Prodigy Coach Forum

Guru · Pro Joined: 26 Nov 2007 Posts: 50

I was leading a session with a group of about 16 Under 12s. We had a discussion and workshop on Concentration and we formulated and drew a MindMap on the topic exploring What, When, Why, Where and How?

The HOW was particularly crucial as they started out just giving continuous-loop answers like "by focussing" and "paying attention" which I pointed out to them were the derivative answers on the WHAT branch.

Then they cottoned onto Looking and Listening and they were away. Yes - All our information comes in through the 5 senses and how we turn up some sensual input and turn down others (flter more xxxx in, dissociate from vvv, www,yyy and zzz) helps us then concentrate more on xxxx. Simplicity really.

We then went on to some fielding drills - one of which involved them rotating around the hall, with part of the group picking up a throw from the coach and throwing diagonally at a set of stumps placed centrally and part of the group backing-up at the far corner of the hall. Regular stuff we have all used.

After some 100 throws I paused and asked for feedback on the quality of clean fielding and backing-up + number of hits on the target. The answers were - fielding average, back-ups average, target hits number was about 5. After explaining to them how to chain together the little chunks of concentration required to improve the fielding and back-ups, I came back to the target hitting.....

Me: "Is 5% good enough?"
Them: "Not really"
Me: "What are you aiming at?"
Them: "The stumps"
Me: "Would you call that concentration?"
Them: "Suppose so"
Me: "If you aim in a general area and fall below 100% accuracy then there's every chance you'll miss. If you aim at a particular area and fall down to 80% accuracy then you'll still hit."

I showed them the reality of this by pointing out the consequences of dead aiming at the base of middle stump. In the vertical alignment there is considerable margin for error - in the horizontal you could in reality miss middle by two stump widths and still hit the wicket. So their Dead Aim instruction was to aim at base of middle stump.
But, and this was absolutely crucial, they had to visually concentrate on this spot from the moment they had fielded the ball right through to the moment they released the ball in the throw....for the whole time! The requirement was to stream as much unbroken visual information into the brain to enable it to help process a more accurate execution of the throw.

Result - succesful outcomes improved not steadily but dramatically.
Not long after I stopped the drill after there were 6 successive hits on target. Remember these were random Under 12s performing a drill in rotation - I did not take the 6 best throwers and give them 1 throw each (hard even as that might have been for them).

Me: "Lads, if I'd said to you about an hour ago that 6 different players in succession would have thrown down the stumps from about 12-15 metres would you have believed me?"
Them: "No way!"
Me: "But now you do because you've just done it and the rest have all seen it.....all done with the power of deeper concentration!!"

Some parents viewed this transformation in amazement. I expect for some of the players the experience will be long remembered. For the two of us running the drill, it was stunning even though not unexpected for all that.
I have worked some time now on enhancing the quality and quantity of visual information and just allowing the motor programmes associated with technique to take their course. For me (at least) every day is another step along my own Road to Damascus!

Guru