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This project is a full time intense cricket project which will provide you with
the opportunity to become totally emerged in the South African cricket culture.
You will work in a number of areas within cricket which will improve your game
and give you a greater understanding of the sport, not only as a player, but
also as a coach. You can expect the following during your placement. Please
note however that due to the nature of the game and the impact of weather
conditions, a certain amount of flexibility must be expected.
What the course entails:
Level 1 cricket coaching
course:
The two week project will offer you the ICC (International Cricket Council)
Level 1, 18 hour course which combines a variety of practical and theoretical
aspects of coaching. On completion, you will be required to take a 1 hour
written exam. The coaching course is recognised worldwide and you will be able
to use this qualification to continue coaching when you return to your home
country.
One-on-one cricket
coaching:
During the project you will receive individual coaching tuition for 1 hour a day
from former Zimbabwean international cricket player Neil Johnson who played in
the 1999 Cricket World Cup. Neil will assess you as a player when you first
arrive and based on his assessment, will be able to work on your cricket playing
skills. As part of the program, you will undergo video analysis of your game and
strength training to improve your game. As Neil was both a top batsman and fast
bowler at international level, he is in a position to pass on his expertise in
both areas to you.
Cricket
coaching at underprivileged schools:
During the afternoons you will be working with Robbie Coutts, the instructor of
the level 1 coaching course and other cricket coaches from the KZN Inland
Cricket Program. You will be coaching cricket at one of a number of
underprivileged schools as part of a program called “Sweet Willow”. The
development program involves 23 schools and 10 clubs in the disadvantaged areas
of Pietermaritzburg where the children do not have a great deal of exposure to
cricket. With the help of local coaches and the equipment they provide, you can
really make a difference. Whilst you are gaining coaching confidence, you will
have plenty of support from the coaches around you.
You will also work hand in hand with Robbie in coaching at various public and
private primary and secondary schools in Pietermaritzburg, which have cricket as
an extra curriculum activity.
Cricket
coaching, training and playing club cricket:
During the
late afternoons and early evenings you will be coaching junior teams at a
cricket club in Pietermaritzburg, either working alongside a coach or on your
own. The club has a large number of junior teams, from under 17s through to
younger sides, which are coached on Wednesdays. You will be training with the
senior sides of the club on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The club we work with has a
number of sides that play at levels from the premiership through to social, so
whatever your standard, you will be allocated to a team with which to train.
If
you do get selected to play for the team, you will have the opportunity to play
club cricket matches over the weekends. The clubs we work with have great
cricketing and social facilities and you will be made to feel quite at home.
When you arrive you will be able to discuss the content and hours of the project
with Neil and Robbie. The project will vary each day in terms of working hours
so you really do need to be flexible.
A typical day will consist of the following (the times are purely a
guide)
- 9 - 12 Level 1 coaching
course (for the first 2 weeks only) & one on one cricket coaching
- 1 - 3 Cricket coaching at
underprivileged schools
- 5 - 8 Cricket coaching,
training at a cricket club
Your main coaches:
As part of the
course you will have two dedicated cricket coaches running the project and
looking after you. They are:
Neil Johnson: Neil will be coaching you
one-on-one during the morning sessions which will help your cricket game. Neil
is a naturally-gifted all-rounder, who made a strong impression during his
international career, particularly during the 1999 World Cup where he was
influential in Zimbabwe's qualification to the Super 6 stage of the world cup.
He won three Man-of-the-Match awards in the tournament. One of those awards came
in his side's surprise victory over eventual Semi Finalists South Africa.
Opening the batting, he top scored with 76 before dismissing Gary Kirsten with
the first ball of the South African chase. He then got rid of Jacques Kallis for
a duck and finished with 3 for 27. In the same tournament, he made an unbeaten
132 and took 2/43 against the eventual champions Australia at Lord's. Johnson is
notable for having opened both the batting and bowling for his country in this
World Cup. Neil played 13 tests and 48 ODIs for Zimbabwe between 1998 and 2000.
Throughout his first-class career he spent time in both South Africa and
England, playing for Boland, Eastern Province, Natal, Western Province,
Leicestershire and Hampshire.
Robbie Coutts:
Robbie is an
ICC level 3 cricket coach and will be handling your level 1 coaching
certificate. Robbie works for the KwaZulu Natal Inland Cricket Union and is the
current coach of the KZN First Class team, the KZN Woman's team, KZN Academy
team and KZN Under 19's team. Robbie’s role with the union is also to develop
cricket in formally disadvantaged communities and you will be working alongside
him coaching the children at the underprivileged schools.
FREE CRICKET COACHING MANUAL AND SUBSCRIPTION TO COACHING WEBSITE:
As a volunteer sports coach with Travellers,
we provide you with a cricket coaching manual for your
placement. We also
have arranged for you to get a year’s free subscription to
a Coaching website. With
this membership (which normally comes with
a
price tag of £39.99), you automatically become a member of the
International Coaches Association (ICA) and join a community of coaches from
over 65 countries.
The ICA is rapidly growing into one of the largest coaching
organizations in the world. This subscription will allow you access to
over 4,000 pages of the best interactive, online soccer and football
coaching information.Although they deal mainly with soccer/football, the
coaching principles are the same for all sports and will be helpful for
you in teaching any sport. This excellent resource should hopefully be
able to give you a few tips that will benefit both you and the children
that you’ll be coaching, and enable you to gain the maximum enjoyment
from your placement. |
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+44 01903 502595
