The Teesra

Category: coaching children

  • Jimmy for England — what makes a “coach”?

    Jimmy Anderson’s announcement of his retirement from Test cricket was greeted with a suggestion that he should immediately be taken on as a coach-mentor with the England Test team.

    Earlier in the year, Rob Key stated that he believes Andrew Flintoff could be the next Head Coach of England. And Flintoff will be Head Coach for the Northern Superchargers in the Hundred this summer.

    Anderson and Flintoff are both great cricketers.

    But what does the suggestion that both could be fast-tracked into senior coaching positions say about the standing of professional coaches in English cricket?

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  • What is coaching? Education for kids and parents? All aboard!

    What is coaching? Education for kids and parents? All aboard!

    We have had some positive feedback on one of our Saturday courses this term. Whilst it is gratifying to be told that we are doing something right, it is also slightly worrying as to what might have been going on previously.

    As far as I can tell, we have been doing nothing exceptional with the group — some skills, plenty of games, not too much standing around — but we are being told that this is a huge improvement on earlier in the year.

    What has been going on?

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  • National Programmes Activator training — maybe not quite what it used to be?

    National Programmes Activator training — maybe not quite what it used to be?

    I have posted previously on how enthused I was by joining the team of tutors for new National Programmes Activators, and how the National Programmes were really getting a lot of things right.

    When I wrote the original articles, the National Programmes were indeed an inspiration for anyone interested in seeing coaching move beyond its basic coach-as-instructor model.

    But a couple of small changes to Activator training might just have taken the heart out of the programme.

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