by Richard Pybus
Hi Coach,
I don’t know how to breath while running in to bowl, I am always holding my breath. Then when I let the ball go I finally take a big breath in, and it sounds weird.
So have you got any ideas on when I should breath and what to do?
Hi, you are making an unconscious process a conscious process, which always interferes in focus and performance.
You need to turn this around to make it an unconscious process again. If you are in-season you may need to leave this till the off season so that it doesn’t become a distraction for you in practice and in matches. You will need to be the best judge of this. Try the advice below and if it doesn’t interfere then keep working with it.
To begin with you will need to mark out the length of your run up on the field, if you can do it in the middle, even better.
1. Stand – then Walk. I want you to stand at the top of your run up for a few minutes and breath, nothing more or less … completely naturally.
Then walk out the length of your run up breathing naturally as if you were walking down a street. Walk it backwards and forwards, letting it be as natural as possible.
Repeat this 8 times.
2. Jog. I want you to hold the cricket ball now, and jog the length of your run up, you don’t use any set stride pattern, just jog backwards and forwards, breathing easy all the time, as if you were jogging down the street.
Repeat 8 times.
3. Run. Holding the ball. Run the distance of your run up now, backwards and forwards at the same pace you run up. Breathing as easy and naturally as possible, no intention of bowling now.
Repeat 8 times
4. Run Up. Holding the ball. Now run up to bowl the ball, breathing naturally, focus on easy relaxed breathing.
When you are comforable with this, bowl the ball to a keeper or go to the nets to do this if you don’t have someone to catch for you.
Repeat 12 times.
Practice this 3-4 times a week. You can do it before training as a warm up. You are training this normally subconscious process to become subconscious again.
It takes 21 days to make a new habit or begin to consolidate new learning … so patience is important here.
Focus: when you are bowling in games or in the nets at batters, make sure you focus on your bowling and not on breathing. Letting the ‘new’ – ‘old’ habit of breathing naturally grow into your game without forcing it.
Best wishes Coach
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About Richard Pybus
I'm Richard Pybus, I've coached Pakistan, Bangladesh, Middlesex, Titans and the Cape Cobras in South Africa and the goal of this site is to help you to play winning cricket.