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 12 in total of Science for Sport Podcast with the tag "high performance sport".
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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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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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308: Peak Demands and Decision-Making Under Fatigue with Stan Parker
February 23rd, 2026 | 30 mins 50 secs
afl, ai in sport, athlete monitoring, brisbane broncos, contextualisation, gps tracking, high performance sport, injury prevention, interdisciplinary collaboration, load management, peak demands, performance analytics, phd in sports science, sports science, sports technology, team sport analytics, western bulldogs
In this episode, Stan Parker explains how elite sports science is evolving beyond basic load monitoring toward contextualised performance analytics that genuinely inform coaching decisions. Drawing on experience across multiple professional codes, he outlines how data, vision, communication and interdisciplinary collaboration combine to enhance availability, performance and long-term athlete development.
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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.
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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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303: Periodised Nutrition in Practice: Delivering the Plan Away From the Club
January 19th, 2026 | 42 mins 24 secs
applied sports nutrition, athlete fueling, athlete recovery, elite sport, high performance sport, interdisciplinary performance teams, macronutrients, matchday fueling, nutrition compliance, performance chef, performance nutrition, periodised nutrition, recovery nutrition, sports science, training load
This episode explores how periodised nutrition is delivered in practice away from the training ground, and the role performance chefs play in translating nutritionist-led prescriptions into compliant, real-world meals. Rachel Muse shares applied insights on macros, culture, and collaboration within elite performance systems.
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298: Building Better Athletes. Michigan’s High-Performance Approach with Lew Porchiazzo
December 15th, 2025 | 33 mins 49 secs
athlete development, athletic performance, catapult sports, chatgpt said: strength and conditioning, coaching athletes, durability training, elite performance, gymnastics training, high performance sport, lew porchiazzo, perch training system, performance data, soccer strength and conditioning, softball strength and conditioning, sports science, sports technology, training load management, university of michigan, vbt, velocity based training
In this episode, Richard Graves speaks with University of Michigan’s Lew Porchiazzo about developing high-performance athletes through trust-driven coaching, intelligent use of technology, and a focus on raising the floor of athletic development. Lew shares practical insights on strength, conditioning, velocity-based training, and guiding young athletes toward long-term success.
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293: Johnny Nelson on the Gym that Created World Champions
November 10th, 2025 | 32 mins 20 secs
athlete development, athlete mindset, athlete resilience, boxing podcast, brendan ingle, coaching philosophy, elite athlete stories, elite mindset, elite performance, high performance sport, human performance, johnny nelson, leadership in sport, mental fitness, mental toughness, mindset, motivation, overcoming failure, performance coaching, performance culture, physical conditioning, resilience, self belief, sheffield boxing, sport psychology, sports performance, sports science, training science, wincobank gym, world champion, world champion mindset
Former world champion Johnny Nelson joins Richard Graves to share how he went from a struggling amateur to the longest-reigning cruiserweight champion in history. He reveals the mindset, coaching, and resilience that turned failure into fuel, with lessons every sports science professional can apply to elite performance.
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288: How Scotland Built a Fitter, Faster, Stronger Rugby Team
October 6th, 2025 | 33 mins 37 secs
athlete development, continuous improvement in sport, elite athlete training, elite rugby training, high performance sport, physical performance, player performance, rugby coaching, rugby fitness, rugby pathways, rugby preparation, rugby strength and conditioning, rugby strength training, rugby union, scottish rugby, six nations rugby, sports performance, sports science podcast, strength and conditioning coach, stuart yule
Host Richard Graves speaks with Stuart Yule, Head of Physical Performance for Scottish Rugby, about the journey that’s taken him from Commonwealth Games athlete to driving force behind Scotland’s rise on the international stage. Stuart shares how alignment, culture, and lessons from other sports are shaping Scotland’s physical edge and continual push for improvement.