Science for Sport Podcast
Behind the Scenes of Elite Performance – Unlocking the Science, Stories, and Strategies That Make the Best Even Better
Displaying items 1-10 of 31 in total of Science for Sport Podcast with the tag "elite sport".
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318: ACL Rehab: Training Age, Force Progression and Return to Sport with Carmen Bott
May 4th, 2026 | 35 mins 15 secs
acl rehab, acl rehabilitation, adolescent athletes, ai in sports science, artificial intelligence in sport, athlete development, carmen bott, coaching, dynamic strength training, elite sport, exercise prescription, force progression, injury rehabilitation, isometrics, kinesiology, performance coaching, plyometrics, professional sport, return to play, return to sport, richard graves, science for sport, sports injury, sports medicine, sports performance, sports science, strength and conditioning, youth athletes
Richard Graves speaks with Carmen Bott about her career in kinesiology, strength and conditioning, and athlete rehabilitation. The episode explores how practitioners can better support coaches and athletes, particularly during ACL return-to-play decisions. Carmen explains why training age, communication, force progression and real coaching skill are central to effective rehab, and shares her perspective on where AI can and cannot support practitioners in the future.
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317: Building Effective Analysis Processes in Elite Teams with Jamie Cook
April 27th, 2026 | 30 mins 25 secs
analysis workflow, athlete performance, chelsea women, coaching, coaching process, cpd in sport, data analysis, decision making in sport, elite sport, football analytics, football coaching, high performance sport, match analysis, performance analysis, performance analyst, player development, sports data, sports science, sports technology, women’s football
Jamie Cook provides a clear, practical insight into modern performance analysis in elite football, highlighting the importance of communication, process, and player understanding. The episode focuses on how analysts can turn complex data into meaningful impact, avoid over-analysis, and support coaches and players in high-pressure environments.
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316: Neuroscience and Coaching in High Performance Sport
April 20th, 2026 | 33 mins 43 secs
athlete development, athlete wellbeing, behaviour in sport, brentford fc, coaching, coaching science, decision making, elite sport, football coaching, football performance, high performance sport, human performance, nervous system, neuroscience, performance consistency, performance psychology, self awareness, sports psychology, sports science
This episode explores how human development, neuroscience, and coaching are converging in elite football. Dr Sally Needham explains how understanding the nervous system, self-awareness, and behaviour can unlock more consistent performance, while offering practical insights for coaches and practitioners looking to integrate these concepts into real-world environments.
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315: The Under-fueling Problem in Professional Sport with Dr Nessan Costello
April 13th, 2026 | 31 mins 14 secs
al-ahli fc, athlete health, athlete nutrition, body composition, carbohydrate loading, creatine, disordered eating in sport, elite football nutrition, elite sport, football fitness, football performance, football science, fuelling for performance, hydration, match day nutrition, performance nutrition, pre-season nutrition, premier league nutrition, ramadan sport, recovery nutrition, saudi pro league, science for sport podcast, sports dietitian, sports medicine, sports nutrition, sports nutritionist, sports physiology, sports science, supplementation in sport, underfuelling
Dr. Nessan Costello, 1st Team Sports Nutritionist at Al-Ahli in the Saudi Pro League, joins Richard Graves to discuss the realities of nutrition in elite football. With experience at Chelsea, Newcastle and Leeds United, Nessan unpacks why so many professional players are chronically underfuelled, the truth about carbohydrate loading and post-match recovery, and why chasing ultra-lean body composition is actively harming performance. He also shares what Ramadan nutrition looks like from the inside, with training sessions at 10pm and cup ties kicking off past midnight, and what the World Cup heat conditions in North America will demand from nutritionists and athletes alike.
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314: Player Load, Practice Periodisation, and the Art of Keeping It Simple with Jackson Polk
April 6th, 2026 | 29 mins 24 secs
american football, athlete development, athlete monitoring, catapult, college athletics, college football, data analytics, elite sport, force plates, forcedecks, gps monitoring, high performance sport, jackson polk, load management, nfl preparation, oklahoma sooners, perch, performance data, player load, practice periodization, principal component analysis, recovery, richard graves, science for sport, sports analytics, sports performance, sports science, sports science podcast, sports technology, strength and conditioning, university of southern california, usc football, usc trojans, vald, velocity-based training, wearable technology
Jackson Polk, Director of Sports Science at USC Trojans football, joins Richard Graves to discuss how he built a sports science programme from the ground up using data analytics, GPS monitoring, and the art of genuine conversation. Jackson shares his unorthodox path from student videographer at Oklahoma to leading sports science at one of college football's biggest programmes, and offers a frank, grounded perspective on everything from Catapult metrics and force plate testing to the real limitations of AI in applied sport.
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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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312: The Role of Environment in Player Performance
March 23rd, 2026 | 36 mins 30 secs
athlete mindset, coaching, coaching psychology, elite sport, football coaching, football development, football performance, high performance sport, leadership in sport, performance analysis, player development, player psychology, professional football, sports performance, sports science, talent pathways, team culture
A powerful conversation with Carl Asaba on the realities of professional football — from non-traditional pathways and career setbacks to team culture, psychology, and the importance of man management in elite sport.
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307: Performance Science in AFL and NRL with Brendan Fahrner
February 16th, 2026 | 27 mins 30 secs
afl, athlete buy-in, athlete monitoring, coaching science, elite sport, gps tracking, high performance, injury risk management, nrl, performance analytics, performance culture, performance leadership, practitioner wellbeing, rugby league, sports data, sports science, sports technology, strength and conditioning, team sport science
Brendan Fahrner reflects on a career spanning premiership-winning AFL environments and the NRL, sharing why trust, clarity and relationship-building matter more than complex analytics. He explains how simplifying data, aligning with coaching philosophy, and focusing on athlete-centred systems can create meaningful performance impact. A grounded discussion for practitioners navigating modern high-performance sport.
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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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305: Building Resilient Athletes in High-Pressure Environments
February 2nd, 2026 | 38 mins 6 secs
applied sports science, athlete wellbeing, coaching philosophy, elite coaching, elite sport, football performance, high performance sport, leadership in sport, man management, performance culture, premier league history, professional football, resilience in athletes, sports psychology, team culture
Former England international Warren Barton reflects on elite football across contrasting eras, from Wimbledon’s culture-driven “Crazy Gang” to Newcastle United’s Entertainers, offering first-hand insight into resilience, leadership, and team identity. The conversation explores how psychology, man-management, and trust still underpin high performance, even in a modern game shaped by data, technology, and scrutiny.