On 13th November, 37 delegates from across Warwickshire and Birmingham attended the WCB Coaches Conference. The full day of coach development involved interactive sessions from some of Warwickshire CCC’s most experienced coaches and players. WCB Cricket Development Officer Alex Roslyn put together a full programme, covering all aspects of the game.
- Jake Lintott – Spin bowling
- Paul Greetham – Common faults
- Darren Maddy -Batting against pace
- Ian Westwood – Fundamentals of fielding
- George Garrett – Transition from club cricket to professional cricket and how coaches can help.
“Inspirational,” was how Berni Roberts from Norton Lindsey CC described the session delivered by Paul Greetham. She continued, “All the sessions were great, but as a newly qualified coach I loved listening to Paul and getting the benefit of his experience of having worked with young cricketers over many years. He talked about the language you can use to keep young players engrossed in the game, and also how to encourage them and get them doing what you want without being too prescriptive. His ‘You can do this’ approach was very positive for me as a new coach. I am just setting out in my coaching journey, so it has been fascinating to learn from everyone today.”
“I also liked the way Ian Westwood showed us how you can make fielding drills into games, so you can improve performance without children realising they are training or learning – they are just having fun. I will be coaching girls at Norton Lindsey CC so Ian’s drills will be very useful as some of the girls lack confidence when fielding. Ian’s approach of ‘move and attack instead of stand and wait’ will work well for me when I start coaching and look to move the girls forward.”
Mohammed Arif has been coaching in Birmingham for over 20 years and agreed with Berni about the importance of coach education. “I am here to continue my learning as a coach. With the pandemic, I have missed the opportunity to attend events like this and to catch up socially with my coaching network. There is always something to enhance my coaching with new tips and tricks to move young cricketers along. Darren Maddy gave an excellent message about there never being one right answer in coaching and he was encouraging us to find our own way of getting results – to find a coaching philosophy that works for us.”
There were six WCB staff and coaches attending the conference, to develop their own learning. WCB Coach Zak Sinkinson enjoyed the interactive nature of the sessions where delegates could ask questions and get involved. “I also liked the fact that, even though they are coaches and players in the professional game, the session leaders understood the reality for most of us coaches. They were thoughtful in their approach, understanding that many young cricketers can be nervous. The message was we need to provide both encouragement and a relaxed atmosphere if we are to get the best from them.”
Alex Roslyn was delighted with how the day went. “As Cricket Development Officer at the WCB it’s great to hear delegates saying they found the sessions inspirational. Coach development is an important part of our work at the WCB and we want to engage as much as possible with coaches from clubs and community settings across Warwickshire and Birmingham.”
For more information about WCB coach development, contact [email protected]
