The Teesra

Category: constraint-led approach

coaching by manipulation of the training environment

  • A response to “Coaching: a fabulous crisis” – part 2, what is a batting coach?

    In part 1 of this response to Rick Walton’s post “Coaching: a fabulous crisis”, I tried to outline my own approach to coaching batters.

    In this section, I want to investigate some of the knowledge and characteristics that a modern batting coach might need.

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  • A Constraint-Led Approach – a new addition to the coaching toolkit?

    I am (I call myself) a cricket coach – I work with people who want to play “better” cricket, however “better” might be defined.

    In that role, I try to help players to develop their playing techniques, and, along the way, to build individual motivation and resilience.  Occasionally, I will talk with them about (appropriate) physical development – play other sports to develop all-round physicality; don’t build so much muscle in the gym that you lose flexibility.

    But I am also interested in how to become a better coach, which has led me to follow a range of conversations and blogs on coaching pedagogy.

    I am not going to pretend that I understand the concept of nonlinear pedagogy (yet), and my exploration of socio cultural constraints within coaching probably missed any number of (academic) points.

    But a series of posts (including this, and this, both from ConnectedCoaches.org) on applying the Constraint-Led Approach (CLA) in coaching has piqued my interest.  Coaches are encouraged to modify the drill or game to force the player(s) to develop enhanced responses.

    (more…)