Nathan Parnham is the Head of Performance Development at Brisbane Grammar School. His career spans over two decades having set up multiple school athletic development programs across the country, to working in professional sport in the NRL and the Rugby Australia Women’s 7s. Nathan is a bestselling author of The Sporting Parent - an invaluable resource for parents, teachers, and coaches alike in the youth sporting landscape.

QUOTES

“I don’t think there is any parent that goes about intentionally setting up their kid to fail but it is just a lack of knowledge”

“Our biggest challenge is the opportunity is very feasible for students to go elsewhere for S&C”

“Pro sport cemented the idea that consistency is king with youth athletic development for me”

“The biggest question in the youth athlete development setting is how do we try and sell the best multi-sport approach to parents?”

SHOWNOTES

1) Nathan’s update since our last episode with him.

2) The nuances to coaching kids of this generation, immediate gratification strategies and the sandwich effect.

3) The importance of briefings to start and end sessions.

4) Nathan’s practical take on the current theories of long-term athlete development.

5) Athlete retention strategies and compliance strategies in the youth setting.

6) The day-to-day of Brisbane Grammar’s athletic development program.

7) Integration with PE Department and the session structure at Brisbane Grammar.

8) The biggest things taken from pro sport and put into the education / youth space.

9) Early specialisation and the cultural influences on its appropriateness.

10) The reality of coach: athlete ratios in the school youth athletic development setting.

PEOPLE MENTIONED

Istvan Balyi