Have you noticed the way kids involve themselves totally in the moment?

Fear of failure, injury or any other consequence is nowhere to be seen.

It's something a lot of cricketers can learn from. Being able to get into the moment or the zone is a skill even the top professionals have trouble achieving. Yet to a five year old it's the most natural thing in the world.

You might suffer from this if you have ever:

Poor old Matt Prior. The first English wicketkeeper who dares to use a bit of lip to put off the batsman gets told by an Aussie to shut up.

Ignoring that irony, one thing that is for sure is that the noise of keepers at all levels has dramatically risen under the the banner of chirping. The theory is twofold. First you put off the batsman by making him lose his concentration or feel under pressure. Second you keep the fielding side on their toes through constant encouragement.

This guest post is by Liz Ward.

If you believe you have the power to succeed, to thrive in difficult circumstances and have the characteristics and traits that promote survival, perhaps you have, and as soon as you realise that 80% of your performance is in the mind, you will start to become great!

Of course, technique is important and mental strength is no compensation for lack of skill, but you stand there facing another player who has devoted as much time, effort and yes; blood, sweat and tears, dedicated to their technical education as you.

Matthew Hoggard is famous for saying bowling is about running in and wanging it down.

That's nothing but bluff from the Hogster as he knows good bowling at any level requires a constant battle of wits with the batsman.

In close situations it is often the player who reads the game best and thinks the most quickly who wins out.

Here is how you can do the same when wanging that ball.

Recent research has show that sport psychology techniques work even for people who don't believe in all that mumbo-jumbo.

I'll be the first to admit psychology has a bad reputation in the sporting world. If professional players still view ideas like self-talk and visualisation with suspicion, what chance does the average club player have of using these powerful tools to his or her advantage?

Club players just don't trust the ideas.

In this new series I am inviting readers to submit their experience, tips and advice on how to improve your cricket. Mansoor Khan kicks things off with a discussion on how he gets himself into the zone while batting. Comments are open for your feedback.

I believe that on game day my frame of mind and how psyched I am before a game really affects the way I bat.

Cricket is a game of the mind.

How else can you explain calm, rational people suddenly going to pieces when they try and bowl?

They have the dreaded yips.

Are you looking to improve your technique to play better cricket? You may be looking in the wrong place.

I get a lot of emails asking how I can improve players technique. I love them all, but often the answer is nothing to do with technique at all.

For me, good technique is not something you can learn by the copybook or by getting advice from a coach who has never seen you play. It's a natural consequence of other factors.

Ever heard a conversation at your cricket club go something like this:

Senior Player: That Jim is a good player but he tries too hard.

Club Pro: We will soon get that out of him!

*laughter*

The underlying sentiment seems to be that success is wanted by the club, but you can't be seen to be trying too hard to get it.