Observations on Batting Techniques, Coaching & Fitness

Interview with ECB Coaches- Rupert Kitzinger and Alastair Maiden By Chris FergusonWhat are you doing here in NZ?So what differences have you seen so far,between what’s happening in the UK, andRupert: We are on ECB Coachingwhat is happening here?Scholarships funded by the Lord’s Tavernerswho are the biggest charity for recreational Rupert: The main difference with coachcricket in England and Wales. To be selected education is that here you’ve got what wewe had to be an ECB level 3 coach andthink is a very good well structured pathwaythen go through anfor coaches that mirrorapplication process.your player pathway.There were fourBack home in England wescholarships in all, twohave various developmentwere sent to Australiacourses for teachers andand two here to Newyoung leaders. We’veZealand. We havegot a Level 1 which isbeen asked to researchlike a Coaching Assistantvarious areas of Newqualification, a Level 2Zealand Cricket andwhich is a Coach, so theyshare ideas with peopleshould be able to run awe speak to, finding outstructured session, andwhat they’re doing andLevel 3 is a Head Coachthey can find out whatposition qualification.Rupert and Alastairwe are doing in the UK.This is not aligned withReally in effect I guess it’s like an official spy how players develop, you could get a Levelmission with the overall aim of sharing and 1 Coach working with a group of U17s forpromoting cricket between the two countries. example, you could also get a Level 3 Coachworking in primary schools which is obviouslya good thing, but it’s one of the mainWhat is the purpose of the visit here?differences between the coach educationAlastair: We’ve been asked to look into what programmes.New Zealand Cricket is doing in terms ofAlastair: We’ve also got a Level 4 course ontheir coach education structure. There wastop of that, which is a very elite qualificationa previous scholarship over here about fivefor people working in the professional game.years ago, Phil Relf came over and lookedat what was going on so we want to know Rupert: In light of the research that Phil Relfhow things have changed, what people are did five years ago, we transformed our coachdoing now. We are interested in looking at education system to be more focused on thefast bowling developments and what New ‘how to coach’ rather than the technical ‘whatZealand Cricket is doing with fast bowlers; we need to coach’, and that has been a bigtalent identification, so how you identify your difference for us over the last few years intalent; LTAD (long term athlete development) England. So far in New Zealand we’ve only– what the thought process is for that and how got out to see one evening of coach educationthat’s integrated into the system; women’s where the content was very good but wasand girl’s cricket, and what’s happening there; slightly more ‘what to’, than ‘how to’.and disability cricket.Alastair: The other big difference for us hasRupert: We are also looking at the coaching been an outside organisation taking over thestyles that coaches use over here, andprinciples of the coach education structureascertain the differences between Newin England. We’ve got a UKCC, (UnitedZealand and England.Kingdom Coaching Certificate), which is aThe maindifferencewith coacheducationis that hereyou’ve gotwhat we thinkis a very goodwell structuredpathway