Coaching

Coaching Courses

An important aspect of the Coach Development Programme is running high quality coaching courses to upskill and educate coaches on both what to coach (the 'science') and how to coach (the 'art'). 

New Zealand Cricket has a clear Coach Pathway which is aligned to the Player Pathway.  We strongly advise that coaches complete the coaching qualification that is matched to the level of cricketers they are coaching and just as players advance through the Player Pathway, so do the coaches through the Coach Pathway.

Details of the coaching courses run by Auckland Cricket are below.  To register on a course or for more information, you can email Anthony Bowler at Auckland Cricket, at abowler@aucklandcricket.co.nz

Foundation Coaching Community

Initial Have A Go and Kiwi courses are what we would consider the LEARN and EXPLORE stage of both Coach and Athlete development. All of this feeds into the PARTICIPATE phase.

The focus would not be on the quality of coaches but more on numbers and educating people who understand and care about young Kiwis development.

Key objectives in this area would be on increased recognition and status, creating a community of coaches, ensuring the course is athlete focused and the coaches are able to nurture a love of sport and physical activity in general.

These coaches are the gateway to cricket for many young cricketers and parents so it is important the introduce the concept of fair play and understand they are in the business of not only creating better young athletes but also better young people.

Primarily the coaches will be parents but this is also a great opportunity to up skill senior and tertiary students and teachers in schools.

Have-A-Go Cricket Coaching Course

2 hours, non-examinable
This course is designed for the parents and coaches of children involved in the Have-a-Go Cricket programme.  This is the programme run primarily by clubs for 5-7 year olds, introducing these first-time cricketers to the game with an emphasis on fun, participation and skill development.  The coaching course teaches the coaches how to run the programme effectively and comes with a free MILO Have-a-Go coaching manual. Click here for more information.

Kiwi Cricket Coaching Course

2 hours, non-examinable
This course is designed for the parents and coaches of children involved in the Kiwi Cricket programme.  This is the programme run primarily by clubs for 7-10 year olds which reinforces and adds to the skills learned in the Have-a-Go programme as well as introducing young cricketers to the game of Kiwi Cricket.  The coaching course teaches coaches how to run the programme effectively and comes with a free Kiwi Cricket coaching manual. Click here for more information.

Development Coaching Community

Coaching a Cricket Team

3 hours contact and Online theory component, non-examinable

This is firmly based in the PARTICIPATE area focusing on athletes participating in organised sport but at a non elite level. Again the focus would not be on the quality of coaches but more on numbers and educating people who understand and care about young Kiwis development.

Key objectives in this area would be to focus on skill development and tactical understanding with varying levels of emphasis on fun and competition depending on the participants needs. The coach has to also understand the different position in the learn and participate stages their athletes will be in.

Primarily the coaches will be parents but this is also the initial pathway for student coaches into the coaching pathway and also where current players will more than likely join or rejoin the pathway.

This course will be delivered centrally in October, November, February and March at Eden Park by the Coachforce team. Beyond this there will be the student coaching scheme which will run throughout late November and Early December. With the move to put half the course online, commitment to a set time and location will drop to 3 hours.

The date of the next course is the 10th of October 2012 at Eden Park from 6-9pm. Contact Neil Gray on ngray@aucklandcricket.co.nz or your Club Manager to register.

Performance Coaching Community

Level One Coaching Course

17.5 hours, examinable
The Level one modules straddle the Perform and Participate areas whilst also touching on talent identification. These coaches tend to be those supporting a narrower range of athletes who have shown extra ability (premier) and have moved on to some sort of district or representative grade. These can also be coaches who have moved through the grades with their players and show a continued willingness to learn.

Coaches in this area should aim to nurture a love of competing and aspiring to be the best you can be. They should still focus on skill development, tactical understanding and decision making in a competitive environment. They need to understand the need of athletes in the perform phase and create an environment that assists their athletes to perform under pressure. They also need to encourage their athletes to develop a sense of sporting ethics.

Primarily the coaches will be parents but as stated above some students will reach this stage in their pathway. This will also be where first class players will join the coaching pathway in order to gain their qualifications for visa requirements.

The course will continue to be delivered in a six module format centrally based using highly qualified level 2 minimum coaches. There will be 2 blocks of each run and then the Coachforce Manager will asses what additional modules might be needed that year to qualify more people.

There will also be a focus on driving the student coaches through to this level and getting them back coaching in their secondary school the following year.

This course combines practical sessions and personal study and is intended for those coaches of 11-a-side teams of Year 7 level and up.  It focuses on planning, the coaching of skills through the principles of biomechanics, and demonstrating an understanding of effective team coaching and the game. Please click here for more info and schedule of courses for 2013.

Coach Mentoring

This is a new project for season 2012/13 with the below aims;

•    To support club coaches on a one-to-one basis to enable them to develop and improve their coaching practice
•    To develop coaches who are self aware and reflect on their coaching performance so they are always looking for continuous improvement
•    To provide new opportunities for mentors to learn and to recognize and use their expertise.
•    To provide a support step on the coaching pathway to level one coaches, an area widely regarded as a bottleneck/drop off point.

Mentoring is a highly effective way for coaches to learn the ‘art’ of their role and apply theory that they may have learned in a coaching course or read in a book. Mentors can bring life to a theoretical concept, demonstrate practical coaching skills, be a sounding board for problems, and help the coach to identify some weaknesses or just be a source of motivation and a reminder that the coach is doing a great job.

It doesn’t matter what form a mentoring relationship takes, as long as both the coach and the mentor see value in the relationship and it helps them to develop and become better at their job.
We have all turned to an experienced friend or workmate for advice before, and the reason these informal relationships are so successful and beneficial is that there is a mutual trust and respect, and both parties feel comfortable with one another. As mentioned above, the environment is also non judgemental. In a formal mentoring programme where a mentor is paired up with a coach they may have never met before, there is no previous relationship and so trust and respect has to be developed. As such, it is important for the coach and the mentor to get to know each other and for the relationship to be one of collaboration and shared enquiry rather than an expert-tells-novice form of relationship.

For more information click here

Level Two Coaching Course

32 hours, examinable
This course sits in the EXCEL and PERFORM part of the athlete pathway. These coaches are traditionally experienced development coaches who have shown ability in coaching more talented athletes, former elite players who have shown a desire to become involved in coaching, former high performance coaches who no longer have the time to be involved at a high performance level or professional coaches.

The coach has to be able to identify the athletes capable of performing at the highest level and build on all previously learnt skills.

The Level two will continue to be a course run once a year with applications asked for and participants decided upon by the Coachforce Manager and the content worked on and delivered in conjunction with the High Performance Manager and Elite level coaches.This course is by invitation only and is intended for elite coaches who have had a considerable period of successful coaching experience and a commitment to coaching at a high level.

This course is intended for serious coaches of 11-a-side teams who have an active coaching record and a commitment to coaching.  It concentrates on detailed planning and evaluation, understanding and using the principles of biomechanics to coach, analyse and improve skills, and demonstrating an understanding of the coaching process and effective team coaching, including game tactics.

Please contact Neil Gray on ngray@aucklandcricket.co.nz for more information on this years course .

High Performance Coaching Community

Level Three Coaching Course

100 hours, examinable

This course is by invitation only and is intended for elite coaches who have had a considerable period of successful coaching experience and a commitment to coaching at a high level. The Level 3 Coaching Course is the responsibility of the National Coach Education Manager.