Repetitions are important: The more you practice a skill, the better you get.

However, not all reps are equal.

In cricket, a vertical bat drive practice “rep” might be hitting a ball off a tee, facing a bowling machine, facing a bowler in a net or facing a bowler in a middle. Every one you hit the ball, but they are not the same either.

Total beginners will benefit from a reduction in difficulty that hitting from a tee brings. You can can also hit a lot of balls in 15 minutes off a tee. A lot more than in a middle practice. However, hitting from a tee means you lose key elements of the game. The the ball is stationary. There are no fielders. There is no match pressure.

This means that knowing your intention is important before starting to do reps.

Learning a new movement? You’re more likely to look at low-representative practice in blocks until the pattern is locked. Sometimes this is called “repetition after repetition”.

Trying to use a learned skill in a game situation? You’ll turn up the representativeness (make it more like the game) and increase variability so you have to decide when and how you will adapt the skill. Sometimes this is called “repetition without repetition”.

Rather than just thinking in pure rep numbers, coaches and cricketers can focus more on the practice method that suits their current needs.

More is only better if you are being challenged by the difficulty level.

Nick Winkelman calls this “the goldilocks principle”; practice methods that are not too easy or not too hard are just right to push improvements.

So get your reps in.

Just make them Goldilocks reps.

Posted
AuthorDavid Hinchliffe