Masterclass: Planning For The Season
The end of the season offers a break from match play and a chance to reflect on your recent performances while they are still fresh in your mind. It is also a good time to set some goals and start planning for next year. I have outlined below a simple 5-step plan that you may like to try when you are ready to start planning your success for next season.
Step 1 – Situation Analysis (Where are you at right now?) is a “stocktake” of your game and involves reflecting on a few simple ideas including what you did that worked well last season, what you did that didn’t work last season and overall a summary of what you learned. In this type of approach I would look at the following areas of your game: tactical (shot and delivery selection), technical (balance and alignment), mental (concentration and thinking) and fitness (strength, endurance and flexibility).
Step 2 – Goal Setting (Where do you want to go?) is to determine what you want to achieve. A good model for your goal setting is the SMART model. Your goals should be S – specific, M – measurable, A – attainable, R – realistic and T – time oriented. The best goals can be measured, because if you can’t measure something, how will you know if you have achieved it or not? When you have set your goals you can then progress to Step 3 of your plan. The difference between a dream and a goal is that a goal has a deadline. Write your goals down, it gives them a better chance of success!
Step 3 – Strategy (How will you get from your current position identified in Step 1 to where you want to go identified in Step 2?) This will involve you identifying what you need to work on and as per Step 1 this may include a range of areas such as technical, tactical, mental and fitness and then developing a structured program for yourself.
Step 4 – Implementation (Doing it) Having the greatest plan in the world will be of no use to you if you don’t do the work and put it into place. The biggest challenge of your plan will be having the desire and discipline to go out and make it happen, so while it is important to make the plan, the next step is to make it happen. Cricket is a tough game and I would love to tell you it is easy. Keeping it simple is not the same as it being easy. About all I can say here is that all the great players that I have played with over the years were both hard and smart workers, so if you want the success you will need to do the work.
Step 5 – Review (How are you doing?) You do not want to be chopping and changing you plans every week, however it is wise to review your progress from time to time in order to see how you can improve. Every game and training session will be an opportunity to learn and grow, so make sure you’re using your time and effort effectively.
Good luck
Mark
The end of the season offers a break from match play and a chance to reflect on your recent performances while they are still fresh in your mind. It is also a good time to set some goals and start planning for next year. I have outlined below a simple 5-step plan that you may like to try when you are ready to start planning your success for next season.
Step 1 – Situation Analysis (Where are you at right now?) is a “stocktake” of your game and involves reflecting on a few simple ideas including what you did that worked well last season, what you did that didn’t work last season and overall a summary of what you learned. In this type of approach I would look at the following areas of your game: tactical (shot and delivery selection), technical (balance and alignment), mental (concentration and thinking) and fitness (strength, endurance and flexibility).
Step 2 – Goal Setting (Where do you want to go?) is to determine what you want to achieve. A good model for your goal setting is the SMART model. Your goals should be S – specific, M – measurable, A – attainable, R – realistic and T – time oriented. The best goals can be measured, because if you can’t measure something, how will you know if you have achieved it or not? When you have set your goals you can then progress to Step 3 of your plan. The difference between a dream and a goal is that a goal has a deadline. Write your goals down, it gives them a better chance of success!
Step 3 – Strategy (How will you get from your current position identified in Step 1 to where you want to go identified in Step 2?) This will involve you identifying what you need to work on and as per Step 1 this may include a range of areas such as technical, tactical, mental and fitness and then developing a structured program for yourself.
Step 4 – Implementation (Doing it) Having the greatest plan in the world will be of no use to you if you don’t do the work and put it into place. The biggest challenge of your plan will be having the desire and discipline to go out and make it happen, so while it is important to make the plan, the next step is to make it happen. Cricket is a tough game and I would love to tell you it is easy. Keeping it simple is not the same as it being easy. About all I can say here is that all the great players that I have played with over the years were both hard and smart workers, so if you want the success you will need to do the work.
Step 5 – Review (How are you doing?) You do not want to be chopping and changing you plans every week, however it is wise to review your progress from time to time in order to see how you can improve. Every game and training session will be an opportunity to learn and grow, so make sure you’re using your time and effort effectively.
Good luck
Mark
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