Has your cricket club got a coach?

I'm talking about the senior section here, not the colts or youth teams. If not, have you ever considered why not?

I know that at the clubs I have played the answer to both questions is 'no'.

There is not much that is more satisfying for a seam bowler than steaming in, beating the batsman for pace and seeing the stumps cartwheeling back. If anyone knows how to tease that extra pace out of you it's Ian Pont: Cricket guru and fast bowling coach to Essex CCC and the Netherlands World Cup squad.

If the cricket club you play for is anything like mine, success means a great deal. We may be amateurs but we still want to do well personally and in our leagues.

But playing well means training well, especially for those of us who are not lucky to have the talent of Ponting, Flintoff or Ntini.

Time restrictions might stop you practising as much, but you can still train the way the top guys do. Here is how:

Make a commitment

Club cricket nets are often wasted opportunities, despite being more popular with players than ever. To make a net more effective for everyone involved, follow my guide to making your cricket nets better training:

This is the layout I like to use for a typical training session.

It covers skills drills, fitness and game practice. Each segment can be reduced or expanded depending on the goals for the session. It can also be done with any number of people from one up. If you are doing pure fitness sessions you can cut out the skills and team practice.

General Warm Up (10-20 min)

The warm up is vital to reduce the risk of injury, so don't do what most club players do and skip straight to the skills session.