Fitness & Conditioning
Preparing your body for cricket
Simple steps to enhancing the performance you get from your body
What foods should you eat?
The food you eat 24 hours before a game is the fuel your body's engine will run on during the game. The night before look to eat a meal rich in complex carbohydrates such as wholewheat pasta, vegetables or a baked potato. On the morning of a game eat a sizeable breakfast that will provide you with energy for the whole day such as porridge, cereal with fruit, or beans on toast. If you gulp down a McDonalds 30 minutes before a game as your main meal, you've left it too late.
Hydration
Water is second only to oxygen as the body's most important requirement.
On the morning of a game you should look to drink 1-2 pints of water 2 hours before the start. During a game, look to take regular sips of water or diluted squash throughout the day. In hot weather you can lose up to 6 pints of fluid an hour which can have serious consequences if you don't rehydrate. If you wait till you're feeling thirsty to take a drink, your body will already be dehydrated and your performance will suffer accordingly.
Remember it's vital to rehydrate after a game with plenty of water before you hit the beer. Tea, coffee, coke and most fizzy drinks are diuretics - they force water out of your body so don't rely on them to do the job.
Warming Up
By now you should be aware of the value of warming your body up before you play. A jog, some catching practice and some stretching will help:
- Increase bloodflow and prepare the body for physical activity
- Reduce the chances of injury
- Sharpen your mental state
Recovery
For some recovery will be reaching for the paracetamol and a strong coffee after a heavy night spent celebrating a good performance the day before. However you can do an enormous amount to enhance your recovery from exercise, particularly if you have a game the next day.
As soon as the game finishes, try to drink some water and get some decent food inside you within 2 hours. If you have the courage, an ice bath can make your recovery 20 times faster than normal, preventing the 'heavy legs' that follow a hard game. Failing that, a cold bath or even splashing cold water on a particular body part will help remove the lactic acid build up that causes stiffness. A gentle jog and stretch will also help your body recover more quickly.
Peter Wellings
Coaching Cricket Excellence
Peter Wellings December 2007 PWCCE 2007
