Capability & Sport Development
Skills drills in cricket
By Alec Astle, National Development Manager, New Zealand Cricket
Cricket, like many sports, has evolved with players learning the skills of the game by trial and error, by watching and imitating family, friends and/or player role models, rather than through any structured skill development programme.
Indeed, many of us learned the game this way, but is it the best way to develop potential? In most cases, probably not.
In an age where children and young people are attracted, or distracted, by a host of recreation and leisure options, sport can’t afford to be so relaxed, and at the same time confident, that aspiring players will learn to play through unstructured, informal play. We need to provide a more structured path for youngsters to develop sport specific skills.
Research into long term athlete development indicates that children and young people have a defined progression in their development of movement or physical literacy. While the ages and stages of this process can vary, there is no doubt amongst parents, teachers and coaches that there are crucial periods in childhood development when young people are best able to grasp and perform physical and sport specific skills. Like intellectual development, the earlier children are exposed to fundamental skill development, the better chance they have to reach their physical and sporting potential.
As a result, New Zealand Cricket has recently adopted a structured player pathway which, in its introductory stages, emphasises fun alongside fundamental skills (e.g MILO Have-A-Go Cricket) and specific, basic cricket skills in a modified game context (e.g. MILO Kiwi Cricket).
These initiatives form the foundation of a coordinated skill development programme, and provide schools and clubs with the opportunity to prepare players for a successful transition to the conventional game at junior level.
This progression is expanded in the ‘Coaching a Cricket Team’ coaching manual [Alec Astle, 2004]. A range of batting, bowling, fielding and wicket-keeping skills are identified, and for each a progressive series of drills of increasing difficulty is provided for coaches at junior and youth levels.
This approach offers coaches a wide range of drill activities not only to develop the skills of their players, but also to allow them to devise varied, interesting and competitive practice sessions essential to maintaining the interest and enjoyment of young players.
Most of these drills, however, can also be used as fun activities that one or more players can enjoy doing in their own time. Such ‘cricket homework’ is still an essential aspect of skill revision. Repetition of skills builds the confidence and competence necessary for player development.
To reinforce the importance of informal play, New Zealand Cricket has recently produced ‘Backyard Cricket Fun’ [Alec Astle, 2006], a resource filled with drill activities that are designed to stimulate imagination and encourage youngsters to enjoy themselves honing their fundamental cricket skills in their own time.
Updated | 08 Oct 2007.
Skip page tools.
