Coaching is like gardening — What is coaching? (1)

Really interesting post from @davidhinchliffe on how he uses the constraints-led approach in his own coaching practice.

A rather long personal account and guide to using a constraints led approach to cricket coaching. With thanks to @dannynewcombe and @Marianne_D1 https://t.co/4QeN6VXJ1q

— David Hinchliffe (@davidhinchliffe) March 12, 2021

I was particularly taken with the line “instead of a fault-fixer, think of yourself as a problem-setter…” Or, from an ecological dynamics/constraints-led approach viewpoint, coach as “environmental designer”, perhaps?

Or, maybe, gardener?

Are coaches gardeners?

As coaches, we

• prepare the ground (see Preparing the Ground),
• sow the seeds (put the young player into the growing (or learning) medium),
  • or select the best looking young plants from the nursery (talent ID),
• nurture them (provide appropriate “nutrition” and curate an environment where growth is possible),
• train them with lines and canes (set out guidelines and guidance for “best practice”),
• plant them out (when the player is ready, move them on to new and more challenging spaces)…

…but, ultimately, it’s the plant that does the growing.