The Teesra

Author: Andrew Beaven

  • The coaches toolkit revisited (3): deliberate practice vs. deliberate play

    In the iCoachKids MOOC, “Coaching on the Ground: Planning, Doing and Reviewing”, coaches were challenged to review their coaching practice.

    I have looked at my use of the coaching tools themselves, and of the spectrum of practice types, Blocked-Variable-Random.

    In this final section, I wanted to look at the question of Deliberate Play vs. Deliberate Practice.

    The design of “deliberate” (or “purposeful”) activities (all coaching activities) should include:

    • structure;
    • clear progression and challenge;
    • outcomes (“if you don’t know where you are going to, how do you know when you have arrived?”).
    • coach feedback and/or opportunities to reflect on performance and the relevance of the techniques (technical, physical, mental, social) to the game.

    But is it deliberate practice, or deliberate play?

    (more…)

  • Wot, no schools‘ cricket?

    I coach in local State schools — some Chance to Shine with KS2 (7-11 yrs old), some work with girls in early KS3 (11-13). All with the intention of introducing the wonderful game of cricket to children who might never have seen the game, or if they had thought it was only for grey, old, men.

    (No sniggering at the back…yes, I have looked in the mirror, recently — if there were other coaches, more relatable role models, I wouldn’t be there. There aren’t, yet, so the yr7 girls get me…)

    And I (and the other Community and freelance coaches delivering CTS and Team Up) do it in the knowledge that once we leave, the children might not get to play cricket again in school.

    How do we keep young players coming into the game, when the game now barely exists in the State education sector?

    (more…)

  • The coaches toolkit revisited (2): Blocked, Variable or Random?

    Following on from reviewing my use of the coaches’ toolkit, I wanted to take a look at how I deploy different types of practice — Blocked, Variable, Random — and what I can do better.

    I have long been an advocate of game-based practice — because I like playing games, and so do (most of) the children I coach — so I’ll admit in advance a preference for Random.

    But that doesn’t mean there is no place for Variable, or even Blocked, practice — there always will be, but for me it’s games, first.

    (more…)