The Athlete Development Show

Head of coaching at Birkenhead United FC in Auckland, New Zealand and Co-founder of Player Development Project, Dave Wright (@davewright07), rejoins me for another episode of The Curious Mind.We discuss our experiences in youth sport over the past couple of months, including a recent trip Dave took to Tonga and what he learnt from it, the importance of joy and how to find it, and the continued rise in negative parent behaviour. Enjoy!Sign up for Craig's newsletter (Beyond the Game) at athletedevelopmentproject.com/newsletterGet Craig to speak at your club or school here. Connect with Craig:Instagram: instagram.com/drcraigharrison/Facebook: facebook.com/drcraigharrisonTwitter: twitter.com/drcraigharrisonSupport the show

"Fun is a fleeting moment. Joy is something that's enduring, something that brings you back."Mike Hester works for New Zealand Rugby and is responsible for leading their approach to the evolution of the game at participation level. Prior to this role, Mike spent 28 years at the New Zealand Defence Force where he worked as a Career and Talent Manager.Mike is also a former FIFA referee and has officiated at the highest level at pinnacles events across the world, including the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008 and the FIFA World Cup in South Africa in 2010. On the show today, Mike shares some of the skills required for a referee to be at their best in emotionally volatile sporting environments and why investing into early stage referees is so important for the game of rugby. We also talk about the shift NZ Rugby is making from a game-centred approach to one that is more participant-centred.The work Mike is doing is challenging not only the foundations of New Zealand's national game but also the fabric of the culture it sits within. Enjoy!Sign up for Craig's newsletter (Beyond the Game) at athletedevelopmentproject.com/newsletterGet Craig to speak at your club or school here. Connect with Craig:Instagram: instagram.com/drcraigharrison/Facebook: facebook.com/drcraigharrisonTwitter: twitter.com/drcraigharrisonSupport the show

Dane Baker is a Performance Dietitian who has worked extensively with New Zealand's elite athletes and organisations over the past 15 years, including the Chiefs, Blues, Black Ferns 7s, NZ Hockey and NZ Swimming.  He was also the NZ team dietitian for the Rio Olympics and Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.Dane is an active researcher in the field of RED-s, a lecturer at the University of Otago and has a leadership role as part of WHISPA, a specialist group dedicated to optimising female health and performance at High performance Sport New Zealand.  He also leads the nutrition provision for the HPSNZ core knowledge coach education program.In this wide ranging conversation, Dane and I discuss how to properly fuel a developing athlete's performance, fad diets and the influence they are having on our kids, Dane's love of fishing, and the dangers of low energy availability in sport. We start the show hearing about Dane's formative years growing up playing golf in West Auckland.Enjoy!Sign up for Craig's newsletter (Beyond the Game) at athletedevelopmentproject.com/newsletterGet Craig to speak at your club or school here. Connect with Craig:Instagram: instagram.com/drcraigharrison/Facebook: facebook.com/drcraigharrisonTwitter: twitter.com/drcraigharrisonSupport the show

We all have times in our lives that change us. Watershed moments that force us into thinking differently. Kylie Cox had one of these very moments a few years ago while training for an Ironman World 70.3 Age Group Championship. Despite continuing to perform in training, a number a life stressors coincided with a heavy training load. She became concerned about how her health might impact her menstrual cycle and sought help. Now, after exercising her own curiosity and earning a Master's degree focusing on energetic injuries, Kylie is passionate about helping young athletes and their families understand what it really means to stay healthy. Kylie also works a the physiotherapist for Netball New Zealand's secondary school programme and recently developed the first national resource on female athletic health for NetballSmart. We start the show hearing more about Kylie's story. Enjoy!Sign up for Craig's newsletter (Beyond the Game) at athletedevelopmentproject.com/newsletterGet Craig to speak at your club or school here. Connect with Craig:Instagram: instagram.com/drcraigharrison/Facebook: facebook.com/drcraigharrisonTwitter: twitter.com/drcraigharrisonSupport the show

My conversation this week is with Mark Upton and Ken Willner.Mark is passionate about supporting people's WayFinding endeavours by facilitating the emergence of new connections, new capacities, and meaningful stories and refections as we journey together. He has a particular interest in helping people find their way in sport. You can find Mark's work @ myfastestmile.comKen Willner is a sports photographer passionate about keeping children in sport. Through collaboration with international and local professionals, Ken provides a fresh approach to helping young people flourish in sports. You can find Ken's work @ yellowforyelling.comOn the show today, Mark and Ken share their Game Hubs idea. Game Hubs are local community spaces that promote freedom, creativity, collaboration and competition through games. They embrace the voices and choices of young people, are low cost, and rather than coaching, call for adults to just facilitate play.  We start our conversation hearing from Ken and his thoughts on the intensity of emotion parents bring to sport.Enjoy!Sign up for Craig's newsletter (Beyond the Game) at athletedevelopmentproject.com/newsletterGet Craig to speak at your club or school here. Connect with Craig:Instagram: instagram.com/drcraigharrison/Facebook: facebook.com/drcraigharrisonTwitter: twitter.com/drcraigharrisonSupport the show

Today on the show , I'm winding the clock back to May 2020 when I sat down with my good friend Samuel McKenzie.  In 2019, Sam completed his Master's degree at AUT University focusing on 1st XV rugby players' perceptions of their coaching environment. Sam's research findings have had a huge impact on the way I think about environments for developing skilled, creative and resilient athletes and so, heading into the winter season, I thought I'd share our conversation again. Sam now works as a coach developer in the talent pathway for the AFL. We pick the conversation up hearing Sam talk about how experiencing some of the darker side of sport drives the work that he loves today. Enjoy!Sign up for Craig's newsletter (Beyond the Game) at athletedevelopmentproject.com/newsletterHost Craig to speak at your club or school here. Connect with Craig:Instagram: instagram.com/drcraigharrison/Facebook: facebook.com/drcraigharrisonTwitter: twitter.com/drcraigharrisonSupport the show

This week's conversation is with Zane Winslade. Zane is the owner of Flow Sport Mental Performance Coaching, and works with athletes from youth to the elite level across multiple codes. Zane has a a Bachelor’s degree in Sports and Leisure Studies, a Graduate Diploma in Teaching and a Master’s degree in Sport Psychology from John F Kennedy University. On the show today , Zane shares how he works with young people to help them manage their mind and perform as their best self. We also discuss the 3 key principles Zane founded his Mental Toughness Journal for young athletes on.We start the episode talking about how Zane approaches his own mental game at Brazilian Jujitsu. Enjoy!Sign up for Craig's newsletter (Beyond the Game) at athletedevelopmentproject.com/newsletterGet Craig to speak at your club or school here. Connect with Craig:Instagram: instagram.com/drcraigharrison/Facebook: facebook.com/drcraigharrisonTwitter: twitter.com/drcraigharrisonSupport the show

Head of coaching at Birkenhead United FC in Auckland, New Zealand and Co-founder of Player Development Project, Dave Wright (@davewright07), rejoins me for another episode of The Curious Mind. How much is too much? In this conversation, we dig into training load. We discuss what load is, where it comes from, how it changes across developmental stages, the danger of doing too much, and how to start thinking about managing it. Enjoy!Sign up for Craig's newsletter (Beyond the Game) at athletedevelopmentproject.com/newsletterGet Craig to speak at your club or school here. Connect with Craig:Instagram: instagram.com/drcraigharrison/Facebook: facebook.com/drcraigharrisonTwitter: twitter.com/drcraigharrisonSupport the show

Living a life in balance is about finding flow. It's about capitalising on all of the things that make you a better person without one of them taking over the flow.My guest on today's show is Reed Maltbie, and he's a master at helping athletes find flow. With a Master’s degree in sports psychology and early childhood development and 30 years of professional coaching experience, Reed has dedicated his life to creating the very best environments for athletes of all ages to achieve peak performance, on and off the sports field. Reed has worked with a variety of sports organisations including the Gaelic Games Association, England Sevens, Soccer Shots, Sport New Zealand, Player Development Project, US Sailing, Soccer Canada, and PGA of Canada. His latest book, The Spartan Mindset, due out in April 2023, Reed focuses on the impact of language on performance. It is a must-read for anyone who strives to be a more effective and supportive communicator in the classroom, on the sports field, at the office, and beyond.We begin this conversation talking about the power of emotional fitness and how Reed goes about developing it. Enjoy!Sign up for Craig's newsletter (Beyond the Game) at athletedevelopmentproject.com/newsletterGet Craig to speak at your club or school here. Connect with Craig:Instagram: instagram.com/drcraigharrison/Facebook: facebook.com/drcraigharrisonTwitter: twitter.com/drcraigharrisonSupport the show

When we value how movement helps us grow, we see invitations to move everywhere we look. In this conversation, I'm bringing two very special people together to share their efforts to change the movement culture inside primary schools in New Zealand. The first is Celia Fleck. For the past 3 and a half years, Celia has been working on a joint government initiative between Te Whatu Ora, the Ministry of Education, and Sport NZ called Healthy Active Learning. The goal of the initiative is to improve wellbeing outcomes for tamariki with a strong focus on using physical activity, and healthy food and drink as the vehicles to achieve it. Celia leads the recruitment and professional development of a workforce of over 100 people who are carrying out this mahi. Prior to working in the Sport Sector, Celia was a Secondary Health and PE teacher for 19 years, and a Health and PE Curriculum facilitator for 4 years. She has a Bachelor of Physical Education from Otago University.Joining Celia on the show today is Daniel Cooke. Dan and I have become very good friends over the past 5 years and he found he way through his PhD in movement skill learning inside a primary school in Auckland. Dan is an A-Licence football coach and has worked with players and coaches across three continents in grassroots and professional settings. He is now working with FIFA as a Talent Coach with a mission to give every talent a chance.We start the conversation discussing why Celia and Dan are so passionate about movement and children. Enjoy!Sign up for Craig's newsletter (Beyond the Game) at athletedevelopmentproject.com/newsletterGet Craig to speak at your club or school here. Connect with Craig:Instagram: instagram.com/drcraigharrison/Facebook: facebook.com/drcraigharrisonTwitter: twitter.com/drcraigharrisonSupport the show