The Teesra

Blog

  • Session plans: ‘keeping & bowling — hit the gloves

    I have a u11 session booked for next week with a wicket keeping theme. The players are all pretty competent, but only one has done much keeping (and he is also a useful bowler), so I want to offer them an introduction to ‘keeping whilst also engaging those players who will never don the gloves in a match.

    So I wanted to combine ‘keeping with bowling.

    In preparation for next week’s session, I tried out a few ideas with a younger group (u8), which, with the input of coaching colleagues, evolved into the plan outlined below.

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  • Another anniversary in 2023 — 10 years of “Better Cricket”

    Another anniversary in 2023 — 10 years of “Better Cricket”

    2023 has been a year of anniversaries — 50 years since my first organised game of cricket; 40 years since I bought my bat.

    And this September marked 10 years since I left the 9-to-5 of office work and set out on a new “career” as a cricket coach.

    Not surprisingly, things didn’t turn out as I had expected…

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  • 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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