You know what that means.
Anyone who has ever held a cricket bat is walking around shadow batting and rolling their arm over when they think no-one is looking.
While most of us only get to imagine scoring hundreds and taking five-wicket bags, the Otago team starts that pursuit very soon.
The players have plenty of work to do before their opening Plunket Shield game gets under way in Auckland on October 18, which is 37 days away.
Some of the Volts got a head start on the pre-season. They were down at the temporary winter marquee at Tonga Park getting in some training on grass under the watchful eye of coach Dion Ebrahim earlier this week.
The former Zimbabwean test opener is in his second year with the Volts and he has some clear ideas about where the team needs to improve.
The Volts finished in the bottom half of all three formats last summer.
"Across all the formats, we want to be more consistent with the bat," Ebrahim said.
"I think our ability to score more often against spin is going to be a big focus for us. With the ball, we were probably a little bit impotent at times, especially in red-ball cricket.
"We also need to be a lot more athletic in the field. Last season, we were a little bit laboured, so there will be a big emphasis on athleticism and speed.
"The [other area] is the ability to have that self-belief. It was noticeable that we lost confidence at crucial times, so there is a real big push that the guys believe what they are capable of and that comes from the work we do in the pre-season."
Ebrahim, who toured England as a player, spent six weeks in the United Kingdom with the Black Caps this winter to further his development as a coach.
"It was a phenomenal experience. It was good to see how the test players prepare and just relating that to how best we can prepare," he said.
"There were no ground-breaking revelations ... but you do find it adds a lot to your toolbox in terms of the personal relationships. You get to talk to some of the best players in the world.
"What was heartening is our systems and structures that we have here are very much on track. That was reassuring.
"What we have here, in terms of our set-up [facilities], is as good as anywhere else in the country and in the world really."
Otago’s official pre-season begins on Monday.
There will be a small group of players still away. Michael Rippon and Jacob Duffy are on New Zealand A duty and Glenn Phillips is with the Black Caps.
South Africa-born all-rounder Dean Foxcroft’s long-awaited return is not far away.
He has been unable to return to New Zealand due to border restrictions.
Ebrahim said the team would spend two nights in the Catlins next week to build some connections in the squad.
Jacob Cumming, Llew Johnson, Ben Lockrose and former Canterbury seamer Andrew Hazeldine are new to the contracted group.
They took the spots vacated by the retirement of Neil Broom and Anaru Kitchen and the departure of Nick Kelly.
