The Teesra

Author: Andrew Beaven

  • Session plan — off side batting, (mostly) back foot

    Session plan — off side batting, (mostly) back foot

    Working this term with a group of u11s, with the transition to hardball cricket in the summer firmly in mind, so I want the batters to become more confident when facing a short(er) pitched bouncing delivery. They will have done plenty of pull shot games and practice (bread and butter in soft ball cricket) but quite possibly nothing on the off side. Hence the theme for last week’s session was “back foot, off side”.

    The plan below is an idealised version of what actually transpired on the day. The practice and game both happened, but some of the additional constraints only came to mind mid-game, and I decided not to complicate the game by changing the rules half-way through. Next time, though…

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  • Asking questions…but no-one answers

    This post from icoachcricket appeared on Twitter earlier this week.

    icoachcricket is the Twitter presence of the ECB Coaches Association, the registration body for cricket coaches accredited through the ECB Coach Development pathway. The twitter account has more than 2,700 followers.

    A few likes and retweets. But not one of the followers has responded.

    Yet, this seems to be an important topic for coaches. Understanding the people they are coaching with.

    So why the tumbleweed?

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  • How do coaches learn to be better coaches?

    When I first I qualified as a coach, back in 2009, I was told “get your coaching badge, then go and do some coaching.”

    It felt odd, having just completed a “taught” course, but it seemed almost a recognition of the failure of coach education to actually teach the new coach what they should do.

    It’s as if the coaching qualification was just a license to practice, rather than a preparation for (coaching) life.

    But what is wrong with coach education? How do coaches learn?

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