Science for Sport Podcast

336: How the NFL’s Best Practitioners Use Performance Data

September 7th, 2026  |  29 mins 38 secs

american football, applied sports science, athlete monitoring, athlete preparation, athlete readiness, catapult, catapult sports, college football, data analytics, elite sport, football performance, gps tracking, high performance sport, injury prevention, injury risk, jamie hepner, load management, ncaa football, nfl, performance analysis, performance data, performance technology, player availability, player tracking, practice load, practitioner decision making, sport science, sports science, sports technology, strength and conditioning, training load, training prescription, vector 8, video analysis, wearable technology

Jamie Hepner joins Richard Graves to explain how NFL and college football teams are moving beyond simply collecting performance data and using it to shape practice, manage player availability and improve preparation. They discuss athlete monitoring, training prescription, injury risk and why context and practitioner judgement ultimately determine whether data leads to better decisions.

335: The Three Outcomes That Define High Performance

August 31st, 2026  |  28 mins 12 secs

athlete availability, athlete development, athlete monitoring, athlete readiness, coaching, collegiate sport, data-informed coaching, exercise science, force plates, high performance sport, high-performance leadership, integrated performance, load monitoring, mental wellness, multidisciplinary teams, ncaa, nsca, performance data, performance science, return to play, richard graves, science for sport, sports medicine, sports nutrition, sports science, sports technology, strength and conditioning, trevor short, utah state university, wearable technology

Dr Trevor Short joins Richard Graves to explain how Utah State University is building an integrated approach to athlete health, wellness and performance. They discuss why alignment must come before data, how athlete monitoring can improve decision-making and what it takes to balance availability, readiness and long-term performance development.

330: Frontal Plane Fundamentals with Dr Matthew Ibrahim

July 27th, 2026  |  30 mins 24 secs

adductor strength, athlete buy-in, athlete development, athlete monitoring, change of direction, coaching communication, criteria-based rehabilitation, data analytics, dr matthew ibrahim, force plates, frontal plane training, groin strength, high performance sport, injury rehabilitation, isometric strength testing, lateral lunge, lateral movement, lateral squat, lateral strength, load management, malden catholic, matthew ibrahim, performance data, readiness monitoring, rehabilitation, return to performance, return to play, richard graves, science for sport, science for sport podcast, sports science, strength and conditioning, student-athletes, training load, vbt, velocity-based training, wellness monitoring, youth athlete development

Dr Matthew Ibrahim joins Richard Graves to explain how sports science, strength and conditioning, wellness and education can work together within an integrated performance model. They discuss selecting meaningful athlete-monitoring data, moving beyond return to play towards return to performance, and why frontal-plane strength deserves a more prominent place in athletic development.

329: The Five Qualities of Speed Development

July 20th, 2026  |  33 mins 20 secs

1080 sprint, acceleration, agility training, american football, athlete monitoring, athlete recovery, athletic performance, catapult gps, change of direction, coaching psychology, college football, conditioning, curved sprinting, deceleration, elite sport, external load, force velocity profiling, high performance sport, horizontal force, individualised training, injury risk reduction, internal load, matt gebert, max velocity, maximum velocity, multidirectional speed, ncaa football, ole miss football, ole miss rebels, performance coaching, player availability, sleep and performance, speed development, sports performance, sports science, sports technology, sprint training, strength and conditioning, training load, velocity-based training, wellness monitoring, work capacity

Richard Graves is joined by Ole Miss Strength and Conditioning Coach Matt Gebert to explore how speed is developed, assessed and managed within an elite college football programme.

Matt explains how acceleration, maximum velocity, deceleration, change of direction and conditioning are trained across different position groups. He also discusses how Ole Miss uses sports science technology to profile athletes, manage training load and support player availability.

The episode provides a practical look at the relationship between speed, data, recovery and coaching judgement, while highlighting why effective performance programmes must be individualised to the physical and psychological needs of each athlete.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.