How to play through a period of poor form.
Discussion
One of my sons is a keen cricketer and he is a good batsman. Usually. However he is going through a period of poor form.
In the last 3 or 4 matches he has scored few runs and earlier in the week was LBW for a duck. He left the field devastated.
The problem is he has now reached a point where he is putting himself under massive pressure to correct the situation. Which will probably make things worse.
When I played competitive sport I never really worked out the inner game with regard to beating a run of bad form.
Any tips chaps please?
In the last 3 or 4 matches he has scored few runs and earlier in the week was LBW for a duck. He left the field devastated.
The problem is he has now reached a point where he is putting himself under massive pressure to correct the situation. Which will probably make things worse.
When I played competitive sport I never really worked out the inner game with regard to beating a run of bad form.
Any tips chaps please?
Not a crickter, but when I was boxing we had a sports psychologist come in and explain a few things to us. One tip that stuck with me was to visualise yourself boxing, and winning. Going through every punch in your head, imagining what you would do. Ultimately imagine you winning the match. The idea being was that it sort of relaxes you (it did for me anyway) and reinforces that you can do it, that you have the skills, and that it's possible to win.
With your son putting pressure on himself, you have to help him see the woods through the trees. He also has to get some sort of enjoyment out of it. If he doesn't enjoy it, he won't perform, and if he doesn't perform he won't enjoy it. It's a horrible cycle.
Talk to him about how he feels. Give him an opportunity to tell you everything and for him to unburden himself on you. It might be something outside of cricket which is troubling him. I had a moment when I stopped enjoying boxing, and it was my Dad allowing me to tell him why I didn't enjoy it made me feel better about the sport.
No not for one minute am I insinuating or suggesting that you're pushing him at all, but I felt that if I wasn't boxing well or doing the best I could I was letting my Dad down which compounded the problem. I spoke to my dad about it, he told me all he wanted was for me to be happy and if I wasn't happy boxing then I shouldn't box. But I should be doing it for myself not for anyone else.
That's my experience anyway.
With your son putting pressure on himself, you have to help him see the woods through the trees. He also has to get some sort of enjoyment out of it. If he doesn't enjoy it, he won't perform, and if he doesn't perform he won't enjoy it. It's a horrible cycle.
Talk to him about how he feels. Give him an opportunity to tell you everything and for him to unburden himself on you. It might be something outside of cricket which is troubling him. I had a moment when I stopped enjoying boxing, and it was my Dad allowing me to tell him why I didn't enjoy it made me feel better about the sport.
No not for one minute am I insinuating or suggesting that you're pushing him at all, but I felt that if I wasn't boxing well or doing the best I could I was letting my Dad down which compounded the problem. I spoke to my dad about it, he told me all he wanted was for me to be happy and if I wasn't happy boxing then I shouldn't box. But I should be doing it for myself not for anyone else.
That's my experience anyway.
sgtBerbatov said:
Not a crickter, but when I was boxing we had a sports psychologist come in and explain a few things to us. One tip that stuck with me was to visualise yourself boxing, and winning. Going through every punch in your head, imagining what you would do. Ultimately imagine you winning the match. The idea being was that it sort of relaxes you (it did for me anyway) and reinforces that you can do it, that you have the skills, and that it's possible to win.
With your son putting pressure on himself, you have to help him see the woods through the trees. He also has to get some sort of enjoyment out of it. If he doesn't enjoy it, he won't perform, and if he doesn't perform he won't enjoy it. It's a horrible cycle.
Talk to him about how he feels. Give him an opportunity to tell you everything and for him to unburden himself on you. It might be something outside of cricket which is troubling him. I had a moment when I stopped enjoying boxing, and it was my Dad allowing me to tell him why I didn't enjoy it made me feel better about the sport.
No not for one minute am I insinuating or suggesting that you're pushing him at all, but I felt that if I wasn't boxing well or doing the best I could I was letting my Dad down which compounded the problem. I spoke to my dad about it, he told me all he wanted was for me to be happy and if I wasn't happy boxing then I shouldn't box. But I should be doing it for myself not for anyone else.
That's my experience anyway.
Nice post, thanks.With your son putting pressure on himself, you have to help him see the woods through the trees. He also has to get some sort of enjoyment out of it. If he doesn't enjoy it, he won't perform, and if he doesn't perform he won't enjoy it. It's a horrible cycle.
Talk to him about how he feels. Give him an opportunity to tell you everything and for him to unburden himself on you. It might be something outside of cricket which is troubling him. I had a moment when I stopped enjoying boxing, and it was my Dad allowing me to tell him why I didn't enjoy it made me feel better about the sport.
No not for one minute am I insinuating or suggesting that you're pushing him at all, but I felt that if I wasn't boxing well or doing the best I could I was letting my Dad down which compounded the problem. I spoke to my dad about it, he told me all he wanted was for me to be happy and if I wasn't happy boxing then I shouldn't box. But I should be doing it for myself not for anyone else.
That's my experience anyway.
I think one of the factors is that he likes and respects his team mates, and they him, and they are his immediate circle of friends. I think he fears losing his place on the team.
So said:
Nice post, thanks.
I think one of the factors is that he likes and respects his team mates, and they him, and they are his immediate circle of friends. I think he fears losing his place on the team.
I can understand his feelings if that's the case but his friends will still be there for himI think one of the factors is that he likes and respects his team mates, and they him, and they are his immediate circle of friends. I think he fears losing his place on the team.
I went through a similar experience myself in my early 20s. i was an opening bat for the second XI and went through a horrendous run which ended up with me being dropped to 12th man and replaced by a young Asian lad with an attitude problem (but who could definitely bat!)
He proceeded to not turn up on the day and i duly went in to open the innings and got 57*. The skipper then threatened to drop me every week
I was never a great cricketer but the friends I made through the game from the age of 12 are, in the main, still part of my life now at 44.
All batsmen have sequences of low scores - however good they are. One key question is whether he’s got out to good balls/bowlers, or whether he’s got out making mistakes he shouldn’t have made?
If the former then he just he needs to accept that happens sometimes.
If the latter then a relaxed net with some friendly feeds is often all that’s required to recover lost confidence. Hitting a few out of the middle of the bat makes the whole world a better place. Can you take him down to his club net at a quiet time to do this?
If the former then he just he needs to accept that happens sometimes.
If the latter then a relaxed net with some friendly feeds is often all that’s required to recover lost confidence. Hitting a few out of the middle of the bat makes the whole world a better place. Can you take him down to his club net at a quiet time to do this?
So said:
sgtBerbatov said:
Not a crickter, but when I was boxing we had a sports psychologist come in and explain a few things to us. One tip that stuck with me was to visualise yourself boxing, and winning. Going through every punch in your head, imagining what you would do. Ultimately imagine you winning the match. The idea being was that it sort of relaxes you (it did for me anyway) and reinforces that you can do it, that you have the skills, and that it's possible to win.
With your son putting pressure on himself, you have to help him see the woods through the trees. He also has to get some sort of enjoyment out of it. If he doesn't enjoy it, he won't perform, and if he doesn't perform he won't enjoy it. It's a horrible cycle.
Talk to him about how he feels. Give him an opportunity to tell you everything and for him to unburden himself on you. It might be something outside of cricket which is troubling him. I had a moment when I stopped enjoying boxing, and it was my Dad allowing me to tell him why I didn't enjoy it made me feel better about the sport.
No not for one minute am I insinuating or suggesting that you're pushing him at all, but I felt that if I wasn't boxing well or doing the best I could I was letting my Dad down which compounded the problem. I spoke to my dad about it, he told me all he wanted was for me to be happy and if I wasn't happy boxing then I shouldn't box. But I should be doing it for myself not for anyone else.
That's my experience anyway.
Nice post, thanks.With your son putting pressure on himself, you have to help him see the woods through the trees. He also has to get some sort of enjoyment out of it. If he doesn't enjoy it, he won't perform, and if he doesn't perform he won't enjoy it. It's a horrible cycle.
Talk to him about how he feels. Give him an opportunity to tell you everything and for him to unburden himself on you. It might be something outside of cricket which is troubling him. I had a moment when I stopped enjoying boxing, and it was my Dad allowing me to tell him why I didn't enjoy it made me feel better about the sport.
No not for one minute am I insinuating or suggesting that you're pushing him at all, but I felt that if I wasn't boxing well or doing the best I could I was letting my Dad down which compounded the problem. I spoke to my dad about it, he told me all he wanted was for me to be happy and if I wasn't happy boxing then I shouldn't box. But I should be doing it for myself not for anyone else.
That's my experience anyway.
I think one of the factors is that he likes and respects his team mates, and they him, and they are his immediate circle of friends. I think he fears losing his place on the team.
Batting is a funny game. There is the hand eye, footwork and shot selection thing
Then there is the mental side, I guess it’s a mix between patience and resilience. You can only make a score if you are still in, so it’s better to miss out on a bad ball and still be there then to play at something a bit iffy.
Once a few come out the middle then suddenly the bowlers are slower, the pitch less bumpy and the footwork comes back.
Check the basics, feet moving, head over the ball, balance all ok ? Then it is down to managing the mental side, just patience.
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