As club players we all want gun bats that last for years.

But the way bats are made means that you are going to have to choose between the two.

You see, each piece of willow was once a living thing. Each one has the variety of attributes associated with something found in the wild.

Bat makers will tell you that as each piece of wood is different it is hard to find any correlation between the numbers of grains and how well a bat will perform.

Batting advice and coaching is high on the agenda this week as we look at when to use a bowling machine, and when to use throwdowns.

Plus we talk about the double-edged sword of a shot that is the off drive and Gary Palmer finishes off his interview by talking about the ultimate batting coaching session and what makes up talent.

But it’s the only tool the batsman has, so the correct bat will give you the chance to be as good as you can be. Choosing which bat to buy is a crucial decision.

There are bats worth £500 and there are bats worth £80; both made out of the same stuff.

Is it just a matter of buying the best one that you can afford and hoping?

With sledging high in discussion this week, the team take a look at every aspect of mental disintegration from club games to high profile international matches. And poor Burners tells us that he often gets more from his own team-mates than from the opposition.

We look at the influence of overseas professionals on the game, and answer your questions with Mark Garaway and David Hinchliffe giving some revealing answers in the questions section.

Have you ever wondered what it takes to become a first-class batsman?

Who better to ask than someone who has been there, done it and seen it all from playing internationally to smashing boundaries in the IPL?

That man is Aakash Chopra and he is revealing all in the latest coaching course to hit PitchVision Academy.

And right now you can get a free preview of the course.

Mark Garaway gets the big fanfare this week as he launches his “Coaching to Win” coach education section on the site, and the podcast is a big part of the action.

We talk about the importance of continuing education for coaches and the DRS at club level.

Gary Palmer returns for the 2^nd part of his interview on batting coaching where he talks more about applying his principles from grass-roots to elite levels.

And we answer your questions on pre-match batting drills and trigger moves.

If you want someone who has experienced everything in the world of coaching then you need to look no further than Mark Garaway.

Mark joins the show as our latest – and Burners aside, greatest – contributor. He brings a wealth of experience from coaching county cricket, being England analyst, directing performance for Ireland and coaching in the IPL.

And from now on Garas will be answering your questions and discussing coaching news as part of the team.

This is a guest post from regular contributor and club cricketer, AB.

There is something that so often makes the difference when keeping out a difficult delivery.

Yet it is a subject only rarely discussed or coached.

But using it in the right way, at the right time will give you a second; safe line of defence.

We have come across that wily batsman who manages to score stacks of runs without a great technique.

At first you look at them with contempt, frustrated at how someone with so little technique can hang around so long and score so many runs (especially if you’re the bowler).

Then after a few overs of this you will just put it down to pure luck.

It’s not luck at all.

That guy knows how he bats: He knows his limits and what he is able to do.

I’m delighted to announce that your long wait is over.

As you know, A while ago we announced the JP Duminy was joining PitchVision Academy to produce his first ever (and exclusive) online coaching courses.

Now the courses, titled Hit the Ground Running, are available in the courses section of the site