The Teesra

Author: Andrew Beaven

  • The Future of Cricket Coaching – what next for coaches working in schools and clubs?

    The Ashes series just completed has been a sobering experience for anyone who cares about the England cricket team.  So much so, that I don’t really want to say anything more about it, now, other than to wish the coaches and senior players every success as they sit down to work out a plan for 2014 and beyond.

    But as a coach working mostly with Under 11s, I am looking a lot further ahead. There’s not a lot I can do this winter that will help England regain the Ashes in 2015.  But as coaches, we can look ahead to Ashes tours, and Test championships, and T20 World Cups, in 2025.

    Where do you see the game in 10 years’ time? And how can we, as coaches, prepare young players for that future?

    (more…)

  • “The Horror Movie” Net Coaching Method

    David Hinchliffe started a LinkedIn discussion on what he calls “horror movie” net coaching.

    …watch your players [in the nets] closely…say little but…log the information as you go…

    Then, after the quiet, you pounce on your victim and give the key feedback after he or she has batted.

    I have just recently started winter nets with our club 1st XI, and have adopted a similar method (saying little/nothing when a batter is in the nets, but saving any comments until after the session), with the addition of a camera to capture video.

    Given my rather shaky camera technique, perhaps I should call this the “Blair Witch Project” net coaching method… (more…)

  • What makes a good coach?

    I wrote recently about the importance of communication in coaching.

    I don’t think this point can be over-emphasised – communication is absolutely key.  A coach could be knowledgeable, perceptive, empathetic, and enthusiastic, but if he can’t communicate all of these qualities he might just as well stand at the back of the net with his iPhone!

    But clearly there is more to coaching than putting across the right message, at the right time.

    So – what makes a good a coach?

    (more…)