Batting is hard work on the mind. It requires a few seconds of very intense concentration followed by almost total relaxation between balls.

Not many people are born with that skill, but you can learn it.

Mainly this is developed by batting in games and practice matches under pressure. There are a couple of drills you can add to your practice sessions to supplement this.

There is not much cricket played in Japan and not many places to practice. Despite the lack of cricketing culture there are pockets of cricketers. These include Shun, who emailed me recently.

Shun's problem is that he does not have much in the way of facilities or equipment to practice. The nearest nets are 2 hours away from where he lives.

How can he and his friends practice with no facilities?

Having a bowling machine to practice with is a mixed blessing. Yes. It's way more accurate than any bowler can hope to be, but it also changes the way you bat.

Sport boffins recently tested the difference between batting against bowlers and machines, finding the batsmen naturally adjust their backlift when facing the machine (pdf). That means you need to be cautious when practising with the Bola.

Developing Unconcious Reaction

Everyone knows how important it is to focus hard on the ball as it is bowled. Martin Crowe even recommends trying to focus on the seam to help with this.

There is a limit to this as watching the ball onto the bat is not the most efficient way to play. Top batsmen like Martin watch the ball from the hand, judge the length then adjust their eye to where they think it will bounce.

Cricket and circuit training are a good fit, especially for amateur players with less time on their hands to train. This is because circuits develop strength, mobility and stamina at the same time. Here are some example circuits you can add into your own training.

Base Building Circuit

I know how much you love drills. So here are two more drills taken from the ECB 'Wings to Fly' coaching video:

Ball Bucket Shuffle

The idea of this drill is to develop fast footwork and mobility. Place a ball on each cone and the bucket in the middle. The aim is to get the balls into the bucket as quickly as possible then back onto the cones again.

There are not many certainties in club cricket, especially when it comes to making runs and taking wickets. However, one thing you can be sure of is that the fitter you are, the better you will perform on the pitch at the weekend.

Cricket fitness, though, can a complicated and difficult subject. You just have to look at the hundreds of personal trainers, fitness books and strange looking equipment available to know it's a confusing world.

I'm sure you have seen wild claim adverts like that almost every day. How do you separate the facts from the snake oil?

It's not easy.

Getting it wrong could be expensive.

You could always ask someone who knows. You could investigate the facts for yourself to see how things match up.

But the real key to remember with these types of claims is: 'If it's too good to be true, it probably is'.

David Parsons is the ECB National Spin Bowling Coach: A job in which he is entrusted to develop a new generation of spin bowlers for English cricket.

He is also a technical and theoretical whizz, always looking for creative ways to give players of all disciplines the edge.

One key factor of this is improving your decision making ability through coaching.

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'.