Have you ever thought about how often life doesn't go according to plan? It certainly has occurred to Darryl Woods.

Darryl is a coach who, like every one of us, has had times when training has been challenging. Things don't always go according to plan through no fault of the coach. It's in moments like this that you have to adapt. And if you are quick thinking you can claw victory from the jaws of defeat.

Recently I caught up with Darryl over Skype. In a wide-ranging chat about cricket at club, school and rep level we got to speaking about those moments where life gets difficult. I enjoyed some of the tips so much I asked if we could get them out to the wider world though this article. As you are reading this now, you know he agreed! So, here are some real life examples of how you can adapt.

Have you got some of your own?

1. When faced with a venue with very orange lighting, try stringing a white sheet between netball posts as a makeshift sight screen.
2. If indoor net matting is badly rolled up and bumpy, turn it upside down and make it a pitch that takes a lot of spin (keep the seamers out though).
3. In places with a lot of noise, tell the batsmen they are learning to play through distractions. This one came about when a ball accidentally hit a fire alarm that continue to ring for the rest of the session!
4. When lighting is poor, use spinners against the batsmen and have seamers bowl in empty nets. There is a large area between "unsafe" and "perfect" conditions. If you are sure it's safe to play but know it's a long way from ideal, you can still get a session in.

Adaptability and determination are skills that are not just for coaches. As a player, I'm sure you realise how you can benefit from honing your skills in getting a session done imperfectly but safely. That gives us our 5th tip: It builds your ability to adapt in the middle when things are not going your way.

This was a great chat with Darryl who is a talented and hard working coach. If you need some coaching in the UK and you are in the Oxfordshire area, drop him a line.

Have you had any moments in training where you have had to adapt? How did you deal with it? Your creative solutions in the comments please.