What the Physio Knows About Cricket Preseason Preparation
When the season is over and the sun has disappeared from the sky the temptation is to hibernate until indoor nets start again.
But a recent trip to a physio for a sports massage changed my mind about winter training.
I had noticed over the last couple of years that my back began to feel tighter and tighter and now was the time to do something about it.
My logic was to give my back a service to allow it to feel loose for a few months before the strain started again.
The professional I went to see completely agreed that an annual service would do wonders for my back. In fact she told me the strain put on your body whilst playing cricket is unique.
The twisting motion of your back during bowling for example is something that is rarely replicated in our day to day lives; and the aching you get after the first half-dozen spells of the season will prove it to you.
She said that a lot of the strains she treats from cricket are muscular rather than spinal and are often found in muscles that are hard to stretch or warm up.
She said that sessions of Pilates or yoga are a benefit for this reason, plus they promote core strength.
I had seen on Twitter how pros like Paul Nixon rave about Yoga and the logic makes sense, especially for a wicket keeper.
Stretching in the right way helps you get into better positions, and the off season is a great time to do it because you are not getting beaten up from long afternoons in the field.
Combining your stretching routine with a well-planned strength and conditioning programme and you also build strength, power and work capacity to stave off injury.
Towards the end of the massage the physio highlighted muscle groups which she found to be extra tight and mentioned some stretches that would help keep these flexible throughout the season.
I left feeling 3 inches taller and inspired to take a full length one handed catch like Jonty Rhodes.
The lessons from that session are things that I am going to do after every season and possibly pre-season and I can highly recommend you try the same.
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Comments
How could I argue against this?
Only in that if you wish for health, fitness, wellbeing and longevity, a sports massage should be considered regularly. Elite sports people will 'endure' one at least every week but definitely the day after every competition.
It is true that we can stretch muscles that cannot be stretched in any other way; muscles that you would never know existed. The slightest issue in one area of soft tissue, can have huge implications on the cricketing body and injury/recovery.
I would recommend once a month for recreational players.
Foam rolling is a good fill in too, but soft tissue work is equally as important as strength work in my mind.
Form rolling is very good but unfortunately, you cannot explain the origins, insertions, innervations and actions of the muscles to foam... not even memory foam
However, foam rollers are better than tennis balls... on a number of occasions, I have worked with clients who have caused more problems, including tears, by rolling on a tennis ball than their initial issue!
During a session, the therapist can discover so many issues that the individual did not even know existed, let alone know they are experiencing. Correcting these as soon as possible, could make the difference between injury and fitness.
I'm noticing a pattern in that I'm probably pretty fit at the moment and still practicing because of the favourable weather. But I know that in the next couple of weeks the weather's likely to change massively and I'll be condemed to being indoors. It then seems as though it takes pretty much half of the summer to get match fit again!
David,
I'm 16 year old seamer, who has just started at the gym. Should I be spending much time working on the lats, as it seems that this may restrict my bowling arm motion?
Well firstly you need to think more in strength and movements, not muscles and size. Work on getting strong in pulling and pushing movements and developing your core. Forget about "lats" that are useless on their own anyway.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELmN0ZZYZic
Please have a look at The Duraband Complete Cricket Trainer if you want a cricket specific product to enhance skills, muscle memory and S&C at all levels. a very useful tool for improving and giving players an edge!
I do agree with most of the stuff mentioned above.
Cricket is a unique sport when it comes to bowling especially because it involves combination of movements & muscle firing at various levels and some of these muscles are not always stretchable, especially around the trunk. Due to the nature of it's complexity even a slightest muscle imbalance problem can alter the biomechanics of one's bowling action.
Also when we talk about stretching it's not completly about muscles but there are other things we need to consider likes of myofascia, as it can have a negative affect the stretchability of muscles.
Thsi is where your physiotherapist can greatly help to stretch the fascia by using myofascial releasing techniques and muscle energy techniques. Obviously this has to be followed by a good stretching programme and conditioning.
In addition to stregth we also need to emphasise on the quality of the movement in a controlled manner.
Brilliant post Mahesh. I agree. You can also self-release fascia with a foam roller.