My first big move to improve my keeping was to decide that I actually wanted to be a keeper; once I decided I did want to keep, that inspired me to work as hard as possible.

The next thing that improved my keeping was the sheer volume of hard work – catching thousands of balls. The more you catch the more you’ll find a way to hang on to it. Make a decision how you best catch the ball. There is no right or wrong way, it is just what works for you – what is going to make you catch 100 balls out of 100.

THE BASICS

First I open my hands to make the catching area as big as possible. But I mustn’t be tense doing this: my hands, legs, arms and body have to be relaxed. As the ball is going into my hands, the ball, my hands, my head and my left hip are in line. The further the head gets out of line, the more there is guesswork in taking the ball. I keep my hip in line for balance and it helps my footwork.

Standing back, I take two steps in and crouch then, as the bowler lets go, I am in a strong position with very good posture. I am getting myself ready to explode; I need to be able to move to a ball that’s coming at 90mph; I need to feel comfortable, relaxed and back my natural ability and hand-eye co-ordination.

When I am standing up I try to minimise 'give’ in my hands so I can get the ball back to the stumps quickly. There will always be some give but, as you practise, it gets less and less and your whole body absorbs the ball.

PERFECT POSTURE

Good posture is essential, it gives me a powerful and balanced position to move to any ball quickly and with confidence. My legs can’t be too bent or my back hunched and I don’t want to have straight knees or to lean back. I want to be in a shape like the letter Z. Once you have that position, if you are stood back or stood up, it doesn’t change. The only thing that changes is the set-up. It is similar to a slip catcher’s position and, at the point of delivery, we all look the same in the cordon.

RUN-OUT AHEAD

Taking the ball in front of the stumps and bringing it back to them will give you more run-outs – this is a fact. It gives you more direct hits. As I run into the stumps I will find the line next to off stump and I’ll put my right foot just there. Then I know that the stump is right on my leg, so I know that as long as I brush my right leg I’ll be hitting the stumps. If it is a tight one, this technique can get wickets.

CLEAR THINKING

Every time I have gone away from what feels natural I have had less success and ultimately come back to what does feel natural. I need to be instinctive. The brain is like a computer: if you have 20 windows open on your desktop your computer is going to run slower. You want to shut those surplus windows down and operate with a clear screen. Keep it simple.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I am smiling off mistakes these days. That comes from confidence and from preparation. In 2007, if I made a mistake I said to myself it is because I hadn’t done enough work. Now, if I make a mistake, it is because I am human.

I am going to drop the odd ball but it is not because I am bad. I want to be 100 per cent perfect every day. I used to get down on myself if I made a mistake but now I keep smiling and don’t let it affect me for as long. It is best to crack on.