Science for Sport Podcast

322: The Performance Demands of a World Cup with Dr Dave Hancock

June 1st, 2026  |  25 mins 36 secs

ai in sports science, apollo, apollo v2, artificial intelligence in sport, athlete management system, athlete screening, blind screen, chelsea fc, dave hancock, dr dave hancock, elite football, elite sport, england football, fatigue monitoring, fifa world cup, heart rate variability, high performance, injury prevention, injury risk, international football, leeds united, movement screening, new york knicks, performance data, performance director, player availability, recovery, rehabilitation, richard graves, rotational movement, science for sport, science for sport podcast, sleep monitoring, sports medicine, sports physiotherapy, sports science, tournament preparation, world cup 2026

Richard Graves welcomes Dr Dave Hancock back to the Science for Sport Podcast to discuss the latest developments in his Blind Screen approach, the growing role of AI in athlete monitoring and the challenge of preparing elite players for the 2026 World Cup.

Drawing on his experience with Chelsea, Leeds United, the New York Knicks and the England national team, Dave explores player availability, individualised recovery, heat, travel, mental freshness and the importance of bringing players and staff together around one common goal during a major tournament.

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.

310: Why Female Physiology Still Needs Greater Attention in Sport with Dr Candice Macmillan

March 9th, 2026  |  30 mins 42 secs

athlete health, athlete monitoring, elite sport science, female athlete health, female athlete performance, female physiology, hormonal contraception, injury prevention, menstrual cycle, performance science, sports medicine, sports physiotherapy, sports science, strength and conditioning, women in sport

Dr Candice Macmillan joins the Science for Sport Podcast to explore the complex relationship between hormonal contraceptives, female physiology, and athletic performance. The episode highlights why education, communication, and symptom awareness are essential for practitioners supporting female athletes 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.

301: Training for the Unknown: Olympic BMX Freestyle with Brian Roy

January 5th, 2026  |  24 mins 1 sec

action sports, applied sports science, athlete buy-in, athlete development, biomechanics, bmx freestyle, coaching philosophy, high-performance sport, injury prevention, olympic performance, performance training, sports science, strength and conditioning, training adaptation

Brian Roy joins the Science for Sport Podcast to unpack the unique demands of Olympic BMX Freestyle and why traditional strength and conditioning models often fall short in action sports. Drawing on a decade of experience, he shares how adaptable, athlete-led approaches, resilience training and emerging technology are shaping performance in a sport with no rulebook.

292: How the NFL Uses Sports Science to Build Better Fields

November 3rd, 2025  |  31 mins 55 secs

artificial turf, athlete performance, beast device, biomechanics, data analysis, digital athlete, field management, injury prevention, natural grass, nfl, nfl international games, performance optimisation, performance science, player safety, sports engineering, sports science, sports technology, strike device, surface testing, turf science

NFL Field Director Nick Pappas joins host Richard Graves to reveal the science, data, and innovation behind the league’s playing surfaces, from injury prevention to performance optimisation. Discover how the NFL uses cutting-edge testing to keep players safe on every field, from the Super Bowl to Madrid.

286: NFL’s Digital Athlete – How Data is Transforming Player Health & Safety

September 22nd, 2025  |  26 mins 27 secs

athlete monitoring, aws, biomechanics, computer vision, concussion prevention, data analytics, digital athlete, injury prevention, load management, machine learning, nfl, performance analysis, player health, player safety, rule changes, sports data, sports innovation, sports performance, sports science, sports technology

This episode dives into the NFL’s groundbreaking Digital Athlete, as host Richard Graves speaks with Dr Mackenzie Herzog (NFL) and Julie Souza (AWS) about how data and AI are transforming player health, safety, and performance.
Discover how advanced analytics, computer vision, and machine learning are driving injury prevention, rule changes, and equipment innovation across the league.

284: Club Plans & Personal Coaches: Adding An Edge?

September 8th, 2025  |  32 mins 14 secs

athlete monitoring, case studies mahomes lebron brady, central contracts, club vs personal coach, coaching philosophy, collaboration in sport, communication in teams, data sharing, elite sport, external practitioners, football performance, gps tracking, high performance, injury prevention, load management, multidisciplinary teams, olympic sport, performance pathways, periodisation, player availability, player welfare, premier league, programme design, recovery strategies, regeneration, return to play, rugby performance, s&c, sports science, strength and conditioning

Richard Graves and performance coach Daniel Booth debate how clubs, national teams, and personal practitioners can align around “one athlete, one plan” without adding risk—covering communication, data sharing, contracts, and load management. Practical takeaways draw on football, rugby, Olympic sport, and case studies like Mahomes and LeBron to show what good collaboration looks like in practice.

282: AI in the Weight Room: Jacob Rothman on the Future of Velocity-Based Training

August 25th, 2025  |  25 mins 11 secs

ai in sport, ai in strength and conditioning, athlete health, athlete monitoring, athlete monitoring systems, athlete readiness, athletic performance, camera based training tech, catapult sports, data-driven training, elite sport performance, gym technology for athletes, injury prevention, lsu football training, perch technology, performance analytics, sports analytics, sports coaching technology, sports data integration, sports performance data, sports science, sports science podcast, sports technology, strength and conditioning, strength training, training optimisation, vbt, velocity based training, velocity tracking, weight room technology

This week, host Richard Graves talks with Jacob Rothman, founder of Perch and now Head of Strength at Catapult, about how AI-powered, camera-based technology is transforming strength and conditioning in elite sport. Discover how Perch’s integration with Catapult is helping teams connect weight-room data with on-field performance to drive smarter, safer training decisions.

280: Sports Science at the Intersection of Youth and Professional Football with Luke Harris

August 11th, 2025  |  31 mins 32 secs

a-league, athlete recovery, athletic performance, elite athlete development, football coaching, football fitness, force plates, gps tracking, injury prevention, physical preparation, player development, sports data, sports performance, sports science, sports science insights, sports science technology, sports technology, strength and conditioning, women’s football, youth football, youth to pro transition

Luke Harris, Head of Strength & Conditioning and Sports Science at Adelaide United, manages the development of both youth and women's teams, focusing on individualized athlete care and performance optimization. With expertise in integrating technology and building player relationships, Luke is dedicated to driving success through a balance of team goals and personal development.