The Performance Act
Ideas, reflections, and resources from our team, exploring the psychology of performance, coaching, and growth across Aotearoa.
COACHING
A player rubs the same spot on their knee and says it is probably nothing. Fifty years of research tells us sport injury is never only a tissue event. A psychological playbook for coaches and athletes: recovery check ins, making early reporting a sign of good judgement, keeping injured athletes in the team, and building a return ladder rather than a return date.
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MINDSET
Being physically ready and feeling ready are two very different things, and the gap between them is where good athletes quietly get stuck. Plus five ACT based tools for your next session.
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COACHING
The righting reflex tempts every coach to fix. Why holding back, and offering one good reflection, can transform your coaching conversations.
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COACHING
What athletes themselves say about great coaching, and what the peer-reviewed research shows: it is how you listen, how you ask, and the relationship underneath, more than what you say.
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WHĀNAU
What should you say to your child after a game? What the peer-reviewed research, and Sport NZ’s Balance is Better, say about the car ride home, and the six words that protect a young athlete’s love of sport.
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MINDSET
Pressure is not a toxin to remove. Drawing on challenge-and-threat research, why your racing heart might be good news, and evidence-based ways to change your relationship with pressure.
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