Polegate & Stone Cross Cricket Club
The Situation
The cricket club had grown the All Stars and Dynamos Junior programmes and with it the number of coaches expanded.
A number of children presented behaviours that could disrupt the sessions at times. Despite being qualified coaches and parents themselves, the coaches were looking for more effective ways to increase the children’s engagement in the sessions and prevent further disruption.
The Initial Session
Based on my observations of several cricket sessions and the discussions with the coaches, I created a bespoke session which addressed the needs of the club.
The Main Sessions
90-minute session – Online Delivery
The session included activities and discussions that raised awareness of how some children perceive the world. For some children waiting in line for their turn felt like an eternity, and how others were distracted by the randomly chosen colours of the cones.
We explored how behaviour is a type of communication and what those messages might be.
The solutions drew upon the expertise and experiences of the coaches in their sporting and professional lives, combined with best sports coaching practice.
Each participant took away 1 – 3 actions they would implement in the coming weeks.
The Resolution
The coaches felt they understood the root of behaviours better and helped children to refocus on the activities. They gave short, clear instructions and ensured the activities were monitored so coaches could scaffold the challenge appropriately. The coaches also increased the use of positive language and specific praise.
Children increased their engagement and participation, the number behavioural incidents dropped significantly and morale amongst coaches went up.
