The latest stage involved face-to-face practical components to build coaches’ knowledge. In addition to the technical basics of elite cricket, topics included Leadership, Programme Management, Communication, Skill Acquisition as well as Visual Technology and Data Analysis. One of the highlights was a bowling master-class with iconic fast bowler Courtney Walsh, who is the Head Coach of the West Indies Women’s Team.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the legendary West Indies batsman, was among the participants and he was very positive about the programme. “It is a lot of information being passed on. There are so many different and informative things, which we have gone through on this High-Performance Level 3 coaching course and I am very happy to be participating. It is very beneficial for all of us, this is where coaching is going, and it is very necessary that we are aware and equipped to be able to share the knowledge to our players,” he said.
Several other former international players participated including Nikita Miller, Garey Mathurin, Vishal Singh, Ryan Austin, and Rayad Emrit.
This is the first-ever locally planned and delivered High-Performance Coach Programme (Level 3) CWI which forms a key part of the “Cricket First” strategic plan, which includes investment in building coaching depth and quality across the region, especially considering the vital role coaches play in developing cricketers’ skills across all age groups and abilities both on and off the field.
The High-Performance (Level 3) programme has been designed by CWI Coach Development Manager, Chris Brabazon, in partnership with the University of the West Indies (UWI). It provides a number of the region’s best coaches with opportunities to further learn and develop contemporary coaching philosophies and techniques that will allow them to thrive in the high-performance environment of the West Indies Cricket Pathway.
The rigorous, holistic accreditation also consists of online discussions, tutorials, and ongoing mentoring. The course was delivered by CWI’s High-Performance staff, in conjunction with UWI representatives, to provide participants with unprecedented access to best practice case studies and frameworks from the elite levels of West Indies cricket and beyond.
Since beating Dave Cameron to the top post last year, Skerritt, who had said during his campaign that foreign coaches do not have the connection to the players that local ones do and that his administration would be providing opportunities for coaches from the region to contribute to team building, has hired three overseas coaches.
Skerritt’s administration has overseen the hiring of Coaching Education Manager, Chris Brabazon from Australia, Batting Coach Monty Desai from India, and Fielding Coach Trevor Penney from Zimbabwe.
But according to Skerritt, his administration has been forced to look overseas because of the paucity of expertise in the region and that his campaign did not mean he would not hire any coaches internationally.
“There is no reverse at all. First thing is that I didn’t say we would hire West Indian coaches only. I said we would adopt a West Indian-first policy, whereby, we would look at the individuals we have in the region, and if we cannot find the respective talent to fill those roles, then we would have to go overseas to do so,” said Skerritt in an interview with Jamaican newspaper The Gleaner.
According to Skerritt, not having the requisite expertise at the moment did not mean the Caribbean would never have these types of persons because one of the jobs of each of the persons contracted, is to coach the coaches in the region.
“These coaches have been hired with a contractual obligation to share their best practices, and this is a policy with which we are moving forward so that we can develop our local coaches. In a week’s time, Jimmy Adams and head coach Phil Simmons, as well as our CEO, Johnny Grave, will meet to further the discussion on coaching as we look to develop our game soon,” said Skerritt.
The events were aimed to upskill, assess and accredit local coaches and coach developers from the CWI Level 1 to Level 3 coaching programmes to support the West Indies Cricket Pathway.
In its promise to lift coaching standards, over the past three years CWI has delivered 552 new coaching certificates across eight Caribbean countries – 93 at Level 2, 129 at Level 1, and 330 at the Foundation Level. 16 CWI Coach Developers have also been trained to deliver Level 1 Courses locally.
A total of 25 participants took part in the face-to-face components of the CWI Competition Coaching Course (Level 1) and the CWI Representative Coaching Programme (Level 2) which were held concurrently at Kensington Oval. Among the coaches who completed the courses were West Indies players Dwayne Smith, Kirk Edwards, Shane Dowrich, Shayne Moseley and Charlene Taitt with a total of five female coaches participating along with several current and former first-class players.
Both cohorts participated in separate online modules throughout March covering theoretical aspects of coaching in preparation for the face-to-face part of the programme which covered practical modules such as biomechanics, skill acquisition, applied coaching and game sense.
“Initiatives like this are part of the CWI strategy to make coach-development opportunities more accessible and inclusive for anyone who would like to learn more about coaching and then use that training to actively grow the game in their communities,” said CWI Coach Development Manager, Chris Brabazon.
“The BCA did a fantastic job in promoting the courses and assisting with the delivery. In particular Coach Developers Rohan Nurse, Robin Paris and Hendy Springer are now able to present future Level 1 courses around Barbados as required. Also, the support from our UWI Coach Developers continues to be excellent in the development and delivery of our Level 2 and Level 3 coaching Programmes.”
Dowrich believes the course was beneficial.
“The course was very productive. I learnt a lot over the last couple of weeks, which included the online modules,” he said.
“It has been very interesting and opened my mind to a lot of things I haven’t been thinking about as a cricketer. It’s good to have the theory side and also look at how to apply that to the practical side, which we did here at Kensington. The education in this programme is critical and will help to improve cricket in the Caribbean.”
Brabazon was also able to observe local coaches who are taking part in CWI’s first-ever locally delivered Level 3 Coaching Programme. Jamal Smith and Corey Yearwood are taking part in the ongoing 12-month programme and were observed during their respective coaching sessions at Kensington Oval and Pickwick Cricket Club.
The aim of the initiative is to provide accessible, ongoing personal development opportunities for local coaches to further prepare and inspire them to have a positive impact on the players within their communities.
Former West Indies Captain and current CWI Director of Cricket, Jimmy Adams will be involved in the delivery of all events, alongside CWI Coach Development Manager, Chris Brabazon and local Coach Developers Philip Service and Gibbs Williams.
The events will include several two-day practical coaching components of the CWI Competition Coaching Course (Level 1) which will be held at both the Trelawny multi-purpose stadium on the island’s north coast on 5 and 6 December and at the historic Sabina Park in the capital Kingston on 8 and 9 December.
“It has been a massive year for our CWI Coach Development programme with over 40 face-to-face and online courses and workshops delivered to over 730 coaches,” said Brabazon.
“To now be heading back to Jamaica to continue the work alongside such a high calibre line-up of presenters is very exciting and I am sure that the participants, the panel ourselves, and ultimately the local players will gain plenty from the interactions.”
Four CWI Coach Development Workshops will also be held each evening following the preceding accreditation courses. These free workshops are open to all previously accredited coaches and will cover both “Spin Bowling” and “Batting against Spin” on alternate nights. Former West Indies and Jamaica spin bowler, Nikita Miller and current CWI Academy Head Coach, Andre Coley will also be involved in the delivery of these events which will utilise some talented young spin bowlers and batters from each locale.
“The upcoming week is part of CWI’s strategic objective to raise coaching standards across the region through a rigorous coach education and development programme,” said CWI Director of Cricket Jimmy Adams.
“On top of delivering the face-to-face component of the CWI Level 1 course, the specialist workshops will concentrate our efforts to address specific issues affecting our regional game.”
CWI will deliver a series of free events — featuring several former players and administrators — which include an Online Women’s Foundation Coaching Course for over 80 present and past players, an interview series with special guests that explores the past, present and future of West Indies women’s cricket, as well as several Cricket Development Workshops held in Antigua. The aim of these initiatives is to engage, inspire and recruit more female players, coaches and course facilitators.
CWI President, Ricky Skerritt, will address the participants at the start of the virtual training session on Tuesday evening. In response to a question following his speech at the recent UWI Frank Worrell Lecture series, Skerritt promised that West Indies Women’s Cricket would soon see an increased attention and focus which he said should help vitalize Women’s cricket and strengthen the female cricketer’s pathway from grassroots to the international stage. The President highlighted the recent appointment of Courtney Walsh, as one of the key steps already taken.
Chris Brabazon, the CWI’s Coaching Development Manager, will be part of the CWI team who will be delivering these events in collaboration with Territorial Boards, Ministries of Sport and a host of past greats and contributors to West Indies cricket.
“In what is a hugely exciting time for women’s cricket with the inaugural ICC Women’s Under-19s and Cricket World Cups on the horizon, we want to ensure that women and girls from across the Caribbean feel that they can be part of the game in a playing, coaching or administrative capacity at any level as their involvement is crucial to a thriving and sustainable cricket pathway,” Brabazon said.
“The response to this week’s Online Foundation Course has been overwhelming with over 80 women signed up to take part in the event which is a clear reflection of the passion that exists for the game. The course will be held online, via Zoom, over two evenings due to the present COVID-19 restrictions.
“We will also be releasing a series of interviews and presentations that highlight the rich heritage of women’s cricket, the current landscape and the future direction which will bring together some of the ‘best of the best’ to share their views including newly appointed West Indies Women’s Coach, Courtney Walsh, Jimmy Adams, Merissa Aguilleira and Anne Browne-John.”
This initiative is part of CWI’s “Cricket First” strategic plan to invest in building coaching depth and quality across the region, considering the vital role coaches play in developing cricketers’ skills across all age groups and abilities.
The High-Performance (Level 3) programme has been designed by CWI Coach Development Manager, Chris Brabazon, in partnership with the University of the West Indies (UWI). It provides a number of the region’s best coaches with opportunities to further learn and develop contemporary coaching philosophies and techniques that will allow them to thrive in the high-performance environment of the West Indies Cricket Pathway.
The rigorous, holistic accreditation, which started with an online induction on Sunday, September 19, will see 17 participants from across the region take part in a 12-month programme via a blended learning approach.
Among the coaches who are pursuing this highest level of accreditation are former West Indies batting great Shivnarine Chanderpaul; former West Indies international players: Rayad Emrit, Nikita Miller, Ryan Austin, and Garey Mathurin as well as Test batsman and current Guyana Jaguars player Vishaul Singh.
The course will consist of online discussions, tutorials, and ongoing mentoring as well as a face-to-face residential component to be held in Antigua in October 2021. In addition to the technical basics of elite cricket, topics will include Programme Management, Sports Psychology, Leadership, Communication as well as Visual Technology and Data Analysis.
Delivery of the course will be by CWI High-Performance staff, in conjunction with UWI representatives, to provide participants with unprecedented access to best practice case studies and frameworks from the elite levels of West Indies cricket and beyond.
CWI’s Coach Development Manager, Chris Brabazon, highlighted how the programme will significantly enhance high-performance cricket across the region.
“This programme will provide a huge boost to the upper echelons of our West Indies Cricket Pathway. By the end of our 12-month journey with these participants, we will have significantly added to our stable of local high-performance coaches,” he said.
“This group will understand how the role of a high-performance coach continues to evolve and how they can best manage themselves and their resources to create the best high-performance environments possible for their players in their current role whilst inspiring them to strive for the next step in their own coaching journey.”
In a brief address to the participants, CWI President Ricky Skerritt expressed his delight that the plan for self-sufficiency in modern coaching development was close to being fulfilled at CWI. He said that 29 certified Level 2 coaches had applied for the 17 available spaces, which have just been filled.
“Coaches must compete for places just like cricketers do. Competitiveness and education are two key components for achieving excellence in coaching,” Skerritt said.
President Skerritt informed participants that, just in the past two years, 497 new coaching certificates had already been delivered across eight Caribbean countries – 81 at Level 2, 116 at Level 1, and 300 at the Foundation Level. 16 CWI Coach Developers have also been trained to deliver Level 1 Courses locally.
“For our young West Indian cricketers to achieve their very best outcomes, all that we do to assist and support them must also be of the highest possible quality,” the CWI president said.
This forum will be the launchpad for the new CWI Coach Education Program, a key part of the new “Cricket First” strategy and investment plan to develop coaches and players to strengthen cricket in the West Indies for long-term success.
Newly-appointed Coaching Education Manager Chris Brabazon, international and franchise coaches will be working together to develop a framework as to how all coaches in the region will work and communicate together to improve player development and shape the players of the future.
“This is something I tried to initiate a few years ago in my previous stint as head coach and it's great that this was initiated in 2017 under Director of Cricket Jimmy Adams. I feel we can all learn from each other and all work together for the development of West Indies Cricket,” said West Indies Head Coach, Phil Simmons.
Adams said he was happy that the programme has been getting the backing it needs to ensure success.
“I am pleased that CW is putting resources behind player-development through the strengthening of its coaching pathway,” he said.
“We need to have all our coaches in the region playing a consistent and integrated role in player development and this forum will be a significant part of the process.”
CWI plans to use this forum to start building consistency throughout its coaching pathway, from U15s to international level by identifying current and future playing skills critical for international success and then determining the coaching pathway and education to develop those playing skills.
Following the West Indies Coaches Forum, Coach Education Manager Chris Brabazon will visit all regional franchises to meet with regional pathway coaches to understand how CWI can better support regional coaches and how all coaches can work together with the new Coach Education Program.
“There is no doubt that the role of the coach is vital at every level of the player pathway. These Coach Forums will be crucial to the creation of a coach development system that provides our coaches with the practical resources required to assist them to play their part in the player journey,” said Brabazon.
CWI President Ricky Skerritt, who will be making opening remarks at the forum, said bringing cricket specialists together to learn from each other, establish standards and plan strategy is a crucial component of CWI’s overall strategy.
“I am really pleased to see such a gathering taking place,” he said.
The coaches participating in the Coaching Forum are Andre Coley, Nikita Miller, Emmerson Trotman, Fernix Thomas, Wilden Cornwall, Esuan Crandon, Stuart Williams, Andrew Richardson, Roddy Estwick, David Williams, Vasbert Drakes, Floyd Reifer, and Pedro Collins.