Dr Sean Cumming is a Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Sciences at the University of Bath, as well as a consultant for the Premier League, Football Association, Lawn Tennis Association and Bath Rugby. He previously provided "An idiot's guide to Growth, Maturation and Biobanding" in Season 1, Episode 11 of the podcast.  In this episode Sean discusses: Some of the interesting research projects that have happened in the Growth & Maturation space since our last chat in 2019. The research by Megan Hill showing the influence of peak height velocity on match grades in Academy Footballers. The research by David Johnson showing that the impact of Growth related injuries can be attenuated in Academy Footballers. The continued confusion of people wrongly using Relative Age Effect and Maturation interchangeably. Why the Maturity Offset method has a large error and shouldn't be a primary tool for monitoring maturation status. Where the research is heading in the future, including the on pitch visual screening behaviours of late vs early maturers. You can follow Sean's work via his Research Gateway profile page.  To learn more about the LTAD Network check out www.ltadnetwork.com or follow on Instagram: @ltadnetwork or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ltadnetwork . You can keep up to date with Athletic Evolution via our www.athleticevolution.co.uk , Instagram: @athleticevouk and Twitter: @athleticevouk .

Pratik Patel is the former Director of Performance Nutrition and Assistant S&C with the New York Giants in the NFL for 4 years. Prior to that, Pratik was the Director of Sports Nutrition at University of Oregon, Sports Dietician at Michigan State and interned at the Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas City Royals.  In this episode Pratik discusses: His own eating and exercise behaviours as a youth. Some of the nutrition challenges that face College and NFL athletes. The fundamental principles that young athletes and their coaches should master before progressing to the complex ideas. Some key principles to help youth athletes gain lean mass. The frame size profile as a limiting factor for muscle gain. Why he no longer works in the NFL and what projects he has coming up. You can keep up to date with Pratel via his Instagram account: @pratikxpatel and via his Twitter account: @pratikxpatel .  To learn more about the LTAD Network check out www.ltadnetwork.com or follow on Instagram: @ltadnetwork or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ltadnetwork . You can keep up to date with Athletic Evolution via our www.athleticevolution.co.uk , Instagram: @athleticevouk and Twitter: @athleticevouk .

Joel Brannigan is an experienced coach and manager, having worked in strength and conditioning since his retirement from professional rugby in 2004, with a career that say him playing for Edinburgh, London Welsh RFC and Newcastle Falcons RFC and representing Scotland at international level. Accredited in 2007, Joel has worked with success across a diverse range of organisations and has a depth of experience in elite and professional sport, NGBs, education settings and the private sector. He has been delivering workshops for the UKSCA since 2012 as a tutor and is also a practising assessor on the current accreditation process. In addition, he has been involved in several UKSCA working groups on the subject of early years practitioner development; he is also part of the team who has taken the new UKSCA Trainer Award from its infancy to product launch.  In this episode Joel discusses:  The big impact a PE teacher had on him in his youth as a "big" kid. How being "consistently average" helped him become a professional rugby player. The influences key mentors played in his development as a coach. The various changes in the Northumbria program over the years in relation to funding at the university. The challenges encountered when working with student athletes. The trends he has noticed emerging with student athletes arriving at university. You can keep up to date with Joel via Twitter: @joelbrannigan03 . To learn more about the LTAD Network check out www.ltadnetwork.com or follow on Instagram: @ltadnetwork or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ltadnetwork . You can keep up to date with Athletic Evolution via our www.athleticevolution.co.uk , Instagram: @athleticevouk and Twitter: @athleticevouk ..

Sophie is the Director of Strength and Conditioning at Brisbane Boys’ College in Australia. She has spent many years working in the youth athletic development space and also has experience in a professional sporting capacity. Her current role at Brisbane Boys’ College sees her responsible for the implementation and continued improvement of sport specific S&C as well as general long-term athletic development programs across the school. Sophie’s philosophy as it pertains to youth S&C , is to deliver an all-encompassing approach to sport and general wellbeing which includes the inter-related aspects of training, resilience, nutrition and injury management.  In this episode Sophie discusses: Why the development space is such a rewarding context. An Overview of the staffing structure and logistics of the BBC program. How the program has expanded from a 1st XV and 1st 8 rowing program to service more students. The Green, White, Black program they use. Why it's important to encourage young boys to make more sensible decisions in the weight room. The future of the BBC program. You can keep up to date with Sophie’s work via Instagram: @s_pidcock and Twitter: @soph_pidcock .  To learn more about the LTAD Network check out www.ltadnetwork.com or follow on Instagram: @ltadnetwork or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ltadnetwork . You can keep up to date with Athletic Evolution via our www.athleticevolution.co.uk , Instagram: @athleticevouk and Twitter: @athleticevouk .

John Noonan is a performance coach, lecturer and business owner, he has over 15 years experience working with youth, senior and international athletes across various professional sports including Olympic medalists and National champions. In 2018 John founded his business Noonan Performance were he now works as a performance coach consultant to elite athletes and corporate clients, as well as running a coach mentorship programme. John is also a regular speaker at national and international conferences and a guest lecturer in strength and conditioning at Liverpool John Moores University. In this episode John discusses: What key life values & priorities influenced his decision to walk away from a Premier League role. How the pandemic has increased the number of coaches looking for more autonomy over their life/career. His Family, Fulfillment and Finance framework for decision making around career opportunities/progression. How whether you are a Breaker, Survivior, Thriver or Redefiner will influence your values and decisions. The importance of identifying your values and making decisions in line with them. Why the conventional wisdom of degree, internships, fulltime role may not be suitable for everyone. You can follow John's work via his Instagram account: @johnnoonancoach , Twitter account: @johnnoonancoach and website: www.noonanperformance.com , where you can buy a copy of the "Family, Fulfillment and Finance model". To learn more about the LTAD Network check out www.ltadnetwork.com or follow on Instagram: @ltadnetwork or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ltadnetwork . You can keep up to date with Athletic Evolution via our www.athleticevolution.co.uk , Instagram: @athleticevouk and Twitter: @athleticevouk .

Michael Boyle is the co-owner of Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning, and the co-founder of Certified Functional Strength Coach. Boyle is also one of the worlds’ foremost educators in the areas of performance training, personal training and athletic rehabilitation. Boyle has been involved in training and rehabilitation with a wide range of athletes, including stars in every major professional sport. Mike has also served as a consultant to some of the top teams in the NFL, NHL, as well as numerous division one athletic programs. In addition, Boyle has been involved in Olympic Gold Medal efforts in women’s soccer, women’s ice hockey, gymnastics and judo. In 2012 and 2013 Boyle was a Strength and Conditioning Consultant to the Boston Red Sox, winners of the 2013 World Series and, from 1991-1999 Boyle served as the Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Boston Bruins. Boyle served as strength and conditioning coach at Boston University from 1983-2012. Also an author and video seminar producer, Boyle recently released New Functional Training for Sports, his fourth book.  In this episode Mike discusses:  Why his Tweet of a "bad program" had such an uptake. What program High school athletes should really be following. Whether you should teach Olympic lifting or not. How Equipment and Facility layout dictates programming. Why It’s not about what you like. Simple and logical strategies to increase load in beginner trainees. Why it's important to consider the influence of drug users in popular programs.  His simplistic periodisation. The concept of "orthopedic cost" in programming. You can follow Mike's work via his Instagram account: @michael_boyle1959 , his Twitter account: @mboyle1959 and via his site www.strengthcoach.com . To learn more about the LTAD Network check out www.ltadnetwork.com or follow on Instagram: @ltadnetwork or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ltadnetwork . You can keep up to date with Athletic Evolution via our www.athleticevolution.co.uk , Instagram: @athleticevouk and Twitter: @athleticevouk .

Matt McInnes Watson, a performance coach specializing in plyometrics, shares insights on the tier system of categorizing plyometric exercises. He discusses misleading research, volumes required for training response, and unique metrics. Plus, he talks about his journey into plyometrics, the importance of a solid definition to define plyometric activities, and his coaching methodology influenced by a mentor. Follow him on Instagram @plusplyos and visit www.plusplyos.com for more information.

Derek Evely has taken a career path unique in Olympic sport. As an athletics coach, he has coached professionally at all levels along the developmental continuum and is widely regarded as a foremost expert in both youth development training / programming and elite training methodology. As a coach he has produced three World Junior Championship medalists, of which two went on to become Olympic Medalists. He was the development coach for Gary Reed (IAAF World Championships 800m Silver Medalist), Dylan Armstrong (Beijing Olympic Shot Put Bronze Medalist) and Sophie Hitchon (2016 Olympic Hammer Throw Bronze Medalist). He has coached numerous national age class, junior and senior record holders, including Sultana Frizell, the current Canadian Record Holder in the women’s hammer throw. From 1998 - 2012 has was a national team coach for both Britain and Canada to every major championship on the global calendar including the Olympic Games, IAAF World Championships, European Championships, Pan American Games and Commonwealth Games. He was the Loughborough High Performance Training Centre Director for British Athletics leading into the 2012 Olympic Games where he coached the youngest athlete on the British Athletics Team (Hitchon) to her first Olympic final. From 2005 to 2009 he was the Sport Science Manager for the Canadian Athletics Coaching Center. Currently, he consults and coaches with federations and individuals worldwide on all aspects of developmental and high-performance programming and is the owner / operator of EveltrakSport.com, a sport training and information resource for coaches, trainers, teachers and parents. He is also the host of EvelChat, the EveltrakSport.com coaching podcast.  In this episode Derek discusses:  His time at the GB athletic training centre. The Bondarchuk classification system. Why a common language is important to ensure clear communication among coaches. Why the process of writing down your training framework is vital. You can follow Derek's work via his Instagram account: @eveltrak , Twitter @eveltrak and his website: www.eveltraksport.com . To learn more about the LTAD Network check out www.ltadnetwork.com or follow on Instagram: @ltadnetwork or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ltadnetwork . You can keep up to date with Athletic Evolution via our www.athleticevolution.co.uk , Instagram: @athleticevouk and Twitter: @athleticevouk .

Des Ryan works for Setanta College as Director of Coaching & Performance. Des is one of the leading youth coaches and performance managers in sport and a world-renowned practitioner and speaker in the field of youth athletic development. At Setanta College, Des will contribute to the Colleges mission to be recognized in Ireland and Abroad as a leading provider of human performance and sport science research, training and education. Des joined Setanta from his position as Head of Sport Medicine & Athletic Development at Arsenal Football Club Academy, which he held for over 8 years and where he has re-shaped the concept of player development within the world of football. He has previously served as Head of S&C at Connacht Rugby, S&C to Ireland and as Fitness Education Manager within the IRFU, where he spent over 13 years developing the IRFU’s coach and player development system. Over the years Des has presented at the UKSCA, ASCA and the NSCA conferences as well as many other conferences around the world. He also has worked as a consultant to World Rugby and the National Cricket academy in India. Des has a Masters in Strength and Conditioning and is also an Accredited Strength and Conditioning coach with the UKSCA. He also has achieved the High Performance Sports Accreditation from the British Association of Sports and Exercise Science and is a chartered scientist. In this episode Des discusses: How organisations can recruit top coaching talent.# What they should offer as a package to hold on to good coaches. Why the performance review meeting is the most important meeting of the year. The importance of a multidisciplinary mission and vision. Some of the opportunities early career coaches overlook to their detriment. You can follow Des's work via his Instagram account: @desryan75 , Twitter: @DeasunO and the Setanta College website: www.setantacollege.com . To learn more about the LTAD Network check out www.ltadnetwork.com or follow on Instagram: @ltadnetwork or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ltadnetwork . You can keep up to date with Athletic Evolution via our www.athleticevolution.co.uk , Instagram: @athleticevouk and Twitter: @athleticevouk .

Elisabeth Oehler is a strength coach who worked for the German Weightlifting Federation from 2017-2020 as manager of the youth department and later Head of Talent Identification. She's a licensed weightlifting coach (high performance) by the German Olympic Sports Confederation and holds several qualifications in youth development and strength & conditioning. In 2021 she started her own business consulting and coaching in National Governing Bodies of different sports. She helps organizations implementing talent development programs and improving coaching education.   In this episode Elisabeth discusses:  The differences in the German Sport System vs other countries.  How not every child is drawn to participating in Team Sports.  How she structures youth weightlifting sessions, incorporating other sporting activities.  Giving children a voice in designing the program.  Her colour coded system for encouraging children to master technique rather than intensity.  You can follow Elisabeth's work via her Instagram account: @eo.performance , Twitter @eo_performance and her website: www.eo-performance.com .  To learn more about the LTAD Network check out www.ltadnetwork.com or follow on Instagram: @ltadnetwork or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ltadnetwork . You can keep up to date with Athletic Evolution via our www.athleticevolution.co.uk , Instagram: @athleticevouk and Twitter: @athleticevouk .