Sam Lavery is Cricket Professional at Portsmouth Grammar School, Director of Cricket for Burridge CC and Head of PitchVision Jobs.

How much do you help learners to be adaptable?

In the modern game, a key part of cricket is the ability to have a range of skills to fit to any situation. Yet over the past 10 years, there's been an increasing focus on coaching towards "learning styles" and different preferences we have for either visual, auditory or kinesthetic learning. When you work with cricketers, you try to communicate in a style that suits. Sometimes you verbally explain a process; or it could mean referring back to video footage to give a player a visual awareness of what they're doing; whatever suits them best.

You do this for their benefit, as this is how they like to receive information. But are you benefiting them, or are you narrowing the flow of information they receive?

In further specialising the way in which they like to communicate we are closing off other avenues that they can use to learn: Almost getting a short term gain, an immediate hit of information, but not necessarily preparing them for the greater journey ahead.

Think about the brain as a whole: When a player is absorbing information visually one part of the brain is stimulated. A different part of the brain is working when it's digesting auditory information. If we hammer away with one method we're continuously developing one neural pathway, and in turn neglecting the others. Now consider the alternative: You stimulate different parts of the brain through varied methods of delivery. Different neural pathways are developed, and so are the avenues for processing information.

Imagine a cricketer that isn't limited in their learning, isn't hampered by their learning environment and doesn't become frustrated because they're unable to relate to those around them.

Now you have a player that is able to gather information in multiples capacities, from coaches with varying styles and methods of delivery.

Imagine a team of cricketers who all have this ability.

Suddenly group sessions can become all engaging. Individuals in the group aren't drifting off when words and numbers go up on the big screen, or when listening to prolonged verbal instruction.

By supporting the individual, understand their difficulties, and helping them through the process one step at a time all coaches can make this happen.

Learning is just another skill, isn't it?