Newsletter | Cricket coaching, fitness and tips

Hi,

There is a lot for budding coaches in the newsletter this week, including a guide to keeping quiet. Yes, you read that right. Coaches do sometimes need to learn how to shut up!

We also have a spin drill from Harry Shapiro and a neat trick from Mark Garaway on getting more from players by building an effective "management team", whatever your level of cricket.

Have a great weekend,

David Hinchliffe

Does Your Club Give You Value for Money?

Cricket takes a lot of time and effort. So, a big part of the job of grass-roots clubs to to ensure players get the best value possible for their membership fees.

PitchVision Academy are in a great position to find out more about the value different clubs around the world give their members, so we decided to survey some clubs to find out what you get in different parts of the world.

We looked at the cost of adult membership, including annual and match fees and kit costs for several clubs around the world. Then we took an average annual cost (see below).

To make it easy to compare, we translated all the costs into British Pounds Stirling.

Then we looked at what you get for your money: chances to play and train. We averaged this out too, assuming nothing was lost to rain, to find out how many games and training sessions you could have for your money.

The graphic below gives you the headlines:

Click the image to enlarge.

We found a lot in common across clubs, including regular training and access to extra facilities such as a physio and gym, although these were always at an additional cost (so not included in these figures).

We also found out that for most clubs, on element impossible to factor in is the social side. The cricket club is so often a focal point for a community where friends and families meet and socialise. That sense of community and belonging is crucial to the health of club cricket.

Do you think you get value for where you play? Leave a comment and let us know.

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Use A "Management Team" to Build the Indestructable Cricket Club

You might not realise, but your side has a management team.

We don't have the professional luxury of a huge support staff containing physiotherapists, sports psychologists, analysts and assistant coaches like the major international outfits. We do have have a group of people who shape our performance on and off the field.

And it's the coaches job to manage this team, or it will manage itself: badly!

Who is in your club management team?

If I was looking to run a management team in club cricket, I would compile my cast like this:

Captain
Vice Captain
Coach
Head of Selectors
Young player representative
Bowlers representative (most captains and vice captains are batters so a bowling representative is vital).

What does a management team do?

The selection of people for this group is vital. At Somerset I was lucky enough to have James Hildreth as the young player on the management team. "Hildy" was insightful, intuitive. He would often give me a heads up on how his team mates were feeling and if anyone had other issues going on that I needed to be aware of when communicating or intervening. He played a vital role in our development as a squad.

Alongside these important group dynamic elements, the group can discuss:

Gameplans and player deployment (bowling and batting orders, what if planning)
Training session planning
Leadership development within the subgroups of bowlers, batters and slips.
Social events for team building
Milestone rewards (1st hundred momentos/5 wickets)
Player management - communication
Having someone on the management group keep and eye on the captain; providing advice when stressful situations arise or noticing the captains behaviour shifts. A great help to any captain as it's a tough job.

Having a strong and united management team gives a real sense of purpose and togetherness for the whole squad; whatever adversity and challenges come your way. You can be assured that solutions are possible when you work it through together.

It's really important that the coach gets to know the management group as people: Discuss and share insights into the game, get to know their key drivers and motivators.

Encourage your captain to collaborate with the management team to make the job easier. Then she can focus on cricketing elements: strategy, personal game and tactics to beat the opposition.

The most key relationship in any team is the captain and coach. Without a working relationship and a united front then the team will pick up on this, be distracted and ultimately under-perform.

But when it is strong, the sky is the limit.

India won the World Cup in 2011 with a strong partnership between Dhoni and Kirsten. England won the Ashes three times in succession with Strauss and Flower then Cook and Flower. Charlotte Edwards and Mark Lane produced England's Double Women's World Champions.

So build your team and get to know your captains on multiple levels. If this happens then you will have the trust and combined strength to cope with any situation or circumstance.

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Cricket Show S4 Episode 45: Sprint Drills for Fast Bowlers

Mark Garaway joins David Hinchliffe to don thick rimmed spectacles and put pens in their top pockets to talk about the hardware that is best for cricket coaches and players. Phones, laptops and tablets are covered.

But we don't stay there very long as we also answer questions on sprinting for fast bowlers, how our bodies move, and coming back after rehab from an injury.

PitchVision News Links

CricMax install PitchVision
Burners takes on the USA!

How to Send in Your Questions

If you want to win a cricket coaching prize, you need to send in your burning questions to the show. If your question is the best one we give you a free online cricket coaching course!

Send in your questions via:

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+44 (0)203 239 7543

+61 (02) 8005 7925

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This is show number 238.

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Good Cricket Coaches Know What to Say, Great Cricket Coaches Know When to Shut Up

One of the best tools a cricket coach can use is the ability to say nothing at all.

I can hear the nay-sayers already baulking. How can you possibly improve players if you stands at the back of the net in stony silence throughout a session? Of course, you can't and shouldn't do that. But you also need to work hard at knowing what to say, when to say it, how you say it, and - most importantly - if you need to say it at all.

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