Developing Against Premier Opposition

As the season progresses, I am keeping my eye on how we are doing against better sides to gauge how ready we are to play Premier League cricket.

We have played Premier opposition a few times this season and competed in most games despite results being mixed.

It's hard to gauge things exactly due to the nature of the matches: midweek T20 (four games), Scottish Cup (two games) and a preseason friendly mean no opposition was at full strength, but often neither were we. Nevertheless, here's what we have learned.

• Tactics. Our tactical approach has worked well against Division One teams but has only really succeeded a couple of times at higher levels. We need to think about; how to bowl to set professional batsmen (more variety), and how to rotate the strike against better bowling and fielding units.
• Fielding. Fielding has been good in places but still too many catches dropped at key times, most notably in the slips where we only catch half our chances. One opening bowler has had just 33% of his chances snaffled. An area to work on.
• Bowling. We have been on point with both seam and spin this year.  The attack has skill and variety with both dot ball and wicket taking bowling. If we maintain these levels, we will continue to bowl sides out in Premier cricket.
• Runs. Run scoring is vastly improved this year, but we still have had a few sub-par moments against better sides. We recovered well in one cup game - which should give us confidence - but fell apart in another. I will work with individuals to build confidence. On game days, I try to build a confident atmosphere in the side that a couple of wickets falling does not wreck everyone's nerves.
• Depth. Squad depth has not been tested much against better teams. We much have a plan for playing second string guys when we come up against strong opposition.

Overall, I feel we are in a strong position so far. We do not lean on any one player too much and all the key players are Premier League ready with both skills and confidence. The rest of the season is about continuing to develop those skills so we feel as ready as we can. If we do that we will go up as champions and stay in the top division easily.

Game Notes: Intent and Confidence

West have played much better with the bat in 2017 than last summer. Average score is still about 200 (compared to 154 last year). And while that is overpriced due to a big score (346) and batting first in full length games, we are still clearly more confident with the bat.  

I still think we are on for adding 25+ to the team average compared to last year because of this. 

But there are still signs of the old team now and again. 

In a high-emotional finish in the Scottish Cup, we lost by one wicket to, on paper, a strong Edinburgh side. It was close because we bowled and fielded brilliantly to almost defend 135, which we know we can do when we go well.

The batting was some of the old stuff though. We lost wickets regularly, unable to build partnerships, and went a little into our shells to try and dig out a total. We did face good bowling, but we also lost the strike rotation option, picking up only 5 quick singles (we average 15) and rotating only 10% of the balls we face (average is 19%). I'd estimate the loss of confidence cost us about 30 runs. And scoring 165 would have put us as favourites rather that at fifty/fifty of 135.

This was following on from last few games where SB% has dipped under 30%. (One of my goals for the season is to get SB% above 35%).

We still have intent to score more quickly, but a combination of factors has knocked confidence in this, which we need to address:

• Our best strike rotation exponent has made just one big score, meaning overall SB% has been knocked in most games. He did score at an incredible 63% SB% and rotated 44% of balls he faced in his ton though! More please!
• Two other deft runners have not fired at all this season.  If any of these three batters get going, the SB% will shoot up.
• The bulk (75%) of the runs have come from four guys who prefer boundary options. These batsmen only rotate 12% of the time (10% less than the rotator batsmen), but hit 8% for a boundary (3% more).
• In the cup game, we were slightly intimidated by a "big" side and let them bowl at us a little too much, rather than wrestling control. This was not totally true but it happened in places. 

So while I am not worried too much about the dip in rotation, we do need to focus on staying confident and batting with intent. The way I see doing this is to work with the "hitters" to get them to push rotation up a little alongside maintaining their boundary rate. Also, I'd like to build the form of the rotators as getting them facing more balls will push up the overall average.

As I said at the end of last year, rotation is vital. It shows confidence and skill of a batting side, so I monitor it in detail. 

Game Notes: Learning From a Huge Win

It was a 307 run win on Saturday. The result was insane, getting 347 without trying very hard then bowling St Michael's out for 40. My question is this; what can we learn? 

• West are capable of crushing weaker opponents, rather than just winning comfortably but unconvincingly (as we did a couple of times last year)
• The pro got a hundred but so did our left handed opener, and our number four got fifty, so it wasn't a one man show. 
• Fielding was on point but somehow two catches were still dropped and we are still below last year's catch percentage. 
• The bowlers just had to bowl straight, and the openers took all the wickets (most bowled or LBW) so it was not exactly hard, but ther was also no messing about, we did what was needed with little fuss. 

We did what was needed with focus and intensity despite being clear favourites from the first over (they didn't even bother with one slip).

Obviously bigger challenges lay before us.

But for now the key message for me is: 1. Don't get complacent, we have not "completed cricket" and 2. Use this time of form to strive for further improvements. Learn a new shot, practice your yorkers, work out how to turn a hundred into 150, practice playing under pressure when the score is 40-4, as it will be sometime in the future (although not for a while I am hoping). 

Game Notes: Glasgow Accies 29th April

In all honesty I won't have time to provide full reports on matches over the summer.

However I hope to drop a few notes in now and again as much as a way of processing my own thinking. Here's game one:

• West scored 260 batting first and it could have been 300. The intent was bang on, we just kept going hard even as wickets fell. I would prefer to see us go for 300 and fall short than be terrified of getting out and making 150.
• Bowling was great, winning by 105 runs.
• Ground fielding was good.
• Four dropped catches was bad considering how much work we put in, however two were by a usual very safe hands, so it might be a one off.
• We didn't need the pro who barely got a run and didn't take a wicket.
• My new stat tracking this year is harder, but just about manageable, it should throw up some interesting stuff.

Game Notes: Preseason Matches

Celebrating a preseason win

The results of these games were just part of the process of getting back into cricket. We won won easily and lost the other badly, but with nothing at stake I stressed to the guys it was a chance to learn.

The overseas guys both came out of the games with things to work on. Not least the Aussie keeper learning how to keep his hands warm in Scottish spring conditions!

We learned we could make a positive intent work with the bat. We scored 133 in short time to win the first game, picking up runs quickly with no risks. We also scored 50 runs in eight overs against a very strong team on Sunday.

This did not pan out as well, with five first team batsmen failing to capitalise on the start. We still have a bit of work to do around staying confident when things go awry.

In the field, we fielded very well in both games. A couple of rusty errors aside, I am pleased to see almost no weaknesses in the fielding. The energy was good through the first game. It was harder to stay upbeat in the second game as the openers went about knocking the runs off with little ceremony. However, we kept pushing and a second string bowler took his chance to bowl with pace and knocking hard on the door of selection.

Our overseas pro also learned the right length to bowl in Scottish club cricket, which is not the same length as Sri Lankan first-class cricket!

Another learning point is how to make something happen when we are failing to do much in the field with plan A.

As solid and workmanlike as we were, we could not take a wicket and we got into a little rut of going through the motions. Everyone was still trying hard but you need a little magic or creativity or luck in those moments. We didn't strive for those things. We can learn to try something crazy now and again.

The first league game is on Saturday and training is well attended. I hope the weather holds.

Training Notes: Themes and Warm Up Matches

We kept up the training themes this week as attendance soared with the season starting on Saturday.

We moved through boundaries, into strike rotation and finally quick singles. I ran the nets, focusing on keeping players in "combat" mode by having one on one bowlers against batters. In a group of six in two nets, this works perfectly. It's short, sharp, focused and intense. No one is bowling for too long (four overs each with plenty of rest) and the batsmen only have 24 balls in which to achieve the outcome.

More important, the guys get into it with gusto. Even the players who "just want to hit balls" try their best to achieve the aim of the session, be it hitting every ball for four or taking three quick singles an over.

I'm hoping a big part of this is because they all get reminded every session that this is their session, not mine. They have control over how much effort they put in and how they deal with what I present. If you don't like it, I say every time, get together and change it. Nobody as all the drills and answers. Self-sufficiency is crucial to a good cricketer.

Batting scenario in cricket nets. Players enjoy the context rather than "just batting". 

I have given over the outfield stuff, so far, to our new coaches. I have left them to it because I can't be everywhere at once, and I am getting feedback afterwards. They are reporting the themes are a handy way to stay on message but it give them freedoms to do what they want. I can see they both still need to learn some stuff, but don't we all? Broadly I'm happy we just need to hone the teamwork to get in a good rhythm. It does mean we have missed out on a couple of drills I wanted to do this week, including range hitting and tip and run stuff that only really works outdoors. But we are hitting most things most if the time and so I'm happy, as long as we keep striving to improve as a coaching team.

We have had a player train as a guest from another club: He lives locally and it's much easier for him to attend nets with us than his club in Edinburgh. He has reported that he is impressed with the amount of fielding work we do, which is exactly what I want to hear. I want us to go up a notch in the field this year and we have really hit it hard. It's a slight shame we have not had as many first team players come as regularly as I would hope, but that's club cricket. People commit as much as they can. It's my job to make training an appealing place to be!

Our overseas players are both in situ now. I have only seen one of them perform and it was an impressive display. More importantly, he seems to be a strong character. He works hard, doesn't complain, gives plenty of banter and always has a smile on his face. After last year, where I abdicated to the overseas player's lassaiz-fair approach, I am being slightly more active in offering my coaching, asking questions and building up a coach-player relationship with these key guys. It's early days yet, but we will see how it goes.

The boundary rope gets put out for West of Scotland CC's first game of cricket in 2017

Saturday and Sunday see the first warm up matches, so we can finally turn all this practice into actual cricket.

While this is friendly cricket and we are a couple of players off full strength, it is a big opportunity to,

1. Get reacquainted with outdoor competitive cricket.
2. See how much of the winter work has paid off in terms of better skills, better game plans and better ability under pressure.
3. Start the process of gelling as a team, seeing as the side has four debutants, three of whom are likely to be regulars.

Coaching is Neither Instructing nor Abdicating

 Here's some amazing insights into the coaching process from Paddy Upton.

"Instructing is: 'I know, let me tell you what to do'. Advising is: 'I know. Let me make a suggestion and leave the decision up to you'. In the modern day when people talk about empowering players and saying, 'Well you figure it out and do what you need to do', that's abdicating.​ "Coaching is a process where I help you find your own best answer for yourself through a process of questioning, testing your thinking, maybe giving you information and asking how you make sense of it. So I coach. Whereas most coaches today are actually instructors. They tell people what to do, when to practice, when to bat, for how long, where to bowl, etc."

​I love this clarification. I know I have both instructed and abdicated thinking that it's coaching. I know many players think coaching is nothing but instruction. Hopefully we are changing that.

"As soon as there is a coach in place telling players what to do, it stops players having to think. For a lot of players that's quite alluring because you don't have to do the thinking, and if something goes wrong you have someone else to blame."

For all of us, disengaging the brain is easy and natural. You run on instinct. Humans are amazing at doing this because you can't live in a complex world without it. You have to work to stay engaged. As a coach, I need to work to keep people engaged.

"I will sit with the player and the analyst and ask, 'What is it that you want that will leave you prepared?'"

​Like that. Because the alternative is to tell someone your amazing advice because you know it works every time.

Or do you?

"Players who have had an extended career will say anywhere between one and three out of 100 things that they have been told by an expert actually makes a point. So I know that if I give a player a piece of input, there is a 99 per cent chance it is going to be useless."

99%!

Training Notes: First Twenty Balls

Setting up cricket fielding practice at West of Scotland CC.. 

This week things were typically spring-like. It was cold (as low as 5 degrees) and murky. The rain stayed away mostly.

We focused again on the basics. We did some fielding based around ground work, hitting the stumps and low catching. It was cold and dank so we did what we could there to stay focused. I'm still pushing the idea of moving beyond volume and into quality.

My master plan for nets was "first 20 balls".

In nets batsman get four overs to bat and must play in a match scenario of their choosing. Bowlers bowl in pairs, two overs each to each batsman. The other bowler acts as umpire and run-decider.

It broadly worked because it had a combative element.

We split into two groups of comparable standards. I put the scores on the board as an quick external motivation, but it wasn't needed as the guys looked to take each other on with the added frisson of wickets and runs counting for something.

It was fun, engaging and useful. All positive. 

That said, there were a couple of minor less positive moments.

One player decided to slightly undermine the activity by doing his own thing. He is the type to not train with much focus. 

Another player turned up over 20 minutes late and said he just wanted to bat. When I told him he would need to wait until later, and he would be better off doing some fielding while he waited, he went home. This is a senior player who I would hope would be a leader in setting the standards. Instead he claimed (afterwards) that no one had told him what to do. Even if this was right (it wasn't) there were four coaches to ask. That was a plain fixed mindset excuse.

I need to get better at reminding people to stay in a growth mindset. 

To help me get the message across, I have decided to use the phrase "game head on" to denote when someone is not leading, being self-sufficient or taking training as seriously as they take a match. For me, this focus is essential to growth. I'll see how it goes.

Also, there is still precious little reflection after the net. People tend to do their thing and walk away. I'd like to see more discussion between players, and guys approaching me. This is tough in group nets but not impossible. I'm reluctant to formalise it too much but may experiment with asking guys to write down goals from time to time as a reminder.

These things aside, the general approach is more focused and based around specific goals and needs. Standards match up and players compete with each other with intensity. It's as good as it has ever been.

The next challenge is switching to grass pitches, which (sadly) is happening as close to the season as always. We won't have much time before the season to get into full run ups and balls not coming on to the bat. Fortunately, the guys are experienced and we have a lot of early season games lined up so should be able to deal with this quickly.

Winning is a Way of Being

I've been thinking a lot recently about what makes a winning team. Here's something interesting:

Are the habits you have today on par with the dreams you have for tomorrow? Becoming a champion is not something you become when you win an award. It is not that medal around your neck or the plaque on your mantel. Becoming a champion is a way of being

I see cricketers with dreams that don't match their actions every day at club level. Most people wish they could be successful but then don't put in the work.

If this is you, you either readjust your ambitions, or you do the work it takes to reach your dreams.

Trying to justify failure with excuses about other priorities in life is deceiving yourself. Saying "I could have been better if it wasn't for my job/family/dog" is a waste of effort. Perhaps it's true, perhaps not. Either way, the sooner you accept reality and match your ambitions to your habits to keep you at the learning edge, the better off you will be.

Training Notes: Making Fielding the Priority

Rolling the square: Spring preparation at West of Scotland Cricket Club, Glasgow. 

This week, we focused on fielding in every session. Three sessions, almost six hours!

The theme was blowing away cobwebs. Some people embraced it, others were less engaged by it but everyone got on with it with gusto.

The big benefit this year is the extra coaches. We have four guys who can coach seniors now instead of one and a bit last year. This itself is a huge help, but as the coaches are current players, it has also served as a catalyst for others to be empowered.

I have been pushing the "take responsibility" idea hard this week. What I have learned from previous years is the best way to do this is:

1. Define a broad theme for the session.

2. Have selected leaders run drills around this theme in small groups.

3. Tell the players that they have the power to adjust the drill if it's not working for them.

This way, everyone in the system feels they can get something from it. There is no excuse for standing around doing nothing, or getting upset that any particular drill is a waste of time or effort.

It worked well as we progressed through technical work on catching, stopping and throwing in specific ways. We had zero complaining, zero slacking and a few occasions where practice adjusted as we went along to make needs more suitable.

We started with simple drills, like throwing at three stumps from 20 yards and trying simple inner ring catching with fingers up and down. By the end of the week we were working on more advanced techniques, like picking up and throwing from different angles. We also increased the difficulty, volume and intensity.

One of my favourite moments was a "finisher" drill we were doing with four people. It started a little half-hearted so we stopped, talked about it and decided to set a points target. When we get to 15 points, the drill is done. Suddenly the intensity shot up and we got to 15 points in no time. It was a real collaborative win!

I also liked this week as it got the guys out of the mindset of having to bat and bowl. It focused on fielding technique more than volume, which broke another big assumption we had last year. Naturally volume is important, but volume alone without development is just wheel spinning. We pushed hard to develop this week rather than play safe.

Another of my mantras this year is "improving not proving" and I pressed this home again. I often said things like "I don't mind if you make mistakes, I do mind if you are playing safe." And "training is the place to learn how far you can push your limits". It will take time for everyone to get this, but people are listening.

I have noted a few excuses floating around (like "the ground was uneven so I couldn't be at my best"). I need to get better at pointing out these comments and making it clear we see those difficult moments as opportunities to learn, not excuses to explain away mistakes.

Next week, the fielding dips a little as we switch to a theme of World-Class Basics. We will add nets back into the mix, focusing mainly on how you approach the first 20 balls (three overs for bowlers) in a match scenario. The batting will be short and sharp as as to focus the mind.

Preseason games start on 22nd April.

Training Notes: Outside in March 😱🤘🏾

The West of Scotland Cricket Club outfield gets a spring haircut.

Wonderfully, the weather had held long enough for us to do some impromptu fielding outside this week.

The importance of getting outside and holding a real cricket ball on a real pitch is vital to me. You cannot do it too early. I know other coaches who have players willingly outside on tennis courts and hockey pitches in January, so March training is hardly an achievement!

But it is important to get as much fielding as you can in before the season. Rain will get in the way a few times I am sure, yet we have a full month to "blow away the cobwebs" get a few technical things in and try to hone catching, throwing and stopping skills.

Firstly, it's about volume. Harden up the hands, get a feel for your best ways of moving, build confidence that you can still do it.

Second, it's about technique. Learn methods that work for you and try new things thing that might make you look stupid in the short term but have a good pay off.

One example of this is the blind side pick up and throw. When the ball goes to your weaker hand it is very hard to pick up and throw down the stumps. Even the best in the world only manage it one in three goes. The tendency with club guys is to never practice it as failure rate is huge. However, working on it a bit will see an improvement. If someone does it once in the whole season, surely that's worth the effort. It's fear of failure that stops us, not desire to improve.

Third, it's about fitness. Not just getting the heart rate up either, but getting shoulders and core stronger.

Overall, they real key to fielding practice is the same as batting and bowling practice: Go in with an intention. This might be a specific, measureable and realistic goal. This might be the idea to experiment with something new. Whatever it is, focus on a single intention.

Naturally, you want to cover all the basics. However it's easy in a group setting to do a few easy drills, the default to loads of high catching. That's fine if you want to improve high catching, but if you dropped five catches in the ring last week, surely you should focus on that.

I'll b delivering that message every time we get outside.

Steffan Jones on Fragile Cricket and Comfort Zones

Steffan Jones' epic article on coaching bowlers can be applied to any cricket skill,

"The aim of any bowling coach is to create anti-fragile bowlers and not fragile bowlers. Bowlers who perform strength sessions and bowl in indoor centers all off-season become fragile bowlers. They... break down when things are constantly changing."

At club level, I see a lot of guys training to be fragile.

Not just bowlers, but especially bowlers. They spend all their net time bowling. Some hit the gym. They don't play another other sport. They have no crossover drills either technical or based on developing specific strength and power.

Some are super-resilient naturally and never break down despite this. Others are terrified of too much training because their body is so grooved into cricket it might burst doing anything else.

I'm hoping to push a little more activity in the middle this summer with heavy ball bowling, med ball work, technical drilling and training under stress.

That last point is developed further by Steff,

"The common mantra is that perfect practice makes perfect performance, but in reality movement is improved not by exploring its core (i.e. perfect technique), but by exploring its limits (i.e. where it breaks down). You have to constantly test and push the body to its limits in order to improve. Fast bowlers will fail in this zone, but in the right environment they can also learn to do things better in the process."

Failure is part of success! 

The Fielding Experiment

Over the last month we have been running specialist fielding sessions for an hour a week at a local sports hall.

The basic idea was twofold: Hone throwing and catching before we get outdoors in April, and get brains out of the net mentality. The latter is not a hurtful thing, but it is a restriction we face at West with the tiny two lane indoor school.

We also have two guys working hard to get their coaching qualifications, so the sessions gave them scope to do some sessions outside of nets.

How did it go?

The sessions have been run by our budding coaches and, although would not have been the same as I did, still contained plenty of good coaching on getting world-class at the basics.

We have focused on simple things like throwing, ready position and catching. There was lots of activity and energy. Balls have been thrown, caught and picked up a lot.

For those who came, that is.

Numbers have been low. We booked a big space and have only got between four and 10 players turn up. I was hoping the core of the first and second eleven would be there alongside some keen youngsters and a couple of developing players to make a good size group. This has not happened despite my pestering of people individually to come.

It also put the brakes on people coming to nets, so had a negative effect on overall attendance.

It's clear to me the culture at the club is not ready for these kinds of session to be taken up en masse yet. I have some work to do on that front.

So the next step is to get feedback from the guys as to why they came, and why they didn't come. Not to judge, but to get an insight into what stopped us from succeeding.

Once I know this, I can plan ahead for next year and try to work out how to do fielding again with better attendance and better skill development.

One idea is we have our first three outdoor sessions dedicated to fielding. That's six hours of work (one more than we did indoors). I like this as it solves the attendance problem. Plus if people really truly want to bat and bowl they can use the indoor nets. (Great idea Lucas).

Another idea is that we have the hall sessions dedicated to juniors. It's easier to get commitment from young players and we can do more fun and useful stuff in a hall than we can in nets.

Whatever we do, the important part for me is not the failure, but the attempt and what I can learn from it.

Coaching in an Unmotivated Environment

One of my biggest challenges is finding a way to coach kids who are less interested in cricket.

At club level there are always times when older kids (around 13-16) come along to cricket training without a lot of motivation. They are not interested in improving. They just want a bit of fun with their mates.

This is fine, cricket should be fun. It doesn't have to be performance sessions every time.

What I find frustrating is when that mild disinterest takes away from any kind of discipline. I'm not talking about military level here, just bowling when it's your turn, playing the game as set out and putting your pads on in a timely manner.

It starts with being distracted (phones, training gear, food and other stuff laying around they can look at or use). The upshot is a batsman waiting to face a ball because everyone is doing something else.

Sometimes it gets to a point where they become unsafe: Throwing balls around, trying to trip each other up and bowling two balls at the same time.

How do I deal with this?

At the moment I am following the classic coaching plan of standing at the back of the net and shouting "focus" and "bowl please" as distractions take up more time than actual cricket. As a method, it has a low effectiveness.

It relies on the assumption that if you repeat something enough, attitudes will change.  Evidence is so far proving to the contrary.

Another method I try is to give a theme to the session. This more often mindset based than technical or tactical. We focus on things like "trying your best" and "avoid your gremlins". This also has mixed results.

In the last session I also worked actively to reduce the distractions:

• We played a game that required more focus than usual as it was 2 vs 2 in "combat".
• I moved the music speaker out of reach of stray hands deciding they want to put it on maximum volume.
• I moved the sidearms out of easy reach meaning anyone who wants to use them has to go through me first.
• I also now insist that phones are not brought to sessions (or kept off and safe for the hours they are in the nets).

Each one of these work independently, but do not see an overall reduction in the distraction moments. In my mind this is because the issue is not with the items of distraction but the actions of the players.

So, I need a better way to keep minds focused, and stop me getting frustrated with behaviour that is not helpful.

Or to put it another way, I need to teach these guys to be good blokes before they are good cricketers.

So, for future sessions I plan to make the nets a haven from everyday; a place you come to enjoy moving that's fun. A place to help others have fun too.

The first step in my mind is to have a big intervention.

I will ask the guys - especially those who are most disruptive - why they come to cricket and what the would like to get out of it. My suspicions are they will say to have fun and maybe develop some skills.

I will also ask what they expect from me, and from each other. I suspect they will say something along the lines of helping each other play better cricket, and maybe have a laugh along the way.

Whatever they say, I'll have them agree to a one page document that outline this in simplest terms possible that gives them a reminder of what they said.

Then, I will tailor every session around meeting their stated aims. Every session will,

• Keep the distractions to a minimum.
• Keep teaching mindset tools.
• Be structured based on what they said they wanted.

I don't expect a transformation in focus. What I hope to build is an environment where we each trust each other to do exactly what we said we would do. That just being a good human being.

I'm realising that, at this age, it's as much about keeping guys engaged on a human level, not just on a cricket level. Cricket comes along for the ride, but it's a tool for bringing individuals together as a team, and that's more important.

This is a new angle for me. I have never coached players with this level of disinterest in cricket before and never seen such frustrating consequences. However, if I learn how to manage players at this level, I know it will give me better skills with more committed guys.

Training Notes: Improvement is Our Advantage

I have been enjoying a week off with stand-ins doing all the hard work this week. Much thanks goes to Colin, Dave, Mike and the lads themselves for keeping the ball rolling.

However, the previous week was the last small group session before we switch to fielding at a local school hall. My aim was to bring back the mindset theme.

After some thought, I realised a simple way of looking at it was this;

Improvement is our advantage.

I noticed this when a local rival club - one who are significantly better than us at the moment - announced on Twitter they were starting indoor nets. To compare, by their first session we had 15 team sessions. Anyone who attended them all would have had 25 hours in the nets before our rivals had one.

Even though overall they are a better side, we absolutely must be closing the gap with such a difference.

We may never fully catch them, or we may overtake them in a couple of years. Who knows?  What I do know is we are doing way more than them to catch up than they are doing to stay ahead.

So, this leads to the simple message; the more we train with focus on growth, the smaller the gap will become while they continue to do the same things and develop very little.

We have the big advantage of the indoor school, where we can train almost anytime, and we should see it as a huge benefit. That is, of course, before the hours I put in that I am sure no other club coach does in the off-season.

Plus we have PitchVision.

This week I carefully noted a few stats down to show people what the standards are. The risk is putting people into a fixed mindset, so I kept it very light and pushed home the point that stats are a tool to help improve, not a way to judge ability.

It all feeds into improvement.

We have even convinced the ground management team that starting a week early might be worth a try. We have a warm up game scheduled for 15th April. This is the earliest game I have seen attempted at West. Another example of improvement being our advantage.

If we focus on improving (not proving) we are taking full advantage of our natural strengths over the opposition.

I will keep pushing this in the last few weeks before we try and get outdoors. The biggest training advantage has passed, but we are still well ahead and able to draw further away with three sessions a week (most have one) plus one to one sessions.

Next time I'll report back on how the special fielding sessions are going. 

Inherently Reliable Technique

Read this brilliant article on wicketkeeping. It's superb. However, I would challenge one thing: 

"Russell's, approach will work more often; Rossington's will look better but work fewer times."

The point of contention is not about the method itself, but the underlying assumption that a classical technique is inherently more reliable.

I don't think that is true.

I don't have any stats on this, but I do know that people move differently and track ball movement differently. For some, staying still and leading with the hands is far more natural feeling than feet first classical style.

For these people, the flashier method is also the most reliable.

Then we also know that people have an eye-tracking preference. For a keeper standing up to a right handed batsman this means:

• A "right eye" keeper will be more comfortable moving earlier to try and get to pick up the ball on the leg side
• A "left eye" keeper will be more comfortable staying on the off side longer and relying on hands instead of feet.

Bottom line is this: There is no inherently more reliable technique: Only a technique that suits your personal body and mind preferences.

I like my keepers to have a go at every way and see what feels more right, but also be able to do the other way at least a bit. Just in case. 

Training Notes: The Balancing Act of Pressure

This week's training theme was "pressure". Results were mixed, but overall encouraging.

The balancing act here was to put people under more pressure without disengagement. Last time I tried to do this, the response we largely negative: Passive rejection of trying the game or perhaps even outright defiance. This time I set up a game with a lighter touch and gave people room decide for themselves.

I framed the game in a different context by saying it was an opportunity to learn natural response to pressure and develop a way of dealing with it. The idea was to give players an insight into their own mind from which they can learn.

The game itself was a simple incentive. Bat for 15 minutes without getting out and you get five extra minutes (an idea from Millfield School Head of Cricket, Mark Garaway). The players batted in pairs to add running to the mix. Running raises the heart rate, which is a quick way to feel under pressure.

I'm not sure how much it was coincidence and how much it was a lack of desire to feel pressure, but we had four players drop out once I explained the game in the team WhatsApp group!

The results were good. Everyone batted with focus and there were no strops. One player misunderstood the game and almost blew up when he was out first ball. Then he realised his net wasn't over and calmed down. Then after his net he said "we should play 'out means out' sometime too". Nice.

Naturally, I have no way of monitoring the success of the drill in teaching a calm response to pressure. That's down to how the guys reflect on the drill. However, from observations I saw people batting and bowling with more overall focus. So, I was pleased that the guys seemed to be taking the opportunity.

The next night was a more traditional net that is supposed to be run by our Development captain. I'm always there which means he tends to default to letting me run the session.

As a result I sort of plan something and then let the guys get on with it. This time I asked them to decide for themselves about raising heart rate. I suspected the results would be a passive ignoring of it. I was right. Nobody did anything except bat and bowl.

I now realise how important the balancing act is between setting up games and allowing self-management. Get it wrong and the goal is not met. Get it right and you have a chance for learning.

Last year I would have got frustrated at the player's lack of ambition to be self-reliant. This year I know that you need a bit of structure to allow self-reliance, as group-think and peer pressure seems to kill it unless you force it just a little.

I also think drills work better if I make it clear there is a single intention that is behind the drill. Even if someone doesn't like or appreciate it, they can buy into trying it once. 

Develop Skill in Context

Eddie Jones; 

"You have to develop skill in context. That means practising at high intensity under significant pressure."

I don't agree. 

Intensity and pressure are two factors crucial to skill. It's useless being able to play a perfect cover drive in the mirror at home but missing every one when you do it in a match. Yet, these element are at the top of a list that includes: 

• Basic understanding of the need to improve, and a desire to risk failure to do it. 
• Basic understanding of the skill itself, and how you perform it with individual differences.
• Understanding of other ways to perform a skill. 
• Tactical know-how.
• Confidence in your ability to perform skills.
• Having resilience when things don't go your way.

If you introduce more intensity and pressure too early, you risk losing people who have not yet developed these areas enough. They are likely to see training as a test they are failing rather than an environment that encourages growth.

I image for Jones, most of his players are well developed in these areas, so he is right in his ideas for the group he coaches. I'd also say for most cricket coaches - even at senior level - there is work to be done to develop other areas first before pressure is added.

That said, I am going to run a session that is higher on intensity and pressure this week, even though I think some of the guys may react poorly to it. I am going to put it into the context that the session is deliberately high pressure and unfair. The test will be made clear: Your response to pressure will reveal how you respond to in in actual games, so learn from it. 

I'll see how it goes!

Training Notes: Boundaries and Mindsets

​A few more sessions in and I can say with honesty that I am encouraged by my new approach this year.

I feel less resistance from players and feedback has been positive. Most players get the general principles of a growth mindset. Those who are more resistant enagage in interesting discussions with me as we navigate a way through. All positive signs.

Additionally, turnout and volume is increasing. We had a session with over 700 balls bowled this past week!

The most recent theme at the sessions was "Boundaries" and, as you can imagine, people bought into that with gusto. I had players choose their own interpretation of this, based on focusing on one thing in their learning edge, Most people worked on hitting harder in their best scoring areas. Some preferred to play a more cautious game of dot or boundary. Bowlers chatted to each other about tactics and lots of yorkers were bowled.

Only two people didn't buy in. One went on the bowling machine and spent 40 minutes playing straight and mostly defensively. Another was a young lad who got frustrated with the way he was playing and gave up saying "I'm just rubbish now, I used to be good." Classic fixed mindsets from both. However, these are exceptions rather than rules.

I think the biggest surprise for players in this shift is the realisation that they can improve. Several guys have said something like "I'm too set in my ways to change", but then gone about a session with a specific goal to improve something about their game. Most people, rather than resist a growth mindset, have embraced the idea that they have more in them. Even if the more is just being the best version of you that you can be.

As a result of a strong focus on mindset, I have only done one team net based game so far. That one went well, but I am conscious of not letting a score encourage a fixed mindset. While tracking is important, I have quietly let PitchVision do that while players often focus on experimenting with different things in nets to find out what works.

Cricket nets in Glasgow at West of Scotland CC. PitchVision video analysis is seen in action. 

When someone is experimenting, I throw away the PitchVision data. When someone is specifically trying to improve their strengths, I use the data to help.

In the coming weeks, I will look again at the odd game where scores are kept, reminding people that the score isn't the important part, but it's good to check in with your progress in a quantified way from time to time.

I am also about to send out a update on bowling accuracy and pace to see the responses.

Otherwise, it's back to a couple more weeks of mindset-focused nets before a full month of fielding practice in March.

Good Coaching Gives Room for Autonomy

'...good coaching does not take away autonomy. If you doubt this, then ask yourself “Why does the average teenage boy play 17 hours of video games a week?” A big part of that why is there is no one standing over his shoulder critiquing every move, and demanding that he entertain them. Would it be helpful to have your boss stand over your shoulder and critique everything you do at work? No? Then why do we think it helps our young athletes?'

John O'Sullivan writing about why kids quit sport.  

This ties in with my philosophy of coaching too. I believe cricketers of all ages, abilities and skill levels need to work things out for themselves for three reasons:

1. It's the best way to learn something (it takes longer, but sticks firmer) .
2. It develops a growth mindset (you learn you can do it for yourself) .
3. It's way more enjoyable (play at something, think it through and solve it yourself).

The computer game analogy is a good one. I enjoy the occasional foray into the space combat game Elite: Dangerous. I get the most satisfaction from playing when I am challenged enough to have to work something out. I get the least satisfaction from doing something well within my skill level that is easy. If someone was to stand over me and tell me every move, I would not be engaged with the game and I would play it less. I my mind, cricket is the same, just "in real life".