Cricket Academy director Dayle Hadlee Photograph © CricInfo Indoor nets at the New Zealand Cricket High Performance Centre Photograph © CricInfo

Any one arriving at New Zealand Cricket's High Performance Centre as one of its Academy intake with the notion of having a breezy year at someone else's expense soon gets a wake-up call.

The programme developed through trial and error initially, and then on the basis of consultation with participants, has emerged as an outstanding grounding not only for cricket, but for sporting life.

The 14 males who are in the Academy are on cricket scholarships while the four females included are on academic scholarships.

The director of the Cricket Academy, Dayle Hadlee said for the males the priority was cricket but for the females the priority was education.

As part of their Lincoln University academic scholarships, the women receive two return airfares, their accommodation, clothing, tertiary fees, spending money which includes paying for their lunches and weekend meals, a holistic programme involving their studies and their cricket.

The Academy is driven by its mission statement which is, "To develop quality cricketers with the skills, disciplines, knowledge and attitude to succeed initially at the first-class level and ultimately on the international stage."

And of the 55 players to have been through the Academy 53 have played first-class cricket.

The New Zealand representatives so far have been: 1996 intake - Craig McMillan, Matthew Bell, Shayne O'Connor, Martyn Croy, Andrew Penn, Kerry Walmsley, Llorne Howell, Greg Loveridge, Mark Haslam; 1997 - Daniel Vettori, David Sewell, Brooke Walker, Daryl Tuffey, Mathew Sinclair, Jacob Oram; 1998 - Chris Nevin, Chris Martin, Kyle Mills; 1999 - Scott Styris, Hamish Marshall, James Franklin, Lou Vincent, Haidee Tiffen, Kate Pulford, Helen Watson.

The typical programme undertaken by the male players starts in April with the development of the culture of the Academy, proficiency assessments and tour assessments.

In May and June tertiary studies are attended to as well as sport science workshops, basic skills workshops, strategy games, cross sport training and an exit point interview is held.

These interviews are specifically targeted at players who have wasted their time and arose out of an assessment that earlier in the programme saw players cramming at the end to get the full benefit.

Hadlee said after talking this through with players this exit review system had been developed and so far no-one had failed to measure up to the requirements of the programme.

But he added that lessons had been learned about the structure of the course and it was constantly evolving and this year's course bore no resemblance to the first year it was held.

After the mid-year break July and August are set aside for specialist skill workshops, tertiary exams, life skill workshops, visiting speakers and another exit point interview. An overseas tour is regarded as suitable around the end of August, but in the absence of a tour this year, the players went to Hanmer for a week.

August-September involves match preparation, life skill workshops and a final exit point interview before the playing programme is embarked upon. Work on professionalism precedes the graduation from the Academy.

The programme overview has the basic aim of creating, "thinking, well-rounded athletes who are highly-skilled cricketers by way of a multi-faceted, holistic programme."

A breakdown of the programme includes:

Technical/tactical development (Computer analysis, biomechanical drills, skills workshops, master coaches, decision-making games, game awareness situations, key performance indicators, momentum graphs, daily records, cumulative records, net sessions, matches, quality debriefs).

Cricket studies (Players' suggestions, historical events, current issues, speeches, articles/videos, playing philosophies, quizzes, master classes, coaching course, code of conduct, match refereeing, umpiring course, coaching at local schools, playing goals, marketing and image issues, NZC high performance plan, visit to NZC head office, selection philosophy, visiting speakers).

Physical development (medical, muscular skeletal, podiatry, sports optometry, nutritional, fitness, aerobic fitness, flexibility, speed, strength, agility, daily record keeping).

Sports psychology (The academy culture, team standards/rules, expectations, goal setting, mental skills, monitoring self talk, relaxation techniques, improving concentration, psychological rehabilitation after injury, imagery routines, time management, communication skills and mental rehearsal and confidence).

Injury prevention (posture alignment and muscle balance, sports injuries, soft tissue healing, principles of diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation, taping and bracing, massage, throwing injuries, low back pain in sport, pace bowling injuries).

Cross sports training programme (Burnham Military Camp, trust exercises, high ropes course, Krypton Factor course, New Zealand school for acrobatics, kinaesthetic awareness, tumbling, aerobics, New Zealand Police fitness course, throwing technique, swimming, boxing/judo/fencing, orienteering/tramping, mountain biking, underwater hockey, yoga, hi/lo circuits, squash, indoor basketball and volleyball.

Tertiary studies (Lincoln University/correspondence courses/work experience).

Nutrition (Individual assessments, lectures-workshops, the cricket environment and health hazards, touring/travel, cooking lessons, self-catering).

Life skills (House-keeping, university life, team building, media skills, financial well-being, taxation, contracts, public speaking, drug education, Kiwi pride, cultural awareness, community service).

Playing programme (proficiency tour to Adelaide, international tours, inter-academy games, major association/state games, international ODIs).

Clearly, there's never a dull moment for participants in a programme that is the envy of several other cricket nations.

© CricInfo