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.

12 June 2004
by John Riches

Wendy Davidson's articles have been quite good, but there are some statements made in her latest one, "How to Improve Your Game", which I believe could be less than helpful to someone who really wants to improve as quickly as possible  -  and that covers almost everyone.

1.  She says: "the majority of your practice should involve rushes and drives, with minimal time spent on practising big rolls".

This may be OK for a raw beginner, but if the player wants to improve rapidly, then as soon as possible I would advise him to go out, preferably wth the help of a good coach, and learn to split from any hoop to the next two.  Never mind working to improve your roqueting, hoop running, rushing, etc., as these can come later.  If you want to start winning games, learn to play the "bread-and-butter" splits.  Everyone is capable of splitting from hoop 1 to send a ball to hoop 3 and go to a pilot ball at hoop 2, even on a heavy lawn, provided they have a suitable mallet and the right technique.  Until you can do that, there is nothing else as important for you to work on.

2.  Another quote:  "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."

I would say that if your opponent in your practice games is not trying his utmost to beat you, then you should find another opponent to practice against.

The only reason for making breaks is to win games.  If the attempt to make breaks means that you are losing games you could have won, then don't make them.  However you (and your opponent) should soon discover that playing to make breaks is the only way to give yourself a good chance of winning  -  and that is why you do it.  When a player says to me, "I lost, but my opponent played a terrible Aunt Emma game and made no attempt to play breaks", my answer is always, "I only wish all my opponents would do that!"

3.  A slightly longer quote: "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."

This is a misconception fostered by those who have the knowledge but cannot put it into practice.  The better player is the one who can win consistently, regardless of what he knows or how he goes about it.  If I thought I could win more games by playing Aunt Emma stuff, I would do it every time.  If a player can beat me consistently that way, then his handicap should be lower than mine, no matter what sort of game he plays.

4.  And again: "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."

On the contrary, NEVER ask for or accept an offer to re-play an unsuccessful stroke.  And even more importantly, never allow an opponent to do it, regardless of how much weaker than you he may be.  Instead, at the start of the game give him as many bisques as he might need  -  and then try as hard as you can to beat him.  I have often said to a newcomer, "You have 20 bisques.  Use them wisely, because I'm coming after you!"  If he beats me (which he should do if I have given him sufficient bisques), then he gets fewer bisques next time, and can see that he is making progress.  If you allow him to replay strokes you take away any possible sense of achievement from whatever he might acomplish, and negate his competitive instinct.  We always instructed players at our club to NEVER allow the opponent, beginner or not, to have a shot again, or to take extra bisques.  Agree on the number of bisques before the game, then stick to it. 

Strangely enough, this objectionable and patronising (even if well-intentioned) attitude from experienced players of allowing a beginner to have shots again seems to occur most commonly when the newcomer looks like beating them!

Apparently there is less shame attached to losing a game when you have been giving the opponent extra shots and helping to coach him.

The rest of Wendy's advice is very good, but I would want people to be aware of the dangers I have explained here.  Your excellent "natural handicap" system seems a far better way of encouraging players to play breaks and getting them involved in serious competition as soon as possible.