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Value of sport
The Benefits of Community Sport
Coaches
What Is a Coaching Philosophy?
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Sport Leaders & Administrators
Meeting the Needs of Youth
Featured
Coaching Your Own Child – 5 Tips for the Parent-Coach
Being a parent-coach presents a unique set of challenges. Coaching is all about relationships, but sometimes the relationship between a parent and child poses different demands to that of an athlete and their coach. Balancing both can be...
Coaches
Research: The real value of coaches
The value of a coach goes beyond the field The impact of a coach is felt far beyond the sport skills they demonstrate – they also help to improve the health and wellbeing of young people. A study that...
Parents
Research: Young people’s experiences of parental involvement in youth sport
This article is shared by Player Development Project Research paper by: Ase Strandbu, Kari Stefansen, Ingrid Smette, and Morten Rensio Sandvik The Big Idea “Involved parenthood” in organized youth sports is what these Norwegian researchers are attempting to...
Balance is Better in Action
The path to inclusion – World Champ para swimmer, Rebecca Dubber
Paralympic swimmer Rebecca Dubber spent most of her childhood being excluded from sport. She “tried” to play a range of sports – her parents took her along to wheelchair basketball where the coach failed to turn up to training, she...
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Parents
Webinar replay: Mastering the art of sports parenting
In this webinar, we talked with international sport parenting expert Professor Camilla Knight. Camilla outlined the various strategies that parents can employ to: Increase the chances that their child reaches their sporting potential Enhance their child’s likelihood of having positive sport experience and developing...
Parents
5 Golden Rules For Sideline Supporters
In this video by BeSportive we hear from various past and present New Zealand athletes, coaches and sport personalities about how sideline supporters can create the best experiences for young Kiwis. The 5 Golden Rules for Sideline Supporters...
Parents
What makes an expert sports parent?
In 2015, Chris Harwood and Camilla Knight, published an academic paper titled, Parenting in youth sport — a positioning paper on sport parents and parenting expertise. In this paper, Harwood and Knight proposed that there are six key core competencies that expert sport parents demonstrate in...
Parents
The “Unknown Damage” caused from the touchline
This article was originally published by www.parentsinsport.co.uk. It is republished with permission from iCoachKids. Every weekend all over the world millions of parents, children and coaches set off for their weekly sporting ritual ‘Match Day’. Many will follow...
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Parents
Webinar replay: Setting our kids up for success and what it takes to be a Good Sports parent
Logistics, money, support, act like this, cheer like that, cut the oranges, wash the bibs, say this, don’t say that. As a sports parent, its often hard to know where to start to put your best foot forward. ...
Coaches
Parenting & Coaching: The Perfectionist Athlete
This article is shared by Player Development Project How can parents and coaches help young players overcome a perfectionist mindset? Reed Maltbie shares a fantastic article around some of the modern challenges parents and coaches face with perfectionism on...
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Coaches
Are we pushing young people to live up to our expectations, instead of their own?
In this series of Balance is Better articles, Sport NZ explores the myths surrounding youth sport and the shift in thinking needed to halt declining participation levels in kiwi teens. When we push our young people too hard,...
Balance is Better in Action
Q&A with Balance is Better Champion, Samuel Tanner
Tell us a bit about you and where you grew up. I’m the eldest of five children with two amazing parents, Paul and Krissy. I am a Māori athlete and Ngāpuhi is my iwi. Pāpāmoa Beach has been...
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Balance is Better in Action
“It’s about doing your best and enjoying it”: Dame Lisa Carrington’s Balance is Better story
There’s so much more to sport than winning or losing. For young people in particular, the value of sport is wide-reaching, from the social connections and bonds that are formed through to developing important skills, both on and...
Balance is Better in Action
Temepara Bailey on why young people shouldn’t specialise too soon
A considerable amount of evidence has demonstrated that most athletes who have the opportunity to play a range of sports in their youth are more likely to achieve an elite level of performance in sport. Elite athletes with...
Editor's Picks
A collection of articles curated by the Balance is Better team.
Coaches
How to coach with a Balance is Better Philosophy?
How can coaches bring the Balance is Better philosophy to life? In this article, Andy Rogers, National Coaching Consultant at Sport NZ,...
Coaches
Creating an Environment for Youth to Flourish
In this article, Sport Development Consultant, Charissa Barham shares some valuable ideas on creating positive sporting environments and understanding our purpose as...
Coaches
Book Club with Dr. Ralph Pim
Following on previous Book Club features (see the recommendations from Andy Rogers and Tammy Mehrtens), we hear from Dr. Ralph Pim. Dr Ralph Pim...
Coaches
No Coach is an Island: Coaching in Competition
This article is republished with permission from iCoachKids In this article, Simon Toole discusses coaching feedback and intervention from the sideline. The...
Coaches
The CPR Method: How to Support Players When They Make a Mistake*
* Important clarification: we are not talking about poor skill execution, but more about poor game-decisions. In this article, Dr Sergio Lara-Bercial...
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Coaches
How to be a great secondary school sport coach?: Defining success, mistakes verses outcomes, and the importance of self-awareness
In this Q&A, we hear from Dan Stamp, mental skills coach and Unitec lecturer, about his observations of New Zealand secondary school coaches. Dan,...
Parents
What makes an expert sports parent?
In 2015, Chris Harwood and Camilla Knight, published an academic paper titled, Parenting in youth sport — a positioning paper on sport parents and parenting...
Parents
A parent guide to child growth and development in sport
In this guide we discuss the key considerations relating to children’s growth and development that may influence their sport experience. This guide...
Balance is Better in Action
Fun without pressure – Ex-New Zealand footballer Wendi Henderson talks youth sport
Former New Zealand footballer Wendi Henderson wants young people to enjoy their sports without any pressure, just as she did in her youth. ...
Parents
What is a good youth sport experience?
In this article, Sport Waikato shares insights into how adults can create a great sporting experience for our young people. So you get it. Youth sport is about fun. Competition is great, but when we creep into a...
Coaches
Are we only supporting the kids in the top team?
In this series of Balance is Better articles, Sport NZ explores the myths surrounding youth sport and the shift in thinking needed to halt declining participation levels in kiwi teens. It doesn’t matter if you’re in the first...
Balance is Better Philosophy
Research: Wellbeing benefits of a balanced approach to sport
Variety brings better benefits We know through the Balance is Better approach, that quality sport experiences can offer wellbeing benefits for young people above and beyond just moving their bodies. Playing a variety of sports helps with skill...
Parents
Parents: Time to talk about your child’s why
Parents’ motivations for supporting their children to play sport and children’s motivations for playing sport don’t always line up. We hear from Kelly Curr about why it’s important that parents ask themselves “why does my child play sport?“ Sport and active recreation...
Balance is Better in Action
Letters from Rangatahi: What I wish sport knew?
In this open letter, we hear from Halberg Youth Adviser Support, Kiran Dixon. Kiran’s letter sheds light on some of the challenges young people with disabilities face growing up in New Zealand when it comes to sport, and draws some powerful lessons for...
Balance is Better in Action
Fighting for balance and inclusion – three-time gold medallist, Cameron Leslie
Swimmer Cameron Leslie may be a three-time Paralympic gold medallist and world record holder but he’s quick to point out that champions aren’t made at young age. N.b. In July 2021, Cameron Leslie announced the “hard decision” to...