Perch has become one of the most widely used camera-based systems for measuring barbell velocity and strength training performance in elite sport. Now, with the launch of Perch P2, the technology is taking another step forward.

Jordan shares the story behind the development of Perch, how computer vision and machine learning are used to quantify weightlifting performance, and why the weight room has historically been one of the least measured environments in sport.

The conversation explores the key technological advancements behind P2 — including improved camera technology, greater processing power, enhanced portability, and new possibilities for tracking movement quality and technique.

Jordan also discusses how better strength training data can help coaches build a more complete picture of athlete performance, how Perch fits alongside Catapult’s wider ecosystem of athlete monitoring tools, and why the next frontier may lie in connecting weight room insights with on-field performance.

In this episode you will learn

• How Perch evolved from an early idea into a leading weight room monitoring system
• Why velocity-based training has become increasingly important in elite sport
• How computer vision technology can quantify barbell movement and lifting performance
• The key upgrades introduced with the new Perch P2 system
• Why portability is a major step forward for strength and conditioning environments
• How improved frame rates and camera technology increase measurement accuracy
• The concept of the “inaccuracy gap” and why it matters for explosive movements
• How machine learning is used to track movement and analyse lifting performance
• Why movement quality may become the next frontier of strength training analytics
• How weight room data could integrate with broader athlete monitoring systems

About Jordan Lucier
Jordan Lucier is the Senior Director of Engineering at Catapult and Co-Founder of Perch, a computer vision system designed to measure performance in the weight room.

Originally developed at MIT, Perch uses advanced camera technology and machine learning to automatically track barbell velocity, movement patterns, and strength training performance without requiring wearable sensors.

Jordan has led the engineering development of the system from its early concept through to global adoption across professional teams, collegiate programmes, and high-performance environments.

His work sits at the intersection of sports science, computer vision, and performance technology, helping practitioners bring objective measurement to one of the most important areas of athlete development: strength training.

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Emily has spent the past decade building and refining a sports science model within a relatively small department, working primarily with men’s and women’s soccer and volleyball. Alongside her role at Marquette, she also contributes to U.S. Soccer in a high-performance capacity.

In this conversation, we explore one of the most pressing challenges in applied sports science: how do you simplify complex data streams so they become actionable for coaches and meaningful for athletes?

From acute:chronic workload ratios and GPS monitoring to return-to-play frameworks and Power BI dashboards, Emily shares how she transformed “expensive toys” into effective performance tools.

She discusses the importance of visualisation, collaboration with data engineers, humility in decision-making, and why the “eyeball test” still matters in a world driven by wearables and AI.

For practitioners working in elite sport, or those building systems within constrained environments, this episode offers practical insight into making sports science more impactful, not just more complex.

In this episode you will learn:

• How to simplify GPS and workload data for real-world application
• Why acute:chronic workload ratios are a framework — not a solution
• How to build effective data visualisations that coaches actually use
• The difference between “expensive toys” and performance tools
• How to structure phased return-to-play models with clear definitions
• Why collaboration with data engineers and academics can transform departments
• How to educate athletes in an era of AI, social media and misinformation
• Why patience and long-term development still matter
• How to adapt sports science systems in the transfer-portal era
• Why relationships remain more important than technology

About Emily Jacobson
Emily Jacobson is the Assistant Director of Sports Performance at Marquette University, where she has worked for the past 10 seasons. A former Marquette women’s soccer student-athlete, she now oversees sports science and performance systems across multiple programmes, with a particular focus on soccer and volleyball.

She has helped develop load monitoring models, return-to-play protocols and data visualisation systems that integrate GPS, velocity-based training, force plates, motion capture and body composition analysis.

In addition to her work at Marquette, Emily serves as a network employee within U.S. Soccer’s high-performance department.

Her approach combines applied performance coaching, collaborative analytics, and a strong emphasis on education and athlete relationships.

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​ Improve Your Athletes' Performance
​ Advance Forward In Your Career, Allowing You To Earn More Money And Work With Elite-Level Athletes
​ Save Yourself The Stress & Worry Of Constantly Trying To Stay Up-To-Date With Sports Science Research

Lew brings more than 16 years of experience at one of the most successful athletic departments in the NCAA. His journey from a Division III football lineman to a leader shaping the development of athletes in softball, gymnastics, men’s soccer and more, is filled with hard-earned lessons, humility, and an unwavering commitment to supporting people first.

In this conversation, Lew dives into:
• How to develop trust-driven relationships with athletes
• What it truly takes to “raise the floor” of athletic performance
• Why systems like Perch have changed the way Michigan trains
• The realities of guiding young, ambitious athletes through strength, power, and conditioning programmes
• The age-old question: How strong is strong enough? How fit is fit enough?
Lew’s philosophy blends evidence-based practice, a deep understanding of human behaviour, and a humility-first leadership style that resonates across the world of elite sport.

In this episode, you will learn:

• How Lew progressed from internships to a senior leadership role at Michigan—and what he learned along the way
• Why treating athletes as humans first is central to unlocking performance
• How Michigan individualises training across sports with vastly different demands
• The process of integrating Perch velocity-based training and how it transformed athlete intent and coaching quality
• How to use real-time data to adjust loads, manage fatigue, and protect athletes from themselves
• When to stop chasing maximal strength and start focusing on raising the floor for performance
• How to guide young athletes who want PBs every week without compromising long-term development
• Why the most fulfilling moments in coaching come from watching athletes realise they’re capable of more than they thought
• Lew’s leadership philosophy: vulnerability, authenticity, and serving others
• The role of strength & conditioning in creating athletes who are not only powerful and robust—but durable and available

About Lew Porchiazzo
Lew Porchiazzo is the Assistant Director for Strength & Conditioning for Olympic Sports at the University of Michigan, where he has worked since 2009. He currently oversees physical development for a range of elite programmes including softball, women’s gymnastics, and men’s soccer.
Lew began his career with internships at the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and Baylor University, before joining Michigan as a graduate assistant. Across 16+ years he has become a central leader within the department, known for his athlete-first approach, relationship-driven coaching style, and commitment to developing staff and students with authenticity and humility.
His expertise spans strength training, power development, velocity-based training, long-term athlete development, and programme design across sports with widely different physical demands. Beyond the weight room, Lew is passionate about helping athletes grow as people—and maintaining a love of movement and training long after their competitive days are over.
He occasionally even officiates weddings… but you’ll have to listen to the episode to hear that story.

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​ Save 100's Of Dollars A Year That Would Otherwise Be Spent On Books, Courses And More
​ Improve Your Athletes' Performance
​ Advance Forward In Your Career, Allowing You To Earn More Money And Work With Elite-Level Athletes
​ Save Yourself The Stress & Worry Of Constantly Trying To Stay Up-To-Date With Sports Science Research

Jacob shares the journey from an MIT startup to being trusted by pro teams, collegiate programs, and the military, and how the recent Catapult acquisition of Perch is creating a seamless ecosystem that connects weight-room data with on-field performance metrics.

What you’ll learn in this episode

• How camera-based velocity-based training (VBT) is revolutionising athlete monitoring.

• Why closing the feedback loop in the weight room is a game-changer for S&C coaches and sports scientists.

• Real-world insights: how LSU Football leveraged Perch to fuel a national championship season.

• What the Catapult–Perch integration means for the future of athlete data and performance analytics.

• The challenges and lessons of building a hardware-software platform for elite sport.

About Jacob Rothman
Jacob Rothman co-founded Perch at MIT after a back injury inspired him to find a safer, smarter way for athletes to train. Since 2017, Perch has become a trusted solution for pro teams, collegiate programs, and elite training facilities, capturing over 500 million reps in the weight room. In June 2025, Catapult acquired Perch to bring non-invasive, AI-powered strength analytics into its global athlete performance ecosystem. Today, Jacob leads Strength at Catapult, driving innovation in integrated performance and health solutions.

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• ​ Learn Quicker & More Effectively
• ​ Optimise Your Athletes' Recovery
• ​ Position Yourself As An Expert To Your Athletes And Naturally Improve Buy-In
• ​ Reduce Your Athletes' Injury Ratese
• ​ Save 100's Of Dollars A Year That Would Otherwise Be Spent On Books, Courses And More
• ​ Improve Your Athletes' Performance
• ​ Advance Forward In Your Career, Allowing You To Earn More Money And Work With Elite-Level Athletes
• ​ Save Yourself The Stress & Worry Of Constantly Trying To Stay Up-To-Date With Sports Science Research

Listeners will learn:

• The global trends shaping the future of sports science, including data integration and AI
• Why the best teams often do the basics exceptionally well
• Common mistakes when adopting performance tech – and how to avoid them
• How Catapult’s wearable and video technologies are being used to save time and unlock deeper insights
• What really makes a great sports scientist in today’s high-performance environment

Chris also shares practical advice for aspiring practitioners, highlighting the importance of communication, cultural fit, and the ability to simplify complex data to drive better decision-making.

Whether you're working in pro sport or just entering the field, this episode is packed with wisdom from someone who’s helped scale one of the most widely used performance platforms in the world.

About Chris Polley
Chris Polley is Catapult’s Vice President of Customer Success, formerly Senior Director of Sport Science, based in Victoria, Australia. Over the past 11 years at Catapult, Chris has played a pivotal role in scaling the team from its start-up beginnings to a global fixture, now supporting over 4,400 teams across 128 countries. He leads a diverse squad of approximately 55 sports scientists across 16 nations, delivering post-sales support, global training, analytics best practice, and insights-driven performance strategies. With a strong academic grounding, including published research on activity profiling in elite lacrosse and rugby forwards, Chris brings both scientific rigour and real-world expertise to Catapult’s wearable and video technology suite

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​ Optimise Your Athletes' Recovery
​ Position Yourself As An Expert To Your Athletes And Naturally Improve Buy-In
​ Reduce Your Athletes' Injury Ratese
​ Save 100's Of Dollars A Year That Would Otherwise Be Spent On Books, Courses And More
​ Improve Your Athletes' Performance
​ Advance Forward In Your Career, Allowing You To Earn More Money And Work With Elite-Level Athletes
​ Save Yourself The Stress & Worry Of Constantly Trying To Stay Up-To-Date With Sports Science Research

Born and raised in New Zealand, Scott’s journey has taken him across continents — from youth football in Auckland to the intensity of Major League Soccer. In this candid conversation, Scott reflects on his early struggles in pro sport, navigating four head coaches in 12 months, and playing a key role in transforming FC Cincinnati from bottom of the table to Supporters’ Shield winners.

You’ll hear Scott’s insights into:

Building trust with players through communication, not just data

Balancing holistic care with performance metrics

Avoiding "paralysis by analysis" in a tech-heavy environment

The power of multidisciplinary collaboration

Why being a generalist can be just as important as being a specialist

Whether you're a practitioner looking for real-world advice or a sports fan curious about what really happens behind the scenes, this episode delivers practical takeaways and thoughtful reflections.

About Scott Armistead
Scott Armistead, MS, LAT, ATC, is an accomplished Athletic Trainer currently serving with Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer. Originating from New Zealand, Scott's career has spanned various roles, including positions with FC Cincinnati, FC Tucson, and the Barça Residency Academy. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training from McKendree University and a Master’s degree in Sports Performance from Arizona State University. Scott is renowned for his holistic, athlete-centered approach, seamlessly integrating sports science, rehabilitation, and performance optimisation. His commitment to evidence-based practice and multidisciplinary collaboration has made him a respected figure in elite football circles
https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottarmistead/

FREE 7d SCIENCE FOR SPORT ACADEMY TRIAL

SIGN UP NOW: https://bit.ly/SFSepisode241

​ Learn Quicker & More Effectively
​ Optimise Your Athletes' Recovery
​ Position Yourself As An Expert To Your Athletes And Naturally Improve Buy-In
​ Reduce Your Athletes' Injury Ratese
​ Save 100's Of Dollars A Year That Would Otherwise Be Spent On Books, Courses And More
​ Improve Your Athletes' Performance
​ Advance Forward In Your Career, Allowing You To Earn More Money And Work With Elite-Level Athletes
​ Save Yourself The Stress & Worry Of Constantly Trying To Stay Up-To-Date With Sports Science Research

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