Strength & conditioning course

YOUR strength & conditioning coach

The best coach you can have is yourself.

Mark Sheppard

Mark Sheppard, a renowned fitness coach with an impressive sporting background, has created this bespoke Strength And Conditioning fast bowling course specifically for UPF.

He delivers effective power movements and elite fitness exercises to help you become stronger and condition your body to deliver your best possible skills.

Simply being strong does not make for a good athlete, but, if you use the tools available to you and have access to the right information, you can improve without the need for a gym or lifting heavy weights.

course material

INTROs & tutorials

The introductions and tutorials section of our Strength And Conditioning online cricket course is designed to help you begin your journey to growing stronger, faster, and fitter, and becoming the fastest bowler that you can be.

There are tutorials on the body as a system, understanding planes of movement, a foundational physical programme, and advice on how to develop power. Mark runs through simple exercises that you can do at home, without the need for weightlifting equipment.

Week 1 - Week 2

Form & Technique

You cannot build your technique by copying what you see in a gym or on the field – you must know the basics inside out, no matter your level of skill. During the first two weeks of Mark’s intensive online cricket coaching course, you will gain a better understanding of the form and technique used for fast bowling.

Whether you are a beginner or have been fast bowling for years, by following the advice set out here you will start out your cricket training journey with the correct framework for becoming a strong and skillful fast bowler. This is the foundation for the rest of the course, and will build your ability from the ground up.

Week 3 - Week 4

Baseline Phase

The Baseline Phase teaches you what your starting point is (your “baseline”), what your limits are, where you are in your progress, and how to measure your progress. Understanding where you are in your fast bowling journey helps you to focus on your issues and take steps towards improvement.

You will discover your confidence in lowering or increasing your intensity while maintaining your form. During this phase, we will equip you with an understanding of your baseline and provide measurement tools. Remember that it is your technique, not how much you lift, that is important.

Week 5 - Week 6

Volume & Conditioning

With Volume And Conditioning training, you will increase the volume of your exercise to a level that you can execute with good form and technique safely, and will work on your conditioning to optimise your technique. This is crucial to avoiding injury and to ensuring your energy flows safely.

Mark starts the conditioning exercises at a comfortable level, increasing them in intensity to push your abilities. You can move up only when you feel able to do so. This is not a competitive fast bowling phase, but rather a space to train smart and ready your body.

Week 7

Efficiency & Refinement

With the Efficiency And Refinement fast bowling phase, you will notice a difference in how you move and your physical ability. Your physical skills and your body’s ability to manage volume and load will improve.

The volume of exercise will be lowered and the exercises will be slower, allowing you to focus on your technique and the quality of your movements. The secret to training is consistency and regularity, which is a core teaching throughout this course.

Week 8

DELOAD

This is the deloading period of our online cricket coaching. You will deload from the previous work you have done to prepare for the upcoming eight week cycles. By now, you will have laid the foundation and can build up the next phase of your training, strength, and power.

Mark’s unique methods will have helped you to form good habits and gain a better understanding of your body’s needs and inner workings. This week focuses on reducing volume and load to gain the full benefit of the past seven weeks of training.

Week 9 - Week 16

Strength & Plyo

Strength And Plyo exercises build on the strength base you have been establishing. Plyometrics train your muscles to exert their maximum possible force in short intervals, with the goal of increasing power and speed-strength.

Mark has kept this course simple but intensive, with core exercises that support the increased load you will be generating, and mobility exercises that improve your trunk stability and range of motion. Combined with upper-body conditioning exercises, you can maintain your form effectively.

Week 17 - Week 24

Strength & Power

This is the final eight week block for our Strength And Conditioning course for fast bowling. You will be building on the progress you have made with your strength and plyometric workouts.

By maintaining the sets and reps with increased weights, you will soon be able to maintain your form. You will learn discipline and will be able to gauge when you can increase weights or drop them down. The final result will be faster, more controlled bowling.

What Our Students Have To Say

UPF has over 1000 active students who are earning success in fast bowling and cricket in general, and has trained over 500 cricket players to date. See what some of our successful students have to say: