The Teesra

Month: May 2014

  • Fast and straight – why not?

    Another interesting discussion on the Cricket Coaches Worldwide group on LinkedIn, this time on the increasing prevalence of wides in junior cricket. The catalyst for the discussion was a posting from Mark Garaway on the PitchVision Academy site, in which he advocates more old-fashioned target bowling, and less (technical) coaching, as the remedy for wayward bowlers.

    Where the balance falls between coaching and individual practice I am not sure (although I do agree with Mark’s initial post – the player does need to bowl more without coaching interventions), but as coaches we need to allow our players to express themselves. If that means running in fast and hurling the ball down as fast as possible, that’s what we have to help them to do.

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  • Retirement, LTAD, and the early-stage coach

    In a fascinating article in Sport Magazine last week (“Life After Sport: A study“), Steven Sylvester, former Middlesex cricketer and now chartered psychologist working with world champion athletes, explained the problems faced by full-time athletes as they make the transition into retirement.

    As a recreational/community coach and sports fan, I am not sure that I have ever even thought about the challenges facing a professional athlete at the end of their full-time playing career.

    But perhaps we can help by trying to instil the “growth mindset” into our charges at an early age – the idea that any challenge can be overcome if it is approached in the right way.

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  • One small, still moment…six times an over

    A bowler is struggling with consistency – two or three good balls, followed by several wayward deliveries.

    He is getting distracted by the bad balls, with the result that he will become increasingly less consistent.

    One approach to remedying a loss of concentration is to introduce a simple pre-delivery routine, with the intention of allowing the bowler one small, still moment to focus on one thing, and one thing only – delivering the ball.

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