Mark Garaway, Sam Lavery and David Hinchliffe chat about planning for the cricket season (or off season) and integrating a weaker player into a strong playing setup at club level.

Listen for the details.

As you may be aware, I love working with Spinners, especially leg-spinners. I’m lucky to be able to work with a few Leggie’s which includes 14 year old Michael.

Good cricketers are tough in all situations.

You might be on top and in control, or fighting to get out of a jam. The context might change but your ability to fight out stays the same.

Some people are naturals at this mental game: they need no training to stay confident, focused and self-aware. Aside from these genetic freaks, the rest of us need a little more work. Work that no amount of time getting throwdowns or bowling at PitchVision can ever give. Work that happens in your head.

Want the good news?

This work gets real, tangible results in runs and wickets. You don't even need to be at nets, or have anyone to train with. You just need you, and your mind, and some time to think.

One of the more common frustrations we hear at PitchVision is the talented player who is not given a chance to prove his ability.

Perhaps you feel you are the victim of this bias.

The men who make the decisions somehow have it in for you or - more often - favour someone else above you for reason that are not about cricket. You can't prove that corruption is happening, but you hear things said and see lesser players chosen above you and become convinced. The coach might tell you it's because the better man was chosen, but you know politics, money or even race lie at the heart of a choice.

It's enough to dishearten the honest, hard-working and talented player.

Don't give up yet, friend. There is hope.

You are not alone. There are inspiring stories of players in your exact position that have gone on to overcome bias and become a cricketer. We can learn from the example.

Mark Garaway, Sam Lavery and David Hinchliffe discuss cricket coaching and playing. The topics include culture building in club cricket, "net" batsmen and asking if T20 is bad for you.

We all know how important setting targets is to cricket success, but most of us focus on individual aims and forget that teams can set targets too.

Setting 'team targets' is just as powerful in motivating players to do well because - like individual goal setting - a realistic and achievable target focuses the mind.

They say that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Yet how many times after a game have we "reviewed" performance with a bunch of fleeting clichés about bowling better, taking our catches and taking responsibility as a batting unit?

How many times do we actually do something about this complaint other than hope things will change next time?

Cricket doesn’t need perfect teamwork to win games, but it certainly helps and is certainly a goal worth striving for. Here are some tips.

Teamwork is a tricky thing. It’s not easy to measure or analyse. There is no direct relationship between a bonded team and success. Different approaches work for different groups. It’s messy.

There is no simple template for a great team.

Mark Garaway, Sam Lavery and David Hinchliffe discuss cricket coaching at age 16, the importance of net bowling and making it as a pro cricketer.

Jamie Watkins is Coach of the Month.

Jamie has been coaching at Taranaki Cricket in new Zealand for a decade. Through that time he has had a number of roles, but these days he spends his time overseeing the coaching programme.