Entrevistes

Complex biological systems, such as the human body, are degenerate (Kelso, 2012). By harnessing the inherent neurobiological degeneracy, skilled performers are able to individually and functionally adapt their motor coordination patterns during performance, exhibiting degenerate behaviours (Seifart et al., 2016). As the athlete develops (or has the ability to call upon), various motor solutions for achieving the same outcome or function, in uncertain or new environments, are established. This develops the performers ability to achieve a task goal correctly, quickly, efficiently and with resourcefulness; a capacity that Bernstein (1967; 1996) termed ‘dexterity’. Conversely, a spin bowling action with no order cannot perform effectively, yet a system with too much order (high magnitudes of rigidity) may also fail to perform effectively in response to the changing task constraints or competition demands.

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Given the high demands on international playing calendars (Higginson, 2018), in often hot and humid environments for extended durations (approx. 6 h/d), over successive days (Petersen et al., 2010) and on changeable pitch conditions (see James et al., 2005), it is proposed an ability to adapt rapidly to both the mode of the game and competition environment, has become increasingly important for the elite spin bowler. Recently, Crowther et al. (2018) advocated the requirement for spin bowler dexterity, demonstrating that environmental constraints i.e. the specific conditions of the pitch in test match cricket, may impact upon the tactics related to spin bowling delivery speed.

To support this, the findings in chapter 7 have shown the quadratic relationship between ball speed and economy in test cricket (r = 0.850; Figure 7.5b), highlighting that skilled behaviour (i.e. minimising runs scored) in test match finger spin bowling require a capability to not only modulate ball speed to an optimum of 57 mph, whilst bowling an accurate bowling line and length, but also apply a long-axis rotation of the bowling arm to apply maximal spin. Whilst these reports demonstrate the impact of ball release speed on bowling performance in test match cricket, it is suggested coaches and support staff consider the practicalities in undertaking such complex bowling task demands, particularly given the linear trend observed between line and length variation (i.e.

consistency) and increases in ball release speed (Figure 7.7a).

These findings have important implications for the design of development programs and training environments, particularly ensuring that practice is representative of test match competition. The use of representative practice tasks and learning opportunities, ensure performance tests of bowling expertise are predicated on the key information sources and performance indicators, attributed in such performance contexts (Conner, Farrow &

Renshaw, 2018). These are likely to be an important factor in helping to facilitate skill, accelerate adaptable behaviour and address factors such as goal orientations, confidence and performance anxiety (see Headrick et al., 2015).

135 8.5.3 Representative practice design

Ecological Dynamics proposes how training environments may be designed to provide athletes with opportunities to attune and calibrate their intentions (Pinder et al., 2011).

Such learning designs can enhance athlete adaptation to the requirements of a competitive performance environment, ready to self-regulate their behaviours as a competitive event unfolds, whilst providing additional context to the evaluation of athlete performance.

Performance analysis plays in key role in this design process by investigating elite competition behaviours and factors attuned to successful performance. This can enrich the understanding of athlete’s interactions with the environment during practice, revealing significant links between performance strategies, psychological states and tactics to apply (e.g. ball flight parameters in test cricket: Chapter 7)

One restraint that coaches may struggle with is the application of this insight, due to a lack of appropriate facilities or technologies to accurately track ball flight. At the National Cricket Performance Centre in Loughborough, UK, access to such facilities e.g. an indoor Hawk-eye ball tracking system (Hawkeye innovations, Basingstoke, UK), is not such an issue. As such, it is proposed that there is an opportunity to develop a representative training environment based on creating learning opportunities, governed on the principles of Ecological Dynamics, that encourage self-organisation under bowling task constraints.

It is aimed that adopting this theoretical framework to guide the analysis of the performance data previously reported in Chapter 7, moves cricket performance analysis beyond merely documenting discrete variables from isolated events within competition and into more impactful applied practice.

136 8.5.4 Exploratory spin-bowling task

In the suggested activity, a task constraint is designed to facilitate the exploration and progression of elite finger spin bowling skill, with specific focus on the three bowling parameters most attributed to impact on finger spin bowling economy in test cricket i.e.

bowling line, bowling length and ball release speed (see Chapter 7). Simulating these conditions allows practitioners to model task constraints to shape intentions, perceptions and actions influencing performance (MCcosker et al., 2019). This provides the learner with opportunities to explore a variety of task solutions (Davids et al., 2012), whilst the coach plays a passive role in the learning process, with an absence of coach directed skill development through corrective instruction.

In this example, a bowler is tasked to bowl sixty deliveries (a bowling spell of ten overs) to an opposing batsman, under conditions closely aligned to match performance thus demonstrating representative task design and ecological validity. With the use of the Hawk-eye™ ball tracking system (Hawkeye innovations, Basingstoke, UK) and the Trackman doppler radar (Trackman A/S, Denmark), the bowler receives instant, visual feedback of a deliveries line, length, release speed and ball spin rate. Based on the quadratic regression equation (Table 7.2), a predictive bowling economy is calculated via a digital display (Figure 8.3). A coloured visual stimulus is provided to the bowler, representing whether predictive test match bowling economy of the current delivery is greater or lesser than the previous delivery. This enables the athlete to direct their own learning, with the feedback display permitting the learner to take responsibility for their own development.

Driven by analysis undertaken in Chapter 7, the first step of the learning process to occur is the ‘education of intention’ (Fajen, Riley & Turvey, 2009). This initiates the exploration of the perceptual-motor workspace (Newell, 1989), whilst problem solving to seek an effective solution to the ‘economy problem’. This forms a functionally adaptive, goal-directed behaviour as the learner attempts to meet the demands of the bowling task. The bowler should be encouraged that, any increases in release velocity (') should not come at the detriment of spin rate (6), as deliveries with high rates of spin and released at high velocities exhibit greater "_# than those with lesser magnitudes of 6 and '.

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Figure 8.2 - An illustration of the representative practice environment employing Hawkeye ball tracking, Trackman doppler radar (TM) and visual feedback display

The suggested training design provides an opportunity for integrating international match play performance analysis and the design of representative practice tasks. It is considered the exploitation of this task constraint may stimulate system ‘action dexterity’ (Bernstein, 1967) in elite finger spin bowlers, whilst simulating the key performance requirements that exists in competitive test cricket performance. The use of the task-goal, that is purposely open ended, i.e. ‘minimise bowling economy’ or ‘solve the bowling economy problem’, may provide a unique opportunity to analyse how elite performers address their movement functionality, adapt to the task and go about solving the problem (Conner, Farrow & Renshaw, 2018).

138 8.6 Future directions

Whilst there have been a number of studies describing how cricket coaches can utilise the theory of Ecological Dynamics into applied practice (e.g., Renshaw, et al., 2010;

Renshaw, Davids & Savelsbergh, 2010; Renshaw & Holder, 2010), to date, with the exception of Chapman (2015), no studies have investigated its usefulness in enhancing the skills of spin bowlers. As such, future studies should consider a comparison for the effectiveness of traditional coaching and the CLA in the development of 1) emerging spin bowling talent, 2) established elite performers and 3) spin mode.

The efficacy of a CLA in skill development must consider the stage of learning at which each participant is at and design interventions which challenge each participant appropriately. Whilst an Ecological Dynamics framework has been proposed to further develop spin bowling skill, the limitations for practically applying such a framework should be addressed appropriately. A risk in propositioning these suggestions, is that coaches may express the view that such ideas are ‘interesting’ however are too difficult to comprehend practically. This difficulty may lead coaches to question the value of the information presented and validity of knowledge content (Stoszkowski & Collins, 2016).

It is therefore suggested the application of skill acquisition specialists who are trained in Ecological Dynamics work alongside coaching personnel, as challenging existing practice requires an aligned vision for change from researchers, coaches, support staff and coach educators alike (Cushion, 2013). This multi-disciplinary approach adds pragmatism to the process, avoiding the perception of innovative pedagogy as a ‘fad’ and attaching new rhetoric to old ideas.

8.7 Conclusions

This chapter has described key ideas from Ecological Dynamics that can frame the micro-structure of practice, whilst challenging the application of traditional coaching practices which is prevalent in spin bowling coaching today. It propositions that coaches are designers of learning environments and that both learning, and performance improvements are seen as emerging from the interaction of key constraints (related to task, learner and environment). Taken together, the principles considered highlight the nature of change, emphasising that skill is developed not because of either a genetic

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program or alignment to a desired movement model, but by a seamless interlacing of internal and external events in time.

The traditional coaching model, whilst grounded in repetition to increase the automaticity of movement (Seifart & Davids., 2012), informs athletes on how to bowl spin, commonly with a desired movement pattern or template in mind and based on the experiential knowledge of the coach. It is argued this may promote much stability in the coaching process, leading to a reliance on non-specifying information sources and rigidity in task that may limit success in new conditions (Renshaw et al., 2009). Although spin bowling skill exhibits a necessity for some stable or repeatable characteristics, we have evidenced that skilled performers are not solely locked into rigidly stable solutions but are required modulate their behaviours to achieve consistent performance outcome goals (Davids et al., 2013).

Ultimately, coaches are powerful figures in creating, developing and shaping the experience of the athlete (Townsend & Cushion, 2017). Adopting an Ecological Dynamics framework may provide spin bowling coaching with an understanding for how performer, task and environmental constraints shape an athlete’s individual performance.

Embracing an athlete - centred style, harmonious to constraint-led coaching, coaches can base learning design on the needs of the individual and provide new roles for instruction, demonstration and feedback (Renshaw et al, 2012; Renshaw & Holder, 2010). Because the human movement system is degenerate, and the modern-day competition environment varied, spin bowling coaches need to provide a wide range of information sources by ‘affording opportunities to act’ (Araújo, Davids & Hristovski, 2006), achieving movement goals to manage both predictable and unpredictable changes in sports performance landscapes. It is desired these considerations aid talent development pathways and player selection procedures by examining how bowlers adapt to the requirements of test match cricket.

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