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....
Skill development for all
How do I support my child to maintain a love of sport, regardless of ability?
In this article is a response to the following question, submitted to the Balance is Better team: Help, my boy is not as talented as other players (including his siblings) and...
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...
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...
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. ...
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...
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Webinar replay: Trials and selection processes in youth sport – What does good look like?
Youth sport trials and selection processes have long been a hot button topic (often due to the ‘fires’ they can create in community sport circles). In this webinar, Alex Chiet,...
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Replacing Year 7 & 8 representative programmes with skill development opportunities for more participants – lessons from the roll out of Netball New Zealand’s Player Development Programme
In this case study, we hear from Netball New Zealand, Netball Central and Netball Wellington Centre about the implementation of the Player Development Programme and its impact on participants. The...
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Innovative strategies to maximise youth skill development: Lessons from NZ Cricket, Auckland Cricket and AUT
In the following webinar we hear from NZ Cricket and AUT on lessons learned from applying bio-banding to skill-development camps. In 2018, NZ Cricket began to have a hunch that the vast majority...