Josh Kennedy: [00:00:00] This is the Cricket Matters podcast, and today we're all about becoming the durable performer. Uh, James, how would you define the durable performer? 

James Breese: Oh, great question. Uh, I don't know what the official definition is gonna be, but I would argue we need to visualize it and help people visualize it, I think.

So the durable performer to me is not the superstar or the rock star in the team. This could be any sport, right? It's the one who consistently shows up time and time again and doesn't get injured. Okay? Who is the one that you always know who's gonna be there and show up no matter what? Because if you have a team full of durable performers, right?

I'll, I'll argue it's sometimes better than 11 superstars 'cause more often not. The superstars break down a lot of the time. Now let's help 'em visualize this. So I'll give an example from Manchester United right now. Many United suck. They absolutely, you know, suck right now. There's all sorts of issues, but they can rely on Bruno [00:01:00] Fernandez, right?

He's the superstar. Now he's also a superstar, but he is a durable performer. 'cause he doesn't miss a game unless he's sent off. Yeah. Unless he's being sent off. Right. Could there could be that. But in terms of injury, his work rate is incredible. Absolutely incredible. He doesn't break down. Now you wanna give the ton example.

Josh Kennedy: Yeah, uh, Everton sucks. Slightly less. In fact, we we're doing pretty good at the moment, so, uh, thank you very much. David Moise. Uh, but our durable performer is James Kosky, who's just, uh, played his hundred and fourth consecutive game for Everton, which is incredible. He's only, all he's missed is a few minutes for game for a concussion protocol, but he started 104 consecutive games.

I mean, that's incredible. That's amazing. As, as you say, and Premier League football, he's not, yeah, he's not. He's a six or seven outta 10 each week. He's not amazing, but he's good and he's consistent and he's [00:02:00] a leader on the pitch. And what, you know, what more can you want? Again, if you had 11 James ovs, he's on the pitch, people who play 104 consecutive games, you'd be doing all right, wouldn't you?

James Breese: Yeah, exactly. And it's, it's, it's just changing this aspect and. Said to me a great cook who I was out with, um, last week, and he talked about, he goes, look, we need a team of dual performers. Yes, you're gonna have a superstar, but if you're gonna have one superstar or two superstars, you are gonna need eight to 10 dual performers behind them.

Yeah. To make up for the fact, 'cause they're gonna be injured sometimes because it just happens. It's just the nature of the sport. They're pushing themselves so high, whatever's done to get them that level in the first place, great. But you need that reliability and consistency to build a team around them and you need those durable performance.

And I love that concept. So the question is, and this is what we, we spoke about a little bit about with Glen Phillips, is this idea of what do these durable, durable performers have in your sport that nobody else has? Those are the [00:03:00] answers we are looking at. We're looking at, for the, we're looking at the people that coming to us and we're screening them.

We're doing it 'cause we've got a system and a process in place to make sure we understand that. Because what the, the superstars keep breaking down. There's usually deficiencies in what they're doing. And the two things we see time and time again is lack of balance and a lack of rotation. Right? Yeah. And doing the two together right, is almost non-existent, which you need a lot of, you need to be balanced and rotating.

Cricket, whether you're batting or bowling. Yeah. 

Josh Kennedy: But, but those deficiencies for the superstars might be the little difference that makes them the superstar. Right. Exactly. 'cause if you start changing that, it's like you, you on, you're on the edge there, aren't you? 

James Breese: You are on the edge, but it's understanding this.

But the key is like, okay, well not everyone's gonna be the superstar. Mm-hmm. But how can you make them all like Bruno Fernandez or James Kosky? Like, it's like, what are, what have they, what have they got nailed down? That the other guys haven't, and I'd love to compare and contrast him as athletes. Right.

In [00:04:00] particularly in terms of movement and how well they move. Yeah. And what their basic power output is. I think Bruno Flander, he, he, even in midfield, obviously his engine's gonna be bigger 'cause his, his position dictates that sport. Yeah. But we can bring 'em back to that movement pattern and what's their power ratio, right?

Josh Kennedy: Yeah. Someone like James Kosky, he isn't very fast. So therefore. Say his risk of hamstring pulls is a lot lower just because he's a, he's a big, strong, powerful guy, but he's not very quick. Mm-hmm. Um, so that's probably one of the things that makes him more durable. Potentially. Potentially. We, we don't know, do we?

And then this, this is the idea. 

James Breese: It's like it's educated guess on that one. Well, the, well it, it kinda of comes down to every cricket of listening to this podcast right now. Do you wanna be a superstar or, or durable performer first? Now everyone wants to be the superstar. But are you getting injured all the time?

Josh Kennedy: Yeah. 

James Breese: Like I remember this back in, back into my youngster days. Oh, breezy Hamstring. My hamstring was always going all the time. [00:05:00] Was that your nickname? Breezy Hamstring? Yeah, it was. Oh yeah, exactly. Breezy Hamstring. That was, that was it. Because like literally it was like, oh, you can't play this week because Hams gone again like that.

That was so annoying and frustrating. Like why? Why I, I can't have an id. I have an idea now. Why? Why? It's the case. But, but yeah, it's, it is such a, in pointing impact, like it's not, your ability to perform week in, week out and be on the pitch is also important to your teammates as a consistency, not just the coaches.

So, as I said, for what we're doing now, we're looking at this, I, I've taken this to 'em, we've, we've looked for it always, but I've never really analyzed it in depth and going, right. Okay. That's a good point. So when we have a team, we are now looking for the durable performers who are there week in, week out.

What have they got that other people haven't? And then how do you address those things with the other guys as best as we possibly can? So it's something just to think about this week is like, are you a durable performer or are you breaking down all the time? And meaning are you fitting into our categories of [00:06:00] broken, breaking, or balanced?

Most of the time you're breaking without even knowing it, and they end up broken. 

Josh Kennedy: Yeah, exactly. Maybe, uh, if you are in a cricket team and you know, people who are never injured, go and ask them what they do potentially. Mm-hmm. Probably never train. That's why probably never train you. Walk up the walk, never train.

Yeah. It's just like that, that kind of, I'm just thinking of like, you know, uh, Sunday cricket here and stuff, and, um. Playing intramural football at university. I remember this, this lad obviously, you know, we all had went out and uh, on a Saturday night and had a little bit of a drink and stuff, but this fella, it was like half time and he comes back running on with a fag hanging out of his mouth.

Like, come on boys, let's go.

But he was quite skillful. He was quite skillful. And it was, it was just, that's just a random memory that came back from, uh, university football. There we go. Love it. Yeah. Don't run onto the field of play with their fag hanging and at your mouth. That's probably not advisable. There go, that's definitely not advisable.

James Breese: But like I say, [00:07:00] it's, it's, hopefully people listen to this podcast. I want to become better cricketers. And that's the idea you've gotta think about is change your perception and seeing what you can do. Become a durable performer, become a Bruno Fernandez, become a James Tchaikovsky in the world of cricket, and then it may give you a better chance to become like the Glen Phillips of you.

Josh Kennedy: There we go. Exactly. Tying all the episodes together, nicely there. Well done. That is it for today. Please don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe. And if you would like our free training plan, then go to cricket matters.com/train. And remember, our goal is to make you a better cricketer.