ECB Coaches Association links Inside Edge 6 May 2018 | Page 4

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WELCOME
Dear Coach,
Welcome to the sixth issue of Inside Edge. I hope
your pre-season has run according to plan and you
are ready to go for another season. With Pakistan
and then India playing Test series in the men’s
game, and the women’s team playing against
South Africa and New Zealand, there is plenty to
look forward to internationally.
In this issue of Inside Edge we speak to
two of the world’s very best pace bowlers.
James Anderson and Sir Curtly Ambrose have
taken nearly a thousand Test wickets between
them, and both have clear views on coaching. I
have been picking their brains on what the best
coaches do, and how best we can develop the
next generation of pace bowlers.

For readers looking for some science, Stewart
Davison, who is part of the Level 3 delivery team
and is completing a Masters, runs us through
his priorities when it comes to Strength and
Conditioning. Not all of us are lucky enough to
have the services of a specialist on hand, so
having a working knowledge of the subject is
crucial.
One of the really horrifying moments of
last season in the first-class game was when
Nottinghamshire seam bowler Luke Fletcher
was struck on the head in his follow through. He
suffered concussion. Fortunately Luke has made
a full recovery and is ready to go for this season,
but the incident has put the issues around
concussions higher up the agenda. Luke shares
his experiences. Dr Gurjit Bhogal is a consultant
in Sport and Exercise Medicine, and is on the
ECB’s medical panel. He outlines what coaches
should be aware of when a player receives a blow
to the head.

In the UK, we coaches are always relieved to
see the arrival of April and May. No longer do we
need to run sessions with our players in restrictive
sports halls. Players and coaches are champing at
the bit to get outside onto the grass. For coaches
it marks the moment when practices become
more match real, and can have a more tactical
base. Ireland captain Will Porterfield talks Inside
Edge through what he considers priorities when it
comes to the tactical game and decision making.

As always, we like to pinch ideas and thinking
from other sports. In this edition we have been
talking to the very best from Show Jumping and
Triathlon. Olympic gold medallist Nick Skelton
seemed well placed to tell us the secrets to a
long career, based on the fact he competed for
more than 40 years. Unlike many sportsmen
and women, rather than relying on a coach the
Brownlee brothers draw up their own training
programmes.
I hope you enjoy this edition of Inside Edge,
and from all of us at the ECB Coach Development
Department, we wish you a successful and
enjoyable season.
Tim Dellor
ECB Talent and Performance
Programmes Lead
CONTINUE
Welcome to
Inside Edge
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WELCOME