Endurance Fitness > Introduction
Endurance fitness is the cornerstone of your cricket fitness; it helps you generate energy and resist fatigue, so you can perform effectively for the duration of the game. The benefits of endurance fitness are:-
- It enhances your capacity to repeat short bursts of activity over an extended period of time
- it fuels your skill set so you have the energy to bat, bowl and field to your potential
- it reduces your chances of injury as muscles do not fatigue so quickly
- It enables you to maintain mental focus throughout a game.
Cricket is not a continuous steady state sport - there are frequent changes in running speed and intensity of effort, plus various strength and power movements like batting, bowling and fielding the ball at pace. Players, therefore, require a 'fuel mix' of aerobic and anaerobic energy to sustain performance.
The intensity and the duration of an activity determines the extent to which each energy system is used. In general, certain activities can be classified as being fueled by aerobic or anaerobic energy...
| Aerobic acitivities |
Anaerobic activities |
| walking |
smashing a four |
| walking backwards |
jumping to catch a ball |
| jogging |
accelerating and changing direction quickly |
| running at speeds less than 3/4's pace |
running at speeds greater than 3/4's pace |
However, the energy systems do not always work in isolation - more often than not players rely on a fuel mix of anaerobic and aerobic energy at the same time
Aerobic Training
A sound level of aerobic fitness provides a platform for anaerobic training. Although running is specific to cricket, it is better to combine various modes of exercise including cycling, rowing, and swimming. The intensity of exercise for aerobic training should be light to moderate (for example a 4-6 out of 10 level of effort).
However, there is a limit to the level of endurance fitness that can be achieved through steady-paced training - this develops the aerobic energy system and as we can see from above, it is vital that training also develops the anaerobic system. The next step is to introduce interval training.
© Fitness 4 Cricket 2005. Fitness 4 Cricket is part of the Fitness 4 Sport network of web sites. The author and Fitness 4 Sport LLP take no responsibility for injuries caused by attempting the exercises presented on this web site. Fitness 4 Sport LLP recommends that you always learn new exercises under the guidance of a professional and consult your GP before you start |
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