Sport Leaders & Administrators
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Being a perfectionist in sport
For many people, perfectionism is a concern. It features in lots of different areas of people’s lives. Importantly for sport parents, perfectionism can be rife among athletes at any age. This article is republished with permission from Sport...
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Coaches
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...
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 details his thoughts on how coaches should react when players make game-decision mistakes. Let’s get the...
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 all too familiar sights (above) at the side of a kid’s sports competition, and the sounds...
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...
Parents
Time management for busy sports parents (and their young athletes)
With the start of the school year just around the corner, parents around the country are steadily preparing themselves for the busy and hectic schedule that comes with it. The start of the school year brings a lot...
Coaches
Creating positive environments for young women
Musings from a Dad Coach I am very grateful to work in sport and in a role that supports organisations in providing positive sporting experiences for young people. Sport can be such a wonderful experience, and our relationship with...
Coaches
Skill Development for All
All young people should be offered participation and skill development opportunities. In this article, Sport Development Consultant, Hamish Rogers, discusses why and how. Talent programmes. Skill centres. Academies. Extension coaching. Should these types of skill development opportunities be...
Value of sport
The Unique Wellbeing Benefits of Organised Sport
A recently published New Zealand study has found that participation in organised sport provides wellbeing benefits to young people, above and beyond the benefits derived from other recreational physical activities. In this article, we take a deeper look...
Sport Leaders & Administrators
Are you measuring what matters?
Looking beyond the scoreboard to define success in youth sport In an age where youth sport is becoming more professionalised at an earlier age, it’s important we reflect on how we measure success in youth sport. And in...
Sport 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 Leaders & Administrators
What does sport in a non-traditional format look like? Ideas for sport leaders and administrators
Unshackling our ties to tradition can sometimes allow for the creation of exciting and better sport experiences for young people. We often wed sport to tradition. Old photos on walls, trophies in cabinets and uniforms, banners and pennants hung up around the...
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Coaches
Coaches: How do you respond to repeated mistakes?
We often hear that mistakes are necessary for learning. But what does that mean for how coaches respond to repeated mistakes in decision-making? In this Q&A, Hamish Rogers sits down with Dr. Vince Minjares, to discuss his Ph.D...
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...
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...
Watch
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 parenting expertise. In this paper...
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. ...
Coaches
How Coaches Can Help Young Athletes Develop a Growth Mindset?
Coach, do you want to develop confident and resilient athletes? Then coaching your athletes to develop a growth mindset should become a key part of your coaching toolbox. Research has shown that having a growth mindset is a...
Coaches
Amplifying the Voice of Young Women in Sport
“Dear Coach, I really want you to know that each year as a young woman navigating the journey of the teenage years, my motivations change. I want to be healthy, but the loud voice in my head tells...
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Coaches
Resiliency in children through sport
In this Q&A video, Sport Development Consultant Kelly Curr talks to Neuroscience Trainer Kathryn Berkett to unpack why and how sport can be such a great place for young people to learn resilience. What will you learn? What is Resilience? First of all, building resilience is...
Coaches
Five tips for coaches to bring a Balance is Better philosophy into their coaching
Sport NZ’s Balance is Better philosophy is centred on ensuring all young people, regardless of their ability, have a quality experience playing sport. We want young people to stay in sport and realise their potential, not be turned...
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...
Coaches
Hey Coach, what’s your stance on second chances?
What do Ted Lasso and Sir Steve Hansen have in common? This isn’t the start of a bad joke. Rather, that question was going through my head watching episode two of Ted Lasso’s second season. Spoiler alert! The episode...