Science for Sport Podcast

323: The Unseen Work of S&C and Sports Science

June 8th, 2026  |  29 mins 16 secs

athletic performance, catalan dragons, coaching, decision making, elite rugby, elite sport, gps data, high performance, high performance puzzle, leadership in sport, leicester tigers, matt parr, performance data, performance environment, performance leadership, performance teams, player management, return to play, richard graves, rugby league, rugby performance, rugby union, s&c, science for sport, sports medicine, sports performance, sports science, sports science podcast, strength and conditioning, training load

Richard Graves welcomes Matt Parr back to the Science for Sport podcast to explore the invisible work behind elite performance. Matt discusses why data, GPS reports, and training plans only tell part of the story, and why relationships, trust, standards, alignment, and decision-making are often what determine whether performance systems truly work. Drawing on his experience across Leicester Tigers, Catalan Dragons, and High Performance Puzzle, Matt offers practical insight for sports science, S&C, medical, and coaching staff working in elite sport.

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.

320: The Challenges of Modern Collegiate Sport

May 18th, 2026  |  32 mins 19 secs

ai in sport, athlete monitoring, athlete wellbeing, coaching, collegiate sport, data analytics, female athlete data, female athletes, gps, heather farmer, high performance, human performance, interdisciplinary teams, ncaa, performance data, rehabilitation, return to play, science for sport, sport science, sports medicine, sports performance, sports science, sports technology, strength and conditioning, transfer portal, university of nevada las vegas, unlv, wearable technology

Richard Graves is joined by Heather Farmer, Assistant Athletics Director, Sports Science at UNLV, to discuss how sport science has developed within collegiate sport and how UNLV has built a human-first, data-informed performance model. Heather explains why data should support decision-making rather than replace practitioner judgement, how to build coach and athlete buy-in, and why the lack of female athlete data remains a major challenge. The episode also covers wearable technology, AI, return to play, the transfer portal, and the importance of strong communication across the whole high-performance team.

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.

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.

297: Finding the Competitive Edge: Elite Performance with FC Midtjylland’s Niklas Virtanen

December 8th, 2025  |  26 mins 24 secs

applied sports science, athlete monitoring, catapult, coaching science, data analytics, elite coaching, elite sport, fc midtjylland, football analytics, football performance, football science, gps tracking, high performance, high-speed running, inertial data, injury risk, load monitoring, match preparation, micro-actions, performance coaching, performance data, performance optimisation, player development, scandinavian football, set piece analysis, sports physiology, sports science, sports technology, talent development, trackman

This episode explores how FC Midtjylland punch above their weight using advanced data, inertial tracking, and smart performance processes. Niklas Virtanen reveals how he blends science, coaching, and communication to drive elite on-pitch results.

259: Every Impact Matters: The Game-Changing Initiative

March 17th, 2025  |  28 mins 55 secs

athlete development, athlete monitoring, athletic performance, coaching technology, denver broncos, football safety, impact analysis, injury prevention, nfl, performance data, player safety, smart technology, sports analytics, sports data, sports education, sports innovation, sports research, sports science, sports technology, youth sports

Join us as we explore how the Denver Broncos Foundation and Riddell are revolutionising youth sport through an unprecedented state-wide smart helmet initiative. Discover how real-time impact data from 13,000 athletes is transforming player safety and coaching methodology, potentially creating the blueprint for the future of contact sports. This groundbreaking programme isn't just changing football in Colorado - it's reshaping how we think about youth sport safety worldwide.