Having a powerful throw is a massive advantage in the sport of cricket; not only can it help with general fielding, a strong throw also sends a powerful psychological message to the opposing team. Batsmen are much less likely to try and steal runs when the ball is hit in your direction, if you have demonstrated that you have a strong throw. Learning how to throw harder is not difficult either.

The most obvious and effective way to improve the strength of your throwing arm is to throw a cricket ball as often as possible. This is really the only activity that will help to build all the muscle strength, responsiveness and coordination that you require. To improve accuracy and give your practice focus, it can be a good idea to involve a partner, or to aim at a specific target.

When practicing like this though, it is a good idea not to over train, as this can lead to injury. Practice should lead to some minimal tiredness in your arm, as this is needed for it to strengthen. Practicing for longer than half an hour or so is not a good idea though, as this can over strain the muscles in the arm and lead to injury.

Practicing regularly for short periods is therefore the best way to train your arm to throw better. Adding 15 minutes a day of throwing to your training routine can have a huge effect. Practicing the skill for this long will not strain your arm too much.

If you do not complement this training with some more general fitness and strengthening work, however, your improvement will eventually hit a ceiling. It is important to do strengthening work on your arm and shoulder muscles. Using an arm cycle at the gym is a good idea, as is doing more push ups and weight training.

While the focus should therefore be on improving arm strength, you also need core and lower body strength, as this provides the thrower with a sound base. Having stronger muscles also helps to stop injuries from occurring. Squats, 'planking' and other leg and core strength activities all work to help this area of the body to become stronger.

It is also important that stretching is not neglected, and any practice must be accompanied by stretching out your muscles both before and after the session. This will help keep you injury free, as well as helping increase the movement of which your arm is capable. Sports massage is also to be recommended, if it is available, as this also helps with flexibility and preventing injury.

Learning how to throw harder is something which any cricketer can work on, and it can make a huge difference to the effectiveness of your fielding. Pay attention to small details, and throw a cricket ball regularly. You must also complement practicing the skill with fitness, strengthening and flexibility work, to aid your improvement and stop you becoming injured easily.