Science for Sport Podcast
Behind the Scenes of Elite Performance – Unlocking the Science, Stories, and Strategies That Make the Best Even Better
Displaying 5 items of Science for Sport Podcast with the tag "athlete preparation".
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313: Building Durability in Action Sports with Ryan Blake
March 30th, 2026 | 30 mins 8 secs
action sports, action sports science, adventure sports, ai in sport, athlete preparation, athletic durability, british water ski and wakeboard, elite sport, extreme sports, extreme sports performance, fatigue management, freestyle sports, high performance, injury prevention, jump testing, long term athletic development, ltad, olympic sports, performance coaching, periodisation, readiness monitoring, ryan blake, science for sport, snowboarding, sports coaching, sports performance, sports science, sports technology, strength and conditioning, vbt, velocity based training, x games, youth strength and conditioning
Ryan Blake, founder of Extreme Sports Performance and performance consultant for British Water Ski and Wakeboard, joins Richard Graves to make the case for a completely different approach to athlete preparation in action sports. Drawing on over 20 years of experience across elite sport and education, Ryan explains why durability, not peak output, is the real target in disciplines defined by unpredictability, variable terrain, and repeated decision-making under fatigue. He walks through his Restore, Apply, Own framework, the role of technology in bridging the gap between training and competition, and why the explosive growth of the X Games League and Olympic action sports makes this one of the most exciting frontiers in performance science right now.
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306: The Evolution of Professional Cricket Through Ryan Sidebottom’s Career
February 9th, 2026 | 35 mins 3 secs
athlete longevity, athlete preparation, cricket performance, elite sport, england cricket, fast bowling, high performance sport, performance mindset, professional cricket, sports psychology, sports science, strength and conditioning, swing bowling, t20 world cup, talent development
Ryan Sidebottom joins the Science for Sport Podcast to reflect on a 20-year professional cricket career shaped by resilience, preparation, and constant learning. From semi-professional beginnings to World Cup success, Ryan shares honest insights into longevity, mindset, and the unseen work behind elite performance.
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304: Uncommonly Consistent: Football to Formula One with John Noonan
January 26th, 2026 | 36 mins 20 secs
athlete preparation, burnout in sport, decision making under pressure, elite athletes, elite performance, formula one performance, high performance environments, high performance sport, interdisciplinary teams, mental performance in sport, performance coaching, skill acquisition, sports psychology, sports science podcast, strength and conditioning
Elite performance coach John Noonan shares insights from working across football, rugby, Olympic sport, and Formula One, exploring what truly drives performance at the highest level. The conversation focuses on consistency under pressure, skill execution, and why relationships and decision-making often matter more than programmes and protocols.
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302: Creatine and the Evolution of Performance Nutrition
January 12th, 2026 | 32 mins 32 secs
applied sports science, athlete preparation, atp, creatine, elite sport, energy systems, evidence-based practice, exercise physiology, high-performance sport, olympic performance, performance nutrition, performance optimisation, professional sport, recovery, sports nutrition research, sports science, strength and conditioning, supplementation
Creatine is now a staple of elite sport — but its journey began with secrecy, risk, and a race against time ahead of the 1992 Olympic Games. In this episode, Steven Jennings shares the untold story of how groundbreaking research became real-world performance practice.
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300: Training Through Disruption: Managing Load, Time, and Performance in Winter with Michael Fennell
December 29th, 2025 | 26 mins 34 secs
applied sports science, athlete preparation, athletic development, elite sport, high performance, performance coaching, plyometrics, speed training, sports science, sprint performance, strength and conditioning, track and field, training load management, winter training
Michael Fennell joins Richard Graves to unpack how elite athletes and coaches should approach winter training, focusing on maintaining performance, avoiding early peaks, and prioritising fundamentals during a disrupted December. Drawing on experience across athletics and team sports, the episode explores micro-sessions, plyometrics, and why context and coaching judgement still matter in an age of data.