Todays Cricketers are being Over coached says Greg Chappell

[JASON]

I have read today a Time (Australia) Magazine article in which Greg Chappell laments on the excessive coaching todays young cricketers are having.
He feels this is to the detriment of (what he calls) intuitive learning, and that intensive coaching and bombarding with instructions is damaging natural flair. He also feels this may destroy young cricketers careers because the intense over coaching turns them away from the game. He attributes this to the large number of young Aussies who take to cricket at school level and show promise but then turn away from the game feeling unhappy, with better pastures in Aussie Rules etc.
He also laments on the excess reliance on Science now by coaches even at school level in designing coaching techniques and practices.
The article quotes a cricketer called Ian Frazer who joined the Australian Cricket Academy at Age 20, and left the following year sick of, and loathing cricket.
I feel there is there is quite a lot of sense in what he says .
What do others think?
Is Over- coaching destroying natural flair or is this coaching in a modern world where you use current science and knowledge to your advantage ?
[The Article by the way is in TIME (Australia) -24th May 2004- Recipe for Failure by Daniel Williams. PP 50-51]

[luckyeddie]

I think it's more to do with the Aussie bowling attack being on the wane a little and little (apparently) coming through.

Remember, these much-maligned coaching techniques and academies might be why the Aussies have been so dominant for the last 20 years, whereas in Chappell's day it wasn't such a one-horse race and they dropped the urn a time or two.

One failure berating the academy might be to do with the fact that he's a whiner and couldn't cut it, maybe not.

[mavric41]

Maybe its just a way of getting the best of the best.

A lack of flair ? - Has he been watching the Aussie cricket team lately?

[Top_Cat]

Actually, I think guys are under-coached these days if anything. Guys like Greg Blewett and Michael Bevan used to spend more time in the gym than in the nets and when a technical fault came up, well a few of them were never rectified. I can certainly understand the need for aerobic fitness in the modern game but what good is the need to bench-press 150kg when you can't correct something like playing with an angled bat?

Certainly science is helping out the quickies, though. If there was one group left too much to its own devices traditionally (thereby promoting terrrible bowling actions, injuries, etc.) it was them.

Mind you, it's probably more reflective of modern youngsters in general, including my generation. We're told what to think, what to do, how to do it, etc. so when we don't have that 'ultra-coaching', most of us are lost. This probably fuels the demand for lots of coaching. People in general have impressed upon them from a young age to 'listen to the experts' and use our own intuition much less. It's no surprise that sport would follow this path.

[Neil Pickup]

Originally Posted by Top_Cat

Mind you, it's probably more reflective of modern youngsters in general, including my generation. We're told what to think, what to do, how to do it, etc. so when we don't have that 'ultra-coaching', most of us are lost. This probably fuels the demand for lots of coaching. People in general have impressed upon them from a young age to 'listen to the experts' and use our own intuition much less. It's no surprise that sport would follow this path.

Too right. One of the major points I try to emphasise during my coaching is an understanding of why I'm telling them to do something, and I often look at asking them to assess a shot they've just played out of ten.

And as far as I'm aware, it works!

[Craig]

I believe you should as a coach let batsmen play their natural game, and only step in when you can get them to fix up an technical flaw.

For example batting technique, consistant falling over themselves, not moving their feet, stepping away from the ball and get them to get behind the ball, allow them to play the short ball properly and the thing that irrates me the most is people who duck and dont keep their eye on the ball. No wonder they get hit.

This is at junior levels and where this would be most relevant, and if your coaching national teams that in developing countries, some of this could apply.

At Test level, coaching should be more mental then technical.

I think I will I will dust of my French and coach there...

[Neil Pickup]

Originally Posted by Craig

For example batting technique, consistant falling over themselves, not moving their feet, stepping away from the ball and get them to get behind the ball, allow them to play the short ball properly and the thing that irrates me the most is people who duck and dont keep their eye on the ball. No wonder they get hit.

All of the above usually apply. Welcome to U11 cricket.

[luckyeddie]

Originally Posted by Neil Pickup

All of the above usually apply. Welcome to U11 cricket.

What are you talking about? Welcome to Somerset County Cricket Club's openers.

[roseboy64]

I agree about some players being under coached.I myself had to use the a book to really learn the proper way to bowl.Granted the coach wasn't there much when i went to training.Maybe that's why he got kicked off the Windies team or was it because of Lara?

[Craig]

Originally Posted by roseboy64

I agree about some players being under coached.I myself had to use the a book to really learn the proper way to bowl.Granted the coach wasn't there much when i went to training.Maybe that's why he got kicked off the Windies team or was it because of Lara?

Who is this?

[roseboy64]

Robert Samuels.

[Langeveldt]

I think a coaches role should be a passive one rather than a dominant one...

I know full well when Ive cocked up (and usually why)... Coaches shouldnt be wasting there time going over what deep down you know is wrong... But a good coach who oozes experience can be brilliant (Jenner)

[Neil Pickup]

A lot of it comes down to the individual player involved, their own mindset and their level of development.

I don't like stating the obvious when a player screws up, usually they know straight away and will say, or after a prompt at least.

Telling a player, especially a junior, "do this-this-this-this" won't ever work. Understanding is the way forward for me - and whenever you work with anyone, whatever age, respect them and treat them as equals!