I was coaching on Wednesday night. I managed to find regular excuses to return to the club, to collect another piece of kit and to sneak a look at the telly and to keep an eye on the score in the 4th ODI between England and New Zealand.
We finished at 8, and with England needing another 150 in 20 overs or so, I expected the players to come into the club to watch the game. Five minutes later, they were back out on the park, playing football.
Live international cricket lost out to a kick around.
A couple of pieces of coaching technique I won’t be pursuing, from the “England’s DNA: Playing your part” conference last Sunday.
“NO, NO, NO – not like that”
And (repeated several times during a practical session) – “go on, go on, you’re in…oh, you missed that one”
“Trial-and-error” is a perfectly valid coaching methodology, but it has its limits. If you are going to let your players learn from their mistakes, either let them get on with playing without comment, or keep any comments you do make positive.
From the FA’s “England DNA: Playing your part” conference, I will be taking the focus on “social” skills, from their 4 Corners model.
In particular, I shall be encouraging my players to take five minutes before a game or practice to work together to devise field settings and strategies. If they don’t talk off the field, what chance is there that they will when they get on the field?
The Teesra 