The Federation aims to supplement the provision of coaching at clubs, and our Coaching Officer can put you in touch with coaches who can help at whatever level.
Like most games, playing croquet requires a skill set. Croquet is similar to golf in that you don’t have to hit a moving ball – but how you hit the ball is paramount to success. So getting some coaching at an early stage is essential so that bad habits don’t set in.
Most Clubs have a “Club-level coach” who can teach you the basics of the game. As you probably know there are two forms of croquet “Golf Croquet (GC)” and “Association Croquet (AC)” which, beyond the basics, are completely different in their objectives and manner of play. You can get a good idea of these games by watching the video coaching modules on Basingstoke Croquet Club where the former SCF coaching officer, Ian Harrison, guides you through the two formats.
To progress in croquet you can get higher level coaching from a Croquet England (CqE) recognised coach for AC or GC either in your Club or by means of a course offered through a local club or at one of the academies: the Chiltern Croquet Academy at High Wycombe, the Croquet Academy at Southwick and the Northern Croquet Academy at York.
Courses at the academies and elsewhere can be found via the CqE website. Courses are also available for experienced players who would like to become coaches themselves, or become referees for either code of the game, or become tournament managers. In these cases the SCF will reimburse course fees (but not travel & subsistence).
For more information about coaching you can contact Ruth Raunkiaer