ECB Coaches Association links Coaching Insight 2019 | Page 32

30
Constraints
A
Problem one solution:
My answer was to stack three sets
of stumps on top of each other so
the bowler would fall into them if
their body didn’t remain upright.
If the bowler was falling over away
from the stumps, try resetting the
pitch so the landing stride is up
against a wall or net.
Problem two solution:
One good, constraints-based option
would be to use cones to highlight
areas where there are gaps in the
field. Players then earn points when
they hit the ball in those areas, with
more points earned for hitting a
gap further away. For better batters,
half-bats can be used, or more
difficult throw-downs. You don’t
need to offer perfect feeds though
– the ability to move your feet
and adapt to each delivery, with a
specific area of the field to target, is
one we want to see improve. Match
the difficulty to their ability level,
rather than forcing it on them. You
can then jot these scores down and
see how players are progressing
over the course of a season or more.
Problem three solution:
One thing you can remove here is
the technical problem of hitting
the ball into enough space for
an easy run. So provide a normal
match set-up, but with no bowler.
Instead, the batter starts with the
ball in their hand, throws it into
what space they can see in the
field, and goes for the single. The
batter can still hold a bat, so they
will be practising running it in,
while everyone remains involved
as fielders need to be backing up,
which means they’re improving
organisationally and growing their
game sense. It becomes a great
practice for running between the
wickets and fielding.