Balance is Better philosophy

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Coaches

3 Min

Are we expecting young people to all develop at the same rate?

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....

Coaches

6 Min

Creating Positive Sports Environments

This article is shared by Player Development Project Player Development Project positive psychology expert, Lara Mossman discusses how to create positive sports environments for developing players. In this challenging article Lara discusses...

Coaches

4 Min

The value of variety

“Variety is the spice of life” – When it comes to youth sport, this old saying is apt for summing up the benefits young people get from being exposed to a variety of sport...

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Coaches

15 Min Watch

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...

Parents

8 Min

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 was adapted from work by Sport Parent EU. It is published...

Coaches

6 Min

The Risks of Early Specialisation in Youth Sports

In this article, we examine the ever-growing evidence of increasing injury to children in youth sport. Are high-performance behaviors creeping in too soon? Early specialization is a topic that is...

Coaches

9 Min

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...

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)...