by Rahul Singh
(Delhi, India)
Dale Steyn: Dreams, Goals And Patience
Hi Coach, I am Rahul 19, from Delhi, India.
I can bowl quick, when I bowl in the nets I can bowl 7-8 overs with the same quick pace and stamina.
When I bowl in matches I tend to loose my pace and stamina after 3-4 overs which really irritates me because I have performed in many matches, but now its not going my way.
I do lot of exercises to keep myself fit, I am really passionate about the game, I want to become fast like Dale Steyn and Mohammad Sami.
Do you have any advice to help me ?
Hi Rahul, always good to hear from young fast bowlers.
A couple of suggestions for you and all the young cricketers out there who are in a hurry to do well.
Lesson 1. Dreams and Goals
Dale Steyn played school boy cricket and was never a name brand in junior cricket, never one of the identified players who came through at schools level.
He played 100’s of kilometers away from Pretoria, he got picked to play for the provincial team at the U-19 week and no one took any notice of him.
If Dale hadn’t followed his dream and travelled 500 km’s to go to a trial to get into the Northerns Cricket Academy we may never have heard of him.
Dale had a dream, he didn’t give up because no one had noticed him.
He kept his goal in mind and made a plan, find out where the opportunity is and go after it.
Dale played academy cricket for Northerns earning the right to play for Titans.
Lesson 2. Patience
Do the learning, Dale failed and got dropped form the SA side straight after making his debut, he went back to domestic cricket and worked really hard on his game.
He got selected again for SA and got dropped again, he continued to work on his game until it was ready.
Ready so he could hold his own mentally, physically and technically at international level.
The rest is history.
Lesson 3 : Set Specific Goals For Training
Don’t try to bowl quick at every training session.
Sets goals for training, know what you want from each training session.
Speed training sessions, when the goal is run in and bowl quick, no more then 4-6 overs.
Control sessions, where the aim is controlling line and length and building up pressure on the batter.
Match specific training sessions, practice bowling with the new ball and the old ball for different match situations.
Consistent hard work will bring results, take a leaf out of Dale’s book and be patient.
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.