Science for Sport Podcast

324: Joe Truman: Training of a GB Track Sprinter

June 15th, 2026  |  24 mins 2 secs

athlete monitoring, athlete-led programming, bfr training, blood flow restriction training, british cycling, cadence, cycling performance, elite athlete, elite sport, joe truman, keirin, kilo time trial, la 2028, olympic cycling, peak power, performance coaching, physiology, power training, race-specific training, recovery, richard graves, s&c, science for sport, sport science, sports science, sprint cycling, sprint performance, strength and conditioning, tapering, team gb, team sprint, track cycling, training load

Richard Graves welcomes Great Britain track cyclist Joe Truman to discuss the science, training and decision-making behind elite track sprinting. Joe reflects on his journey through the British Cycling pathway, his first major individual European title, and the British record performance that marked a major breakthrough in his career. The conversation explores how studying sport and exercise science has shaped Joe’s training philosophy, why he now takes a more active role in his own programming, and how methods such as blood flow restriction training, tapering, cadence management and race-specific preparation are helping him push performance forward. For practitioners, this episode offers a detailed look at how an elite athlete blends science, experience and self-awareness to keep improving at the highest level.

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.

321: Preparing for the World Cup: Physical Performance Under Extreme Pressure

May 25th, 2026  |  46 mins 34 secs

292 performance, altitude training, athlete monitoring, athlete readiness, ben rosenblatt, dr ben rosenblatt, elite football performance, elite sport, england football, fatigue management, fifa world cup 2026, football sports science, gb hockey, heat acclimation, high-performance sport, international football, olympic performance, performance coaching, physical performance, pressure training, recovery, rehabilitation, return to play, richard graves, science for sport podcast, sports science, strength and conditioning, the football association, tournament preparation, world cup preparation

Dr Ben Rosenblatt joins Richard Graves to discuss the physical performance demands of preparing players for the 2026 Men’s World Cup. Drawing on his experience with England, Olympic athletes and GB Hockey, Ben explores tournament readiness, rehabilitation, recovery, heat and altitude preparation, individualised support and the importance of preparing athletes to perform under extreme pressure.

319: Acceleration, Plyometrics and the Transfer to Performance

May 11th, 2026  |  34 mins

acceleration, athlete communication, athlete development, bobsled, bobsleigh, coaching philosophy, elite sport, eric franke, fatigue management, german bobsleigh, high performance coaching, jump training, latvian bobsleigh, latvian skeleton, olympic bobsleigh, olympic performance, olympic silver medallist, performance coaching, plyometrics, pyeongchang 2018, rate of force development, richard graves, science for sport, skeleton, sliding sports, speed training, sports performance, sports science, sprint training, strength and conditioning, testing and monitoring

Richard Graves is joined by Olympic silver medallist and high performance coach Eric Franke to discuss the demands of elite bobsleigh, the pressure of competing at the Olympic Games, and the key principles behind speed development. Eric explains why speed must be prioritised properly, how plyometrics and sprinting can support performance, and why his coaching philosophy focuses on communication, individualisation and helping athletes become better decision-makers.

318: ACL Rehab: Training Age, Force Progression and Return to Sport with Carmen Bott

May 4th, 2026  |  35 mins 15 secs

acl rehab, acl rehabilitation, adolescent athletes, ai in sports science, artificial intelligence in sport, athlete development, carmen bott, coaching, dynamic strength training, elite sport, exercise prescription, force progression, injury rehabilitation, isometrics, kinesiology, performance coaching, plyometrics, professional sport, return to play, return to sport, richard graves, science for sport, sports injury, sports medicine, sports performance, sports science, strength and conditioning, youth athletes

Richard Graves speaks with Carmen Bott about her career in kinesiology, strength and conditioning, and athlete rehabilitation. The episode explores how practitioners can better support coaches and athletes, particularly during ACL return-to-play decisions. Carmen explains why training age, communication, force progression and real coaching skill are central to effective rehab, and shares her perspective on where AI can and cannot support practitioners in the future.

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.

296: The Mental Game: What Athletes Really Carry with Them

December 1st, 2025  |  27 mins 36 secs

athlete support, athlete welfare, athlete wellbeing, british basketball, elite sport, high performance, kofi josephs, mental health, performance psychology, preventative mental health, psychology in sport, richard graves, science for sport, sport, sports science, whynoti

Former GB basketball player Kofi Josephs joins Richard Graves to share his powerful journey through elite sport, opening up about injury, pressure, mental health, and the reality behind performance. He also reveals how his platform WhyNotI is helping teams take a preventative, data-driven approach to athlete wellbeing.

294: The Science Behind England’s Ashes Preparation – with Lead Nutritionist Charlie Binns

November 17th, 2025  |  32 mins 27 secs

ashes 2025, ashes preparation, ashes series, athlete recovery, charlie binns, cricket nutrition, cricket performance, cricket podcast, ecb, elite sport, england cricket, england cricket team, england vs australia, fuelling performance, performance nutrition, richard graves, sports nutrition, sports science, sports science podcast, test cricket

England Men’s Lead Nutritionist Charlie Binns joins the show from Australia to reveal how the team fuels, hydrates, and recovers ahead of the Ashes. From carb-loading strategies to match-day snack tables, Charlie lifts the lid on the science and logistics behind keeping England’s cricketers performing at their peak.

290: Rewiring Performance: The Neuroscience Behind Mindset and Recovery

October 20th, 2025  |  32 mins 7 secs

athlete development, born superhuman, brain training, chatgpt said: mindset, coaching, dan metcalfe, elite performance, high performance, human potential, leadership, mental training, motivation, neuroscience, performance psychology, recovery, rehabilitation, resilience, richard graves, science for sport podcast, sports science

In this episode, performance coach Dan Metcalfe joins host Richard Graves to discuss the neuroscience of mindset, recovery, and human potential. Drawing on his remarkable journey from paralysis to coaching elite athletes, Dan explores how belief, brain training, and resilience shape performance at every level.