The Teesra

Category: coaching

  • Online coach development — more than just “telling”, surely?

    A Twitter contact (X contact?) posted this the other day.

    Excerpted from ECB research into helping coaches “develop potential international batters”

    Anything that increases time spent playing at the expense of deconstructed “skill drills” is going to find favour with an advocate for the ecological dynamics and a constraints-led approach (like me!).

    So I’d buy into this as an underlying coaching philosophy, although the numbers look low, too me. Only 50% “play” for young players — so the rest is still chores?. And just 40% “…highly random and game-based…”?

    But there’s surely a problem with “broadcast coach development”.

    (more…)

  • Time (again)

    I played my final game of the 2023 season last week.

    A disappointing exit from the National KO stages, although we did get to enjoy a rather charming (if slightly confused) away-day to Worcestershire for the Vase quarter final.

    Birlingham Cricket Club, venue for our final game of the season…shame we were sent to a different ground!

    After a Championship-winning season with the over 60s 4th team in 2021, and a barely believable glut of runs (by my standards, at least) in 2022, 2023 has been less fun.

    (more…)
  • The root of all “Mankad’s” (with apologies to Vinoo)

    The root of all “Mankad’s” (with apologies to Vinoo)

    At the end of term we try to play a “proper” game with the age group classes, even with the younger players.

    On Saturday, a small group of Dad’s gathered at the side of the hall to watch and encourage their children.

    And we had calls from one father for the non-striker to “start walking” and “back up” as the bowler ran in…no wonder young batters are trying to “steal” a yard and straying out of their crease before the ball is bowled, if this is what they are being told to do!

    (more…)