Sunday 28 October 2012

ULTIMATE PACE SECRETS

One of the hardest things is convincing people they might have things wrong.

For years now we have taught fast bowling a certain way and those in authority have sought to develop that. The problem is that the way pace bowling is actually coached is possibly the least technically advanced in any comparable sports specialisation.

As sports use technology, sports science and analysis to obtain an extra 1%, 3% or 10% improvement, cricket - with fast bowling in particular - bumps along the bottom. Coach educators and therefore coaches and fast bowlers, find themselves unable to take fast bowling forward. 

We had many 90 mph bowlers in the 1940s, 50s, 60s and 70s. But we don't have huge numbers more in 2012. And neither are they faster than bowlers like Tyson, Griffith, Thompson, Holding, Trueman plus hoardes of others who bowled with heavy boots, trained far less than modern cricketers and had no access to the advantages or technology.

That's because the technical aspect of coaching fast bowling has simply not moved on.

My first book, The Fast Bowler's Bible, was ground-breaking in 2006 as it identified 10 key indicator points in bowling that all coaches and potential quicks could focus on. Many thousands of coaches are using the methodology on this book to begin the process of shaping and developing talented fast bowlers for the future.

My latest book, Ultimate Pace Secrets, takes this concept MUCH FURTHER and FASTER. It contains the fabled Four Tent Pegs, which are the heart of any action. Master these and you are on your way to pace bowling 'gold'. The book explains how the drop step and front foot block, increase pace using the legs, hips and core of the action. The stretch reflex shows how shoulder hip separation works to power the ball faster than ever towards the batsman.

These gems have been committed to paper for the very first time. They are explained in an easy to understand way that doesn't use 'jargon' and avoids the coaching trap of confusing any player with contradictory information.

Ultimate Pace Secrets reveals the correct skill drills with each position so that any fast bowler or coach, can get results right away. By practicing and becoming an expert in the correct positions, any bowler can maximise their speed and accuracy. 

I have been coaching pace for more than 20 years with great results. I wanted to share with others what I know, what I have discovered and what works. I also wanted to dispel many myths around fast bowling that simply are not true yet some hold very dear. 

In other words, I wanted to offer a blueprint for success. I recommend it to all fans who love fast bowling, all cricket boards who work with fast bowling coaching, all coach educators, all coaches and all fast bowlers themselves. 

If I sell one book or a million books, it almost doesn't matter. What matters is that for the first time you can finally discover the ultimate pace secrets. And that is worth any price.

The book is only £9.99 and you can get it exclusively here: https://shop.maverickscricket.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=BOOK003

Friday 26 October 2012

Does Reputation Means More Than Results?

It must be very hard for cricket teams to appoint the right coaches. 

With so many ex-players now going into coaching and ever-increasing roles to be filled, there is sometimes a tendency for too few quality coaches but a large number of first-timers, chasing too many coaching jobs. The names go round and round sometimes, often without a deeper probing into whether the name concerned is actually suitable for that role.

On the one side there are the cricket authorities and teams who are dazzled somewhat by a reputation. On the other side there are coaches, many recently retired, who played but may not understand what the day to day role involves in developing talented players.

If I hold a specific coaching badge it doesn't mean I am the right choice. It should be about seniority of coaching, experience... and dare I say it... good old fashioned results. If you are going to work in the sub continent, it might help to have experience of expectations, boards, fans and players so you are not surprised. Equally, those appointing coaches to teams should have a deeper insight into who they appoint rather than a cursory glance at a CV - or where a coach comes from.

If you are a coach from Australia your stock has been very much elevated during the past 10 years. The green and gold passport carries a premium - particularly for the IPL, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh coaching assignments. Rightly or wrongly "all that glitters is green & gold" and the methodology of Cricket Australia is being widely exported around certain parts of the globe almost exclusively. It looks unlikely to change sometime soon.

But world-best practice involves taking things from different areas and blending them into something greater than a sum of its parts. It requires an understanding that there is always something better and always something to be made a higher quality. "Don't let success get in the way of improvement" and when you stop learning, you cease being an educator yourself.

The hardest thing to define is how a coach man-manages and understands the technical aspects of his chosen skill. If you are able to handle people from a variety of different backgrounds and then are adept at developing their skill levels, you have all the assets you'll ever need as a coach. Get that wrong and your CV will be quickly filled with either unsuccessful long stays or if the team is good, moderately successful short ones.

People often confuse experience with results, and reputation with ability. And that, is also likely to continue. 

Message to boards and team owners: delve deeper than a CV, passport and playing record

Message to coaches: keep open to new ideas, developing your skills and the possibility of getting an Aussie passport