The Teesra

Category: session planning

  • Do I have to hit it? SSG for the forward defensive…and more

    Latest addition to my collection of constrained SSGs — didn’t have a name for it at the time, but the theme is “block or whack”.

    I have a large group of U11s (large for the available indoor space), with a range of abilities and attention spans (this is an after-school activity, and I know how hard it can be to focus on “drills” after a day in class).

    I was keen to find a game that could test a valid batting technique whilst also challenging decision making. Oh, and I needed something to engage their attention.

    So a session centred on the front-foot defensive might seem an odd choice.

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  • Coaching neurodivergent players…and how it just might be a better way to coach, full stop.

    A learning week!

    Neurodiversity training from Headstuff ADHD Therapy, through one of my “zero hours contract” workplaces.

    An online webinar in the always interesting Myths of Sport Coaching webinar series (hosted on YouTube by Sequoia Books), on the proactive role of sports psychology.

    And more reading, away from the functional “what to coach” and towards the more productive, much more interesting “how to work with people”.

    And out of this has emerged a series of ideas on how to better support players with ADHD and autism.

    But as I re-read the list of accommodations and adjustments, it became very apparent that what I had written down could be profitably applied to most coaching activities.

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  • Session plan — off side batting, (mostly) back foot

    Session plan — off side batting, (mostly) back foot

    Working this term with a group of u11s, with the transition to hardball cricket in the summer firmly in mind, so I want the batters to become more confident when facing a short(er) pitched bouncing delivery. They will have done plenty of pull shot games and practice (bread and butter in soft ball cricket) but quite possibly nothing on the off side. Hence the theme for last week’s session was “back foot, off side”.

    The plan below is an idealised version of what actually transpired on the day. The practice and game both happened, but some of the additional constraints only came to mind mid-game, and I decided not to complicate the game by changing the rules half-way through. Next time, though…

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