Sabina Park was the venue for a Cricket West Indies (CWI) Level Two coaching course which catered to 20 Jamaicans who have completed foundation and Level One certification December 12-16.

The course, which will be delivered across CWI’s territorial boards, was designed through a partnership with The University of the West Indies (UWI). It is delivered with the assistance of tutors from The UWI and CWI’s recently appointed Coaching Education Manager Chris Brabazon. The delivery at Sabina Park also incorporated the services of two CWI cricket specialists, Jamaicans Phillip Service and David Bernard Jr. Prior to execution in Jamaica it was delivered in Barbados, Guyana, and the Windward Islands.

CWI director and Jamaica Cricket Association President Wilford “Billy” Heaven said, “This course is part of the CWI’s ‘cricket first’ strategy which is aimed at improving the human capital which supports talent development at all levels. This coaching education focus is done for foundation through to Level Three. We are building capacity in different areas so that we can develop quality players and winning teams.”

He added: “The Cricket Education Manager will add to the process a focus on the methodology used by the coaches. The pedagogy of any subject is quite important. All our players don’t learn the same way and that is being taken into consideration.”

Meanwhile, Barbazon believes that coaching in the region is trending in the right direction, though there exists a gap. “Other countries are more advanced in terms of their accreditation systems already being in place. Once the system is in place then more workshops and seminars can be done to build more on what is learned during a course. It allows for greater focus to be placed on getting coaches to the top levels over shorter periods than currently exist.

“I’m enthused by the positive attitude of the coaches. The next step is to take a look at all the Level Two coaches across the region and organise a Level Three course over the next 8-12 months. Thereafter we will seek to strengthen the various cohorts and better the franchise coaches and so on,” he added.

The UWI tutor Ryerson Bahgoo noted, “Level Two focuses on identifying a player’s strengths and weakness and with the intention to reinforce and strengthen. The Level Two uses a more cooperative approach to coaching through observation and implicit learning using cricket drills. Coaches who have successfully completed the Level Two certification may coach in senior clubs and secondary schools which plays competitive cricket.