It's part of your job as a fast bowler to understand how to train different qualities at different times.

Change training for maximum speed

I think the best way for me to explain what I mean regarding both "residual effect" and the importance of periodisation is by showing you my Speed Demon timetable from last season:

As you can see, I alternate a strength phase with a power phase. Due to the short residual effect of speed (you lose it more quickly), each phase has speed work in some form or another.

On the other hand, maximal strength takes much longer to decline (long residual effect). That means by the time strength ability begins to decrease its reintroduced to training. This approach is continued all winter until pre-season where to focus switches to weighted ball training. The purpose of the early phases is to gain some strength and perhaps even hypertrophy. Then as the winter progresses the training shifts towards more explosive work while keeping the muscles fresh.

Aerobic stamina has a long residual effect as well. I build this up starting with extensive tempo running and changing to intensive tempo running as we get closer to the season. It's taken out 3 weeks because we know that your capacity begins to taper after 18-23 days. However by the time the gains start decreasing, bowling is introduced to ensure the bowler has "miles in their legs" to cope with a tough cricket season.

Train at the right time

Remember, you don't lose the benefits of training if you take it out of your plan. Knowing this is so important in order to peak towards the start of the season.

If your season starts soon, good luck and remember to train on Friday!

To get the Speed Demon eBook from Steffan Jones, click here.