Want to be a cricketer? You have the choice.

When you hit nets you often feel no pressure. When you bat in a game you feel all the pressure.

One of the worst things I can hear at cricket training is the dreaded phrase "I just want to hit balls".

Why is this so bad?

Sam Lavery talks us through some ways to keep nets running when you have a big group of players to keep busy and develop skills.

Picture the scene, you are coaching a group of keen 9-11 year old players.

You tell a 10 year old to drive, and you ask him to demonstrate the shot. He shadows it perfectly. Excellent.

You do some drills with a tennis ball and, with a little effort, he hits it back straight. Now we are talking!

You finish the session with a soft ball game: He swipes at the first half volley and tries to put it over square leg.

Sigh.

How easy is it to "just bat" in nets, and not be as engaged as you would in a game?

"Do you want a game on Wednesday?" The midweek Twenty20 captain asks you after your Saturday match.

You can play, but it's a busy week and Wednesday is your only free time for training too. So you have a choice.

What do you do?

Maybe you don't have access to nets. Maybe your club nets are not very good. Maybe you are fed up of having the same old nets every time.

Every team has a net player: The one with all the shots in practice and zero confidence in games. Can you prevent this?

Last night, the team I coach ran an experimental practice drill to improve game sense and raise the intensity of net practice. Here's how it went.