CROQUET COACHING: How to Teach Croquet

2 February 2005
by Leo Nikora

I have very definite ideas about this.  Not everyone agrees with me.

First, have them play Golf Croquet.  Just go out and start hitting balls and running hoops.  It's a lot of fun right from the start.  As they play a few games, you can start teaching them how to swing properly.  When they want to start hitting enemy balls out of position, you can teach them how to roquet. When they want to make hoops from further away, you can teach them how to run hoops properly.

After they've learned the order of the hoops, and they've mastered all the one-ball shots of croquet, they're ready of "real" croquet.

Second, teach them how to run a four-ball break!  That's what we're all trying to do.  It shows them that they can run more than one hoop per turn. It introduces them to two-ball shots, and why they should know them.  I have a special way to teach four-ball breaks, which is shown below.

Third, have them play games using Natural Handicapping.  Give them enough bisques to run both balls to hoop #4B.  For rank beginners, that's probably 30 or even 40 bisques!  That way every game goes to the peg; there are no boring 3-2 games.  They learn to give and take lifts.  They learn end-game strategies like pegging out opponent.

Fourth, teach them good bisque management.  See an example below.

Fourth, as they play better, keep lowering their Natural Handicap.  If they win a game with bisques left over, that's a good reason to lower their handicap.

That's the quickest, easiest, and most enjoyable way for a beginner to learn to play croquet.

TEACH FOUR-BALL BREAK

1.  Place ball near peg.  Ask beginner if he can make hoop #1?  Answer is "no", it's impossible.

2.  Place another ball beside the first ball.  Ask beginner if he can make hoop #1?  Answer is "yes", but it's very hard.  Have him try the roquet, take off to #1, and run #1.  He'll fail every time.

3.  Place first two balls back at the peg, and place a third ball in front of hoop #1.  Ask beginner if he can make hoop #1.  Answer is "yes", it's easy.  Have him do it.

4.  Have him do it again, but show how and why to split hoop #1.

5.  Have beginner split hoop #1, and run it.  Ask beginner if he can make hoop #2 now?  Answer is "yes", but it's very hard.

6. Place fourth ball in front of hoop #2.  Ask beginner if he can make hoop
#2 now?  Answer is "yes", it's easy.

7. Point out he'll want a ball at hoop #3 after he runs hoop #2.  Ask beginner which ball should go to hoop #3?  Answer ball at hoop #1.

8.  Show beginner how to croquet ball to hoop #3, and point out that ball at peg is in just the right spot.  Have him do it, and adjust positions of both balls if need be.

9.  Point out that he's back in the same position as step 3, except one hoop further on.  Point out he could keep doing this all the way around the court!

10.  Have beginner run the break to the peg, adjusting ball positions if needed.

BISQUE MANAGEMENT

For example, beginners cannot split hoop #1 from the East boundry: each ball ends up a long way from the hoop.  They miss the hoop, of course.  When they take a bisque, they probably miss the 10-foot roquet, and have to take another bisque.  When they finally make the roquet, they have to split hoop #1 from many feet away, and from the back side.  It can often take three or four bisques total.