ECB Coaches Association links Coaching Insight 2019 | Page 39

What is ‘player-centred’?
Will what underpins of the core
principles be tweaked? More or less. According to the
individual.
Things are complex. Feelings run
high. The coaching community,
being a mixed tribe, will respond
in many ways. Surrey may respond
to this by making a convincing
argument that there is nothing
traditional or old-fashioned about
their goals or their methods! It really
could be that their coaches are as
“enlightened” and player-centred as
anyone. It just feels like a drift back
to demonstrations in nets might
happen. Being player-centred might mean
providing the context, the activity,
appropriate to the recipient
individual. But it’s not superficial,
ideally. In other words, asking
questions and playing games might
tick some progressive boxes but
may not either really work or be
really player-centred.
I hope that not too many of us fall
into a kind of smugness or vitriol
around this. To equate the perceived
triumph of traditional values with
the need to return to traditional
coaching methods would be
questionable, in my view, because
surely traditional skills and values
can be supported by contemporary,
less didactic coaching and because
who knows, really, what’s making
the difference?
For the term “player-centred” to
really cut it, I reckon we’ve got to be
talking about a pretty radical shift in
the player-coach alliance. Inevitably
the coach will have certain beliefs
– patterns he or she hopes to share
and follow. But I think the essence
of contemporary coaching has
rightly moved towards offering the
player the opportunity to grow and
to self-direct on that pathway.
The essence of the task is about
using your human skills – social,
psychological – alongside those
cricket coaching skills to truly,
generously develop the player.
We’re back to the awesome,
exciting, wonderful, challenging
enormity of the role of the coach.
We aim to get better. Or we
should. That was a central message
from both Coaching Insight
Volume 8 and Wings to Fly 2018 –
appropriately, in my view.
For many of us this might mean
exposing ourselves to ideas which
in truth may not make us more sure
about what’s right. And yet that
same exposure may still be hugely
beneficial.
Being player-centred, like
everything else, is a matter of
understanding. Understanding
them – as far as possible –
understanding our role as coaches
and offering a whole lot. A
dialogue. A sounding-board. A
springboard.
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