The world players’ body in cricket FICA assigned TWIN to develop a training module on injury management for their global athlete learning platform.
Cricket requires a combination of physical fitness, skill and strategy. Regardless of its reputation as a non-contact, low-intensity sport, injury rates and incidence in cricket are a natural part of the player journey. A Cricket Australia study over 10 seasons uncovered an average match injury incidence, for match time-loss injuries, of 155 injuries/1.000 days of play. Annual injury incidence was 64 injuries/100 players per season, which means that on average, 12,5% of professional cricketers were injured at any given time.
Consequently, dealing with the personal challenge of injury is a crucial component of player professionalism. Alongside the physical rehabilitation, injuries are multi-dimensional phenomena that encompass mental, emotional, social, or financial aspects. Simultaneously, they represent a unique chance for personal and, linked, athletic and educational growth, connected to aspects such as relationships/community, off-field development, or cultural immersion.
A global learning hub for professional cricketers
FICA (Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations) is a democratic player-driven organisation that brings together the world’s organised professional cricketers under an international body which focuses on matters that affect the players collectively, and the global game. Their headquarters are located in London and Adelaide.
FICA’s own digital learning platform serves to educate players in most relevant cricket topics such as contracting, anti-corruption, mental wellness, cultural differences, or financial management. Given our long-term experience in supporting athletes in coping with injuries, TWIN was ordered to create a training module on injury management for FICA.
Injury management training
Athlete Education by TWIN aims to help athletes gain competences to navigate the modern requirements of high-level sport. The TWIN player education module for the FICA learning platform equips Cricket players with essential knowledge on how to raise their individual game in injury management.
The training supports players to understand the different dimensions and dynamics of injuries, while helping to re-frame the situation into an opportunity; with an equal emphasis on personal, athletic, and educational levels.
“One essential element of athlete professionalism is to understand that injuries do not equal time-loss. Although you are temporarily out of the game, this does not mean in any way that time is lost. In fact, periods of injury are an extraordinary chance to win by raising your game – as an athlete, and as a person.“
Ruan Schlebusch
TWIN Consultant
The TWIN training module is now available to Cricket players around the globe via the FICA learning platform.
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References
Orchard, J.W., Kountouris, A., & Sims, K. (2016): Incidence and prevalence of elite male cricket injuries using updated consensus definitions. In: Open Access J Sports Med. 2016; 7: 187–194.
