Robert Fulford

Being a good croquet player is all about winning (excepting gamesmanship issues). For me the best croquet players are not the ones who play the prettiest but the ones who minimise their risk of losing.

If you play a break you are faced with the decision of how hard to run each hoop. Rarely is it the case that the easiest pace to run the hoop at also happens to be the one at which will give you a perfect rush. Good players don't always go for perfect control, they make the right choice to give them the best chance of winning.

Prioritisation is a big part of playing. I perhaps didn't see Bob Jackson playing at his very best, but watching him in 1990 it was obvious why he was such a good peeler because he often chose to concentrate on the peelee making his breaks. In comparison to English styles at the time he took great liberties with the back ball. However he was good enough at keeping going in seemingly inaccurate positions that the risk was worthwhile for the chance of not giving the opponent another shot.

Chris Clarke

1. Make the correct tactical decision every turn.
2. Execute all shots adequately and consistently.
3. Maintain ability under pressure.
4. Play honestly and within the spirit of the game.
5. Win more games than the competition.

Wendy Davidson

From a coach's point of view, I like the five principles of quality Association Croquet that appeared in one Gazette.

1. Accuracy: being able to get the balls to end up where you want them to
2. Foresight: thinking ahead, and knowing where you want the balls, and why, then you can aim for accuracy
3. Straightforward Strokes: for some players this means croquet strokes with no or minimal angle between the lines the balls take. This because most players are more accurate with this type of croquet stroke. For me it means doing a drive or a stroke where I can used my well-timed swing - this well timed swing forms the basis of straightforward strokes and is used for all single ball strokes (including hoop running, rushing, and placement strokes) and at least 95% of croquet strokes. Placement of the feet allows me to use this swing to do most half and three quarter rolls.
4. Exploiting Rushes: croquet is a rush-drive game, rush to a point where the next stroke is a drive. To do this you need all the above.
5. Exploiting Rush Lines: chances of getting a desired rush are maximised if the striker's ball approaches the object ball along its rush line. To exploit rush lines you need all the above.

As a coach I use these five principles as the basis of my coaching. And players from the club are called 'good players' when they play in competitions at other clubs.

Sue Mackay

Well here's a perspective from someone who has taken nigh on 20 years to reach a handicap 10!

When I was stuck for years on 20 I always used to say that I knew what to do but just couldn't do it. I therefore considered shot making the biggest factor in becoming a good croquet player.

Club mates groaned when they drew me in a handicap competition because I could frequently do all round breaks with a fistful of bisques, but if the bisques ran out I would flounder.

Over the years I did improve my shot making, in particular my roqueting ability, mainly I suspect because I stopped trying to convince myself I was going to miss before I walked on the lawn.

As my shots improved, however, and the bisques started to be taken away as my handicap came down, I realised that in fact I didn't always know what to do, and that my tactics needed revising. My leaves in particular were, and still are, appalling.

A good croquet player needs good shots and good tactics and an ability to size up the game and adapt accordingly. As a 10 my shots are still not nearly good enough to think about triple peels etc. and I will probably never be a great player.

What made me a better croquet player *at my level* last season, however, when for the first time I achieved several all round breaks without bisques, was an improvement in my ability to think on my feet and 'rescue' breaks when the preceeding shot was not all it might have been. I still lose far more games than I should, though, probably because I don't have enough of a killer instinct and am not particularly competitive.

Finally, there is one shot which all the great players seem to have and which is not yet in my armoury, though I am improving, and that is the ability to rush a ball with precision to any point on the lawn.

Ah well, back to the practice lawn..