With over 15 years in high-performance sport, Nathan shares his unique journey from the pathways of Australian rugby league to the courts of the NBA, and now back to the NRL. The conversation dives deep into velocity-based training (VBT), practical insights into using data in elite environments, and the importance of education and context when applying technology in sport.
Whether you’re a coach, sports scientist, or performance professional, this episode is packed with actionable takeaways and thought-provoking discussions about how to truly leverage tech and data to improve athlete performance.

What you’ll learn in this episode

• How Nathan transitioned from rugby league to the NBA and back, and what he learned in the process
• The real-world application of velocity-based training (VBT) in different sports, from basketball to rugby league
• Why context and interpretation matter more than the tech itself
• Lessons from managing high-performance environments through challenges like COVID and condensed seasons
• How to educate and upskill coaches to make better, data-driven decisions
• Emerging trends in VBT and where the technology is headed
• Insights into Nathan’s upcoming VBT course with Science for Sport, designed to help coaches apply these principles in their own environments

About Nathan Spencer
Nathan Spencer is an experienced Strength & Power Coach with a global career spanning rugby league, basketball, and elite sport. He has:
Worked with NRL clubs, the NBL, and spent four years with the Orlando Magic in the NBA
A Master’s in High Performance Sport and a current PhD candidate researching coach mentorships
A passion for educating and upskilling coaches, helping practitioners make better, context-driven decisions in their environments

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• ​ Learn Quicker & More Effectively
• ​ Optimise Your Athletes' Recovery
• ​ Position Yourself As An Expert To Your Athletes And Naturally Improve Buy-In
• ​ Reduce Your Athletes' Injury Ratese
• ​ Save 100's Of Dollars A Year That Would Otherwise Be Spent On Books, Courses And More
• ​ Improve Your Athletes' Performance
• ​ Advance Forward In Your Career, Allowing You To Earn More Money And Work With Elite-Level Athletes
• ​ Save Yourself The Stress & Worry Of Constantly Trying To Stay Up-To-Date With Sports Science Research

Key topics include:

• The science behind managing multi-format cricket demands
• How player monitoring has evolved beyond traditional methods
• The crucial relationship between S&C coaches and players
• Inside look at pre-season preparation for county cricket
• The future of wearable technology in cricket performance

About Jack McCann
A lifelong cricket enthusiast turned performance specialist, Jack McCann has established himself as a leading voice in cricket strength and conditioning. As the Head of S&C at Leicestershire County Cricket Club since 2020, he's helped transform the club's approach to physical preparation and player development. After starting his career in commercial gyms while pursuing his education, Jack found his true calling in cricket performance science. His innovative approach combines traditional training methodologies with cutting-edge technology and data analysis. At Leicestershire, he's been particularly influential in developing young talent while managing the complex demands of established professionals across multiple cricket formats. Jack's commitment to evidence-based practice and player-centered programming has contributed to the club's recent successes and their ability to compete consistently across all formats of the game.

FREE 7d SCIENCE FOR SPORT ACADEMY TRIAL

SIGN UP NOW: https://bit.ly/SFSepisode241

​ Learn Quicker & More Effectively
​ Optimise Your Athletes' Recovery
​ Position Yourself As An Expert To Your Athletes And Naturally Improve Buy-In
​ Reduce Your Athletes' Injury Ratese
​ Save 100's Of Dollars A Year That Would Otherwise Be Spent On Books, Courses And More
​ Improve Your Athletes' Performance
​ Advance Forward In Your Career, Allowing You To Earn More Money And Work With Elite-Level Athletes
​ Save Yourself The Stress & Worry Of Constantly Trying To Stay Up-To-Date With Sports Science Research

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• The state of the S&C industry at the moment
• How the UKSCA encourages paid internships
• Wages in S&C
• How you could become a chartered S&C coach in the future

About Chris:

“I currently work at Middlesex University, in London in the UK, and I am the program leader in the master’s degree in strength and conditioning there, and I’ve been doing that since about 2014, I did a couple of years part time before that, and more recently since 2017 for my sins, I have been on the board of directors for the UK strength and conditioning association.”

Downloadable Resources:

Money Management Ebook
https://app.scienceforsport.com/money-management-mastery

UKSCA Intern Pack:
https://www.uksca.org.uk/assets/pdfs/NewsPdfs/UKSCA_intern_guides_pack_2018.pdf

UKSCA Practitioner Pathway:
https://www.uksca.org.uk/assets/pdfs/NewsPdfs/UKSCA_Professional_Pathway_2019.pdf
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Thank you to our sponsors

We'd like to say a huge thank you to our wonderful sponsors for supporting this amazing podcast.

FLEX by GymAware

Find out why VBT is such a powerful training method and what separates FLEX from the competition at:

https://bit.ly/FLEX-gymaware

Hawkin Dynamics

To learn more about force plates and Hawkin Dynamics, check out their blog which is full of educational and practical blog posts.

https://bit.ly/hawkin-dynamics

Links:

• Money Management Mastery eBook