ECB Coaches Association links Coaching Insight 2019 | Page 37

35 What is ‘player-centred’? as a kind of modernist, liberal nonsense? Hopefully not. Surely not? It does, however, challenge us all. It challenges ECB because its lead coaching staff will be as conscious as the rest of us that plenty of sages of a certain age are nodding wisely and doing that “told you so” thing. Saying that some things are non-negotiable – that there is such a thing as a solid defence and that everyone has to have that before the other stuff. In this way we might understand a surge, forward or back, towards what we might call ‘traditional’, ‘orthodox’ or prescribed. “I looked back and thought about player-centred coaching. What does that actually mean?” That shift may happen: not that it’s necessarily the job of ECB to flinch or capitulate to this year’s model or method. They will nevertheless reflect – that’s what good coaches do. On this point specifically I’m slightly fascinated to see how the language in our coaching courses and publications might respond over the next year or two.