Need to give them interesting exercises to develop accuracy of placement.

Need to spend time on developing a well timed swing that can be used for most shots, and teach them how to use this and placement of feet to assist with accurate placement of balls.

Seems to help if, in coaching sessions and even occasionally during games, if you give a score out of ten – I never give 10 as no-one is perfect – think about out of 5 for each ball in a croquet stroke.

Don’t encourage sloppy play by saying that the result is OK if it is not – encourage players to strive for accuracy. I am told that a senior coach will not include a player in coaching if on that day they do not do 12 hoops and peg out in under 29 strokes!

Before every stroke the player should check if there are obstacles in the way of the intended path so they know how far to roquet the ball.

Before every rush work out where you want to do the croquet stroke, and if possible if it can be a straightforward stroke that uses the normal swing – it can be either a straight croquet stroke or a split croquet stroke.

Before approaching the hoop work out the desired paths of all balls between the hoop and the next hoop, including loading hoop plus one and bringing in the fourth ball. This will determine what side you put the reception ball on, and what type of approach stroke (determined by where you want the rush to after running the hoop).

Before playing the first stroke determine which of your sides’ two balls it is better to play.

Encourage the development of a well timed swing, hands together, and use this swing for the vast majority of shots including hoop running, rushes, take-offs etc. Use rushes to move balls to a point where a straightforward drive is the stroke to use. Look at exploiting rush lines, and rushing a ball onto the rushline of the next ball to be used.Work out the priority in each stroke, e.g. is it to get an accurate loading or is it to get an accurate rush. Once this is worked out, then the player concentrates on the more important position.

Discourage rush loading hoop plus one, especially after hoop 6.

Use foresight, rush line theory and straight forward strokes to develop the skill of rushing ball to rush line of next ball when pulling a break together and keeping a break going. Encourage rushing balls to borders near the next hoop (for hoops 1 to 4) in breaks so the croquet stroke is straightforward (you can use the hoops when determining the sort of shot needed). Keep asking why do you rush to borders – they should be able to answer ‘it is easier as you do not have to control the distance’. Encourage rushing balls on to the rush line of the next target ball if the target ball is wayward. Encourage, in setting up a leave, setting the rush to the opponent ball least likely to be moved in preference to setting the rush to the target hoop.

If the opponent always goes back together, set the rush to a point where you can drive your partner ball to hoop plus one, and use the opponent balls (keep them close together) to get the rush to your hoop.

Teach the moving pivot in a four ball break, and show how to rush the pivot ball onto the rushline of the pioneer and then send it back into the court while approaching the pioneer along its rushline. Train players to work backwards from the ball to be used to make the hoop through the other two or three balls available using the rush line of each ball to the next ball or hoop. Some try and work from roqueted ball to hoop.

Teach that making a hoop is not the aim every turn. Some turns should be ‘set out’ turns where opponent balls are placed as good pioneers at your hoops and your balls end up near or on the yardline with a rush to the opponent ball least likely to be moved (preferably onto that ball’s rushline) or to where the ball played by the opponent will end up.