Stuart Barnes: Instilling belief key for new Ireland assistant head coach
- Published
Stuart Barnes left Somerset to join Ireland on an initial three-year contract
Ireland's new assistant head coach and national bowling lead Stuart Barnes has laid out his philosophy for getting the best out of players.
The 50-year-old, who left Somerset last month for the Ireland post, has arrived in Dublin to take part in training.
"It's about getting to know players, observing and then ultimately through a good and trusting relationship help the player to get better," said Barnes.
"Then push them over the line with as much belief as possible."
Barnes will also work with the women's squad - he says he would "love to have a part to play in developing an 80 mile an hour female Irish bowler!"
He will travel with he men's squad next month for seven ODIs against United Arab Emirates and Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi.
Gaining trust
"To my mind, coaching is all about building relationships and gaining trust with players. The best coaches I came across seemed to be those that had a style that I could relate to myself, and through early experiences," added Barnes.
"I guess I modelled myself on those coaches who went about their business quietly, were very knowledgeable, they challenged themselves and kept growing, but ultimately developed really good relationships with their players.
"As a coach, I believe that I am asking a player to get better, so therefore they are only going to get better if they become a slightly different player - otherwise you're just going to get the same all the time. And I believe the same applies to me and my own coaching life.
"As a coach you're often looking for young players with a good mindset - at the start I ask myself 'are they listening? Are they interested in what is being said or what they are seeing? Are they really into the game?'.
"Or are they not switched on. For young players who are serious about cricket, to my mind it's about getting out there and playing the game, enjoying it and understanding that you are going to fail - but failure is just about the process of getting better."