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We sat down with Middlesex and Hong Kong cricket star Natasha Miles to learn what goes into creating a cricket athlete and why Hytro BFR is perfect for recovering on tour.
“I’ve been a cricketer for fifteen years,” said Miles. “To succeed you need to have a cardio base. It’s important to be explosive with short, sharp movements for running quick singles, covering ground in the field, and when coming into bowl. Core and power strength also help these movements. Without a base of strength, injuries are going to come.”
An aggressive batter who can also bowl medium pace, Miles has experience on the world’s biggest stage. Having made her county debut for Surrey in 2007, she’s seen her sport change greatly over the years thanks to the impact of T20 cricket and, most recently, the Hundred. Such short formats have increased the need for power-hitting and strike bowling, but have also increased the hectic nature of tours. With four different formats to fit into an already packed schedule, cricketers find themselves playing with increasing frequency – and decreasing rest days.
“On tour, it can be difficult to get a full recovery session in because you’re very back-to-back,” said Miles. “You wake up, have breakfast, then go straight to the game. After the game, you do a group recovery, have a team meeting, and then there may be individual physio sessions, so everyone is broken up. Recently, my tours have been seven days long with only two rest days – and we often end up training on those ‘rest days.’ Time is therefore the biggest barrier to recovery.”
Fortunately, Miles has found an effective solution: “I heard about BFR around six months ago from Hytro Chief Marketing Officer, Richard Frost,” she added. “I was a little nervous the first time I tried it. The BFR Recovery Shorts felt tight and I wasn’t used to the process. My legs went numb – in a good way. It felt like they were buzzing, and then when I released the strap it was as if all the energy came back into my body”. This experience is common amongst athletes and is often one of the reasons why Hytro BFR wearables are adopted so well. The unstrapping releases the pressure that has built due to the trapped blood, flushing waste materials and inflammation from the limbs, and driving recovery hormones throughout the whole body. Fresh nutrient-rich blood is then pushed into the muscles, increasing the speed of recovery.
“By the third time of using the shorts, they felt comfortable rather than tight. Now, I find them really easy to use. I strap in for five minutes, release for three minutes, then strap in again for three-to-five rounds to aid my recovery.”
With greater recovery, Miles is able to train and play to a greater level. “During tours, I put my Hytro BFR Recovery Shorts on straight after an ice bath. I wear them around the hotel or on the team bus. Nobody even notices I’m wearing them! If I don’t have access to an ice bath then I’ll add stretching to my routine,” she said. “The combination is great for making sure I feel fit every day, so my legs and body are fresh for what’s to come. The day after I’ve worn them, it feels as if I haven’t played!”
With women’s cricket on the rise, Natasha Miles hopes to keep on contributing to her teams to establish herself among the world’s best. “The desire to always be better is what separates a great from good athlete,” she said. “That constant pursuit of improvement and learning, of always assuming you’re not the best and looking to get better in every department. The best athletes are always developing as athletes and as people.”
Miles enjoys training and dedicates plenty of time to such all-round improvement. She finds social media a great source of inspiration, scrolling through pages to see any innovations or interesting techniques other athletes are using. “I like to incorporate what others are doing if I think it has a benefit,” she confirmed. “Recently I’ve been looking at the way that boxers move and trying to transfer it into the way that I bat when I play cricket.”
This summer, Miles will be up for the fight as she takes to the crease once more in search of domestic trophies. With her desire for improvement, attitude toward training, and enhanced recovery routine, few will bet against her landing some big hits.
To utilise the benefits of BFR for recovery check out the Women’s Hytro BFR Recovery Shorts.
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