ECB Coaches Association links Inside Edge 6 May 2018 | Page 22

20 S I R C U R T LY A M B R O S E 21 F I N D I N G R H Y T H M – W I T H T H E N E W B A L L A N D T H E G U I TA R S I R C U R T LY A M B R O S E “Smiling, always smiling. That’s very important to me.” Iconic sporting images of the 1990s were served up by the likes of Pete Sampras, Mike Tyson, Tiger Woods, Lance Armstrong and Zinedine Zedane. Of course subsequent misdemeanours have tainted some of these images, but one giant of 1990s sport stands, quite literally, head and shoulders above the rest. Even 20 years later, the picture of Sir Curtly Ambrose celebrating yet another victim is etched on the minds of many English cricket fans. The sight of him athletically approaching to release another toe-crunching Yorker or rib-tickling bouncer must still haunt a generation of international batsmen. Ambrose is now turning his attention to helping West Indian cricket produce the next superstar pace bowler. He recently completed his ECB Level 3 Performance Coach Course. Tim Dellor spent time with him in Antigua and Barbados during the winter, and has tried to extract a few words of wisdom about coaching fast bowlers from the great man… Curtly Ambrose speaks with team captain Darren Sammy during a practice session. CONTINUE Finding rhythm with the new ball and the guitar The main perk of being a sports broadcaster and coach working across a range of elite level sports is the opportunity to name drop. Even if you are only half- decent, you will get privileged access to household names on a regular basis. The key to successfully rubbing shoulders with the great and the good in sport is never look star-struck. Generally they like to be treated in the same way you would treat the rest of the human race, even if they have achieved something super-human. “Amby” as his mates call him, but in truth not I, is difficult to treat the same. Any wannabe fast bowler of the 1990s would naturally be reduced to an overawed quivering mess, because “Sir Curtly”, as I call him, is properly great. “I like working with players who don’t know me, and are too young to remember me as a player”, he says, after a session with a couple of talented 16 year old bowlers. “I know my size is intimidating to some people, but if I want to build a good working relationship with these youngsters, and properly talk to them, I need to put them at their ease. Smiling, always smiling. That’s very important to me.”