A typical Positive Reinforcment response, to this excellent defensive shot, would be "They're on the back foot now!". Clearly, the batsman is on the front foot, but to the PR coached brain, this is irrelevant.

Positive Reinforcement (PR) is a set of psychological techniques, widely coached amongst the larger cricket clubs, devised to improve performance and, by extreme repetition, have a debilitating effect on the opposition. In its raw form, it can be a genuine attempt to encourage but this variation is rare and its more refined cousin, imported from South Africa and Australia, is far more widespread.

In the Grades, it has yet to establish a secure foothold, although its spread, through the ranks of Stoneywood Dyce C.C. and Mannofield, does mean that Grades clubs are more frequently exposed. In a more amateur fashion, Kintore C.C. have taken a PR approach in recent years, but it is only maintained when they are successful, unlike more experienced practitioners who adhere to it regardless of success.

In essence, the pseudo science (as it is now regarded) of PR can be summed up in this stanza from the satirical poem, entitled "Praise To He That Is Poor":

"Even when a wide is very wide,
or a full toss far too full,
praise your bowler far too loud
though he be such a tool.
And when your batsman thrunges
when he should be getting in
praise him with hearty hooting
though he be thick as sin
And should your fielder drop one
dolly catch or not
praise him like a hero
though he be an effing clot"

Anon.

PR phraseology

PR has become such a contentious issue in Californian cricket circles, that State governer, Arnold Schwarzenegger launched a scheme to wipe it out.

Most serious PR exponents make use of a stock phraseology that is applied at the appropriate juncture in a game. Although the vocabulary used is akin to sledging, there is no humour involved and it is largely, mechanical, even robotic, in it's delivery. Below are some examples of the most common phrases and their usage.

• When a batsman hits your bowler for six - "It's in the air!"
• When a batsman plays a late cut through your slip cordon - "Oooh! Edgy!"
• When your batsman thick edges for four - "Great shot!!"
• When a batsman drives in the air through the cover region miles away from any of your fielders - "Catch it!!"

Repetition of these, and many other phrases, is as important as the words themselves (which can lose all meaning).

Positive reinforcement

The process of Positive Reinforcement should not be confused with the term, positive reinforcement, which refers to a naturally inherent empathic response to a potentially psychological trauma.

Additional note: Positive Reinforcement has been categorized as a "Pseudo science".

This page was last updated Tuesday, 15 April 2008