Is junior cricket i.e u14s and u12s about winning at all costs. Only bowling your best bowlers first and batting your best batsmen first. Having the same bowlers bowl there full complement of overs each week and others to get a couple here and there. Is it about making the parents and coaches happy and self appreciative? Or is it about giving all the kids a good go so they all can improve there cricket and self esteem. Is it to teach them how to play as a team where everyones contributions are recognised and not only a select few? Im just not sure!
I must say that there are certainly occassions that those issues do arise, hopefully not too regularly but it can be very frustrating when some people have there own agendas other than for the kids enjoyment and development.
Good luck Smo, no answers available to such questions, only opinions. As such I'll give you mine.
During my involvement in Cricket Victoria's pathway program I learnt a lot about parent behaviour, mostly bad. The last thing any junior coach should ever do is try to keep parents happy or make the cricket more about themselves than the participants. Junior coaching at all levels and ages should be about development, some of that development is about winning and some about losing, but mostly about technique and attitude. Do you give kids a go just for the sake of it? or do you reward those who endeavour to implement your advice at training? I'm all for rewarding deeds at training, including things like attitude, attendance, respect, encouragement and effort.
Early in their cricketing pursuits the more naturally gifted kids will always come to the fore and are generally given more of a go than some of the others, it is here that we can talk about development. We've all seen kids with outstanding junior records struggle to make the transision into senior ranks. Generally this is because they were allowed/encouraged to get away with things at junior level that don't hold up over time. Things like hitting across the line, stepping away to the on side, bowling flat out all the time, bowling at the stumps all the time, etc, all for the sake of winning. Its at this stage you can you can mould your cricketer, stop them doing the wrong things early and the future rewards can be enormous.
We often hear of the parent who thinks that their child is getting a rough deal or who is complaining about someone else's child getting too much of a go. Generally its the parents with the issue not the kids, most of those kids would love more of a go, but you can do more damage by putting a child in a position they aren't up to. Nothing worse than going out to open when you know you're not up to it, or being given the ball when you know you can't hit the pitch. These skills are best worked on at training, thats when you do your coaching. Confidence is an extremely strong emotion, to lose it early in your sporting life can hold you back for an awful long time.
Your question about reconising everyones contribution is a fantastic one. Cricket is not all about batting and bowling, however we reward those feats with trophies, we rarely reward the kid who does the most encouraging, or backing up, or who runs well between the wickets, why not? Every ball, every player has a role, batting, bowling, catching, fielding, encouraging, supporting, backing up. Do we teach all those things or do we mainly concentrate on batting and bowling? Nothing better for team confidence and comaradery than a run out when your fielding. Although cricket is based on individual stats, it truly is a team game.
Do you think I'll get a fine for my long response?
Yours in cricket,
Andrew Mirams Alfie Fire Services (thats a fine)
__________________
Boof should never bowl again following his 20/20 efforts. One Tonne was correct, " Boof can't bowl" BANNED!!!!
Yes SMO a very tricky situation. I concure completly with Boof on this and I feel that members of the MCC committee should sit down with the junior co-ordinators and I would suggest Boof as well to set out a set of guidelines for all junior levels. These guidelines would need to followed by all future coaches. I guess the club has to shoulder some of the blame for not having guidelines in place already. These coaches are volounteers and in most cases are doing what they think is right but in doing so are sometimes hindering the development of individuals as well as inhibiting the enjoyment of playing cricket and importantly a team sport. We have new co-ordinators this year so I guess its a learning curve for them but I'm sure they would have some constructive thoughts on this topic and we should get together as soon as is convenient. I will have a word with Brett tonight.
I have copped it from all angles on this one !! My favourites would always be the highly opinionated parents who contribute little if anything to the running of the junior club and treating the "cricket volunteers" as Saturday AM baby sitters. !!!! Having coached/managed juniors and been junior coordinator for most of the last 6 years or so, I have endured abuse from parents living their egos through their kids as well as the whinges and moans from kids on and off the field. My approach rightly or wrongly was to always try to give each player a fair go to try to develop their skills particularly during the earlier years. Having kids not either bat or bowl soon brings the complaints from parents/kids alike and discourages their ongoing participation. As skill levels increase hopefully as Boof states contributions will come from all members of the team, in a team game.
So I guess my view is that give the kids a go across the board and let them develop as a team and as team players. The last few years have been beneficial to Montrose with many players coming through the junior ranks into our senior grades including the current crop of U 16's who are doing well.
Merry Xmas to all and signing off my first ever "post"
Perhaps the problem with junior cricket this year at MCC, specifically U12's, is that there are 17 players of vastly different abilities, playing in 12 1's and with a new coach, who seemed to have very little support from parents or committee. Unfortunately it's likely that the best players from this team will play their junior cricket elsewhere next year. I think most junior coaches try to give all kids a good go at this age, as they should, but it is a competitive sport isn't it? Coaches are also trying to teach captains about managing a team, so if a bowler is getting hit for 12 runs an over or can't get the ball on the pitch, is the captain supposed to keep him on? There are also the issues of behaviour and attitude at training. Those that don't attend or don't do what the coach asks, get left out. Is this unreasonable when you have so many players?
Dear Spectator, I am assuming you are one of "the best players" mother? I'm not sure if your concerns have been raised earlier at committee level or to the coaching volunteers of the U12/1s team. If not, I'm sure Daniel (Junior Co-ordinator) will see that it's addressed ASAP. It is however very late in the season and may be impossible to rectify until next season. What the cricket club, and especially the kids of the cricket club need, is for concerned people like yourself to take an active role in setting structures for future volunteers to work by.
I have had a look at the ladder for the U12/1s and obviously it has been a really tough year with only 1 win on the board. If all 17 players are still playing, someone is clearly doing a great job of keeping the kids interested, because teams with such records can have quite a large drop off rate. It's really important that the kids don't see this year as a failure. Playing top grade in any junior competition is really tough. This will be a great grounding for the development of the children in this team. It can help them understand/accept not winning and really appreciate the joys of victory.
What really concerns me is why we would have kids leaving our club? If you could, please give us more detail on why you believe this will happen. Is it purely because those kids want to win or is it because they want more of a go? Is it because the parents are frustrated? Is it because we only have 1 side and therefore the abilities are so spread? ( if you would rather not post them here, please feel free to send me a private message).
I've spent 18 years at Montrose CC and I truly believe it is filled with great people with good intent. It really is disappointing to see anyone leave, however if they do, and I'm sure I speak for all of Montrose CC, we wish them well in their future cricketing pursuits. We would rather you played cricket somewhere else than not at all. You will always be welcomed back with open arms (even our 2 latest presidents have gone away and come back).
Yours in cricket,
Andrew Mirams
There will be an AGM held sometime before June. It would be great to get some more representation from/for the junior arm of the club.
__________________
Boof should never bowl again following his 20/20 efforts. One Tonne was correct, " Boof can't bowl" BANNED!!!!
Hi Boof, thanks for the reply. No, my son is not 'one of the best players' (although he thinks he is!) and not one of the worst players. He dosen't play in the 12's. He is very keen like all the junior kids and just wants to play. I just think 17 kids in one team is way too many (except perhaps for the 10's were Stiffy does a great job.) The reason I think some of these kids will leave the club is not that they are not winning it's that they haven't had much of a go because of the numbers in the team. 6 kids have to miss out on a bat each match. Winning is not the issue here. I just felt for the coach trying to juggle 17 players and getting abused by some of the parents. I also have been involved with junior cricket/sport for many years and know that the kids improve with encouragement and support.
I as the junior coordinator am certainly aware of the difficulties that have come about this year in not just the under 12's but all age levels have had there own challenges throughout the season. I do encourage this discussion about these and any other issues. In regards to the issue with numbers in the under 12's at the start of the season when were presented with the possible numbers in the team the club realised that we would have more than required for 1 team and attempted to make arrangements to join with another club to form a second side but when this idea was discussed with parents there was alot of displeasure about the idea and threfore it was voted against leading to the 17 in the team which we have had. I certianly give all my support to all the coaches and team managers.
Don't believe i said there was a problem with junior cricket. I asked which direction the kids in the said age groups should be taken. Is there guidelines or written policy for the coaching and pathway of underage cricket at montrose? I believe it would be inthe clubs best interest if all junior coaches worked to the same format and ideals from under 10s through to senior cricket,making the transition from each age group as smooth and familiar as possible, with the appropriate increase in intensity on technique and fitness and the intelectual side of cricket. Finding the right person to implement such a structure might be a PROBLEM, due to the time and effort and the actual knowledge and ability, a volunteer, as everybody in the club is may be out of the question. Played my first senior game at montrose in 78/79 season and played my last this year,over the thirty years the clubs policy has been not to pay senior cricketers, which i believe makes our club unique.Maybe its time the club spent some of its money on employing a professional junior head coach?
WHO VOTED FOR WHAT WHEN AND WHERE?
Problem with junior cricket is not the kids or the numbers?
