The Teesra

Category: coaching

  • Coaching philosophy in just 6 words – with @SiNainby

    Interesting challenge from Simon Nainby via twitter – can you encapsulate your coaching philosophy in just six words?

    My best attempt:

    How can we play better tomorrow?

    (more…)

  • Bring the ropes in…a conversation with @ballsrightsreas

    Interesting conversation with Dave C, aka @ballsrightareas, on setting boundaries for junior cricket.

    Should we bring the ropes in, to encourage batters to (try to) hit boundaries?

    But risk having games dominated by batters mis-hitting 6s?

    Or set the line back, and reward the strokeplayers who can exploit the wide open spaces?

    But see games dragged out as young fielders trudge after the ball as it pulls up short of a full-size boundary?

    (more…)

  • Sledging – the missing component from the coaches’ tool kit?

    I mentioned in an earlier post that I sometimes used “sledging” as a coaching tool.

    This is something I picked up working with an experienced Aussie coach – that the coach can sometimes use a little psychological pressure to focus the player on the challenge at hand.

    “Can you hit this one?  I don’t think you can.”

    Not because the player will “just have to get used to sledging” when she starts playing.  Not abuse, not questioning the player’s parentage (I work with young players – Mum or Dad will be standing next to the net!), certainly not banal “banter“…but I will tell a batter that I think I have spotted a weakness, and that I am going to put his technique to the test.