Dear Players and Parents

Welcome you all for associating with Skylab Cricket Academy & Club,

With lot of dreams all of you have joined with us. We know that we have to stretch our full efforts to train you up. At the same time all of you have to keep in mind that you should also work hard with us to initiate yourself interest to achieve your goal. To become a good cricketer you have to follow some stringent methods. The following are some of the methods you have to keep it mind.

The first step to being a fit cricketer is do not play just Cricket.

What we mean is when you are growing up and have set your mind on being a serious cricketer, play other Games too. Play lot of foot ball, athletics, squash and other games. Play any game you like, that could keep you active.  Beach side play is advisable.

This will help you to become a good athlete, without even realizing it.

When you grow up and become a full fledged cricketer and start playing more and more matches, continue playing those other games during the off season. The great little master Sachin Tendulkar still drops in to join his friends for the odd game of Table Tennis in between his hectic schedule.

Concentrate on maintaining your fitness. Do lot of running, cycling etc. It’s always a good idea to have company, when you are running. The competitiveness with your partner can only help. Try beach running and run with intensity. Yes, Intensity in your training will give you that little extra capability, which makes you different from the rest.

Concentrate on your legs and shoulder. A good cricketer needs strong legs and Shoulder.

Quick sprints should always be a part of your fitness program. This is a great preparation for quick singles in limited over matches. Keep doing skipping and dumbbells for your Legs, wrists, arms and shoulders

Concentrate on the Abdomen. Strong abdomen, that’s where the power comes from, The power to hit huge shots,

 If you have to train yourself hard, you need to Eat Well. Don’t believe in eating less to control weight. Eat well and train hard. Be a non smoker, non drinker and avoid late night sleep to be a better performer.

Take rest whenever possible.

My only advice would be, if you want to make it a profession then let cricket be just your profession. It shouldn’t become your life. It’s part of your life. You got to have an undying love for the game. Can’t approach it as a career until you will pursue till the age of 18 and then see how it goes. If you’re blessed with the talent then make full use of it; work really hard. Put 110 per cent extra effort every time you play. But let your world not revolve around cricket because cricket has a shelf life.

Pursue other passions; concentrate on your education because it plays a vital role in your life even after you end up with your cricketing career.

Let me take this opportunity to give some advice to the parents.

Please do not pressurize your child into playing cricket but make him concentrate in studies. Let him love the game and groom as a cricketer on his own.

Remember, even if your child does not perform to the highest level in Cricket, you have a child with a very healthy physique because of playing a sport.

Don’t forget that there are some avoidable temptations around. Perform Well.  Wishing you

Good Luck. 

Thanks and Warm Regards

Augustus Rajmahender Peters

Director cum Head Coach

                                                                                        Batsman – Keep your Head Cool

If you need to become a top class batsman, you got to have some basic talent. Not so exceptional talent, but at least the natural gift of hitting & middling the ball well. Add to that a strong passion to love for the game and you have it in mind the prerequisites to become a batsman of high quality.

Once you have the prerequisites, look out for a good school that encourages cricket, which has a good coach and proper nets. Start practicing more and more with the help of coach’s advice and direction. The more you practice the better you become a good cricketer.

The role of a Cricket Academy in a young cricketer’s career is valuable. Pick the right Cricket Academy, one that does not change your natural game but only makes adjustments.

Temperament is very important to become a high quality batsman.. Deficiencies in batting skills can be more than covered by a good, sound cricket mind. Playing more matches helps develop your temperament. Playing frequently in match situations and learning the finer points of the game helps in increasing your aptitude for the game.

Learn to play for your team. Do everything possible to get your team to win and do not be selfish. Make playing for the team, a habit. Another good habit to have is scoring big runs 100, 150, 200 you must learn to go on. Make it a habit of carrying on after a hundred too. Do not cheapen your wicket. Let the bowler earn it.

One small word on choosing the right kit for batting. Don’t use a bat that is too heavy for you. It has become a fashion these days to play with a heavy bat. Use a bat that allows you to play all the shots. The bat that enables you to play freely is the right bat for you.

Remember 12 to 18 is the age, when your body will really developing. Work hard at this time and your body will serve you longer. Exactly what the 1983 World Cup Hero Kapil Dev did. So should you?

      To Be a Better Bowler

Want to be a good bowler? Start walking with straight foot. Surprising?

It is very simple. Put your feet straight, while walking and not pointing towards each other or wide apart. Both feet should be parallel to each other, while walking. Toes pointing straight down will help you in getting the right balance of your body. That is the purpose of the whole exercise to get the body in perfect balance. You have achieved 30 % of your goal of becoming a top class bowler, when you strictly follow this.

Strong Legs are absolutely must for a bowler. Work hard on those legs. Strong legs will see to it that your last over of the day will be as good as your first over.

Wrists especially in modern day cricket have become an important area to concentrate on for a bowler. If you are a fast bowler remember to keep the wrist well behind the ball at the time of delivery. Get that wrist to push the ball from behind. Nice strong, firm wrist pushing the ball is something a Batsman doesn’t like to see. All great fast bowlers have had a great wrist action. If you are a spinner make the wrist flexible.

Shoes are very important factor for a bowler. Your shoes should not be too big or too small. They have to be just right. If not, you will end up in cramps, knee problems and the back will also get affected. Believe it or not good footwear can prevent all these injuries.

You will be amazed that one of the main factors for durability as a bowler is “Clean Socks and underwear”.  Do not wear a wet shirt, socks and underwear. Change it in every interval. This is absolute must. It gives a fresh lease of energy so that you bowl well.

And of course all these mentioned above has to be complimented with the important factor Hard Work.

The harder you work the better it is and makes you a better bowler in your career.

Fielding Skills

If you have a good physique, speed, agility and a sense of anticipation you have the natural gift to be a brilliant fielder. However a young boy, who may not be as gifted does a few of the following things right, he could just surprise you by becoming a brilliant fielder. Work on your fielding and it will never let you down. Batting and Bowling could let you down on a bad day. Fielding can be your saviors on that crucial day.

Fielding may become your most dependable friend throughout your career. Few things that will help you a great deal – Practice, Practice and Practice. This will help you taking catches close in as well as in the deep.

Always try and practice fielding with 3 players at a time. Not with too many.

Intensity in practice is very important. It should be like as if you are playing in a match. Learn to practice under Pressure. Get used to excelling under pressure in match situations. We can see many are brilliant in practice, who would suddenly develop slippery hands in a tense situation. Practice throwing accurately. You should do this so often that you will be able to hit the stumps 7 times out of 10 times.

Modern day cricket requires you to slide and save that extra run . Look for a good outfield and learn to slide and recover to throw quickly with the help of your coach. Yes. It’s important to recover instantly after the slide or it will end up in waste of effort.

Do a lot of Short Sprints about 50 meters, ideal training for a fielder. You have no chance of becoming a good fielder, if you have those extra kilos to carry with you. Maintain a good diet.

Devise new fielding methods with the help of your coaches that will keep the fun element intact.

Do Enjoy your fielding skills.