Hampton School embracing challenge of teaching technique

Coach focused on helping pupils to master the fundamentals

In a world of boundaries, yorkers, reverse ramps and the googly, it is something easy to forget how some of the best players in the world reached a point where those skills became second nature.

Ultimately, they can be delivered thanks to mastering the fundamentals and ensuring you are technically proficient.

But convincing the next generation that treading those hard yards can be tricky. It is one of the challenges faced by Hampton School cricket coach Chris Harrison, who regards technique as a key element of the programme.

"We educate them on how to train and how to get better," he tells The Cricketer.

"We teach them on how to train properly, what to do if without a coach there. A lot of our work will be working in pairs so they're dependent on each other rather than a coach driving it all the time. 

"So for example at the end of our programme when you see our seniors train they are very independent, they know they have to do throw-downs, they've got to bowl on the side and hit a target. There is not a culture of just nets here. We want them to train properly, and we teach them and improve.

"Constant messaging really: if you want to get better this is how you're going to do it. We're going to help you do that and we'll engage you that way. The reward is you'll improve, you will get better and enjoy the game, you'll build your confidence. We explain the importance."

Described as one of the school's long-serving coaches, who has rubbed shoulders with Andrew Flintoff, Graeme Swann and Mark Chilton during his cricket journey, Harrison has found his outlook on lending his knowledge to others has developed. He now prefers a selective, hands-off approach.

"It is about not smothering them as a coach," he explains. "If you do well in a game, it is them who has done well. If they've done badly, the coach tries to facilitate them improving. 

"If they score a fifty it is all credit to them. There is no coach sitting by the side patting themselves on the back. It is all about the players. 

"We have a philosophy of if a player isn't doing that well, they will get more coaching time than a lad who is top of his game, scoring lots of runs so we'll look at players who are lacking the most confidence that is who we'll spend the most time with during the season."