Ryan brings a unique perspective to this conversation. A former action sports athlete himself whose career was cut short by a life-threatening injury, he has since spent over 20 years working across elite sport, academy systems, private education, and national governing bodies, before circling back to the world he started in. Today, he works as a performance consultant for British Water Ski and Wakeboard, Head of Sport Science at St Paul's School in London, and Lead Tutor for the Youth Strength and Conditioning Association.

This isn't a conversation about conventional periodisation or standard gym metrics. Ryan challenges the assumptions baked into most traditional performance models and makes a compelling case for why action sports, think X Games, halfpipe snowboarding, freestyle skiing, demand an entirely different approach. One built not around chasing peaks, but around building repeatable, durable performance that holds up under fatigue, variable terrain, and real-world unpredictability.
He talks through his Restore, Apply, Own framework in practical terms, explains why training in a fresh state but competing in a fatigued one is one of the most underappreciated problems in sport, and shares how he uses a blend of velocity-based training, jump testing, readiness monitoring, and athlete-specific education tools to close that gap. He also weighs in on the growing use of AI in competition judging, the rapid rise of the X Games League, and why the preparation systems in action sports simply haven't caught up with where the sport is heading.
Whether you're a sports scientist, strength and conditioning coach, or simply someone with an interest in how elite performance is built at the fringes of mainstream sport, this is a conversation worth your time.

In This Episode You Will Learn

• Why traditional performance models fall short in action and adventure sports, and what needs to change
• The difference between performance capacity and durability — and why durability is the more important target in action sports
• How Ryan's Restore, Apply, Own framework structures athlete preparation from the ground up
• Why training athletes in a fatigued state is just as important as having them fresh — and how to do it effectively
• How to use a simple SWOT analysis to identify athlete needs and prioritise support when resources are limited
• The role of technology in action sports performance, including VBT, jump testing, readiness monitoring, and AI in competition judging
• Why strength training alone doesn't transfer to sport performance without progression through capacity, application, and environment
• How the rapid growth of the X Games League and Olympic inclusion is creating both opportunity and a preparation gap in action sports
• Practical first steps for coaches and athletes looking to engage with a more structured performance system in action sports

About Ryan Blake
Ryan Blake is a performance coach and consultant specialising in action and adventure sports. He founded Extreme Sports Performance in 2018 after a career that has taken him through elite academy systems, professional sport, private education, and national governing body consultancy. He holds accreditations from both the UKSCA and NSCA, holds an MSc in Maintenance and Enhancement of Elite Performance from the University of Portsmouth, and has worked with world champion athletes and Olympic medallists across disciplines including British Tennis, England Cricket, British Cycling, and now British Water Ski and Wakeboard.
Alongside his consultancy work, Ryan serves as Head of Sport Science at St Paul's School in London and as Lead Tutor for the Youth Strength and Conditioning Association. His own background as an action sports athlete — and the life-threatening injury that ended that chapter — underpins his philosophy around risk, durability, and long-term performance. He is based in Guildford and can be found on Instagram at @extremesportsperformance or at extremesportsperformance.com.

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In this episode you will learn

• The unique physiological and biomechanical demands of BMX Freestyle competition
• How to prepare athletes for repeated 60-second, maximal-effort runs across a full competition day
• Why traditional strength testing and gym-based metrics don’t always translate to action sports
• How Brian adapted training around constant travel, limited gym access, and athlete preferences
• Practical strategies for building resilience and reducing injury risk in high-impact sports
• Why athlete buy-in often comes from listening, adapting, and being present rather than enforcing systems
• How emerging video and motion-analysis technology could shape the future of training in BMX Freestyle and similar sports

About Brian Roy
Brian Roy is a strength and conditioning coach with over 10 years’ experience working in action and lifestyle sports. He holds a Master’s degree in Kinesiology and Exercise Science and is currently undertaking further postgraduate study in Applied Sports Science Analytics.
Brian has worked closely with elite BMX Freestyle athletes on the international stage, including those competing at the Olympic Games, and has developed a reputation for adaptable, athlete-centred training approaches. His work focuses on performance, resilience, and real-world transfer rather than rigid adherence to traditional testing models.
Brian regularly shares insights from his work on LinkedIn and Instagram, where he discusses training philosophy, emerging technology, and lessons learned from working in non-traditional sports environments.