Want a fast, simple way to improve your game?

Prepare for practice.

I have coached many sessions where I say to the players "what do you want to work on?" and the reply makes it clear the player has not thought about it much before the session. Some people even assume it's the coaches job to tell them what to work on.

To use a driving metaphor: That's fine if you are a learner, but if you have passed your test and want to master your skills, you are the one who drives.

Of course, it's not totally down to you. The coach has an important job for even the best players; feedback, a different set of eyes, experience. Yet it's you who has to hit, bowl, throw or catch the ball. It's you who needs to go to practice knowing what you want to do.

For example, you are a bowler who wants to improve the accuracy of your cutters. You know it works to get wickets on slower pitches but you have not been happy with how it comes out. You want to make sure it's in the right place to encourage the batsman to drive and miss. You want to build your confidence in that ball.

When you get to practice, you have thought it through. You tell the coach that's your aim. You get hold of a ball that you can get to swing. You ask if you can bowl on PitchVision to warm up and get your accuracy measured. Then you bowl in the nets at batsmen who can give you feedback on the place that is most difficult to play.

You spend a few minutes after the session reviewing thing.

You have made an improvement.

Compare that to the next player who arrives saying "I just want to find some rhythm. I know my game." They have a bowl and probably does OK. They haven't done much to improve, so unless they are a total gun they are going to get inconsistent results in games.

And all for a quick five minutes before and after the session.

Worth it, surely?