Contents...

• AC Coaching Topics (Intermediate and Advanced)
• Intermediate Topics
  • Break Hygiene - Keep it Going
  • Hampered Shots
  • Pioneer Rushed to Non-Ideal Position
  • Basic Hoop Running
  • Tricky Hoop
  • Break Building - Get it Started
  • Openings
  • Leaves
• Back to Basics!
  • Perfecting the Croquet Stroke - Know Your Ratios
  • Know Thyself
• Cannons
• 3-Ball Ending
• Practice Routines
• Bisques and How to Deal with Them
  • Giving Lots of Bisques
  • Giving a Few Bisques
  • Receiving Lots of Bisques
  • Receiving a Few Bisques
• Being an A-Class Player
• Introduction to Advanced & Super-Advanced Play
• Advanced Class: Opening and Leaves
  • Openings
  • Leaves
• Advanced Class: Peeling
  • Peeling Basics
  • "Perfecting" the Triple

AC Coaching Topics (Intermediate and Advanced)

These notes are to help AC coaches put together coaching sessions by picking from the ready-made groupings of topics.

2-4 topics can be covered in a 2-hour session, though some are 2 hours in themselves.

Intermediate Topics

Suitable for handicaps 12 and below (or those aspiring and nearly there).

Break Hygiene - Keep it Going

• Rush lines
• Multiple pioneers
• Move pivot around
• Ask yourself "where do I want to play the next croquet stroke from?"
• Rush after a hoop
• Get near enough
• Stand up on hoop approaches

Hampered Shots

• Laws - Faults
• Options - decide and commit, don't panic!
• Hammer shot - don't even try it!
• Up to 1" through the hoop - normal swing
• Through the hoop with 'roll hold'
• Sweep - make sure it's legal (no push, hand not resting on ground)

Pioneer Rushed to Non-Ideal Position

• In the jaws (review the laws) - options
• Behind the hoop
• Long way away

Basic Hoop Running

• Laws - starting to run, completed; hoop-and-roquet
• Stalk, relax, aim and hit!
• Where to aim - between the extremes
• Don't attempt the unlikely (if I run this angled hoop gently enough then I'll still get my rush)

Tricky Hoop

• Laws
• Options - decide and commit, don't panic!
• Remember the basics
• Jumps, slam - other 'trick shots' not recommended

Break Building - Get it Started

• Styles: aggressive or precision
• Use strokes such as thick take off, angled stop shot at boundary
• Think about cannons
• Plan picking up balls from corners
• 3-ball break - shallow pioneers
• Defensive options - next break
• Invest a bisque
• Shooting at doubles
• When to shoot
• Hit-in after opponent blobbed 1 (Irish peel opponent to 2)

Openings

• It's all about getting the first break
• Analysis technique - applies to all options
• Level-play options - standard openings
• Giving bisques options
• Receiving bisques options

Leaves

• Objectives
• When to start thinking about it
• Ball exchange - make last hoop off opponent
• Emergency
• Peg-out
• With bisques still standing
• Some standard leaves and how to get them - including 3^rd turn hit or ball round
• Defensive leaves - survive the lift, next break
• Setting up wirings - and what to avoid

Back to Basics!

Perfecting the Croquet Stroke - Know Your Ratios

• Straight
• Split
• Pull and drag
• Hoop approaches

Know Thyself

• Know your critical roqueting distance - practice
• Psychology - don't get despondent as the out player - the winning mindset
• Choosing your shot - make a rational decision and then hang the consequences, clear your mind
• Shooting - stalk, smooth swing, keep your head down

Cannons

• Laws - placing the balls (and moving them)
• Standard
• Wafer
• Worm
• Promotion
• Open

3-Ball Ending

• Options for 1-ball player
• Options for 2-ball player
• Use bisques to avoid big splits

Practice Routines

• Roquet - practice success and then increase the distance
• Croquet stroke ratios: drive, stop, roll, half-roll, full-roll, pass-roll
• Getting behind yard-line balls from yard-line position
• Rushing - use 3 balls, play a break keeping one ball near the peg, rushing to it after each hoop
• Roll to 1 from w boundary
• Roll to 1 from corner I
• Take off to 1 from behind
• Split from 1 to 2 & 3
• Play a break, when it goes wrong stop and think "where did it first start to go wrong?", rewind and repeat until shot is done correctly twice in a row
• Practise cannon from I(1), II(2) and IV(1)
• 2-ball break - how far can you get?
• Practise getting your chosen 'standard' leave
• Hoop approach & run cycle
• Approach 2 from II

Bisques and How to Deal with Them

• Know your opponent's strengths and weaknesses
• Don't underestimate your opponent (treat them with respect!)

Giving Lots of Bisques

• Be defensive or really aggressive if you have the skill

Giving a Few Bisques

• Play as if level
• Don't take risks
• Think about break construction

Receiving Lots of Bisques

• Shouldn't happen for long - just set up a break and win!
• Leave options

Receiving a Few Bisques

• Often the most difficult situation
• Use bisques to get an easy break

Being an A-Class Player

• Aim: Error free play
• Mindset
• A ball in II is a pioneer - lower risk break attempt
• Make it easy - get near to things
• Estimate probabilities, make a decision, and go for it
• Guarding a shot
• When to shoot

Introduction to Advanced & Super-Advanced Play

• Laws
• Openings
• Leaves

Advanced Class: Opening and Leaves

Openings

• Standard
• Duffer
• Corner 2
• Super shot
• Hitting on 2^nd turn
• Hitting on 3^rd turn - go round/dream leave

Leaves

• When to start thinking about it
• Diagonal Spread
• NSL
• OSL

Advanced Class: Peeling

Peeling Basics

• Peeling and problems
• Plan escape (ball)
• Straight peel issues
• Straight Rover peel
• Straight double peel
• Penultimate before 4-back

"Perfecting" the Triple

• Standard Triple
• Delayed Triple from missed lift

Dave Kibble - February 2019