Pain is the name of the game

Chris Jordan is one of the sextet heading to Florida for a month-long training camp

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For most people, the chance to swap a grey and miserable England for four weeks in sun-drenched Florida sounds perfect.

For six young fast bowlers, however, they are approaching a trip to the Sunshine State with trepidation.

No sunbathing on Miami Beach. No cruising along Sunset Strip. No rollercoasters at Disneyworld. Just pure, hard work.

Rather than sipping cocktails, the sextet - Derbyshire's Jon Clare, Essex paceman Maurice Chambers, Surrey duo Chris Jordan and Jade Dernbach, Mark Turner of Somerset and Warwickshire's England Under-19 international Chris Woakes - will be lifting weights as part of a month-long training programme at the world-famous IMG academy.

"They'll train harder than they ever have trained before," said ECB lead fast bowling coach Kevin Shine who is overseeing the ECB bowling skills set.

"It's not about going to Florida and going to the beaches, they just won't get time. It will be rock-solid training. It's not easy, we don't want it to be easy. We have told them it's the toughest period of training they will ever go through. They will be too knackered to be going out."

Shine added that the bowlers - six of the most promising in the country - will be more used to medicine balls than cricket balls for the first part of the winter.

"We are going to give them a phase when they don't bowl," he explained.

"It's a three month block when it's just strength and conditioning. There is no bowling whatsoever. I believe massively through evidence that if you are stronger and need to make technique changes, it's so much easier to do. You find that technique improves if they are stronger.

Jade Dernbach celebrates taking a wicket during a difficult season for Surrey

"There are other issues, such as disclipline that comes from having to train three times a day. You can imagine when you are given that ball in an Indian Test match and you have already bowled 25 overs, you've just got something to delve into because when it's been tough, you've already got big experiences.

"We are taking our own staff as well - strength and conditioning, physiotherapy. There will be access to other coaches and programmes. They are going to be training with other sports as well - the IMG academy has got Bollettieri tennis, baseball, pretty much everything out there. There are some wonderful athletes out there. It's a very impressive place that's conducive to excellence.

"It will be a wonderful opportunity. They can pit themselves against other athletes to see what it takes to become a world class athlete."

Although fit in their own right, the bowlers will need to find another gear once they have touched down in the States.

Each has undertaken a programme with their county since the end of the season to ensure they are at a certain physical level prior to departure and a final set of tests was carried out at the National Cricket Performance Centre yesterday.

"The whole point is to treat them like an Olympic athlete but knowing there is a craft at the other end, the fast bowling," said Shine. "You have got to be fitter, faster, stronger and more skilful - that is hopefully the next world-class fast bowler of the future.

"One of the major reasons is to bring them back better educated. We don't want them to go out there and be machines - we want them to know why they are doing it. It's not just a boot camp, I want them to come back and say 'I now know how to train for my professional life'."

On their return, the newly-buffed bowlers will spend time at Loughborough bowling under the watchful eye of Shine and Neil Killeen, the Durham bowler, before boarding another plane, heading east this time to the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai where they will work with Dennis Lillee and Troy Cooley.

All-rounder Jonathan Clare was one of few bright notes for Derbyshire this season

"Their batting and fielding will be in it as well as we are trying to find the next all-rounder," he added. "Richard Halsall (lead fielding coach) and Dene Hills (lead batting coach) are putting programmes together. It's very much the cricketer as a whole, but the absolute emphasis is the fast bowler.

"My job is to watch potential England bowlers, ie the Plunketts, Mahmoods, guys like that, the players on the performance programme, and make sure they are progressing towards playing for England. Then you have the future best which these guys fall into that category.

"I have watched every single one of them bowl. Some over a period of time, some I have seen a few games. Someone like Jonathan Clare came out of nowhere. I went and watched him last year and was very impressed.

"Mark Turner at Somerset is a 90mph bowler and can lift very heavy weights. He will be the strongest on this programme. When you talk to Justin Langer and Andy Hurry Somerset Coach], they think he's an explosion waiting to happen.

"Jade [Dernbach] has improved massively this year. His one-day stats were excellent. His fast bowling coach and Alan Butcher were constantly reminding me of how well he was doing. I saw huge improvements.

"Chris Jordan, we know about his talent. He's a very talented all-rounder, like Jonathan Clare. When you get players where you can develop both sides of their game you have to do that.

"Chris Woakes was very successful for the Under-19s and had a very successful year with Warwickshire. Speaking to Ashley Giles and Allan Donald, they think he's one of those wonderful low maintenance cricketers. You don't have an issue with him and he does everything right. There's a young lad who could be a wonderful performer in the years to come.

"Maurice [Chambers] is 6ft 3ins, a fantastic physical specimen. He's trained brilliantly. We saw some mouthwatering spells from him last year, he was up around the 85mph-plus mark, very tall and with a lot of skill as well.

"We have picked them carefully and put it to the national selectors as well."