In this episode of the Cricket Matters Podcast, we dive into how the best cricketers train during the off season. We break down the fundamentals—assessment, strength, endurance, and pain management—to help you come back stronger when the season starts.

You’ll Learn:

• Why assessment comes before training: We explain why knowing your baseline through performance analysis is essential before chasing strength or technique improvements.
• How to manage pain and prevent injury: Learn why pain isn’t weakness leaving the body, but a sign that your body is compensating—and how to address it early.
• The role of strength and power in cricket: Understand why baseline strength is the foundation, and how explosive power must be layered on top.
• Designing an off-season training focus: Discover the balance between aerobic endurance, compound lifts, and interval work to prepare you for peak performance.

Key Takeaways:

• Assessment first, always: If you don’t measure where you’re starting from, you’re only guessing, and that leads to wasted effort.
• Pain is priority one: Training through pain causes compensations that hurt both technique and long-term health.
• Strength before power: Building a strong foundation ensures you can actually apply and maintain power throughout the season.
• Endurance has its place: The off season is the best time to build aerobic fitness, since it’s often neglected in-season.
• Two simple questions matter most: Ask yourself: Am I in pain? Am I overweight? Fixing those answers drastically improves performance.

Quotes:

“What gets done must first get measured—if we don’t assess, we’re just guessing.”

“Pain is not weakness leaving the body, it’s stupidity.”

“You can’t build power on rocky foundations—strength has to come first.”

Find James on:

• Instagram: @jamesbreese
• Twitter: @_jamesbreese

To learn more about Cricket Matters and download your FREE copy of The High-Performance Handbook, please visit www.cricketmatters.com