The Teesra

Category: psychology

how we think about playing the game, mostly as related to “sports psychology” and “psychological strength”…not sure how much I believe in the latter, but it is a topic for consideration

  • Non-negotiables for coaches — from the players

    Non-negotiables for coaches — from the players

    I have written previously about the under-13 squads I am working with this year.

    As part of their introduction to the squad, we have them discuss and agree on “non-negotiables” — agreed actions, behaviours, attitudes within the squad that simply will not be debated — for themselves, for their interactions with team mates.

    And also for what they expect from their coaches.

    We (the coaches) didn’t get a say (these are the players expectations of us), but we will have to own them, as far as we can.

    If we are to aspire to being more than Shane Warne’s bus!

    (more…)

  • “…and 10 of your own”

    For reasons too mundane to detail, I have paid several visits to the Nursery Pavilion at Lord’s over the last fortnight.

    The Nursery “Pavilion“ isn’t really a pavilion, in the cricket sense, but actually a corporate hospitality venue, tastefully decorated with a selection of cricketing quotes, insightful, funny, and satirical.

    One, attributed to G H Hardy, caught my attention.

    Cricket is the only game where you are playing against eleven of the other side and 10 of your own.

    And I felt obliged to defend the honour of the game I have played for more than 50 years, and coached now for 15.

    (more…)

  • WITTW vs. WIN — is winning the most important outcome, even for “high performance”?

    The ECB’s 2022 High Performance Review, led by Andrew Strauss, has attracted extensive scrutiny for the suggested new playing schedule for First Class and List A, but remarkably little for those elements of the Review that relate to creating a high performance culture away from match days i.e. coaching, pathway, player development.

    In amongst the less-discussed sections of the Review is a proposal to “embed…[What It Takes To Win] WITTW into the ECB coaching curriculum.”

    It certainly makes sense for coaches to help players to develop and deploy skillsets that contribute to winning.

    But I have concerns, ideological and practical, on the choice of WITTW as an appropriate model within cricket.

    Might we be better concentrating on What’s Important Now?

    (more…)