Snape: Tips for fair play

Jeremy Snape is a former International cricketer who now works as a performance coach and psychologist to some of the world’s leading sports and business teams.

For more information on his work with Sporting Edge please visit www.thesportingedge.co.uk or follow Jeremy on twitter @thesportingedge.

Snape (right) with South Africa bowler Dale Steyn Having played and coached with a number of high profile professional teams, sportsmanship can often be a defining characteristic under pressure.

We see people’s true character when they are under pressure whether it’s in losing a match, being dropped or in the heat of a tense battle. Some players have the ability to be fiercely competitive yet remain respectful of the game and those are the players who everyone respects.

Once all the statistics have been analysed, the main thing we are remembered for is how we played the game.

Cricket is one of the most testing games mentally because players are desperate for personal success yet often team success comes by sacrificing your own ego. Most of us remember the great wins and celebrations with our team, not the personal stats, so we need to enjoy our teammates more than to counteract the challenges which the games throws at us individually.

Cricket is about character and here are a few tips for players and parents to consider this summer:

5 tips for players

1. If you are low on confidence relate back to your best ever game and remember how you prepared, your attitude and your teamwork and reproduce those things
2. If something happens that makes you feel upset – walk away from the ‘hot spot’ and count your footsteps in your head as you walk back to your mark as a bowler or spin your bat as a batsman – focussing on breathing also helps you to re-focus on the next ball
3. Set yourself daily goals like reducing the number of wides you bowl or dot balls faced when batting – measure these as successes not just runs and wickets you get
4. When you win, consider how your opposition feel and shake their hands before celebrating with your team – no one likes gloating and it only comes back to bite you later!
5. Most cricketing careers are filled with more tough days than dream days so when you had a tough day, sit with the best performer in your team to celebrate their success – it will be your turn soon

5 tips for parents

1. Encourage youngsters to spend time thinking about their preparation and goals for the day as much as just winning
2. When you pick them up after a game, ask first what they enjoyed the most and what they learnt before asking the result
3. Reward your child for the effort, learning and teamwork they showed and not just for winning or having a brilliant individual performance
4. Consider if you want your youngster to do well purely for them to enjoy and learn the game or is it really about you?
5. Celebrate learning and keep remarking how far they have come in their skills through hard work and concentration – these skills are perfect life-long lessons for them