PitchVision Coach Education | Cricket coaching, fitness and tips

Excellent coaching starts with the relentless pursuit of excellence. There is nowhere that this is more important that your own development as a coach.

The world of coaching changes all the time. Theories come and go, some stick because they work. New drills are developed. Old methods are re-examined: the discussion is never ending.

That’s why "Coaching to Win" exists. It’s a place for you to learn about ideas and methods that I have tried and know to work.

It's also a place for you to contribute and discuss your own experiences with coaches around the world.

We are still putting the finishing touches on the place so I recommend you put your name down for updates because we will be regularly adding new content.

Here’s to striving for excellence!

Mark Garaway - Director of Coach Education, PitchVision Academy 

Featured Article

Could the England Rugby Coach Catapult your Cricket Club into a Glorious Future?

In the last few weeks I have worked alongside England Rugby's Head Coach, Stuart Lancaster. Stuart has turned the fortunes of the England Rugby team round since he took the post in 2012.

What can we learn as cricket coaches from his story of success?

The main focus areas in his first years in the job have been lessons that can be easily transferred to a cricket club:

How Moving House Reminds Me of Great Fielding Plans

I'm moving house. While I was chucking out all sorts of rubbish in preparation, I stumbled across a fielding outline document.

The file underpinned England's fielding team at the 2007 World Cup. I put it together with key fielders within that group which included Paul Nixon, Paul Collingwood and Jimmy Anderson.

Coach Mental Toughness with the 7C Approach (Part 2)

Last week we looked at mental toughness for cricket and discussed the first 3 C's: Competitiveness, confidence and control

Now let's complete the set.

Coach Mental Toughness with the 7C Approach

The most mentally tough athletes posses the "the 7 C's".

One of the regular questions that we get on the PitchVision Cricket Show concerns the development of mental skills: batting under pressure, dealing with failure and much more.

New Tricks: What Kids Taught This Old Dog Over the Summer

The Millfield School cricket season has come to an end and my work is not yet done.

Each year I undertake a review of the team performance; the effectiveness of the programme and my effectiveness as a coach. I think reviews are vital for the players and for myself if we are to develop.

So, what have I learnt this year?

How the Best Death Batsmen Score from the Best Death Bowling

All good death batters have options to counteract death bowling.

I have worked with some excellent batsmen who thrive at the death. They work tirelessly at developing skills around the three balls they are most likely to get:

Yorker.

Slower ball.

Bouncer.

So how do they do it, and how can you coach it at your level?

Use Space, Cones and Balls to Develop the Next AB De Villiers

Last week we looked at how to score big without boundaries, now we are going to switch it and look at some boundary options.

Score Big Without Boundaries

Ticking over the scoreboard is a coaching mantra for a reason.

The thing that kills limited over innings in the school and club club cricket game are unnecessary dot ball strings. Batters often get carried away with the notion of smashing the ball over the ropes, forgetting the importance of scoring between those big shots.

So, ability to mix boundaries with singles and doubles is crucial, let's look at some skills.

The Buttler Factor: How Extreme Talent Identifies Itself

In my roles with Hampshire, Somerset, Ireland and now Millfield School I have seen a significant number of talented 12 and 13 year old cricketers. There has only ever been 1 player who I predicted would play International cricket from all those promising players.

His name is Jos Buttler.

Use These Questions to Create Vaughan's 10 Captains

Rewind to 2004 and a moment that struck a chord with world-class cricketers.

When Michael Vaughan took over as England captain, he said that he wanted 10 other captains out on that pitch with him every day.

Very soon that group of England players were winning Test match after Test match on their way to Ashes success. As a group of coaches, we felt that there was a minimum of 9 captains on the field at any one time.