A junior perspective on cricket coaching
Today's article is from 10 year old Gideon: A bowler from Hertfordshire in the UK. Gideon gives us his perspective on what it is like to get coached and how you can get the most from being coached.
If you want to discuss this article and share your experiences of being coached with Gideon then head over to the forum.
It's easy to tell whether a coach is good or not.
The club I played cricket for, Radlett CC, had a coach who had been coaching for ten years. He was the first team captain and played for the second South Africa team. He went into depth about my cricket skills and explained how I can improve. So a type of good coach is someone is willing to give up their time to explain what you need to do.
It's great if you feel that you have connection with the coach. Remember the coach knows what's best, listen and learn from a coach.
A bad coaching sign is if the coach doesn’t push to the level above your standard. If you don’t enjoy yourself then it’s because the coach isn’t making it fun enough. Also you need the coach to have a fair amount of discipline.
If you truly feel that the coach isn’t being fair or is putting you in a lower ability that you should be, always try to rise above the occasion.
What is the best way you learn from coaches?
I find that the best way to learn from a coach is to listen and take in whatever the coach has said. I think the best way you can learn is if the coach explains in depth your problems as an independent player. If the coach talks slowly and simply you can grasp much more information.
If you find the coach a "nice guy" then you find it much easier to enjoy and understand what the coach is talking about.
Have coaches ever improved my skills?
Coaches have helped me develop a catching style; they have made me much more confident and determined to catch a ball.
I'm a bowler. At Stanmore CC I learned all of the types of bowling, yorkers, slower ball and many more. With my bowling 95% of my balls are on target thanks to the help of a coach.
My recommendation to coaches how to be a good one
There are three things which in my opinion make a good coach.
- Determination. If you want to be a good coach you must be determined to help or improve the child's skills.
- A mixed attitude. Don’t be so strict that the children end up not enjoying it; if they aren’t enjoying it they will not improve their skills. But be stern enough that you can control the group.
- Confidence. Have confidence when you are speaking or explaining something to someone. Use your knowledge to help children develop their skills. Also have confidence explaining to the parents.
The above article by Gideon is excellent for so many reasons. His insight is certainly beyond his years!
I especially liked the way Gideon deals with bad coaching. We can all learn to take personal responsibility and do something about it like Gideon does.
What do you think? What are your experiences of coaching both good and bad? How do we deal with bad coaching? Discuss your views on the forum.
