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Dean Minors attempting the rocking swan? Dwayne 'Sluggo' Leverock practising the downward facing dog posture? Ryan Steede as the Buddha?

It may not look like the most conventional cricket training session but mastering the mental game is a big part of sports.

And Bermuda cricket coach Gus Logie has embraced alternative methods, including yoga and pilates, to help his team prepare for the mind games of top level cricket.

Bermuda's players have been doing regular yoga work since Logie took over and were looking surprisingly limber at Monday's session.

Head games

But, says Logie, the main benefits are in the head - where the game is often won and lost.

"When the pressure is against you and things are going wrong it (breathing exercises) helps you pull yourself back to a level of consciousness where you can perform.

"At the level we are playing we are going to find ourselves in stressful situations a lot of the time. This is about helping the players to be more relaxed and in control on the field, concentrating on what they have to do, and not on the crowd or any other distractions.

"It's about being in the moment and focusing on the moment, not on what has gone or what is to come."

He said 'modern' methods like this were relatively new to Bermuda and would always have their detractors, but were quite common in elite sports all over the world.

"You can be physically fit and skillful but you can still falter in game situations if you don't focus. You can pinpoint many players in cricket who have had the skills but when it has come to mental situations they have bottled out."[[In-content Ad]]

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