Summer is just around the corner…Apparently!

Whilst the weather in Sydney over the past week or so hasn’t been conducive to outdoor activity, we have had a couple of requests for cricket drills and so thought this weeks topic along with some positive thinking would help persuade mother nature to change her tune!

As you know, Teachers In Sport always insists on maximising student involvement in their drills, with one of the key aims being the number of touches a player gets on the ball during a session. This drill promotes inclusion of all players and hence focuses on a variety of skills and rotation of different positions. This is often helpful , especially in those younger years when there is a little more flexibility in the role the player has in the team.

Whilst this example focuses on cricket, there are of course a number of other sports that it can be adapted to. Read on further to make note of these.

SET-UP

• Players – Minimum of 1 batsman, 1 wicket keeper, 1 bowler, 1  fielder (ideally 2).
• Area –  At least 5m x 10m
• Markers – Up to 10. As noted on the diagram, place markers to encourage batsman to hit straight shots down the wicket.

ACTIVITY

There are a variety of approaches to this drill in regards to the elements you could work on. We will focus on defence and drive strokes, therefore having the batsman coming forward as much as possible. Players are in a circuit formation as shown in the diagram below, to again promote inclusion .

• The movement starts from the BOWLER (BW) bowling to the BATSMAN (BT) who hits the ball to a FIELDER (F). They then return the ball to the WICKET KEEPER (WK), who throws it to the other F, before returning it to the BW.
• The bowler can obviously vary the type of bowl, so a few to include are:

1. Underarm, One Bounce
2. Dart Feed (throw from ear downwards, one bounce)
3. Underarm Leg Spin
4. Short pitch and more bounce
5. Also vary the line in which the ball is being pitched (off/leg stump)

• Depending upon numbers, rotate positions when possible.

PROGRESSIONS / VARIATIONS

• Change the type of stroke the batsman is to focus on.
• Have the batsman run when applicable.
• Vary the bowling to make it more of a game scenario.
• Rotate the fielders to practise both sides of the wicket.
• Rotate the players positions.

As mentioned earlier, cricket can be substituted for a variety of other sports. These include baseball and softball, as well as other ball sports where they pass instead of throw such as touch football / netball / basketball (instead of batsman they can be the coach/another catcher).

Feel free to share your variations or additional sports that this or a similar drill can be used in…

Have a good weekend!

Rules of Engagement – Guest contributor Andrew Sun

This week we are lucky enough to have Director and Head Coach of Max Tennis, Andrew Sun, contributing on the all important topic of enaging students! Thanks once again Andrew!

Rules of Engagement

We can all remember our favourite teacher or coach as we were growing up and playing sport or going through our schooling journey. What was so memorable about how they taught you and the class? It was more than likely, that they made a good connection with you, they were engaging, and most importantly, their sessions were fun.

As teachers or coaches we are constantly trying to connect with or engage our students, no matter what the subject matter. However, the difference in the learning is often based upon how we “wrap up” or deliver the message.

Building Rapport with the students is critical in getting their trust which will make it easier for you to deliver your message. Take an interest in their lives, ask them what the highlight of their weekend was. If you know they play a particular sport, ask them how they went in their last match or congratulate them on an award they received at School Assembly.

When delivering your message, make it fun! If the kids are young, make a “funny sound” during your demonstration, for example “splaaat”, tell a bad “dad” joke, create relevant teaching points/cue words or simply make a funny facial expression during the activity. Ideally try and make it relevant based on your knowledge of the student’s personality, passed experiences and skill level. Keep in mind that listening to their responses and following their lead in regards to the jokes you tell & and demonstrations you give can really help to further engage the students.

Whilst it is important to make the session enjoyable, there still needs to be some structure and routine. Not only can this alleviate any safety concerns, it will give the students a sense of order and control, meanwhile assisting in developing a sense of security and self-discipline. It also shows your leadership skills and demonstrates your ability to maintain control of the class.

Another way to maintain order is to give your players a defined place to stand, such as the lines of the court or the field, for example “place your toes on this line”, while giving your explanations and demonstrations. Give them specific ways to hold their equipment (eg “give their racquet a hug” or “hide the soccer ball behind your feet on the ground”). This will also help minimize distractions.

There are many different ways you can demonstrate the skill you wish to teach:

• Teacher can use a student to demonstrate the skill whilst explaining the key components
• The teacher can demonstrate the skill with the aid of a student as a feeder.
• Have 2 students demonstrate the skill whilst the teacher explains the skills.

There are of course many approaches to engaging students too:

When explaining the skill, incorporate a Cue Word that highlights the main teaching point that you are teaching. You can create these cue words or the students could even create/change them during the demonstration/explanation – a great way to give them a sense of responsibility or ownership of the skill – assisting to further engage.

Throughout the session, utilize The Art of Questioning.  By using strategically timed questions, the student will be “forced to engage” with the session or activity. By questioning the students, it will encourage some thought processes and reinforcement of the relevant skills.

Additionally, include Little Goals during each activity. For example “how many can you do in 30 secs?”, “who can do 10 (kicks) first?”, “which pair can work together and do 3 lots of 10 first?”. All of these activities can be repeated with recognition (high fives) given for improving on their first attempt. With players given the opportunity to repeat the activity and improve on their previous score – they all win!!

Enjoy adding your own flavour to your sessions and experiment with what creates a great environment for your students.

Engage your students and have fun!!

Max Tennis is … Developing great people

Phone: +61 2 9029 8283 | Mob: 0417 412 231

Mail: asun@maxtennis.com.au | Web: www.maxtennis.com.au

www.facebook.com/MaxTennisAustralia

Feedback: Too much yes, too much no!

Feedback is a key element of quality teaching and in PE & Sports Coaching this is no exception. As we all know, feedback can often be too generic and not tailored to individual students, due to a mix of things such as class numbers and time restraints. Such feedback is deemed uninformative and irrelevant.

Many teachers and coaches fall into a pattern of giving feedback in the form of commentary, such as ‘good shot’ or ‘better luck next time’.

There is of course nothing wrong with these comments, but I am sure you agree that feedback should ideally be wrapped in reasoning and rationale. So instead of saying ‘Yes’ or ‘Good’ when witnessing some good work being done by a student that you have given a correction or improvement to, why not try adding in:

• ‘Great shot, but try keeping your head down for a little longer next time’,
• ‘Good effort, but this time keep your eye’s firmly on the ball’,
• ‘Nice try, and on your next shot don’t forget to kick through the ball’

So next time you are looking to analyse, correct or give feedback, a slight adjustment here or there can go a long way to improving a student’s skill and confidence levels.

Feel free to share your own experiences and approaches to feedback with everyone in the box below…

Have a great week ahead!

Clean Up Your Room!

The kids love the semi-chaotic nature of this game. Getting technical it really helps the basics of throwing with more power and catching under a bit of pressure.

Clean Up Your Room

1. Form two reasonably even teams (not the end of the world if they aren’t exactly the same)
2. Give each player 1 or 2 balls (for a fenced area) or bean bags (unfenced areas)
3. When you say ‘GO!’ players have to throw their ball / beanbag across to the opposition’s side of the court.
4. Allow the balls / beanbags to get thrown back and forth for a pre-determined amount of time.
   
5. NOW – 2 Really Important Rules
6. Players can only hold the ball for 5 seconds (wait until they work out that stockpiling the balls until the last 5 seconds before hurling them over to the other side is a great tactic – it’s always interesting to see how fast a class works this trick out. As soon as they do, introduce the 5 second rule)
7. Stop! means Stop! The game will be instantly ruined if kids keep hurling balls / beanbags over to the opposition after you have called stop. Explain at the start that even if they are about to throw, if they hear ‘STOP’ or ‘FREEZE’ they must do so. An automatic win to the other team usually only needs to be enforced once, to stop them throwing after the game has ended.
8. Count balls and beanbags up (including the one’s in the little fellas pocket or behind her back).
9. The team with the least balls / beanbags on their side wins.

Clean Up Your Room has evolved since it's inception in the 1940s.

Don’t forget to mention the fundamentals of good throwing. The two main elements being a side on position and moving weight forward as you throw the ball. For more info on these two all important aspects of throwing (and many other sports) check out our past blog on this topic here: https://teachersinsport.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/side-on-means-success-in-almost-every-sport/

Enjoy!