Don’t expect genius to trouble itself with rules. No human law need concern the genius: he is a law to himself, and looks down from a lofty eminence on his weaker brethren.
One that needs to be taken with a little caution – the “genius” first needs to deliver positive outcomes (modern jargon!), and can only rarely afford to disregard the rest of the team.
But when a player displays “genius”, she needs to be encouraged, not repressed.
“[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?
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…)
The Teesra 