Science for Sport Podcast - Episodes Tagged with “Nervous System”

316: Neuroscience and Coaching in High Performance Sport

Science for Sport — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 06:00:00 +0100

In this episode, Richard Graves is joined by Dr Sally Needham, whose work sits at the heart of coaching, neuroscience, and human performance.

Sally shares her journey from coaching within the FA to leading human development and culture work across elite environments including Brentford FC, Sheffield United, and international football. Her approach challenges traditional performance models, bringing a deeper understanding of the nervous system, behaviour, and athlete self-awareness into day-to-day coaching practice.

The conversation explores how clubs are beginning to bridge the gap between “off-field” psychology and “on-field” performance, why understanding the brain and body connection is becoming essential in modern sport, and how coaches can influence behaviour, decision-making, and performance through better awareness of human systems.

For practitioners working in elite sport, this episode offers a practical lens on integrating neuroscience into coaching environments, without losing sight of the realities of performance.

In this episode you will learn

Why human development is becoming a priority in elite football environments
How the nervous system directly impacts performance, decision-making, and behaviour
What “co-regulation” means and how coaches influence athlete states
The role of self-awareness in achieving consistent performance
Why fear is unavoidable—and how athletes can manage it more effectively
How Brentford are integrating human development into their performance model
The gap between sports psychology theory and on-field coaching practice
Why connection and relationships underpin long-term performance
How coaches can consciously “up-regulate” or “down-regulate” players
Practical ways to introduce neuroscience concepts into coaching environments

About Dr Sally Needham
Dr Sally Needham is a human development specialist working across elite football, with experience spanning the FA, Sheffield United, and Brentford FC.

Her work focuses on the integration of coaching, neuroscience, and behaviour—helping athletes better understand their brain and body to improve performance and wellbeing. Sally completed a professional doctorate in elite performance, exploring how human development approaches can be embedded within high-performance environments.

She currently works across multiple roles, including consultancy with clubs and international teams, as well as supporting individual athletes.

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141: Are You Breathing Wrong? How You Can Use Nasal Breathing To Improve Performance

Science for Sport — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 02:00:00 +0000

In episode 141, David Jackson, Master Instructor at The Oxygen Advantage, joins us.

Specifically David will be looking at:

What nasal breathing is
Why people should perform nasal breathing
How to incorperate this into your life

About David

"David Jackson is a Master Instructor with the Oxygen Advantage working now as a breath-work coach. A former professional rugby player, accredited UKSCA Strength & Conditioning coach, NASM performance enhancement & corrective exercise specialist on a mission to make breath-work a normal part of our everyday lives."

www.probreathwork.com

Instagram: jacko.david.jackson

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135: Could Poor Breathing Be Destroying Your Performance?

Science for Sport — Mon, 31 Oct 2022 02:00:00 +0000

In episode 135, Rachel Vickery, Human Behaviour and High-Performance Consultant, joins us.

Specifically Rachel will be looking at:

What good and bad breathing looks like
How to breathe well
How to breathing transfers to sport performance

About Rachel

"Rachel Vickery is a Human Behaviour and High-Performance Consultant, qualified High Performance Sport Physiotherapist and former International Gymnast, competing on the National team for 6 years. She consults with Professional and Elite athletes, coaches and organisations; and other high-performance arenas including elite military teams, corporates, trauma and emergency medicine personnel to optimise performance in high pressure and high stakes environments. Rachel has worked with breathing from a performance perspective for over 20 years, being a pioneer in the field. She has a unique perspective on how breathing impacts not only arousal state, but physical performance, biomechanics and physiology in the world of elite performance.

Rachel has worked with individuals and teams in the NBA (Golden State Warriors USA), the NRL (Melbourne Storm and Sydney Roosters) and the AFL (Brisbane Lions and Adelaide Crows) and numerous National, Olympic and World Champion level athletes, coaches and organisations from NZ, Australia and the USA, and is a performance ambassador for the global Leaders in Sport organisation.

In her spare time Rachel has co-founded two digital health start-ups, and been a Director of a State sport organisation "

People can get in touch via rachel@breathingandperformance.com
My website www.breathingandperformance.com or www.rachelvickery.com
Or connect with me on linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelvickery/
Instagram @rachel.vickery

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