Honing Your Technique in the Nets

In this section I introduce you to the concept of net practice. The nets are either fenced-off areas indoors or a specially prepared wicket outdoors where bowlers try to hone their bowling skills — and batters look to improve their defensive and attacking shots. They are called “nets” simply because they are usually fenced in by netting.

Most players like nets because they

• Provide practice sessions, in which players are free to make mistakes.

• Give an opportunity for coaches to see players’ techniques and correct problems before they lead to potentially costly technical faults.

• Give batters an opportunity to get used to different types of bowling.

• Give bowlers an opportunity to bowl to both right-hand and left-hand batters.

• Can help develop something called muscle memory (in short, training the muscles to perform certain actions automatically without having to think about it). Batting involves coordinating the hand, eye, and feet movements — nets can help make playing shots almost second nature. Likewise, bowlers can get used to bowling the ball on a particular spot on the wicket.

• Can be a good social occasion: In club cricket, most net sessions are followed up by a night in the bar!

Most professional cricketers have a net practice every day during the cricket season. Club cricketers, though, have day jobs — although of course most would rather be playing cricket — so you find most clubs run nets after work one or two days a week. When you first join a cricket club you’re likely to be invited to a net where senior players will look at your ability before offering you a place in their team.

Some players treat nets very seriously: In the same way as some golfers need to spend time hitting drives before a big tournament, batters like to hit deliveries. On the other hand, some players hate nets: They see the whole scenario as artificial, preferring to hone their skills in a match situation, when the adrenaline is pumping. In my experience of 30 years of club cricket, the former attitude to nets is usually the more successful.