Balance is Better - The Home of Youth Sport in New Zealand

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There is still a race to win

Have you seen Sebastian Vettel’s retirement announcement? It is a powerful watch. In the four-minute video, Seb spends 90% of the time talking about who he is and what he wants to do. Away from the track. “There...

Hamish Rogers 3 Min Read

Leaders & Administrators

From agitators to allies: How clubs and schools can get the best out of their sports parents?

In this webinar, we chat with international sport-parent expert, Professor Camilla Knight, about strategies and tactics that clubs and schools can use to create a positive parent culture in their organisation. Key topics covered in this webinar include: ...

Sport NZ 3 Min Read

For Coaches

Self-Determination Theory: What Is It, and What Does It Mean (Practically) For Coaches?

Research shows that the most common cause of young people dropping out of sport is their psychological needs not being met. But unlike many of the other major reasons that young people stop participating in sport (such as...

Sport NZ 9 Min Read

For Parents

Key Ways Parents Can Use Sport to Develop a Growth Mindset in Their Child

Our mindset determines the way we learn, what motivates us, our approach to adversity, and has a huge impact on our development as human beings. Understandably, as parents, we want our children to form positive, productive mindsets that...

Sport NZ 6 Min Read

For Coaches

Developing Competence: What Coaches Need to Know about Athlete Learning

Why are some coaches better than others at helping individuals to improve? In part, it comes down to how coaches think about developing competence in their athletes. In this article, we’ll draw from the research and thinking of...

Sport NZ 6 Min Read

For Coaches

Building Rapport and Developing Great Coach-Athlete Relationships

Building rapport and developing relationships is arguably the most important part of coaching. After all, coaching is a human activity, revolving around people, and centred upon our abilities to motivate, teach, and interact with one another. So how...

Sport NZ 5 Min Read

For Coaches

The Number One Thing That Good Coaches Do

We all want to be the best coach possible. But what makes a good coach? And, by extension, is there a particular trait, ideology, or approach that all good coaches possess? In this article, we compile the opinions...

Sport NZ 4 Min Read

For Coaches

How to Coach Different Skill Levels in the Same Team

A key challenge youth coaches will face is working with athletes with varying skill levels within the same team. It’s easy to just focus on the ‘good’ athletes, but great coaches know how to develop all athletes, regardless...

Sport NZ 11 Min Read

For Parents

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...

Sport NZ 9 Min Read

For Coaches

Four ideas to level up your coaching this season

Want to take the next step in your coaching journey, but you’re not sure what to do next? Below, we’ve outlined four actionable ideas for coaches wanting to grow their craft. Challenge: See if you can take one...

Sport NZ 3 Min Read

For Coaches

A Guide to Running Good Trials and Selection Processes

We know that trials and selection processes in youth sport can be a hot topic for many sports administrators, coaches, parents and athletes. And despite trials and selection processes being a significant part of the youth sport landscape,...

Sport NZ 11 Min Read

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For Coaches

How do I support an athlete with a variety of coaches?

We received the following question from Scott, a high school cricket coach, How should we approach athletes who have more than one coach? I coach a couple of high school teams and a representative team. And work solely...

Andy Rogers 15 Min Watch

Balance is Better in Action

How to lead change as a sports leader? An introduction to Kotter’s 8-step change model

In sport, as in any industry, change is constant. Administrators and leaders, whether they be in sports clubs, schools, regional or national organisations, must be able to manage and lead change effectively in order to keep their organisations...

Sport NZ 11 Min Read

For Coaches

Peeling the onion – Identity in youth sport

Rarely do we take a moment to ponder our identity. That is, what are the x’s and o’s that have gone into making us who we are, what we are, and how we label ourselves. Our memories, our...

Hamish Rogers 2 Min Read

For Coaches

What Can We Learn from the Coaching Philosophies of Five Great Coaches?

As coaches, we should always be learning. The best coaches — even at the elite level — are avid learners, constantly seeking new ideas and information that might help them to be better at what they do. Our...

Sport NZ 6 Min Read

For Coaches

What Is a Coaching Philosophy?

Our coaching philosophy is essentially the framework around which we build our coaching approach. It’s the product of our beliefs and values, and has a huge impact on our coaching methodologies and the way we work with others....

Sport NZ 5 Min Read

Editor's Picks

A collection of articles curated by the Balance is Better team.

For 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,...

Andy Rogers 9 Min Read

For Coaches

Creating an Environment for Youth to Flourish

In this article, NZ Secondary Schools Netball Coach, Charissa Barham shares some valuable ideas on creating positive sporting environments and understanding our...

Charissa Barham 6 Min Read

For 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...

Dr. Ralph Pim 4 Min Read

For 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...

Simone Toole 4 Min Read

For Parents

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...

Dr Sergio Lara-Bercial 6 Min Read

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For 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,...

Hockey NZ 22 Min Watch

For 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 parenting expertise. In this paper...

Hamish Rogers 7 Min Read

For 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...

Sport NZ 8 Min Read

Athlete Stories

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. ...

Sport NZ 5 Min Read

Leaders & Administrators

Strength Training for Young Women: The Benefits for Female Athletes

When most people think of strength training, they imagine bulky men lifting heavy weights in a smelly gym. However, strength training is not just for guys – it can be extremely beneficial for young women as well. In...

Jacinta Horan 5 Min Read

For Coaches

Developing a Team Identity

Many coaches talk about team identity. But what does ‘identity’ mean? And how does it affect the athletes we coach? In this article, we’ll learn that the significance of identity is far-reaching, for both individuals and teams, and...

Sport NZ 5 Min Read

For Coaches

Developing Your Coaching Identity

Every coach has a coaching identity — some just don’t know it. The coaches that reflect on “what is their coaching identity?”, tend to benefit from this reflection by being able to identify the qualities that either help...

Sport NZ 6 Min Read

For Parents

7 games in 9 days! Navigating (crazy) athlete schedules

In this article, Hamish reflects on a conversation with a mum about her daughter’s upcoming football schedule. Last weekend, I was down at my local football club, talking to Sarah*. In the throes of our conversation, Elise*, Sarah’s...

Hamish Rogers 2 Min Read

For Coaches

Period power: Supporting young people with periods during physical activity

Talking about periods may seem like a daunting prospect, especially if you don’t menstruate. However, offering your support to those who menstruate, and considering their specific needs during sport and physical activity, can make a positive difference to...

Sophie Watson 4 Min Read

Leaders & Administrators

Resilient youth: Harnessing the power of sport

He moana pukepuke e ekengia e te waka A choppy sea can be navigated The stats on anxiety and depression in young people continue to pour in. And they continue to alarm. Earlier this year, WHO released a...

Hamish Rogers 3 Min Read

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How much is too much when it comes to youth sport?

How to coach with a Balance is Better philosophy

Balance is Better Principles Poster

Creating a positive parent culture

Unpacking the Balance is Better principles

Running good trials and selections

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