The Teesra

Author: Andrew Beaven

  • Changing the world, one small movement at a time – #thewinningdifference #ECBCAConference

    Across the ECB CA Conference, several of the presenters spoke about the opportunity (and need) for coaches to make a real difference at the participation level – we were exhorted to be “the difference that makes a difference”; we were told that “thinking differently [was the key to] performing better”.

    Frank Dick even challenged the assembled coaches to each come up with a way to become that “winning difference”.

    As a Community coach, I think I might have found one – to try to develop in “my” players what Fuzz Ahmed called “skill ability” – the ability (mental and physical) to learn new skills – and, more specifically, to help them to develop the physical competencies needed to train to participate at any level.

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  • ECB CA Conference Review #ECBCAConference

    I am slowly recovering from a hectic couple of days at the ECB Coaches Association Conference at the weekend.

    Leaving the house at 6 am, and listening to Ashley Giles talk about his career, and his journey from player to coach, at midnight…a long and fascinating first day, followed by six straight hours of workshop and presentation on Sunday.

    Taken singly, every presentation contained nuggets of interest.  Taken together, and with the added bonus of a group of like-minded cricket coaches to share ideas with, there was almost too much to absorb in one weekend, and I am sure to be coming up with new ideas for months to come.

    However, the key themes of the weekend were encapsulated for me in the title of the opening keynote from Frank Dick: Winning Matters – and, by extension, so does the role of the coach in developing the pathway towards victory.

    The word “difference” came up a lot, too – we were exhorted to be “the difference that makes a difference”; “thinking differently [and] performing better”.

    Frank challenged us all to come up with a way to become that “winning difference” – I am still working on mine.

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  • on culture – core values and clear purpose

    I have just listened to a webinar by Dr Wade Gilbert, hosted by Human Kinetics, in which Dr Gilbert presented a toolkit to help make adherence to the core values central to the culture of the team or organisation – to “normalise the abnormal”, as he put it.

    • define & repeatedly articulate the core values
    • actively teach the core values
      • often this will mean the coach modelling the desired values
    • recruit players who already share the core values (not always possible at every level, admittedly)
    • reward appropriate behaviours (and punish backsliding)