The Teesra

Category: bowling

  • Session plan(s): Video-Part-Whole

    I am a great believer in games- and scenario-based learning.

    Games engage games players when drills don’t.

    Well designed games retain important elements of the real activity to help players develop “skills in context”, not just drilled technique. Using the terminology of the constraints-led approach (CLA), games need to be representative of the playing environment, and retain important specifying information.

    I also like the whole-part-whole session structure — play a game, modified to reward a specific skill; practice that skill; play the modified game again.

    But sometimes, the initial “whole” maybe needs to be primed, put into context.

    And with the proliferation of access to video highlights of so many great moments from the past, perhaps it is time for a new session format.

    How about Video-Part-Whole?

    (more…)

  • Belonging; learning together

    Fascinating post from Harry Curtin, on Substack, on how he modified his school rugby coaching sessions to focus on promoting connectedness within a team environment and to move from having the coach explicitly coaching to allowing the players (collaboratively) to learn.

    And it set me trying to think of a similar approach in cricket.

    (more…)

  • Nets or checklists?

    Played my first game this year for the 3rd XI yesterday.

    Batted OK until I missed a straight grubber that bounced for a second time just before hitting the stumps… Bowled one decent over, then got hit for 4 boundaries (16 runs out of an opposition score of 120/6 in 45 overs).

    And was advised by our umpire to “get back in the nets”. His exact words — “I thought you were a bowling coach!”.

    With due respect to Vikash, I wonder if I actually need more net bowling. More important, perhaps, for an occasional bowler, which is what I have become, might be to remember what I do when I bowl well, and do that again.

    (more…)