I met Tara at the age of 14 when she first entered the sports hall at AUT Millennium to join our Athlete Development Program. Four years later she got a call from esteemed Canoe Racing New Zealand lead coach, Gordon Walker, inviting her to join the high performance world. Then, just two years after that, she teamed up with Dame Lisa Carrington, Alicia Hoskin and Olivia Brett to win gold in the woman’s K4 at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

This is Tara’s story.

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The evidence is clear. Stronger athletes move better, get injured less and stay engaged with sport for longer.

But what should strength training look like for children?

My guest today is Dr Ben Pullen, PhD in paediatric strength and conditioning and the founder of Young Athlete Training.

Ben’s work integrates the physical and psychological considerations of development to provide novel, engaging and individualised strength training to both child and teenage athletes.

In this conversation, we learn all about Ben’s approach, including the four pillars that underpin his work, his specific methodology and why it’s so powerful for children, how he periodises his challenge-based training, new science that shows how children learn, and much more. I’m a huge fan of Ben’s mission and I’m so stoked to share it with you.

Enjoy!

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My guest today is Associate Professor Ian Renshaw, teacher, coach, researcher, and voracious learner. Over 35 years working in higher education, Ian has advised sporting organisations at the community and high performance level, published over 190 research articles, written several books, and collaborated on projects all over the world.

In this conversation, we trace Ian’s fascinating journey from schoolboy in the UK to working and raising children in New Zealand and Australia. Ian shares stories of engagement, motivation, optimism and development to help us create better learning environments for the young people we serve.

Enjoy!

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My guest today is Dr Martin Buchheit, an esteemed author of over 250 scientific papers, 2 best-selling books, co-founder of the HIIT Science podcast, and over 20 years working in professional sports. Focusing on bridging the gap between sports science knowledge and its practical application, Martin has held roles at Paris Saint-Germain F.C., Olympique de Lyon, Lille OSC, Aspetar, Aspire Academy, and various other consultancies around the world.

In this wide-ranging conversation, we explore Martin’s educated perspective on development, including how he applies what he believes with his own kids. This is a conversation less about the science of development and more about philosophy. I loved it for how Martin distils a very complex world into what really matters for raising young people who know their worth and have the skills to go after what they want. Sit back and enjoy the wisdom of one of the best.

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This conversation is with Dr David Johnson, a physical development specialist with a deep understanding of growth and development. His research in injury prevention has shown what’s possible in football when the natural changes every young athlete experiences are accounted for. As the Head of Physical Development at West Ham United Football Academy and Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Bath, David continues to be a leader in this field.

Today, we explore David’s research, including the questions he asked, what he found and how he integrated his findings into practice. We discuss how you can measure growth regardless of the resource you have available, the 4 key risk factors of injury, and how you can effectively intervene to protect your athletes. We also discuss David’s current project where he’s taking the scientific process he learnt studying for his PhD and applying it to nutrition.

If you work with athletes navigating accreted growth and would like to know more about preventing physical injury, this conversation is a must-listen. Enjoy!

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Are you looking for deeper, more impactful development? The answer is strategic simplicity.

My guest today is Dr Richard Young, keynote speaker, author, and adviser to sports leaders, teams, and professionals around the world. He has won international gold medals in cycling, coached world champions, created medal-winning programmes for three countries, and has been described as a ‘world-class performance creator’.

Born in the UK, raised in Canada, and now living with his four children in Dunedin, New Zealand, Richard earned his PhD in engineering and medical science and has studied the key differences between what athletes and their teams do who win medals and those who don’t.

In this conversation, Richard shares his system for turning potential into performance, starting with an idea he calls the ‘busy middle’.

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On the show this week, Dave Wright rejoins me for another episode of The Curious Mind. Our conversation focuses on another successful season for Dave coaching the Westlake Boys 1st XI and how he managed huge playing loads, the need for individualising support, how to build trust, markers of fatigue, the rise of specialisation in the NZ sporting system and what this means for player development, how to coach for confidence over competence, and more.

If you enjoy today’s chat, please do me a massive favour and support the show by sharing it with your mates.

Enjoy!

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Learn more about how Craig can help you better understand your developing athletes to unlock their potential HERE.

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This conversation is with Assistant Professor in Sport Psychology at the University of Bern in Switzerland, Dr Noora Ronkainen. Noora’s work centres on meaningful experiences in sport, exercise and physical cultures.

In this episode, we dive into the concept of existential learning. Noora defines the idea for us and shares some research highlighting how reflecting on setbacks in sport can lead to personal growth. We also discuss:

• The current pressures on young athletes
• The role of identity in sport;
• How technology can shape future aspirations;
• Gender differences in role models;
• Why young athletes leave sports; and
• The power of sport for learning about yourself, your values, and your relationships.

Enjoy!

Sign up for Craig's newsletter (Beyond the Game) at athletedevelopmentproject.com/newsletter

Get Craig to speak at your club or school here.

Connect with Craig:

Instagram: instagram.com/drcraigharrison/
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Twitter: twitter.com/drcraigharrison

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