The Teesra

Category: coaching

  • “Don’ts for Cricketers” – translated for the modern player

    Last Christmas I received a copy of a small book entitled “Don’ts for Cricketers“, originally published in 1888 and re-published in 1906.  It is simultaneously a fascinating insight into the “Golden Age” of the game and (in places) a remarkably modern guide to playing the game.

    But the language is almost uniformly negative (the title of the book gives this away), so I wanted to translate the excellent advice into more positive forms. Over the next few weeks I plan to post “Don’ts for Cricketers” – translated for the modern player.

  • Who said that? A look at the future of coaching.

    “[the coach] didn’t grow players by nurturing individual talents, he created a regime.”

    “…coaches now are so controlling that they don’t allow players to go and express themselves…[young players] are not able to make decisions for themselves.”

    “The coach should prepare the team, then let the captain get on with it.”

    Recent quotes from England Test cricketers, all of them active over the last decade, all bemoaning the stifling impact of over-coaching.

    Is there a problem with cricket coaching, especially at the elite level?

    (more…)

  • We all like to play games…so why must practice be so dull?

    We all love playing games.  Or we wouldn’t spend our summer weekends on the cricket field, and our winter evenings in the nets.

    So why, when we practice, do we revert to formal instruction?  Left elbow high, alignment, 5 minutes with the bowling machine delivering leg stump half volleys to really groove that on drive.  Why don’t we play, more?

    If I am honest, one of my motivations for becoming a cricket coach was that I enjoy playing (cricket and most games). “Giving something back to the game” and earning a living are important drivers, but passing on the enjoyment of playing (and being able to play more games myself) is an important part of my self-motivation.

    Since qualifying, I have perhaps been inhibited by the need to demonstrate the value of structured coaching, to players, parents, even to myself. Which is why I am keen to follow the lead of the ECB Coach Education and introduce more cricket games-based learning (CGBL) to my sessions, with players young and old. (more…)