It used to be said that if Yorkshire (and England) needed a fast bowler they just whistled down the nearest mine.

These men seemed carved from granite. They bowled a thousand overs a season on nothing but a warm beer and a bag of chips at the close of play. They only ever got injured if they broke their knuckles on someone's jaw.

How did they do it and how can you emulate their heroic efforts (without finding a mine to work in)?

The new way isn't the best way

Life in England pre- and post-war was very different, and it produced fitter, stronger and faster bowlers.

So to understand how to go back to those days we need to know what they were like.

Boys were put to work early in manual jobs. Boys like England paceman Harold Larwood who was working in a mine at 14. If they had spare time and wanted to get anywhere they had to walk.

When they were not working, boys and men of the age were playing sport and games. Informally in the streets or more organised games of rugby, football and cricket. There was no TV, let alone consoles or computers.

The point is, young men didn't sit down like we do now. There just wasn't the opportunity.

As a result of their work and play they were stronger (mentally and physically), and they were more aware of how to move; skimming stones strengthens your shoulders for example.

They didn't specialise in cricket too soon, with many talented players playing professional cricket in the summer and football in the winter. The most famous of all these non-specialists was CB Fry who played for England at football and cricket, played first-class rugby and held the world long jump record.

Of course, Fry was a legend, but if he was alive now he would never have been able to perform those feats.

4 Ways to copy the great English fast bowlers

While it's impossible to go back to the old days, there are some things us modern players can take from the pre-Nintendo era to help us be a little more like Larwood, Cartwright or Trueman.

• Get down the mine. The modern world has less physical jobs so we have less chance to be strong and flexible in our working life. That means gyms have become the modern 'mine' in getting fast bowler's strong and flexible. It's especially important in the off-season when many bowlers of yesteryear went back to manual jobs, got strong and reported back for county duty in April.
• Get moving. Modern life means sitting down; cars, computers and TV all put us in positions that are bad for our posture. In the old days those options just didn't exist. Aim to cut back on how much you sit down by walking more (park a further distance away if you have to), getting up from your computer every so often, playing other sports or active recreations (biking for example) and keeping the Nintendo time down.
• Eat 'grandma' food. Modern food is different too. We eat much more processed food and much less 'real' food. By that I mean stuff your grandmother would recognise as food: Meat, fish, vegetables and dairy. In those days she wasn't afraid of fat, or carbs, or anything. She just cooked from scratch and ate healthy meals. Make sure you are getting plenty of food from these sources to fuel your newer more active lifestyle.
• Keep bowling. With a stronger more flexible body you will be able to bowl more, and you should. The great bowlers in the past had no fears of how much they bowled. Once you are fit, get as many overs under your belt as you can. It will help your pace, accuracy and cricketing nous more than anything else.

And it's really as simple as that. We will never go back to those days, but why not cherry pick the best bits to help you become a better bowler?

Just don’t smoke a cigar and down three pints of mild every night. That's best left in the past.