Pacey Performance Podcast

Paul Comfort is a Reader in Strength and Conditioning and programme leader for the MSc Strength and Conditioning at the University of Salford, and is this week’s guest on the Pacey Performance Podcast. He's here to talk to Rob about isometric testing and training, and why there has been a recent resurgence in its popularity. This includes how coaches can use the right metrics during isometric testing, and how the time points to measure athletes by changes based on their own needs and particular sport. For those working on a budget, Paul also explains the alternatives to force plates when testing, and the importance of real, hands-on experience as a coach. Paul also discusses isometric training and its link to dynamic performance, such as the benefits it can offer in comparison to more traditional strength training techniques. Paul tells us about how coaches can manipulate isometric training to get the results we want, in addition to eccentric training - and when it is appropriate to apply it. For al

Matt featured on episode #354 of the Pacey Performance Podcast. This #bitesize episode takes a great clip from that episode where he discussed - How training focus changes as players move through an elite football academy Monitoring maturation Using maturation data to change (or not change) individual player training  Check out the full episode with Matt here - https://www.sportsmith.co/listen/how-to-develop-some-of-the-premier-leagues-most-promising-young-talent/ This episode is supported by RockDaisy, the only FREE AMS on the market. AMS Lite features reporting capabilities, questionnaires and forms, alerts and communication, data sharing, data visualisation and calendar views.

This week’s guest on the Pacey Performance Podcast is Warren Young. He is an Adjunct Associate Professor in Exercise & Sport Science at Federation University Australia and teaches and conducts applied research in a variety of topics relating to physical preparation for sport. Warren has published numerous articles over three decades and has a special interest in speed and agility training and assessment. His research, among other results, led to the development of the Reactive Strength Index and his deterministic model of agility performance. Warren is here to talk to Rob about agility, including what has changed since his got into the industry over 30 years ago. He describes how there is often a disconnect between the physical and academic side of agility performance, and how that can be reconciled. Warren also discussed how the cognitive side of the model has translated into a coach’s day-to-day work, and whether testing can be integrated into a high-performance setting. Warren also provides some exce

Derek featured on episode #183 of the Pacey Performance Podcast. This #bitesize episode takes a great clip from that episode where he discussed - What is microdosing? How it can be used during periods of fixture conjestion How it can be used for strength and power but also speed training Check out the full episode with Derek here - https://www.sportsmith.co/listen/pacey-performance-podcast-183-derek-hansen/ This episode is supported by RockDaisy, the only FREE AMS on the market. AMS Lite features reporting capabilities, questionnaires and forms, alerts and communication, data sharing, data visualisation and calendar views.

This week’s guest on the Pacey Performance Podcast is James Moore, leader of the specialist physiotherapy team at the Centre for Health and Human Performance. James has 25 years of experience in physio, graduating with an honours degree in physiotherapy from Kings College London. He was Clinical Lead Physiotherapist to the English Institute of Sport, with a special affiliation to UK Athletics. He spent a period of time working as Head of Medicine for Saracens RFC, before moving on to manage the intensive rehabilitation unit (IRU) at Bisham Abbey and was Head of Performance Services for the British Olympic Association and Deputy Chef de Mission for the Rio 2016 Olympics and beyond. James is here to talk about hip and groin injuries, and why those injuries happen in the first place. In addition to telling us how he juggles running a business with being a clinician, James tells us about his time working with Andy Murray to aid his return to competitive tennis. He then goes into the differences to watch out for

Ian featured on episode #377 of the Pacey Performance Podcast. This #bitesize episode takes a great clip from that episode where he discussed - What testing change of direction DOES give us Why other ways of understanding movement strategy may be better Assessing agility performance Check out the full episode with Ian here - https://www.sportsmith.co/listen/agility-training-problems-with-change-of-direction-testing-game-speed/ This episode is supported by RockDaisy, the only FREE AMS on the market. AMS Lite features reporting capabilities, questionnaires and forms, alerts and communication, data sharing, data visualisation and calendar views.

This week’s guests on the Pacey Performance Podcast are Jamie Taylor and Jonas Dodoo. Jamie is the former head of Academy at Leicester Tigers, now working with Grey Matters as a Senior Coach Developer. Jonas is a regular on the podcast, a world-renowned speed coach and the head coach and founder of Speedworks. Jamie and Jonas have been working together on a new education process for optimising coaching and talent development. The pair discuss some of the theory behind what they’ve learned over the years regarding the more reflective side of coaching, and how to make the right decisions at the right times. This includes critical thinking about coaching techniques, the work of peers, and even ourselves. At the heart of this thinking is the balance between gaining a wider knowledge, such as hoovering up advice and tips on social media, and gaining a deeper knowledge of specific techniques, exercises and sports. A healthy balance allows coaches to adapt exercises through knowing their environment and players, a

Paudie featured on episode #228 of the Pacey Performance Podcast. This #bitesize episode takes a great clip from that episode where he discussed - How they structure S&C sessions in the academy Paudie's thoughts on weightlifting for youth athletes Movement screens and their use in the Arsenal academy Check out the full episode with Paudie here - https://www.sportsmith.co/listen/pacey-performance-podcast-228-paudie-roche/ This episode is supported by RockDaisy, the only FREE AMS on the market. AMS Lite features reporting capabilities, questionnaires and forms, alerts and communication, data sharing, data visualisation and calendar views.

This week’s Pacey Performance Podcast is the second part of Rob’s conversation with Alistair McBurnie and Tom Dos’Santos. Just as a reminder, Alistair is a sports science analyst for Manchester United’s first team, having worked his way up from coaching at academy level. Tom is a lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University, where he teaches strength conditioning and sports biomechanics. Previously, he’s worked at the University of Salford, England Northwest and Manchester Thunder netball squads. They’re currently collaborating on multidirectional speed. The conversation continues with more insight into the world of change of direction, including its definition and the key positions athletes and coaches should be aware of for effective change of direction. This includes effective training of these key positions, and how to coach them in an applied setting. There’s also discussion into how to build an athlete profile, and how technological advances have led to developments in on-field change of direction te

Gareth featured on episode #309 of the Pacey Performance Podcast. This #bitesize episode takes a great clip from that episode where he discussed - What are the risk factors for hamstring injury What are the barriers to Nordics being used Why are Nordics so controversial Check out the full episode with Kristian here - https://www.sportsmith.co/listen/pacey-performance-podcast-309-kristian-thorborg/ This episode is supported by RockDaisy, the only FREE AMS on the market. AMS Lite features reporting capabilities, questionnaires and forms, alerts and communication, data sharing, data visualisation and calendar views.

Alistair McBurnie and Tom Dos’Santos join Rob on this week’s Pacey Performance Podcast. Alistair is a sports science analyst for Manchester United’s first team, having worked his way up from coaching at academy level. Tom is a lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University, where he teaches strength conditioning and sports biomechanics. Previously, he’s worked at the University of Salford, England Northwest and Manchester Thunder netball squads. They’re currently collaborating on research on multidirectional speed. Alistair and Tom discuss how their partnership came into being through their university work, leading to their two-part review article being published in the Strength and Conditioning Journal. They then go into detail about multidirectional speed training, and how when done correctly it can reduce injuries such as muscle strains. Alistair and Tom also talk about how to sequence horizontal decelerations, and how to monitor them. In addition to this, there’s also discussion on key metrics to look o

Gareth featured on episode #367 of the Pacey Performance Podcast. This #bitesize episode takes a great clip from that episode where he discussed - What is the anaerobic speed reserve How is it being used by performance coaches around the world Why is it more beneficial than other testing and prescription options Check out the full episode with Gareth here - https://www.sportsmith.co/listen/anaerobic-speed-reserve-maximising-training-prescription-part-1/ This episode is supported by RockDaisy, the only FREE AMS on the market. AMS Lite features reporting capabilities, questionnaires and forms, alerts and communication, data sharing, data visualisation and calendar views.

Joining Rob this week on the Pacey Performance Podcast is Jose Fernandez, leader of Sports Science at the Mahd Academy in Saudi Arabia. The Academy is part of the Ministry of Sport and has been tasked with developing athletic potential in the country. Previously, Jose was Head of Sports Science at Major League Baseball’s Houston Astros. Jose talks about his five-year journey, and how he’s moved from baseball to his current role. This has given him insight on how sports science in baseball differs from other sports, and how he built trust with the technical coaches at the Astros. Jose also shares his views on athlete profiling and how training can be customised through data. We also talk about what Jose believes will be the next technological advance in sports science, whether wearables still have a future in data analysis, and the importance of biomechanics. There’s also some discussion on the ever more overlapping roles within professional sports, such as the crossover between data scientist, sports scienti

Dave featured on episode #322 of the Pacey Performance Podcast. This #bitesize episode takes a great clip from that episode where he discussed - Using social media to your advantage when looking for a job How social media can put recruiters off Why are wages so low for performance staff and what we can do about it Check out the full episode with Dave here - https://www.sportsmith.co/listen/pacey-performance-podcast-322-david-slemen/ This episode is supported by RockDaisy, the only FREE AMS on the market. AMS Lite features reporting capabilities, questionnaires and forms, alerts and communication, data sharing, data visualisation and calendar views.

The first Pacey Performance Podcast guest of 2022 sees the return of Sam Robertson, Professor of Sports Analytics at Victoria University. Prior to arriving at the university, Sam worked as a sport scientist in various roles in both Australia and the United Kingdom. Since his last appearance, Sam has started his own One Track Mind podcast, exploring the science, technology, economics and politics of sport. Sam discusses a little about his podcast, including how he chooses guests and the topics they explore before moving on to the subject of sports technology. In addition to Sam’s definition of sports technology, he talks about FIFA’s criteria for choosing a sports technology partner, and how the data captured and advantages/disadvantages are often subjective to the individual coach or team. Sam also discusses the democratisation of data, and how individuals can understand the return on investment of the technology they choose. There’s also debate on how sports data has affected fan engagement, and whether th

Cory featured on episode #358 of the Pacey Performance Podcast. This #bitesize episode takes a great clip from that episode where he discussed - Using fixed resistance machines with elite athletes Managing in-season stress with fixed resistance machines What sports science has done for programmes in the NBA Check out the full episode with Cory here - https://www.sportsmith.co/listen/weight-machines-the-most-under-utilised-way-to-train-in-season-in-the-nba/ This episode is supported by RockDaisy, the only FREE AMS on the market. AMS Lite features reporting capabilities, questionnaires and forms, alerts and communication, data sharing, data visualisation and calendar views.

This weeks guest on the Pacey Performance Podcast is Ian Jeffreys. Ian is a Coach Educator and recently appointed Academic Director at Setanta College. Ian is an internationally renowned coach, educator and author. An ex professional rugby player, where he played at the highest level for 15 years, he is regarded as a world authority in the development of speed & agility and conditioning for team sports. His Gamespeed system of sport specific speed and agility development, along with his RAMP warm-up protocols have revolutionised training in these areas and have been adopted by a wide range of coaches and organisations around the world.  In this episode of the podcast, Ian dives into why change of direction testing is becoming more and more redundant as we know more about training true agility. He also details why change of direction ability is only one part of the puzzle when it comes to coaching agility. Ian gives some real life, practical examples of how we coach agility in closed and more importantly

Georgie featured on episode #294 of the Pacey Performance Podcast. This #bitesize episode takes a great clip from that episode where she discussed - Common symptoms of each phase of the menstrual cycle Working around each of the symptoms Supporting athletes in each phase Check out the full episode with Georgie here - https://www.sportsmith.co/listen/pacey-performance-podcast-294-dr-georgie-bruinvels/ This episode is supported by RockDaisy, the only FREE AMS on the market. AMS Lite features reporting capabilities, questionnaires and forms, alerts and communication, data sharing, data visualisation and calendar views.

This week’s Pacey Performance Podcast guest is Peformance Coach, Vernon Griffith. Previously, Vernon has been a consultant at Performance Explored, a Tactical Strength and Conditioning Association Presenter at the NSCA, and a High-Performance Director for basketball and football at Bishop Sullivan Catholic High School in Virginia. Vernon has been a strength and conditioning coach for quite some time at various levels but had his first experience in coaching while enrolled in the military. Vernon talks about this time, and what led him to leave the armed forces for a new career. He also discusses how it has influenced his coaching style and taught him to value his time and what he can offer other people. Further to this, he tells us how he creates an environment conducive to coaching for those who may not necessarily enjoy team sports. As part of his technical advice, Vernon discusses how to encourage movement exploration in the weight room, and the fundamental differences between movement and flexibility. W

John featured on episode #361 of the Pacey Performance Podcast. This #bitesize episode takes a great clip from that episode where he discussed - Benefits of eccentric training Links to dynamic performance Downsides to ecentric training Where to start with eccentric training Check out the full episode with John here - https://www.sportsmith.co/listen/how-to-incorporate-eccentric-training-into-a-strength-and-power-programme/ This episode is supported by RockDaisy, the only FREE AMS on the market. AMS Lite features reporting capabilities, questionnaires and forms, alerts and communication, data sharing, data visualisation and calendar views.