The Teesra

Category: cricket

  • “The Horror Movie” Net Coaching Method

    David Hinchliffe started a LinkedIn discussion on what he calls “horror movie” net coaching.

    …watch your players [in the nets] closely…say little but…log the information as you go…

    Then, after the quiet, you pounce on your victim and give the key feedback after he or she has batted.

    I have just recently started winter nets with our club 1st XI, and have adopted a similar method (saying little/nothing when a batter is in the nets, but saving any comments until after the session), with the addition of a camera to capture video.

    Given my rather shaky camera technique, perhaps I should call this the “Blair Witch Project” net coaching method… (more…)

  • The campaign for real sledging – or why there is a problem with moronic chatter

    I have a confession.  I quite enjoy a little sledging.  If the fielding team decide to criticise my batting technique (and I give them plenty of scope for that!) I am generally quite happy to play along.

    There is no point getting annoyed, or distracted.  A quick response and, 99 times out of 100, back to the game.

    As a bowler, I see nothing wrong in letting a batsman know when I think he is lucky still to be at the crease.

    And it is a game (at Club level) and I really believe that a little banter doesn’t hurt it.

    For the pros, I guess there is “mental disintegration” as deployed by the Aussies (when they were good enough to win without resorting to this, but played the game any way).

    I do believe there is a place for “verbals”on the cricket pitch.

    But that does not include the inappropriate, unfunny, just plain boorish chatter, that we sometimes have to endure in the name of “sledging”.

    My own pet hates and worst “sledges”

    • “He’s only got one shot” or “he can only play {insert stroke here}” – especially, as I heard it recently, to a batsman who had just cut three consecutive long hops to the boundary, and missed a fourth…what stroke would you like?
    • “more blocks than Lego” – (possibly) funny once, but not any more.
    • “wicket ball!”
    • “your man”
    • and anything with “buddy”…

    (more…)

  • “Four tent pegs” – twist

    Very interesting blog post from Steffan Jones (former County player/coach (Somerset CC, and Derbyshire CC, ECB Level 3 & UKSCA Certified) and a Strength & Conditioning expert), on the “four tent pegs” drill, as expounded by Ian Pont.

    “Drop step and block” (go on, buy the book!) certainly feels like a very dynamic start to an explosive delivery, and the whole drill offers a solid set of basic principles for bowling fast.

    But the video highlights one challenge I have to the tent pegs, and that is the transition from “tent peg 1” (essentially, back foot landing) to “tent  peg 2”.

    (more…)