Balance is Better
approach

Coaches

12 Min

A practical guide for monitoring athlete training and competition load

Though we want our young people to enjoy healthy, physically active lives, it’s also important to recognise that some young people are at risk of exercising “too much”. Typically, the...

Coaches

2 Min

Why specialising later can reduce the risk of injury and burnout

Good practice at youth development level can enable both life-long participation in sport and future high-performance outcomes. The High Performance Athlete Development team at High Performance Sport New Zealand (HPSNZ)...

Sport Leaders & Administrators

2 Min

Promoting Balance is Better Messages

Are you a sport administrator working in a national or regional sport organisation, a school or club and want to understand how you can promote Balance is Better? This article shows...

Coaches

3 Min

What does quality look like for young people?

How do you know what quality looks like when it comes to sport? In this article, we unpack what quality means in terms of: quality experiences; quality opportunities and quality...

Balance is Better Approach

3 Min

The Case for Delaying the IDing of Talent

Talent Identification is an important part of youth sport. But how, and when, we begin the Talent ID process can have a profound impact on the sporting experiences we give...

Balance is Better Approach

10 Min

Eight ways your organisation can take a participant-centred approach to delivering sport for young people

“Participant-centred” — you’ve probably heard the term thrown around. But what does it really mean? In this article, we outline tactics and actions that coaches, sports leaders, and administrators can...

Balance is Better Approach

3 Min

To Improve Youth Sport We Need Collective Attitudinal Change

To improve the experiences we provide young athletes, we need attitudinal change within the youth sport space. But challenging long-established ideas and behaviours is rarely easy. Thus, a collaborative approach,...

Balance is Better Approach

4 Min

The Need for Bold and Courageous Leadership in Youth Sport

In youth sport, sport leaders have many important roles. They’re frequently tasked with carolling and managing staff and volunteers, setting culture, developing and enforcing policy and rules, and planning and...

Sport Leaders & Administrators

3 Min

Promoting a Culture of Fairness in Your Youth Sport Organisation

All New Zealanders have the right to play sport in fair and inclusive environments. So how can we design youth sport programmes in which fairness and inclusivity are embedded —...