VALLEY DISTRICT CRICKET CLUB Inc.

KEEPING YOUTH BUSY IN SPORT

Established 1897 - Over 100 Years Serving The Community
Affiliated With The Queensland Cricket Association
PO Box 240 Ashgrove Qld 4060 ABN 35550296330
Email: valley@qldcricket.com.au Web: www.valleycricket.org.au

Team Training Session

U11-U17 Age Groups
Introduction
Whether you have a cricket background or not, a coach’s responsibility is to provide an enjoyable practice
session where skills can be built upon. In this way the elements of sequential learning and the desire to
come back next week will ensure strong group harmony. There are many things which you may see and
wish to address during a training session, and the ability to be flexible in your approach is vital. Flexibility
does not mean lack of planning. This document is designed to give the coach useful tips on how to achieve
better outcomes and develop player talent within a challenging and fun environment.

Planning
At some time prior to each session, you need to have an exact idea of how the session will run and what
key components need to be taught and hence learnt. Practise without this, results in the reinforcement of
poor skills. If there is a pre-planned coaching template - use it. The use of a diary is beneficial to note
player aspects and areas of development (all players will have different strengths and weaknesses). Be
mindful of time as each component will need to be closely monitored so that the day’s plan is fully
completed. Be aware of what equipment you will need and have it available. Announce your plan to the
team so that they are aware of goals. This may be a simple statement e.g., “For your first 10 balls, batters
will look to play straight between the markers set up; bowlers will look to get as many deliveries outside of
off stump in first 10 deliveries.” This can be then worked on via issues of bowlers warming up with a
partner, batters looking to play straight and leave wide ball early. The following points are to be used in
conjunction with how you would run a general session. Structured sequential sessions in this guide will
focus on particular skills, but the general notes below are important to consider for all sessions.

The Session
 Nets: The urban myth of simply getting everyone to bat and bowl and then go home is alive and
well. Alas this is very poor use of time.
 Things to Do:
o Group bowlers of similar type together (quicks, mediums, spinners). In this way they can
learn from each other and build up hunter pack group.
o Establish a net manners system. Batters pick balls up on their half and underarm back to
the bowler (not belt it with their bat). Bowlers have a set order to bowl.
 o Create a team culture of working together. The coach should never be left to pick up
equipment and sort gear. This should be done by players voluntarily or if not a roster
system could be applied for various tasks.
o Ensure keepers work on skills and create an area where they can work with non bowlers or
those not in nets to work on fielding skills. Keeping can often be the forgotten skill.
o Working in pairs: Batters can do simple throw downs with each other if space is available.
Two bowlers can work on run ups and accuracy with one stump on the oval. Two catchers
can get through 100 catches of varying difficulties in a short space of time.
o Be clear and simple with your instructions and reinforce throughout.
o Enlist as many helpers as you can. Get the dad who is leaning against the tree to work with
one player on a simple skill, e.g., high ball catch.
 Things to Avoid:
o More than three bowlers per net. Anymore and the net will breakdown for batter and
bowlers. Waiting time is lost time.
o Batters and bowlers having no plan for their net stint.
o Fielding sessions with the coach hitting one ball to a group of 10 players. 100 short simple
catches have 100 more times skill/confidence development than one dropped catch every
4 minutes, as is normally the case.

SAFETY
Cricket is safe sport as compared with other codes, but hard ball and bats can cause damage. A simple rule
of “no helmet, no bat” soon prompts conformity to this rule. When a session is ended it is ended. Most
injuries occur by one or two last bowls and slogs. Establish the rule when I call “that’s it now”, there is not
another ball to be bowled.

TIPS
Too often there is no focus for batter or bowler when they are in the nets. If you ask what the plan is there
usually is none. Ask how many times you got out and the answer will usually be from 4-10; you only get
one bat on Saturday, so the focus of a skill or putting a price on my wicket a paramount.

Tip: Ensure that there is banter and competition in a net session, challenge the bowlers to set fields and
convey this to the batter. Batters otherwise feel that every ball hit hard is 4 and bowlers think every ball hit
in the air is out.

Batters: If they hit a gap well, tell the bowler that it is runs. Where can I get a single, who should I be
careful with? Who can I score off? These are all questions the batters should be asking themselves.

Bowlers: How do I get this batter out? Where is he strong and not so strong? What field would I set?

Please find some drills/games that are designed for fun and team building.
Throughout the season I will be adding skills drills that are simple and can be used
when and where needed.
Fun Drills/Games
Cricket Baseball
Equipment: 1 Bat, 1 Hitting tee, 1 Soft Ball, 4 Markers

Instructions:

Batting team: One batter to hit ball off tee while rest count runs made.

Batter starts running around marker until the ball is returned to the home base.

Each marker that is passed is counted as 1 run. Batter can be caught out.

Fielding Team: One keeper at each marker (4).

All others are fielders, who remain outside the marker areas until the ball is hit.

The ball must then be fielded and returned to base 1 (ball touches marker) then
thrown to base 2 – base 3 and base 4. At this point the batter stops running as he is
out. Runs scored are the number of markers run around. It is possible to run more
than 4 on one hit. Keepers are rotated every second batter so fielders can have a go
over a marker.

Second

Third

First
Batters Tee X

Home base
Continuous Cricket
Equipment: 1 bat per batter, three to four wickets, one match type ball. (Can have
3 or 4 batters depending upon numbers)

COACH

All non-batters field. The coach is to be in the middle and the ball must be returned
to him after each bowl. The coach can bowl a ball at any set of stumps even if the
player is not there. Tipsy run rules apply and all run in same direction. All batters
must run around to the next set of wickets and stop at the nearest stumps when the
ball is back to the coach. Batter can be bowled out or caught out. The coach can
retire batters if they stay in for too long (not often as they get tired quickly and leave
stumps open.

The game flows better if the coach is the centre bowler at all times.

NB SAFETY: No fielder can enter into the cricket diamond area until the ball is hit.
No obstructing the running batter.
Alternative activity- Bowling
3-5 players per group

One ball per group (match ball)

4 makers per group and one set of stumps per group.

(Some teams may use 2-3 groups depending on numbers)

Bowler bowls ball, follows ball and runs

through. Bowler becomes the next
wicketkeeper. When keeper gets the
ball he throws it to the next bowler
and returns to the bowling queue.