26 Hard Earned Batting Lessons for 2026

As the new year ticks over, I like to take the time to review last season and think about the lessons I’ll be taking into the upcoming season.

5-10 lessons would be much easier to remember but given the year ends in 26, I thought I’d give it a nudge to make it a little more social media savvy. When you’ve got a growing number of grey hairs on your head, there’s surely enough experiences there to draw from for 26.

I’ve broken the list down into three sections: physical, tactical and mental.

Here we go…

Physical

1. My bat is as important to me as a pen is to a writer. Make sure it’s working effectively and have a comparable back-up.

2. I can’t bat effectively if my body isn’t up to it. Get professional assistance to help resolve any physical limitations so that I can bat for a full day.

3. Diet and nutrition are my fuel. I might not see the impact today but over the coming days and weeks it will impact every part of my life. Make sure that impact is positive by fuelling my body with foods that give me long-lasting energy and replenish my cells.

4. If my relationships are in a bad way before leaving the house for the day and I feel like I should’ve done more to repair them, it will travel with me to the game. Compartmentalising important relationships and leaving them on the side of the pitch so that you can give 100% focus on your performance can be easier said than done. Take care of my relationships and give them what they need before heading off for the day.

5. Former All Black player and coach Wayne Smith speaks about the importance of breathing during a podcast conducted by Owen Eastwood about the 1924 All Blacks who would go on to become the ‘Invincibles’ after winning all 32 of their matches in the UK, Ireland, France and Canada.

On the boat trip over, they began some daily rituals that included breathing exercises: “Breathing correctly has become a big thing today. It's about centring, being composed in times of stress. Out in the middle, you've made a mistake or you've looked at the scoreboard and you're behind or whatever it is that's creating the pressure. It's a quick filling of the belly and then using the belly to force it out with shoulders that drop a smile on your face and then you're back into it. You should be able to do it (centre yourself/compose yourself) within two or three breaths. But you have to practice to be able to do that.”

What Smith is describing here is diaphragmatic breathing. According to Microsoft Copilot, incorporating this technique into your daily routine can enhance oxygen flow, improve mental clarity, and support overall well-being.

I like to use diaphragmatic breathing when the bowler runs into bowl because it brings my thoughts into the present moment. That then allows me to react with instinct (no preconceptions) to the ball that is bowled to me. Do this ball after ball for a few hours on end and the outcome takes care of itself.

6. Stoic philosopher Ryan Holiday writes about Epictetus in his book, Courage Is Calling: “The goal when we experience adversity is to be able to say, ‘This is what I’ve trained for, for this is my discipline.” If you don’t want to flinch when it comes, Seneca would say, ‘train before it comes.’ What we are familiar with, we can manage. Danger can be mitigated by experience and by good training. Fear leads to aversion. Aversion to cowardice. Repetition leads to confidence. Confidence leads to courage.”

We need courage every innings. Courage to trust our instinct to guide us to play the best shot for any given delivery. Courage to play the way we want to, despite what anyone else says. Courage to be ourselves, regardless of how others might view us. It all begins with good training and repetition.

Tactical

7. I am one of the most experienced batsmen in the league. Use that experience to ensure I bat deep into the innings when chasing runs. Be not out when the final runs are struck. Don’t leave it up to anyone else.

8. Building a repeatable weekly routine is my greatest lever. On Sunday, write down my batting plan i.e. how I’m going to score against each bowler and how I’m setting up to survive their best ball. Identify my training priorities for the week. Do I need to focus on facing left arm swing, or right-arm leg-spin? Practice my priorities at training. If it rains and I can’t train, visualise myself doing well by shadow batting in the lounge. Watch recent footage of each bowler on YouTube to familiarise myself with their bowling actions and to help guide visualisation.

9. YouTube is a gold mine. Watch as much of my opponents’ matches as possible. This helps me prepare thoroughly for what’s coming. What’s their strength? What’s their weakness? Where am I scoring from each bowler? How are they most likely to get me out? Knowing these things allows me to feel content if I face a few dots because I know the short/wide ball is coming.

10. By putting my focus into a daily/weekly preparation routine, it takes the edge off how important my one innings for the week is and allows me to enjoy each day. Instead of being consumed all week by what’s going to happen on Saturday, I’m busy concentrating on what I need to do today to prepare the best I can for the weekend.

11. Reviewing an innings is crucial after you’ve been through the raw emotional experience of getting out. Did you have a plan against their bowlers? Did you play to that plan? If not, why not? Were you mentally switched on for each ball? If not, why not? Does your preparation need to change? Do you need to stick more rigidly to your pre-ball routine? Do your instincts need a tweak? Does your technique need improvement? Was it just your day? These are all key questions is gauging how you really performed, regardless of the number in the scorebook.

12. Knowing your role in a partnership is crucial. You might consider yourself a boundary hitter. But, if you’re having one of those days where you’re struggling for rhythm and your partner has found his/hers, acknowledge it. Drop and run to get them back on strike as often as possible. Dwelling on your own struggles doesn’t help the team. The longer you dwell, the longer the team goes nowhere. Bat for the guy/girl at the other end. The funny thing is, almost every time I’ve done that, I’ve ended up finding rhythm and striking a few boundaries. The momentum compounds for the team because then the guy/girl at the other end doesn’t feel like the pressure is on him/her to keep the scoreboard ticking over.

13. Author of the New York Times best-selling book Atomic Habits, James Clear, has written a blog about deliberate practice. He defines it: “Deliberate practice refers to a special type of practice that is purposeful and systematic. While regular practice might include mindless repetitions, deliberate practice requires focused attention and is conducted with the specific goal of improving performance.”

This is relevant to how we often train in the nets. No real purpose or measurement. Just simply hitting balls. We need to be more deliberate. Ask yourself: what scenario am I training for here? Am I incorporating my mental routine into this session? How am I factoring in some consequence? In order to prepare for the delicate nature of batting in the middle, we need to practice deliberately in the nets, not just aimlessly hit balls.

14. ‘So much depends on reputation. Guard it with your life.’ In Robert Greene’s book the 48 Laws of Power, law number seven focuses on reputation. He writes, “Reputation has a power like magic: With one stroke of its wand, it can double your strength. It can also send people scurrying away from you. Whether the exact same deeds appear brilliant or dreadful can depend entirely on the reputation of the doer.”

What is your reputation? Are you more maverick or conscientious worker? Which is going to serve you better while chasing your goals? I find it interesting that within our changing room at CSNI, because I bring a chicken, avocado and egg salad, nuts and water to every match, my teammates perceive me as a healthy eating anomaly, body is a temple type character.

Now, while that’s largely true, it also hides the fact that when I decide to have one of my sugar days (I allow myself this for 10% of days), it’s like releasing the floodgates to the Nile river – I’m eating anything and everything! But, because I don’t do it in front of my teammates, their perception of me remains intact. Is there an aspect of your reputation that needs tweaking?

Mental

15. Watching the ball with 100% focus is all that matters in the middle. Do that and I’m almost guaranteed a big score.

16. Ensure my weekly routine is adaptable. If it rains or I can’t make training, what’s my plan? I’ll put extra time into visualising instead.

17. Setting goals that I’m motivated by at the start of the season helps me to get through those moments when I question if I can be bothered completing my daily training actions.

18. Break my outcome goals down into monthly targets and keep track of how I’m going as the season progresses. If I’ve had a bad month, I know I can catch up next month. Conversely, if I’m going well, I can start to adjust my targets.

19. Use emotion effectively. The raw/intense emotion I feel when I walk off the pitch with a low score and start to on my performance needs to be bottled. Use it when I next struggle for motivation to complete a daily task eg going to training when it’s cold or getting up at 6am to get that gym/yoga session in etc.

20. Compartmentalise cricket. By putting cricket in its place in the broader scheme of my life, it ensures I get away from it when I need to. I’m a father, husband, customer experience analyst, content creator, friend, mentor etc. If I’m feeling overwhelmed by the emotions of the game, I can put another hat on and forget about it for a few hours or a day during the season. That means that when I come back to it in the middle of the season, after taking a couple of days off, I’m fresh when game-day arrives.

21. 100 is just a number. But, it’s a number most batsmen cherish enough to aim for every time we bat. The one measly run that takes us from 99 to 100 is somehow worth so much more than any other run we score. It’s worth cherishing but context is key. Despite what the Grade Cricketer says, losing hundreds don’t feel good. They feel like that even one of your best efforts wasn’t enough to get your team across the line. That is hard to take.

22. Finding the zone: one of the most elusive aspects of batting. The more you try to find it, the further away it is. It’s one of those things that only comes when you relax into it. Have you prepared thoroughly? Are you well rested? Do you have complete trust in your instincts? Are you prepared to deal with failure in whatever form it comes? When the game is in the right perspective in your mind, you can fall into the zone. Get three, four, five strokes away in quick succession where you feel in control and your confidence goes to a new level. Maintaining an even level of confidence without becoming reckless is the challenge.

23. No matter how old you get, the disappointment of getting out never fades. In some ways, I feel more frustration now because it’s not just me turning up on a Saturday wanting to bat all day. I bring my kids with me too. It feels like even more of a wasted Saturday if I walk off having made less than 10 runs and not having made any meaningful contribution in a loss. If I’m ever lacking motivation to complete my weekly routine (completing that 10 mins of visualisation/shadow batting before bed or making better food choices like a chicken salad over a burger and chips etc), I try to remember this feeling. It’s often enough to encourage me to put in that extra 1% with my preparation.

24. Time is of the essence. Owen Eastwood, in his book ‘Belonging’, speaks about how in native New Zealand (Maori) culture, there’s an understanding that the sun is shining down upon you and your generation right now, so what are you adding to your community/society? When applying that to cricket, we only have a brief period in the spotlight when people are genuinely interested in whether we’re going to make it as players. It ends quicker than we expect and then it’s the next generation’s turn for the sun to shine on them. So, what are we doing today to reach our goals. Give it everything while the sun’s still shining upon you.

25. Decorated US Paralympian Ezra Frech was on Ryan Holiday’s Daily Stoic podcast, talking about his level of commitment as a college student and how his classmates perceive him: “On paper I am not a normal college student. I don't have the luxury that most college kids have where they can just hang out and chill all day and go hang out with their friends or quit because they don't like it anymore or go to a party and stay out super late. I'm in bed super early. I'm getting good sleep. I'm not out. I don't drink or do any of this other stuff."

"And so, to the average person, that looks like one of those things that sucks. What a burden. You have to do this. You have to do that. You have to get up and go to the track. But I see it as ‘I love this. This is so enjoyable.’ I don't even characterize it as a negative thing. Or, for example, I don't eat sugar. I don't eat any desserts all-year-round. And my family thinks I'm crazy. They’re like, ‘just have one bite of the cake.’ I don't. I won't even have one bite. Nothing. It’s just off the table. And to the average person, it's like what a miserable life. But it's like ‘no, I love this. I love eating the steaks. I love eating healthy. I love the opportunity to be in better shape when the season rolls around and perform at the highest level.’”

This is an elite mentality. What can you do to increase your chances of success?

26. The Five Whys Root Cause Analysis: this is something I’ve learned in my career as a Customer Experience Analyst. ‘A 5 whys template is a powerful tool used for identifying the root cause of a problem. Teams perform 5 whys root cause analysis by stating the problem and asking “why” five times until the root cause is discovered. Solutions are then formulated to prevent the problem from reoccurring.’

This is especially helpful when you get out. You want to understand whether it was a technical, tactical, mental or physical issue that caused your dismissal. By following this process, it allows you to identify the first domino.

Here’s an example: Why did I get out? I hit the ball in the air to cover. Why did I hit the ball in the air? It was the last 3 overs of the innings, I was on 97, so was well set and hitting the ball well and we still had 3 wickets in hand, so I thought it was worth the risk. Why didn’t I clear the fielder? I didn’t get under the ball enough to get the elevation required. Why didn’t I get the elevation right? The ball was a fraction too full to be able to get under it. Why did I think I could clear the fielder? The stage of the innings meant that I was chasing quick runs. I could’ve just hit it hard along the ground, beaten the fielder either side and got a boundary to take me to my hundred that way.

And, that's it. 26 hard earned lessons for 2026. Which lessons resonate with you?