Coaching Youth Cricket

CHAPTER 1

PLAYER-CENTRED COACHING

A common mistake among those who work in sport is spending a disproportional amount of time on 'x's and o's' as compared to time spent learning about people.

Mike Krzyzewski, Basketball

What is Player-Centred Coaching?

Player-centred coaching is the idea of putting the player at the heart of the coaching process. It is the starting point for the England and Wales Cricket Board's (ECB) coach education courses, and is widely recognized across all sports as the underpinning theme of quality coaching. Although the needs of their groups will be very different, the method is just as relevant for coaches working with young players in a club environment as it is for those working with professionals at an élite level.

Outlining the benefits of the approach in their influential book Athlete-Centred Coaching: Developing Inspired and Inspiring People, Lynn Kidman, Rod Thorpe and David Hadfield suggest that a player-centred approach improves motivation and understanding and helps prepare players for competition:

Some of the main advantages of using an athlete-centred approach to coaching are that athletes are motivated to learn, and they have a greater understanding and retention of both tactics and skills.

This approach is clearly beneficial given that athletes must be self-sufficient in their performance, decision-taking and option-taking while participating in their respective sport.

To start to think about the approach in practice and the benefits it might have, here is a quick-fire list of questions to think about in relation to a typical coaching session:

  Who is the most important person in the coaching session?

  Whose goals and ambitions should drive the session?

  Who provides the answers and sets the challenges during the session?

  Who is responsible for learning and skill development during the session?

Traditionally the answer to some or all of these questions may have been 'the coach', but if they are that central to a session, there is a danger they may be putting themselves ahead of the needs of their players. Although this method may provide a short-term 'fix' for their players it is unlikely to bear fruit in the long term. Even if the coach is hugely knowledgeable about the game, this will be wasted if their players don't buy into it. For example, if a coach decides to have a session on running between the wickets when their squad feel they already do this well, the players are unlikely to be motivated by the practice. This in turn causes them to lose motivation and closes their mind to the possibility of learning new skills, and the result is that the practice is unlikely to be a success. If a coach can instead make their players central to the coaching process and encourage them to drive their own learning, then the opposite is true.

If we think about the questions above again and accept that the answer to each of them is 'the player(s)', then the benefits that Kidman et al talk about become obvious:

  If the players are viewed as the most important people in the coaching process, then the coach can tailor a session to their exact needs. In turn this provides them with the ideal environment for successful practice.

  If the session is driven by the players' goals they are more likely to remain motivated during a session and select achievable outcomes.

  In a match players must be able to think for themselves. By having to problem solve during a practice session they are replicating the decision-making process they will face on the pitch.

  A player-centred method puts the player in charge of their own learning, which increases the chance of them retaining new skills and 'buying in' to what the coach has to say.

So, if we accept that a player-centred approach is an integral part of modern-day coaching, the next question is, how do we put it into practice?

Using a Player-Centred Approach

At first glance it may appear that putting the players at the centre of your coaching and encouraging them to drive their own development diminishes the role of the coach. But while making your players more self- sufficient is a desirable outcome, nothing could be further from the truth.

While it is called 'player-centred coaching', the reality is that it is built around a trusting two-way relationship between coach and player. It requires the coach to gain an in-depth understanding of the individuals in their group, from their level of ability to what motivates them to play cricket. Having gathered this information, the next challenge for a coach is to use it to plan and deliver practice sessions that meet their players' specific needs.

For many of us brought up on prescriptive, one-size-fits-all PE lessons at school, this may seem like a daunting prospect. But even if the term is new, you will almost certainly be running practices and drills that are at least partly player-centred already. The challenge is to take this a step further and try to deliver sessions that cater for the needs of all the individuals in your session and are driven by the players themselves.

To ensure your next session is truly player-centred, begin by asking yourself a few simple questions about your group and the outcomes you hope to achieve.

Who are you coaching?

The first and most important part of player-centred coaching is to get to know your players. This will allow you to understand their needs and to build your sessions around them. In an ideal scenario you would hope to have a detailed picture of your players before you begin coaching, but if this isn't possible try to find out the following things at the earliest opportunity:

  What are the names of the players?

  How old are they?

  What is their level of cricketing experience and current skill level?

  What are their strengths, and what are the areas to improve?

  What do they want/need to learn?

  Do they have any injuries, or are there any other factors that will impede their ability to learn?

It's important to get to know your players at the earliest opportunity.

What outcomes are you looking for?

Having got to know your players, the next stage is to work out what outcomes you will help them achieve. These could be cricket skills, physical movements, tactical thinking or mental attributes you hope to see from your players during a session. The outcomes should be identified using the knowledge you have gained about the group and should also be agreed in partnership with the players. For example, there is no point setting goals for your players if they are not motivated to achieve them, or think they are too easy or hard. Instead, involve them in the process by asking them what they think they can achieve. After all, the best and most important judge of their individual success is the player themselves.

When identifying the outcomes for a session ask yourself the following:

  Which part of the game are we looking to develop? For example, technical, tactical, physical or mental

  Which specific cricket skill will we use? For example, front-foot drive, bowling action, overarm throw, and so on

  Which part of the skill will we focus on? For example, staying balanced at the crease, grip, transferring weight towards the target, and so on

  What will success look like by the end of the session?

The last one is, of course, by far the most difficult one to answer, and it may change during the session. At different times you may find that your players' achievements exceed your expectations; at other times they may fall short of what you expect.

The more you learn about your players, the better you will become at predicting the likely outcomes. The same is also true for your players - the more they become used to sessions that involve them setting their own goals, the more realistic and achievable they will become.

Types of Practice and Coaching Tools

By building up a picture of your players and identifying the outcomes you hope to achieve, you are now in a position to plan an effective player-centred session. In order to meet the needs of the group you will need to work out the best methods of practice, the type of equipment you will use, and what you, as a coach, will do to help facilitate learning. All of these decisions should be made with your specific players in mind.

As a coach you will have your own preferred coaching style, drills and equipment. And while it is valuable to recognize your own strengths and weaknesses, it is important that these do not overshadow the needs of your players. A good coach has the ability to adapt to the needs of whichever group they are working with.

Before starting the session think about the following questions:

  What type of practice will I use? For example, will...