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

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

How to coach with a Balance is Better philosophy

How to coach with a Balance is Better philosophy

Balance is Better Principles Poster

Balance is Better Principles Poster

Creating a positive parent culture

Creating a positive parent culture

Unpacking the Balance is Better principles

Unpacking the Balance is Better principles

Running good trials and selections

Running good trials and selections

Balanced Female Health

Balanced Female Health

The Home of Youth Sport
in New Zealand

Balance is Better is about creating quality experiences for all young people to keep them active and in the game.

Featured

How Do I Help Individuals in a Team Setting?

Working with individuals is a fundamental part of coaching. Even in team environments, it’s vital that we support every athlete individually to help them improve. So how can we help everyone in our group while maintaining a wider...
Value of sport

The Benefits of Community Sport

The benefits of physical activity and playing sport are far-reaching. For participants, research shows that sport is a form of recreation that makes us remain active, and be happier, healthier people. At a community level, we know sport...

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, outlines 12 key things coaches can do to incorporate a Balance is Better philosophy into their...
Coaches

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...
Balance is Better in Action

Q&A with Balance is Better Champion, Samuel Tanner

Tell us a bit about you and where you grew up. I’m the eldest of five children with two amazing parents, Paul and Krissy. I am a Māori athlete and Ngāpuhi is my iwi. Pāpāmoa Beach has been...
Balance is Better in Action

Q&A with Balance is Better Champion, Tom Abercrombie

Tell us a bit about you and where you grew up. I grew up on the North Shore, Auckland, and as the middle child, was in a constant battle to beat my older brother at every sport under...
Balance is Better in Action

Q&A with Balance is Better Champion, Irene van Dyk

Tell us a bit about you and where you grew up. I am the youngest of four; my oldest brother is 10 years older than me and there is a six-year difference between me and my little brother....
Coaches

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 and physical activity experiences.  A key principle of...
Balance is Better in Action

Parents vital in growth of surf life saving

Changes in focus and structure for Surf Life Saving New Zealand (SLSNZ) is bearing early fruit as kids return to the sport. Over the summer months, New Zealand’s 74 surf life saving clubs offer junior programmes that help...
Coaches

Are late developers really at a disadvantage?

In this article, Dr Jason Tee discusses how late-developers may be advantaged (as opposed to early-developers) in their development pathways, and ultimately become more successful in sport. David vs Goliath… During the first week of July, I had...
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Coaches

Maximising Player Potential with Rob Sherman

This video is shared by Player Development Project In this Player Development Project Masterclass Discussion, Dave Wright is joined by Rob Sherman to discuss how coaches can maximise player potential. This interview (recorded while Rob was NZF Technical...
Coaches

Teaching athletes about winning it all

This article is republished with permission from iCoachKids How do champions behave and train? What sets apart the best from the rest? How can coaches help athletes learn these behaviours? In this article, Prof Wade Gilbert unpacks some...

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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...
Balance is Better in Action

Putting the Youth Voice in the Centre Circle

Gisborne Netball Centre has leveraged the power of sport to engage rangatahi, grow confidence and change lives. The challenge: a sporting decline Gisborne Netball Centre have seen declining participation from rural communities over the last 30 years. A...
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 Leaders & Administrators

Meeting the Needs of Youth

Young people value sport. So why do participation rates consistently drop at similar ages? In this article, Sport New Zealand presents some research that adults need to take note of. Introduction Sport offers many benefits for young people...
Balance is Better in Action

Interview with an All Black

This article is shared by Player Development Project Dane Coles is arguably one of the world’s best and most dynamic rugby players. In the combative position of hooker, Coles regularly goes head to head with front rowers around the...
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Coaches

Youth Development in Rugby with Russell Earnshaw

This video is shared by Player Development Project. This interview features former England U18 Rugby Coach and International 7’s player, Russell Earnshaw. Player Development Project Editor, Dave Wright dives into a conversation with Russell on the types of...

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