CROQUET COACHING:  How to Improve Your Game

4 Activities You Need to do Regularly

 1. Targetted practice

• You have to practise with a purpose – set targets, and repeat the exercise until you reach the target (if the target is reasonable), or break the exercise down into its components and practise the stroke that is letting you down, then try the exercise again.
• Practise does not make you perfect, perfect practise might. There is no use practising something with incorrect technique, or practising a tactic that is not ‘textbook croquet’. For example, quality croquet is a rush—drive game and not a tap—roll game, so the majority of your practice should involve rushes and drives, with minimal time spent on practising big rolls, especially if the technique used in the rolls involves pushes and/or double taps.
• One hour of quality practice does more for your skills and tactics than a three hour game. You can repeat strokes that went wrong until you master them. You can try things that you would not in a game because it does not matter if you miss a ball.

2. Appropriate coaching

• You have to be selective in what you take into your game when ‘coaches’ either accredited or non-accredited tell you things. Lucky are those who join a club where the majority of the club play ‘textbook croquet’, either badly or well, but at least trying to make breaks is the main activity, not winning at all costs.
• Remember, there are a number of croquet texts that can be helpful, and can provide a coaching medium. Lucky are those who can learn from technical books.
• Coaching should be appropriate to your stage of development, there is no use trying to teach you to triple peel if you cannot make an all round three ball break.

3. Playing better players

• ‘Better’ does not necessarily equate with lower handicaps – sad to say there are many players, especially in NSW, who have reduced their handicaps down to single digits without knowing how to make long breaks. ‘Better’ equates with knowledge of breaks, of setting out the court for breaks and not for the next hoop only, of how to use bisques, of how to ‘groom’ the court to keep breaks going, etc.
• Before the game, ascertain if the opponent is willing to give you informal coaching during the game. Some players will even give you extra tries at a particular stroke.
• Most players lift their game when they play better players (and get sloppy in their play if they regularly play weaker players).

4. Watching quality games with a mentor

• A mentor will explain what the player is doing, and why. If you choose an appropriate game to watch you will see a player doing the things the coach has been teaching you.
• You will also see how the game is meant to be played, and will give you a target – you will see what is needed to lower your handicap if that is your aim.