Does shortening the pitch make junior cricketers bowl better?

On Learning to Anticipate in Youth Sport

Elite sport offers a suitable setting to understand the ability to anticipate future events-a phenomenon that is central to animal life. Critically, however, whilst anticipation in sport has been studied for several decades, there have been few attempts to understand its development throughout childhood and adolescence. Additionally, whilst it is widely acknowledged that the need to anticipate emerges from temporal pressure, there has been no effort to understand the nonlinear effect that temporal demands have on the development of anticipatory skill. This is important as its consequences have different implications for sports authorities compared to an individual player. To bridge the gap in our understanding, this article draws attention to the mathematical concepts of concavity and convexity to explain the nonlinear relationship between temporal demands and the development of anticipatory skill. This viewpoint has implications for the design of junior sport, including the modification of rules, which has gained worldwide interest in recent years.

Scaling junior sport competition: A body-scaling approach?

The design of the junior sport competition environment plays a critical role in attracting and retaining children as life-long participants. Critically, however, the guidelines governing the design of junior sport are rarely scrutinized. With this in mind, our aim is to offer sports authorities a method to systematically assess the suitability of guidelines. The most popular junior ball sport competitions in Australia were assessed in relation to the scaling of task constraints and compared to children's corresponding physical maturation and/or performance measures. This assessment enabled the calculation of pi ratios, which were then used to categorise constraints as either (1) undersized, (2) appropriately sized or (3) oversized. Results revealed that most sports' ask children to play in oversized conditions, particularly in the under 9 to under 12 age groups and in boys' competitions. The task constraints that had the highest percentage of pi ratios appropriately sized were match duration and goal size. Comparatively, ball size and field length had the highest percentage of pi ratios classified as oversized. We contend that the systematic approach applied in this article should be used by sports authorities to understand the extent of scaling constraints in junior sport.

Children's coordination of the "sweet spot" when striking a forehand is shaped by the equipment used

Children’s movement coordination is significantly influenced by the equipment used when performing multi-articular actions. Previously we reported that scaled equipment (smaller racket and a softer ball), but not full-sized equipment, promoted a functional coupling between upper arm and forearm angles in children performing a forehand. However, it remains unclear whether the shoulder-racket distance—which is controlled by this coupling—is a performance variable. This study therefore advanced previous research by examining whether the shoulder-racket distance is associated with performance. We also improved our understanding of how the shoulder-racket distance is controlled by including the hand-racket segment in our biomechanical model. Twenty-one children performed 40 forehands in a hitting for accuracy task. Participants were randomly divided into two groups—a scaled equipment group and a full-sized equipment group. Results revealed that the shoulder-racket distance was a performance variable, as evidenced by: (a) its variance reduced closer to ball impact, (b) its distance at ball impact, but not at the start of the forward swing, differentiated good from poor performance, and (c) its distance was similar for both groups, implying that there was a “sweet spot” for striking a ball, regardless of racket size. We also showed that it is the shoulder-racket vector in state-space (i.e., distance and angle) that differentiates good from poor performance. Finally, the manner in which the shoulder-racket distance was controlled differed between the groups, with scaled equipment promoting a more distal control than full-sized equipment. Implications for skill acquisition are discussed.

Scaling the cricket pitch to fit junior players

Studies in several sports have shown the benefits of adapting the playing environment to fit junior players. Frequently the changes are pragmatic choices based on space constraints or existing line markings, or the result of simple scaling based on stature. In this study, a method of scaling the cricket pitch length is presented which is based on the age-specific size and performance of the bowlers and batters. The objective was a pitch length which enabled young bowlers to bowl good length deliveries while releasing the ball at a more downward angle, similar to elite bowlers. The steeper release angle has the benefit of reducing the sensitivity of the ball flight distance to the variability of ball release. Based on data from county standard under-10 and under-11 players a pitch length of 16.22 yards (14.83 m) was calculated, 19% shorter than previously recommended for under-11s in England. A shorter pitch also increases the temporal challenge for batters, encouraging a wider variety of shots and improved anticipation skills. Pitch lengths scaled in this way to fit the players' abilities as they develop will enable a more consistent ball release by bowlers and more consistent temporal demand for batters.

Designing Junior Sport to Maximize Potential: The Knowns, Unknowns, and Paradoxes of Scaling Sport

In this mini-review, we draw attention to an important yet relatively untapped topic in the developmental pathway - the design of junior sport so that it appropriately matches the functional capacities of children. Junior sport is a regular weekend activity for many children across the world, yet many will be required to prematurely play on a field or with equipment that is designed for adults. Herein lies an opportunity for sport administrators to nurture children's development in sport by appropriately manipulating the rules and dimensions of the game. The aim of this mini-review is to (1) draw attention to the value of scaling junior sport, (2) highlight paradoxes within the current scaling sport literature, and (3) emphasize a way forward for junior sport research. If we are genuine in our endeavor to tailor sports experiences for children, more sophisticated approaches to scaling those experiences are a must.

A shorter cricket pitch improves decision-making by junior batters

This study sought to determine whether playing on a shorter cricket pitch would lead batters to make more appropriate decisions about whether to play front foot or back foot shots. Based on an analysis of the shots played by top order batters against seam bowling in county under-10 matches, an age-specific "good length" region between 5.0 yards and 6.5 yards (4.57 to 5.94 m) from the batters' stumps was derived. This was where batters were uncertain whether to play on the front or back foot. It was then possible to define deliveries as "short" or "full" depending upon whether they bounced further from or nearer to the batter than the good length region. Club under-11 and county under-10 match data revealed that when playing on a 16-yard pitch batters played more back foot shots to short balls, and county batters also played more front foot shots to full balls compared with matches on the currently recommended 20- or 19-yard pitches. For batters, a shorter pitch should strengthen the coupling between the perception of delivery length and appropriate shot selection, and the increased task demand should lead to improved anticipation, both key features of skilled batting.