Official newsletter of the CSA Coaching Department December 2012

VOLUME 11 From Yogi’s desk

Season’s greetings to all our ‘Coaching Children Pilot’ is introduced together with INSIDE THIS ISSUE : coaches around the country! I trust Assessor Training sessions. The coaching managers that the first half of the summer has have been kept in the loop throughout and SASCOC • been extremely enjoyable and plan to extend this training for developers at provin- 2012 Coaches Conference Report 2 successful for everyone and that cial and district level in the months ahead. • Profile: Geoff Toyana 2 2013 will prove to be a ‘bumper’ rd year for you and all the players In November, SASCOC also hosted its 3 National • Feature Articles: under your care and guidance. Coaching Conference at Birchwood, titled “Beyond London” with the focus understandably on the recent - Why it’s more harmful to 3 Since our last edition, the Proteas Olympic performances and planning for Rio 2016. A have certainly enjoyed a phenomenally successful period, multitude of breakaway sessions featuring some of coach than to under coach notwithstanding the tremendous disappointment the nation the leading coaches and support staff provided in- - More to getting your eye in than 4 as a whole experienced as a result of another early exit valuable insight to delegates from all codes. In fact, from a major ICC tournament. Talk of small margins and the overlapping of the diverse presentations made it meets the eye. unforeseen turning points, something that forms the basis very difficult for the sporting representatives to of a most interesting and informative article by the team’s choose which sessions to attend but the parting - The Raising Talent Conference 5 Performance Director, Paddy Upton, a little later in this message from President Gideon Sam was unmistak- report by Tim Goodenough issue. But far too many positive aspects in our game to able: “ there was no going back now as far as the focus on at the moment than to dissect one loss in the South African Coaching Framework” is concerned. - 7 Habits of highly successful 6 knock-out stages of T20 World Cup where even the Another pertinent message for coaches came from losers game’s most critical and negative souls will surely admit the legendary Dr Frank Dick who told his jam-packed that final outcomes more often than not remind one of a session the following: “Coaches should know what • Coaching Cues: Is sport science 8 lottery. they know; know what they don’t know; and then find delivering on it’s promise someone who does!” Roll on 2013 that will also see The Proteas have produced magnificent performances host the Global Coaching Conference in • New on the Bookshelf 8 and achievements on the international stage during the Durban next September, an event organised by the past 4 months, firstly when claiming the No 1 ranked spot International Council for Coaching Excellence (ICCE) • An overview of Peformax 9 in Test from England in their own backyard, some- every two years so make a conscious note of this thing that many sceptics were convinced wasn’t possible important date. given the composition of the home side, the standard of cricket they had produced in the past 18 months and Towards the end of October and after 18 months of to be different, to be better, to win. especially because they supposedly had the best extensive preparatory work, the office launched the attack in the world. This was then followed up by a second coaching component of the Peformax Management Sometimes coaching is about learning how to successive series victory down-under against arch- System in association with Braxton Consulting. The exercise good judgement to be most effective in enemies Australia soon afterwards as , functionalities of this online solution will undoubtedly our decision making, to add quality to our life and and the boys firmly consolidated South Af- contribute to even greater levels of compliance on the to the community to which we belong within the rica’s position at the top of world cricket, exhibiting all the part of the affiliates and the system will result in the framework of rules that shape our behaviour and skills, mental fortitude and character required to overcome efficient management and reporting of coaching culture. Sometimes coaching is learning skills, serious setbacks and periods of adversity in the process. matters and the coaches themselves. A database of being fit and tactically wise; or about competing Congratulations to the entire playing squad and manage- some 8800 coaches was originally submitted to Brax- within the accepted rules. ment team that have done us so proud at the start of ton and the Unions and to date, more than 1750 2012/13. coach profiles have been created, complete with Coaching is of course a learning conduit, so it is personal & other contact details for active Level I & II important to prepare to learn fast through regular There has been much to be satisfied with as far as events coaches. A similar list of Level III & Level IV coaches review and monitoring. A critical aspect of plan- off the actual field of play are concerned. In association has been sent to the affiliates and is currently in the ning and preparation concerns creating the envi- with Mike Cooper and Tim Goodenough of Coaching process of being loaded and these profiles should be ronment that makes it possible for us to perform Unity, the ‘coach-education season’ commenced with a accessible by the end of January. All coaches are at our best. memorable and significant Senior Coaches Conference at urged to contact their local coaching manager or the Katberg Eco Estate & Hotel in the Eastern Cape, held Peformax administrator at the relevant affiliate for any Just as our coaches built roads and bridges from 25 th to 28 th September and which we hope will be of advice or information in this regard (John Bailey through what was for them unchartered wilder- great consequence to the standard and quality of coach- sheds further light on this subject in the newsletter). ness so that we would have a better life than ing and coaches in the country. While the seminar was they, so must we for the next generations. That aimed at the Semi-pro level that is a direct feeder to the The spotlight of this edition is squarely on ‘new lead- means not only making a winning difference for Franchise structure, the 40 invited delegates also included ership’ and how to take your performance to the next the moments around us now, but having the the respective Provincial Coaching Managers responsible level. As Paddy Upton offers on his website: “Leaders courage to face major issues like culture change for coaching activities and the development of coaches in that want their team to be competitive in today’s high when we know that having started the process of the various regions and provinces. Subsequent feedback performance environments cannot afford to continue change we may not see it completed in our time. and response would suggest that the CSA office has gone following obsolete models of leadership. Although a long way towards embedding the ‘new philosophy’ and many still do”. We must therefore develop and apply our leader- approach to coaching our cricketers at all ages that it has ship skills to greater effect and grow to be the promoted among the affiliates and individuals for the past And in line with leadership and coaching, the follow- leaders we must be to create change. Making the 15 months (see separate reports on Katberg elsewhere in ing extract comes from “Winning Matters” by Frank right decisions is the hallmark of quality leaders”. the newsletter). Dick: “To achieve beyond our individual isolated capabilities we need others – we all know this but it is Good luck for the second half of the summer and From a more neutral and national coaching perspective, difficult and complex to achieve in reality. It is as if let’s make sure we continue to keep the cricket the SASCOC Coach Developer/Capacity Building pro- each of us is like a player-coach. One moment we are pipeline flowing strongly! gramme has gained real momentum since the introduction coachable, soaking up the lessons of our life experi- of training workshops for the National Federations of ences and coached by those who will make sure the various sporting codes. The governing body for sport in lessons are not only learned but translated into ac- our country has held 4 extensive workshops to date and tion. The next moment we are passing on what we these will be resumed in the middle of February when a have learned and coaching those who need our help

The PowerPlay V O LUM E 1 1 P a g e 2

KATBERG COACHES CONFERENCE - A COACH’S VIEW -

This workshop was definitely not your ordinary ‘ take a while for all coaches to really get stuck into amongst the of the mill’ workshop! As coaches we were really because of the nature of typical old school coaches; coaches at Katberg. challenged in the area of man-management. We reluctant to change at first but I’m confident that Written by: were led by Corrie Van Zyl, the General Manager: coaches will see the value of the Performax system in Marli van Schalkwyk Cricket and he teamed up with his CSA colleagues, due course and look to derive the full benefit of this must be thanked for Christo Esau Anton Ferreira and Vinnie Barnes, together with the particular system. all the effort and (EP Semi-Pro Coach ) consultants from Coaching Unity, Mike Cooper and hard work she put Tim Goodenough. The CSA vision was clear from Tim Goodenough and Mike Cooper spoke to us into this conference; the outset and this really excited all the coaches specifically about High Performance, an area where a well done Marli on an excellent job done. Special who had been invited to attend the conference. lot of interaction should took place. If we are going to thanks too to the man at the helm, Corrie van Zyl produce high performance athletes, we have to un- for sharing his vision as well as experiences with For me personally it was a great opportunity to get derstand what we have to do with the talent at our the coaches, we certainly learned a great deal. first hand information of the new coaching methods disposal. We were given precious insight to their new Our appreciation also goes to Vinnie Barnes for and philosophies that CSA are advocating and the book, Raising Talent – How to Fast-Track Potential the wonderful insight he gave us into what it’s like road they are embarking on. Old school was all into Performance and we learned that top athletes to handle and work with players at national and about “I tell and you do” but it is now rather about need to train outside their comfort zones. This is the international level, and to Yogi, thanks for your asking players questions, offering advice and letting only way that we could ultimately produce high quality passion for coaching and always wanting to see the individual make the decision for him/herself performers for the country. others excel, your love for the game never under pressure. Coaches have made players far too ceases to amaze us. Keep the fire burning! And reliant for far too long in South African cricket and it CSA need to be thanked and congratulated for the to Greg King, thanks for educating us on the seems that the new coaching technique is to coach manner in which they are now availing , fast physical conditioning and the monitoring of yourself into a position where the player no longer bowling and spinners’ specialists to assist the fran- workloads. requires you. This is not the easiest of things to do chise as well as semi-pro coaches. They should also for us males as we like to always feel that we are in be commended for employing a coaching mentor in All in all a wonderful workshop; most informative, control but the conference really taught us that it is the form of Shukri Conrad to work with the latter as a refreshing, challenging and lots of food for merely our job as coaches to facilitate learning and sounding board, because for a long time now coaches thought. Lost for words really. growth and that the player ultimately has to face up have longed to have someone to talk to, bounce ideas to the challenges and pressures. off or just chat about certain scenarios. It was a wonderful opportunity to learn more about this great game that we all love so dearly. As part of CSA’s plans for continued growth and Finally, the conference provided another major spin- development, the Performax Management system off in that the various coaches got to know each other was also introduced and explained to the seminar a whole lot better and this in turn will strengthen delegates, a world-class system and one with so relationships between coaches in the future. There many aspects to assist us as coaches. I think it may was a distinct camaraderie and a sense of belonging

Full Names: Geoffrey Toyana How do you react to criticism and / or poor results? Advice to young players: Positive criticism for me is part of learning, we all love winning Understand who you are and what you are about and Nickname: Cheddar but things can’t go your way all the time. The best thing I have always keep things simple; respect yourself and respect learned in my short career is to just control your emotions, the game! Date and place of birth: 1974/02/27 in East London whether you win or lose Advice to other coaches: Playing Career: Transvaal, What are your views on the use of technology in coach- Never stop learning and be passionate about what you do. Gauteng Strikers ing? Easterns It’s a great tool if it is used correctly. If it adds value to a crick- Vision for South African Cricket: Titans eter I am all for it but we must also remember that the game is Key for me is our depth and we must make sure that we MCC Young Cricketers played on the field and your skills need to be spot-on on the arm our young players with the necessary skills so that day of competition they can grow with the right attitude to keep us no 1 for Coaching Qualification/s: CSA Level III many years to come. What do you expect from the players/squads you work Coaching history: Coached Easterns for 3 years; with? Ass.Coach SA U/19 2010 WC in NZ: I expect 100%commitment at training because what you do at Ass.Coach Emerging Tour to Aus.; training transfers to the middle at 1 st -class level. Generally Ass.Coach SA’A’ vs Bangladesh; players understand their own games so it’s up to them to Ass.Coach Bizhub Highveld Lions; prepare themselves mentally for the battles that lie ahead .

Current position held: Head Coach Bizhub Highveld Lions There have been a number of changes in the game in recent times, mainly as far as various formats and playing Briefly describe your personal philosophy or approach to regulations are concerned. Are there any other changes coaching: you would like implemented that you believe could further I am a firm believer in creating a simple structure where players improve the modern game? can grow and give them confidence so that they can express I would like to see FREE HITS in Test and 1 st -class cricket themselves and their skills. I also believe that honest communica- because far too often you find guys bowling a high percentage tion with the group that I work with is very important of no-balls in 1 st -class cricket but come 1-day or T20 cricket, the no-balls are gone. I know it is a batters game but that’s What attributes do you consider essential to be successful as what brings people to the stadiums, to see lots of runs. a coach: An understanding and knowledge of your players is key, interper- Most memorable cricketing experience or coaching mo- sonal skills as well as honesty ment: Too many to mention but winning the SuperSport series with 3 Who or what has been the biggest influence in your playing / teams (Gauteng, Easterns and the Titans) stands out for me coaching career: and playing 1 ST -class cricket for 13 years will always be spe- My late Dad Gus Toyana and the late Bhut Khaya Majola always cial to me and my family. Coaching wise, making the recent believed and supported me over the years. I will always be grateful final of the Champions league as well as the Momentum 1-Day to them and they will always have a special place in my heart. Cup in my first season as coach is a wonderful feeling

What would you most like to achieve or contribute overall as a What do you do to relax or unwind from the pressures of cricket coach: coaching: Just watching players grow and fulfill their dreams is most satisfy- Spend time with my wife (Mankgoana ) and 2 daughters ing and knowing that I played a small part in their lives is enough Khumo and Tshehetso. We have a new addition to the family, for me. my son Thoriso and I’m sure he is going to keep me busy in future. P a g e 3 The PowerPlay V O LUM E 1 1

IT’S MORE HARMFUL TO OVER COACH THAN TO UNDER COACH

“There has been a sharp focus on the modern coaching philosophy since CSA hosted its ‘Govern the ’ conference following the disappointment of another early exit at the 2011 World Cup. A conscious decision was subsequently taken to drive this new approach vigorously amongst coaches at all levels so that we can produce cricketers who are able to perform under extreme pressure and furthermore, are prepared to take responsibility for their own growth and personal development.

The role of Coaching Unity has been a critical factor in this regard in the overall coach education programme the past year and we have also featured numerous articles and editorials on this particular subject in previous editions of PowerPlay. The following extract from an interview with Tony Faulkner highlights the very issues and outcomes from that ‘Mental Conditioning’ forum held in September 2011 and is a further example of the modern trends in coaching that we would like to promote in cricket”. Yogi

Coaching in sport has seen a transition coping skills and gain the confidence that they have. The field of neuroscience is provid- from being predominantly command and can take whatever comes their way. Under ing insightful measures and applications control to presently advocating a coaching coaching just a bit—allowing your players to that are better able to assist people in philosophy grounded in self discovery. own the cognitive effort, giving players the managing themselves and improving Advances in neuroscience have shown us chance to recognize that you’re there for them performance and well being and this field how our brains are capable of rewiring new even when you’re not commanding their every of development is now accessible to those behaviours in particular through the leaner move, that they’re capable of picking them- coaching in professional football. owning the cognitive effort. By not letting selves up when they fall down—is the only way kids stumble over the little things, coaches they’ll internalize the strength of the coaching prevent them from developing coping skills, bond and a sense of their own competence. and without these they don’t acquire a sense of mastery and self-confidence, So in an era of the Elite Player Performance which is required to foster long-term inde- Plan where the profession of football is advo- Tony Faulkner is the Founder of pendence, or self-managing players. cating the development of decision making Provelop and consults in Professional players, then we must allow them to live with Football. Continuing coach over involvement may disappointment and resolve their own problems also be associated with increased entitle- as much as possible, while assuring them that He has over fifteen years experience at ment. Children who are used to getting their feelings are heard and that you’re avail- the highest levels of professional foot- everything they need from their parents able for moral support. Our roles as coaches ball in the UK as a player and then without exerting any effort may think, “I’m and parents is to help the young person be- physio, performance director and now entitled to everything, but I don’t have the come self-sufficient, letting them think, analyze in performance neuroscience. A abilities to achieve what I want,” which can and reflect with disappointment is some of the holder of degrees in Physiotherapy, result in further disappointment down the best development training they can get as a Performance Coaching, Psychology, line when the real world doesn’t accept person and a player. This then better equips and the Neuroscience of behaviours, such thinking. Too little demand and stretch them to deal with the consistent challenges life Tony’s primary focus encompasses within our development environment will inevitably throw their way. The talent devel- the role of performance psychology in aligned to our desired outcomes hinders opment pathway is thwart with challenges, improving an individual’s development our coping mechanisms. A winning environ- therefore we must create such challenges with and performance. Tony is undertaking ment is populated by self motivated and the purpose to aid learned resourcefulness. As a PhD project looking into how neuro- regulated individuals who operate as a professor Dave Collins says, “talent needs science is driving our understanding in disciplined and structured collective. trauma”. creating winning environments

In contrast, practicing what is known as As coaches and parents our players and chil- www.provelop.org benign neglect with your children in parent- dren will at times follow our lead, therefore ing circles is like inoculation. If kids struggle having the ability to understand people as well over a little adversity, they learn specific as lead them seems like an important skill to

It is very important for any coach to get to know his/her players and especially their learning preferences. Such an understanding will help the coach recognise that he needs to deal with players individually and that different approaches are required when coaching a skill. The following is a simple example:

A strongly ‘visual’ player would obviously prefer to be shown how to do things or execute a skill, so demonstrations are crucial in this process;

A ‘kinaesthetic’ member of the team relies heavily on learning by way of ‘feeling’ or experiencing something, so he needs to exe- cute a skill and do things for him/herself rather than being shown or told how to do it; and finally, Someone who is more ‘audible’ by nature wants to hear (be told) things and relies on the coach explaining what to do or how to do it.

Good luck and happy coaching! The PowerPlay V O LUM E 1 1 P a g e 4

More to getting your eye in than meets the eye e Written by: Martin Crow

Business Name The position of the eyes in the stance is the key to balance while batting, and balance, in turn, is the key to dominating.

only at the last minute, as hand is set into a too side-on position, and this their stances are adjusted pushes the head to look at mid-off, not the bowler. just prior to . The Therefore the eyes are not level and are out of South Africans get into the line. You can best tell by the position of the nose: right position at the right a right-hander whose head is not in the perfect time; the Indians are natu- position is only half looking at the bowler, so to rally always there. say; the nose will point to mid-off - a sure indicator that the balance is not perfect. For Australia, Ponting, Clarke and the Waughs all From there the body falls to the off side, the front had very natural positions foot lands early, and the body shapes to play to too. The naturalness I refer the off side. The bat comes through as only half a To be balanced at the crease, the eyes need to be still and looking to is the fact that they all bat. What feels like a straight push can easily end start with the bat down, in an outside edge. A straight ball can be hard to directly at the bowler's hand © AFP tapping away with a natural locate with the bat as the front foot is in the way, lift as the ball is delivered. and the potential for an lbw is created. Ricky Ponting's retirement brings to an end a The South Africans prefer to hold their bats off the It all comes back to the proper position of the dominant era of Australian cricket, from 1995 to ground. 2010. The Aussie juggernaut that slayed all be- eyes. Ponting had it perfect most of the time. But fore it was born under Allan Border, started up Brian Lara never quite got his eyes level. His when he didn't and the body "fell" early and the properly under Mark Taylor, sped along swim- stance was slightly closed and his left eye not front foot landed early and he started to push mingly under Steve Waugh, and came to its always level with his right, but he hardly missed a early, especially early in his innings, he had a conclusion under Ponting. That brutally dominat- ball. Ultimately he moved beautifully, lifted the bat problem now and then. His only flaw, which was ing team was propped up by a multitude of true naturally and fluently, and had an eye like a hawk. also a great strength in attack when he was flow- modern-day greats: Matthew Hayden, the Shivnarine Chanderpaul has an open stance to ing along, was that the higher his bat was lifted Waughs, Adam Gilchrist, Shane Warne, Glenn enable his eyes and head the best position. He early, the more the body struggled to hold the McGrath and Ponting. Australia now solely relies executes this perfectly, illustrating that it's better balanced position. Still, for Ponting this was rare. overwhelmingly on Michael Clarke; while Ponting that the stance and body position be more "open" In the last two years, though, his balance has let had massive support, Clarke is alone. The domi- than "closed". him down. His head and eyes have fallen slightly outside his proper line of sight, and he has got nant era is done. Kevin Pietersen has an excellent starting position stuck and gone searching with his hands. For me, as a pupil of the finer points of batting, but he moves a lot as the bowler delivers and the single most significant fundamental in the sometimes gets stuck early. His problem with left- Tendulkar has a similar problem at present but it success of Ponting, Clarke and those before them arm spin is simply that he doesn't hold the bal- stems from his back foot being rooted to the spot, is the balance of the head at the moment the ball anced position long or late enough. The slower so when his front foot lands without movement is released. The position of the eyes is the abso- the bowler, the more disciplined the batsman from his back foot, he becomes closed off and the lute key to true balance. Both eyes need to be needs to be to wait. At times Pietersen moves a eyes are slightly out of position. fraction too early and gets his eyes slightly out of level, still, and looking directly at the bowler's Balance is everything: the feet moving together, line. His tall body leans to the off, which causes hand. Any deviation from that position and the the bat held down to centre the body, the head his feet to get stuck, so from there it's all hands. batsman's balance is affected. and eyes in a level, still hold. Holding that bal- When a batsman sets himself into his stance, it Alastair Cook has a fine set-up, allowing his tall anced position to the point when the ball is re- doesn't mean that that position is retained right frame the best head position and maintaining his leased is the single most important fundamental to through to when the ball is released. Often bats- balance until the ball is released. When he loses batting, and ultimately to dominating. men will lose a still, level, aligned position a split form, it's because the balance is slightly off. second before the ball is released, resulting in Throughout New Zealand the coaching has been losing the proper balance needed at the crease. to stand erect and side-on. This has put almost Often they never get into the right position to start every batsman in the wrong position. Ross Taylor with, being too "closed off" and not looking at the and Kane Williamson are the best at keeping the bowler with square and level eyes. head position level, but Williamson prefers to lift Sachin Tendulkar has the perfect head position, his bat high when facing quicks, as opposed to as does Virender Sehwag, as did Rahul Dravid when he faces spin; and when he lifts, he takes and VVS Laxman. Sourav Ganguly was a bit hit his eyes slightly off the proper, level position. and miss with his. , , Those who hold their bats up in their stance often Graeme Smith and AB de Villiers all have it, but get into trouble. When the bat is held up, the top

Source: www.espncricinfo.com (December 3, 2012) P a g e 5 The PowerPlay V O LUM E 1 1

The Raising Talent Katberg Conference 2012

Written by: Tim Goodenough (Coaching Unity)

In September this year Mike Cooper and more in others. For a long time the cial to spend quality time with pas- I were invited to the Katberg Mountains primary focus of cricket coaching has sionate cricket coaches and adminis- by Yogi Ferreira to work with the Semi- been developing technical and tactical trators before their busy seasons Pro coaches in the SA Cricket system. skills, and what we are discovering is began. Learning new skills and styles The main focus of the workshop was to that whilst these two areas are still is a process of learning, applying and continue the roll-out of the ‘Govern the very important, there is now also a reviewing and then repeating again Wicket’ philosophy developed by growing demand for high level man- and again until you have reached the Cricket SA and led by Corrie Van Zyl management, learning and empower- level of skills that match your goals. during 2011. This philosophy is all ing skills to take today’s players to the This conference was another impor- about developing the next level of SA next level. tant and significant step in that direc- Cricketer and Team. The philosophy tion – SA Cricket is continuing to We used our latest book Raising Tal- seeks to answer the question: How can purposefully develop more cricketers ent as the basis of our two days of we develop the best cricketers, and and teams that will grow into the best training and discussion. We covered become the best teams that we can be? that they can be . concepts such as how to manage and The beginning of that answer is to use a develop individual and team motiva- threefold focus: develop the player, tion, including how to teach players to develop the coach and develop the focus more effectively. The key con- environment for both the player and cept of how to help players learn was coach to grow as people and thrive as covered and this included how differ- performers. ent learning is from telling, and some- The type of player SA cricket is looking times even showing. We also covered to develop has strong leadership skills, how to give high quality feedback, the can voice his or her opinion effectively impact of shifting the amounts and and appropriately, works well under quality of positive and negative feed- pressure, can manage and drive their back offered to players. From a mental own learning and growth within a group toughness point of view we covered context and can operate effectively as a the key skill of how to make simple yet team player whilst still being able to powerful changes at the mindset level make important high quality decisions to shift to new ways of thinking and as an individual, amongst other compli- believing, which opens up new ways mentary skills. These skills are com- of experiencing and performing. bined with strong cricket fundamentals to create a powerful combination. In From our side, at Coaching Unity, we essence we are looking for our cricket- were excited by the depth of conver- ers to grow as people AND as cricket- sation and the quality of questions at ers, and that growth will reflect in stead- the conference. It was also very spe- ily improving performances. To de- velop these unique and sometimes subtle skills, coaches often need an extra layer of support and development to equip them with more, to develop P a g e 6 The PowerPlay V O LUM E 1 1

The 7 habits of highly successful losers

Sorry, but I couldn’t resist the rather corny for next time’, what do they actually mean? energy, whilst at title The Seven Habits any time they can unexpectedly rise The past week or so has found me ponder- Of the seven habits of highly effective up and emotion- ing the disappointment of the Proteas’ early losers, the first four are about ‘managing the ally hijack us exit from the recent World T20 Tournament. I failure’; the second three are about ‘learning when we least hazard a guess that most other players and from the experience’. expect it. If coaches (and fans) may have been doing emotions are similarly. Losing three out of three super Part 1: Managing the failure continually sup- eight games and bowing out before the semi- pressed or ig- final stage was a far cry from what the team 1. Feel nored they can had planned for. As I sat in my lounge in Feel the disappointment. After the Proteas’ lead to physical watching the winning West final game which signaled an early exit from or emotional Indian team dancing that captivating Carib- the World T20, I found myself walking illness and in bean jig, it occurred to me that there were 14 around a very solemn change room, feeling worst case sce- other teams who also went home losers – or heavy in my body and experiencing what narios to a stroke at least, not as tournament winners. That’s a felt like regular waves of emptiness. My or cancer. Written by: whole lot of losing. wandering included a few turns past the buffet table, more likely in an unconscious Sitting quietly Paddy Upton At the recent Olympic Games, just over 92% attempt to fill the emotional emptiness thn to and acknowledg- (Performance Director: of the 10 960 athletes who took part did not satisfy hunger. Some players sat vacantly ing emotions may win a medal. Except for the odd draw, every staring into their kitbags at their feet; some be difficult for Proteas Cricket Team) time two sporting teams meet, one will lose. were visibly tearful; others were walking some. A macho around, either bumping into me at the buffet tendency in sport is to act tough and ignore or Forest loads of books and articles are written table or seemingly trying to walk away from try to escape the feeling, fearing that showing about how to win, yet seemingly none on the discomfort. Gary Kirsten was also won- emotion is a sign of weakness. Thankfully the losing. Strange when one considers how dering around the change room chatting to outmoded ‘cowboys don’t cry’ is fast losing regularly losing happens. the odd player – coaches do not have credibility. The current Proteas’ culture encour- designated seats – and each time he and I ages and allows players to be real and authen- As a recent World T20 loser, I thought I’d bumped into each other, we couldn’t find tic. Being real and crying often represents a write about losing successfully. Not so that words – which is very unlike our relation- greater strength than false toughness. we can become good losers or better at ship. I can only imagine what similarly losing, but so that we can optimise losing as disapointed fans were doing or saying back Incidentally, this is also not the time for a coach a springboard out of the disappointment and home in South Africa. to unleash his disappointment on the players. back towards success. Sure Gary and the rest of us coaches wanted the team to win. That way we get to look and Let’s start by looking at what effective losing feel good. The ego gets a temporary boost. is NOT. With too much attachment to ego, it happens that a coach may take his disappointment out It is not acting pissed off, walking around on the team, chastising their performance while kicking things or throwing your bat when you unconsciously blaming the players for not come into the change room. It is not openly making him look or feel good. One only needs sulking or moping any longer than is natu- to watch the Proteas on TV to notice that Gary rally acceptable. It is not hibernating in your Kirsten never displays even the slightest hotel room, drowning your sorrows in alco- amount of negative body language when a hol, or looking to rid frustrations through a player makes an error. He is the same inside fight or argument in a night club. Successful the change room. This is more difficult for some losing is not blaming others for your failure, than others, but I believe not acting out disap- nor is it making excuses or looking for justifi- pointment or displaying anger when the chips cations. Even though all of these happen are down is a very important leadership trait. often. Almost every player will agree. Habit one is to avoid acting out or displaying It would have been easy and even justifiable the disappointment, but to rather sit quietly To the many fans out here, I will not be so for AB de Villiers to suggest that our and feel what it feels like. Find where in irksome as to advise you how to deal with the players were tired from the 73 day tour to the your body the sensation of disappointment, disappointment of your favourite team not UK (the team went directly from the UK tour anger or frustration sits. These feelings, like delivering on your hopes and expectations. I to Sri Lanka for the World T20); that Eng- all emotions, arise at the point where am, however, moved to mention that even if land’s seaming were not good prepa- thought meets the physical body. It may your team loses, know that they still gave their ration for playing on the slow turners of the arise as a sinking feeling in your stomach, 100%, even if on that day the 100% was only sub-continent; that we went in with a rela- heaviness in your chest, tightness in the 80% of their best because they were physically tively new T20 team and hadn’t had time to throat, heat in the forehead, etc. By simply or mentally exhausted, or that their 100% was really understand our best combinations; or acknowledging the feeling and paying marred by error, wrong decisions or poor execu- that some key players never really fired. AB attention to where it is in your body, it will tion of their skill. No player trains all week and is smart enough to know not to use these naturally subside – you don’t have to ‘do’ then crosses the ropes with a plan to lose. As cop-outs in media interviews, and is mature anything about it. you will have personally experienced, everyone enough not to use any of them, or any other has bad days at the office, sportsmen too . excuses, within the four walls of his hotel It’s no different to when your romantic room or a team meeting. partner is emotional, all they need is hear- 2. Accept ing and acknowledgement and their emo- What does it mean that you lost? Humans are

An insightful perspective on how An transform to winninglosing… into What then is successful losing? When the tional charge will naturally subside. When meaning-making machines. Is there a little voice losing captain in the post-match interview ignored, emotions can fester within our in your head that says you are a failure, that you says, ‘We learnt a lot and will look to improve bodies, creating anxiety, low moods or low are not good enough, that you’re a choker, that The PowerPlay V O LUM E 1 1 P a g e 7

you will never get it right? Do you think that others will the next time around. Focusing on solutions opens judge you negatively, that you look bad, and that you Part 2: Learning from the experience people’s listening and interest; focusing on problems are less because of the result? While this or similar creates ego defensiveness (or attack), closes ears chatter is likely to be going on somewhere in the back- Now that you have acknowledged the feeling of failure and elicits blaming, excuses and justification. ground of most people’s mind, know that it is all invalid and allowed it to subside to naturally healthy levels, you meaning-making ego-attachment, or in simpler Eng- have accepted the loss as part of the journey, gained The quality of learning and ideas emerging from lish: it’s all bullshit. perspective and lifted your spirits by doing something habits five and six will be determined by the quality of for someone else; your mind should be sufficiently clear the team’s learning environment or culture. The cul- So you lost. Losing or failing happens to anyone who and ready to learn from the experience. ture will be enhanced by a coach who is non- tries, so welcome to the judgmental, inquisitive and skilful at listening and human race. All losing means is that you lost. That is it. In the Proteas’ set-up, learning from the experience asking good questions, which will lead to players There is no, “therefore…” seldom if ever takes place on the day of the event. being more open, honest and to take responsibility for Because emotions may still be running high, we rather their part in the event. A fly on the wall of this team’s Rather than seeking meaning, seek to accept that you wait until the next day. meeting will notice players doing more talking than the failed or lost. It does not mean you have to give up coach in a team where this environment exists. In caring, nor do you have to accept poor processes, You can do this second part in a team environment, contrast, learning will be undermined by an over- these we will address later, but you do need to accept with your personal coach, or even by yourself. controlling coach who operates a fear-based or pun- the result (unless you are able to go back and change ishment-based environment. It is likely that his players it). Avoid buying into the small or egoic mind which 5. Reflect on your preparation will be fearful of telling the truth, will tend to blame needs to attach meaning to the failure, and needs to Preparation is everything. The Proteas’ preparation is others, make excuses or remain silent. The same fly judge it (or yourself) through other people’s eyes. based on the simple concept of ‘studying the whole will notice that in this team, the coach does most, if book for the exam’. Not many may know the feeling, but not all, of the talking. 3. Get perspective most can at least imagine how it must feel to go into an How bad is the failure really? In the context of your exam fully prepared! We believe that the better players 7. Commit to action career, you’ve failed before and you will fail again, prepare, the more they are able to trust their skill, have Along with your coach or a ‘learning partner’, decide many, many times. How much does it affect important belief in their game plan and confidence in themselves. on at least one way that you can improve your prepa- things like for example your health, family, friends, This in turn sets up the best chance for the player to ration (from habit 5), and at least one thing that you finances, spiritual journey, etc? What will the failure access good decision-making, find calmness under will do differently next time when the same or a similar mean this time next year, or when you look back on it pressure and, if lucky, to enter the elusive ‘zone’. situation arises (habit 6). Write these down . Apart in five year’s time? Will it be engraved on your tomb- from mentioning that we will analyse all eleven bats- stone or mentioned at your funeral? Tomorrow morn- If you’re serious about wanting to succeed, then you men in future, this is too public a forum to discuss the ing, will it stop the sun rising or the birds chirping or can’t afford to cut corners on your preparation. What- specifics of what the Proteas will do to improve next prevent breakfast being on the table? ever your game. Better preparation is the first step time. Suffice to say that various learning conversa- towards better results. tions have taken place and ideas have been written I remember in the late 1990’s when Jonty Rhodes was down, all of which will be pursued. having a poor run of form and people were calling for Look back at your preparation and practice leading up him to be dropped. He was given out LBW in a key test to the event. On a scale of 1-10, where 10 is perfect Commit to action . What will you do to give your idea match for a low score and through a poor umpiring preparation, how would you rate your overall efforts? or plan the best chance leading to an improvement? I decision. The situation left him uncharacteristically Better still, be more specific. Make a list of the different may ask players to write down their commitment and quiet and low in energy. At the end of that somewhat areas of preparation and rate each one separately. hand it to me. Writing something down forces us to unsuccessful day for the team, the change room was Ours may be skills preparation, clarity on team and get clarity and imbeds the idea in the brain more equally sombre. Out the corner of my eye I noticed individual game plans, including having plan B, analysis deeply than merely thinking it. Other times I will ask Jonty listening closely to the TV news. The sound was of the opposition and the playing conditions and plan- players if they are prepared to speak their commit- on very low. Inexplicably he bounced back into his ning travel and meal times leading into the game. ment to action in front of the whole team. This is a usual energetic self and began to lift the spirits of the brave move, but very powerful. If you decide to run a whole team. As I moved closer to find out what hap- Ask yourself honestly, to what degree do you balance half marathon, there is a difference between thinking it pened, I heard him say to , “I cannot the discipline of ‘studying the whole book for the exam’ for yourself versus telling four of your friends! believe that I’m sulking about being given out LBW vs the laziness of cutting corners? when there are people dying in Bosnia”. The final part of your commitment to action is to ask There are two parts to this investigation of your prepara- for support . Do you need your coach to spend extra 4. Support others tion. First acknowledge and list all the important things time throwing to you, your parents to collect you a bit Support others; you did well, and that you must remember to continue later, a team mate to hold you accountable, or some- maybe it’s your doing. If you rated your preparation 9/10, then first list one to video you? Allan Donald takes a simple Black- teammate who is what you did to get the 9. Next is to brainstorm the Berry tablet to each practice, an iPad would also work, still out there doing things you could possibly do better next time. because bowlers often want to be videoed and to see battle, someone immediate feedback. No one makes it to the top who may have had Reflecting on our preparation for the first super eight without lots of help from others. Don’t hesitate to ask - a worse day than game vs Pakistan – it was a game we lost, and which remember, when someone does something positive you, or the guy next we should have won comfortably. Pakistan were 76-7, for you, there’s a good chance it will bring them joy. to you who is being needing 58 off 33 balls to win. Before the game we too hard on himself. were happy that we had studied the whole book. Upon The seven habits summarised: One of the major post-match reflection, one of the things that emerged causes of was that we had studied the opposition players as well 1. Feel the feeling – find it in your body, acknowl- depression in the as we did for any other game, which included having a edge it, and watch it subside world today is an over-focus on oneself, and one of the bowlers’ meeting where we analysed Pakistan’s top major sources of happiness and contentment is doing eight batsmen. The problem was it was the number nine 2. Accept the result – it‘s part of sport and life. something positive for someone else. A recent rain- batsman who did the damage. From now on, we will Assess the processes later affected Test match day saw a mixture of bored and study all eleven. frustrated players waiting in the change room for the 3. Gain perspective – it’s just a game. Losing rain to abate. At the same time four security guards 6. Reflect on the performance hardly ever impacts the meaningful things in were diligently following someone’s instruction to stand Review your actual performance, in conversation, on life in the middle of the field, getting wet and cold due to a video and/or via statistics. Again there are two parts. lack of suitable clothing or umbrellas. As the rain Firstly discuss and list all the important things you did 4. Support others – self-focus sinks, helping subsided, Morné Morkel made four cups of piping hot well . Your disappointment may prevent seeing the others uplifts coffee and personally delivered them on a tray to the positive, so you may need to force yourself to look harder than usual. Most times there will be many more middle of the field. Just watching the gesture made me 5. Reflect on preparation – what did you do positives than negatives – find them: they build confi- feel good! well, what can you do better next time? dence and are the foundations of future success.

So you lost. It’s past. Time to get out of the cesspool of 6. Reflect on the event – what did you do well, self-pity that fills the hole of disappointment. If you The second part is to ask,’ If I had it all over again, what want to find contentment, then do something good for would I do differently?’ With the Proteas, we never ask what will you do differently next time? someone else. Go into the kitchen and thank the what went wrong nor do we invest energy unpacking kitchen staff for all their behind the scenes contribu- the mistake. Rather than ask ‘Why did you do that?’ we 7. Commit to action – write it down, commit to tions; thank the scorers for all their dedication and ask, ‘What would you do next time?’ This keeps the action, ask for support acknowledge the importance of their work; tell the focus on the solution into the future (which we can do groundsmen what a great job they are doing; share something about), not the problem of the past (which And thus are the seven habits of highly effective yourself with some young fans; or go and throw balls to we can’t do anything about). losers. Another day, another lesson, another

one of the reserve batsmen who have been carrying chance to be humbled. drinks since the game started. Change your focus from Focusing on the solution energises, builds confidence ‘self to other’. Happy people (and celebrities) do not and promotes learning. The outdated problem-analysis wait for unhappy events to do this; they naturally do it, method of drilling down into what went wrong erodes most of the time. confidence, increases anxiety, gets you stuck in what Sourced from his blog - posted on cannot be controlled and increases the fear of failure for

26 October 2012 . P a g e 8 The PowerPlay V O LUM E 1 1

science is being implemented in various countries have had actions which place severe stress around the world and the degrees of this imple- on their bodies and even through various mentation vary greatly from almost non-existent to attempts at improved conditioning, work- sports science being used all the time. The major- load maintenance and sport science inter- ity of the teams, of which many have been inter- ventions have still got injured. national outfits, have enjoyed great success so Secondly, age I believe is a very strong the question then is which approach is right? And consideration. If there is to be any imple- the answer in my opinion is that we have to find a mentation of strict workload management it happy medium in cricket. should be done up to the age of 23 and then common sense must prevail. At inter- There are some cricket teams that are currently experiencing some rather frequent injuries to their national level we are currently fortunate fast bowlers and these are teams that are seen to enough to have 2 fast bowlers who are have the most extensive medical research pro- closing in on 40 consecutive tests together grams and access to the greatest amount of infor- and this has only been possible through mation related to injury, workloads, conditioning very sound techniques, sensible workload By Rob Walter and recovery best practices. If sports science and management, serious athleticism and out-

(Proteas Fitness Trainer) the product of its research were infallible then standing conditioning. And even after all surely this shouldn’t be happening??? that is said they may still pick up injuries along the way. Despite all the best inten- And therein lies the key, as sports scientists we tions to prevent this from happening!! In an Olympic year there is always a lot more must be very careful not to overplay the impor- talk in general on athlete preparation and tance of what we do and what we can offer to a Please don’t forget that this article is written what new (legal) cutting edge methods are team. At best we will only ever be able to offer by a sport scientist and aims only to add being used in order for sportspeople to gain small points of difference here and there. That some perspective or insight from my van- the extra couple of % that will hopefully see said, on any day it may well be these small differ- tage point having been involved in the them to victory. In essence cricket at interna- ences that give our teams the edge and that is game at various levels for a decent period tional level has been no different with very why we keep pushing to find these interventions. of time now. It is our responsibility to con- little difference between the top sides, the But when we place the importance of sports sci- tinually seek ways to move the game for- question then has to be weather sports sci- ence above the actual skill and ability to perform ward and I would like to think that there are ence in the team environment can actually this skill under pressure we are entering into dan- various interventions which I have pio- provide such points of difference? gerous territory. neered along the way but I have seen too many environments where sports science in particular is a very unique action Let me start by saying that by way of a tertiary has taken centre stage with the belief of all qualification, I am a sport scientist and the that we as humans were probably not designed to involved, and that includes coaches, that majority of my early involvement in cricket has do. At the end of the day similar to any condition- this would ensure on-field success. Unfor- ing program you have to be conditioned to bowl been as the fitness trainer of various teams. tunately this may be the case in some Although I have never been one to be caught and in order achieve this at some point you will Olympic individual discipline but it is not the up too much in the scientific ‘nitty-gritty’, I have to expose your body to similar physical re- case in a highly skill-driven team sport such quirements that you will encounter in the heat of have continually tried to implement new as cricket where there are so many differ- strategies/training styles/recovery methods to battle and this cannot be done in a gym or on a ent aspects that form part of the on-field running track. There are however various consid- assist the players in whichever way possible performance outcomes. to perform on the field. I have however along erations of which technique and age are for me the way learnt that an obsession with sports the most important considerations of the lot. There science and its implementation in cricket can have been bowlers through the course of time in fact be counter productive. Why? who purely as a result of the sound nature of their actions have had very few injury concerns, and I have now had a chance to see how sports the converse to that is that of the bowlers who

Some more recommended reading for all levels of coaches The PowerPlay V O LUM E 1 1 P a g e 9

Written by: John Bailey

After some 18 months of planning and thorough preparation that consisted of numerous workshops with Braxton Consulting and consultations with the respective Provincial Coaching Managers, the coaching module of the CSA Peformax Management system was finally launched towards the end of October, signaling the start of a new era in the management and development of coaches in our country. Subsequent to the site going ‘live’, Anton Ferreira, Marli van Schalkwyk and I conducted interactive workshops at the national age-group tourna- ments during December to introduce this particular system to the provincial junior coaches and managers, and to familiarise as many individuals as possible with the functionality and features of this impressive programme. This provided an ideal opportunity to create greater awareness of Peformax and I feel this opened a lot of coaches’ eyes and properly explained what all the hype of the past 2 years or so has been about. The following are some of the benefits to coaches loaded onto the Peformax system: • every accredited coach now has a personal foot print in the CSA system • each year Yogi sends out literally hundreds of coaching-related articles, information and links via his office to the Coaching Managers for further dissemination. From the feedback the office has received from many regional coaches around the country, much of this information still does not reach the intended recipients. These articles will now be sent directly to every coach on the system (a total of 1758 coaches are currently loaded) and the only requirement is for each coach to access his/ her profile and load a relevant e-mail address • coaches will now be easily contactable by either their local Affiliate/ Associate or the CSA office • a coach has the capacity to load his/her coaching CV onto the system for any relevant person to access or reference • Peformax provides an interactive and online vehicle for continuous education & further development and course assignments can be circulated or submitted electronically and directly • individual accreditation and a national database is updated automatically • the system is designed to prompt coaches for any required refresher courses and will now flag if you are eligible for a higher level course • there is no cost to the coach whatsoever All of you reading this edition of PowerPlay should already be loaded onto the system and have had your username communicated to you. If not, please contact your local Peformax Administrator at your cricket office, it really is in your interest especially as being on Peformax will be a re- quirement to attend any CSA accredited course in future. On entering the site as a coach you will see the following options at the top of the page;

Profiles – will give you access to any players loaded under you Match Statistics – gives you access to statistics and figures generated by all SA National, Franchise and Semi-pro matches to a level that you cannot possibly find elsewhere. This will provide you with information that you can relate to any side or individual you work with and supply bench- marks to compare individual players from different teams with each other, ranging from dot balls faced in the first Power Play to the number of fours hit in the last three years! As an example, here are some screen shots and a pie chart of the entire match highlighting Hashim Amla’s recent batting performance against Australia on the 30 th Nov 2012 .

The pie chart of the entire Match;

This is against spin in the entire match; P a g e 1 0 The PowerPlay V O LUM E 1 1

This is against seam in the entire match;

And here are some of the overall stats;

This is just one tiny example of the information available so access the site and check out the rest for yourselves. Conditioning – This is really for the representative coaches and it allows them to view the daily monitoring created by each player under their guidance. The system is designed to assign a loading to the physical work done by each player and flag under- or over-exertion amongst other things. Medical – This is also for representative sides and allows doctors and physics to load reports against a particular player Reviews – This is also for representative sides and allows the coach of that squad to review each player (and vice versa), facilities, transport, pitch conditions, umpires etc. Documents and Calendar – This is a great tool for any coach. Any of you that have players loaded to you at any level can send documents to one, some or all of these in a couple of clicks of a button. You could for example forward any relevant info sent from Yogi directly to your players. The calendar tool allows you to create a series of entries on a player’s calendar indicating events like nets, fitness testing, meetings, proposed tours etc., know that they received it and get feedback from them as to availability. Any players loaded under you will have their Peformax calen- dars available to you to view. Videos – This allows the coach to distribute videos to players or other coaches for whatever purpose they see fit.

I really do urge all to go into Peformax under your coach profile and get out all you possibly can. The address is ;

www.peformaxcsa.co.za Please note that there is no ‘r ‘ before the f in Peformax. Once in for the first time you will be prompted to change your password, this gives you your own security settings and then fill in your details. In conclusion, I would like to relay some feedback from Corrie and Anton. They were recently overseas and chatted to many people from around the cricket world. Many have databases, but no other country has the capability that Peformax offers. Let us make sure that we all contribute to- wards the use of Peformax to ensure that South Africa remains at the top of the cricketing tree – where it belongs .

The PowerPlay V O LUM E 1 1 P a g e 1 1

CSA COACHING PROVINCIAL COACHING MANAGERS DEPARTMENT Boland: Border : Easterns:

Tel: (021) 862-4580 Tel: (043) 709-9710 Tel: (011) 746-9000

[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

Contact person : Contact person : Contact person :

Morne Steyn Deon Muller Anthony Mabuya

071 863 6920 082 086 7024 083 499 1577

Anton Ferreira Manager: Coaching EP: Free State: Gauteng: Tel: (041) 585-1646 Tel: (051) 447-5715 Tel: (011) 340-1500 Tel: (012) 362-9892 Fax: 086 636 4021 [email protected] [email protected] hoosain@cricketgauteng. Cell: 083 212 2362 co.za Contact person : Contact person : E-mail: [email protected] Contact person : Jason Bowen Hilton Moreeng Hoosain Ayob 072 614 5890 082 447 7436 083 478 6719

Griquas: KZN: Northerns:

Tel: (053) 833-2601 Tel: (031) 335-4200 Tel: (012) 663-1005

[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

Contact person : Contact person : Contact person :

Shaheed Alexander Yashin Ebrahim Johan Muller Marli van Schalkwyk 083 765 9232 083 208 3545 083 659 3512 Coaching & High Performance Administrator

Tel: (012) 362-9892 Fax: 086 636 4021 NW: WP: Border Kei: Cell: 083 212 7221 Tel: (018) 294-6666 Tel: (021) 657-2003 Tel: (047) 534-2288 E-mail: [email protected]

[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

Contact person : Contact person : Contact person :

Jaco Peens Paul Phillipson Lennox Mkolo

083 454 4019 083 626 0511 073 399 9201

KZN Inland: Limpopo: Mpumalanga:

Tel: (033) 345-2791 Tel: (015) 295-9907 Tel: (013) 656-2773

[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

May Mahlangu Contact person : Contact person : Contact person : General Assistant Grant Morgan Mandla Mashimbyi Christo de Beer Tel: (012) 362-9892 083 584 0872 076 821 6605 071 316 4330 Fax: 086 636 4021

SWD:

Please contact your local Provincial coaching manager/co-ordinator Tel: (044) 272-6604 for any information regarding coaching courses, forums and other [email protected] Contact person :

coaching related activities in your region! Garry Hampson

073 265 3654