The Athlete Development Show

“The way that the lessons were set up, they were very much around the sharing and the conversation of ideas. So, if I look back now, it was almost like a campfire conversation you would have, you know, when you think about the learning that was shared, before we ever went to formal learning... The things that I fondly remember were those types of sessions of conversation, learning together, working out, failing together.” - Dusty MillerThis conversation in with Dusty Miller, a Performance Mentor at the English Institute of Sport. Dusty also works for England Rugby as a coach developer and spent 26 years in the Royal Navy.You can say hello to Dusty on Twitter here.If you enjoy the show, please subscribe using your favourite podcast app. I’d also encourage you to head over to iTunes and give the show a rating as it helps to share the show with more people.Kia ora!Support the show

This conversation is with Dr Andrew Hill, a Professor in Sports Psychology at York St John University in the UK.Andy's main areas of interest are the consequences of perfectionism (an achievement-related personality trait) for athletes, exercisers, and youth sport participants.Andy holds a PhD in the area and has published in leading journals in sport and exercise psychology, health and general psychology.In this episode, Andy talks about the rise of perfectionism over the last 25 years, exactly what it is (and what it's not), as well as some of his research and how it is being applied in the real world.We also cover:Helicopter parenting and the inadvertent consequences;Measuring perfectionism and the 'perfectionistic climate';The relationship between perfectionism and resiliency;The role of the coach and the importance of unconditional acceptance;The influence of parental behaviour (and genetics) on child perfectionism;Andy's view on being a dad and why he's so careful using the word perfect;Why there is nothing inherently good about sport and what this means for participation;How Andy got involved in sport psychology and studying perfectionism;What can be learned from the sports field and applied to other domains and challenging  life circumstances;Why being perfectionistic is best studied at the environment level rather than the individual level; andThe three myths of perfectionism that need addressing.You can email Andy on a.hill@yorksj.ac.uk or say hello to him on Twitter here.If you enjoy the show, please subscribe using your favourite podcast app. I’d also encourage you to head over to iTunes and give the show a rating as it helps to share the show with more people.Kia ora!Support the show

This conversation is with Sam McKenzie, Coaching Content and Learning Lead at the AFL. Prior to this, Sam was the Junior Coach Development Manager at Auckland Rugby. In 2019, Sam completed his Master's degree at AUT University focusing on 1st XV rugby players' perceptions of their coaching environment.In this conversation, Sam provides his well-informed thoughts on the recent media attention (https://bit.ly/3d0Dkde) surrounding the 'commercialisation' of schoolboy rugby in New Zealand. Find out more about Sam here.Watch the episode here.Support the show

This conversation in with Michael Jennings, Director of Healthy Body at Athlos Education, where he provides virtual and on-site professional development and support for physical educators.He is also a certified strength and conditioning specialist.With a Master’s Degree in both secondary education and exercise physiology, Michael specialises in physical literacy, long term athletic development and the holistic education of all students.In this conversation, Mike shares his thoughts on what physical education should be for, the value of P.E. in the uncertain times we're living in, his framework for developing students across a wide range of ages, and the big problem we face when we focus our attention on physical fitness.We also discuss:The magic of a holistic learning experience and why we should celebrate the less obvious moments more;How our past experiences colour what we believe in today;The importance of understanding cognitive development;Coaching students with different skills and abilities using the constraints-led approach;How Mike thinks about assessing movement;Why foundational movement skills are important for more than just organised sport;Building quality relationships with kids to increase motivation;Barriers to creating trust and why it’s important to walk the talk; andMike’s ultimate vision for P.E. in 5 years time.You can say hello to Mike on Twitter here.If you enjoy the show, please subscribe using your favourite podcast app. I’d also encourage you to head over to iTunes and give the show a rating as it helps to share the show with more people.Kia ora!Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifySupport the show

This conversation in with Dr Paul Read, an accredited strength and conditioning coach and clinical researcher at a specialised Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital in Qatar.His expertise lies in the assessment strategies of lower limb neuromuscular control and injury risk factors.Paul has worked with youth, professional and international athletes in a range of sports including football, athletics, fencing and mixed martial arts.He's also authored numerous book chapters and peer-reviewed papers and presented at conferences across the globe.In this conversation, Paul provides great insight into the influence of maturation on injury risk factors in youth, the importance of individualised training for optimal development and why you should consider movement variability in your programme prescription.We also discuss:Why plyometric training pre-puberty is a good idea;How to integrate movement screening into training and why a more critical approach is required;Paul's advice for coaching movement with young athletes of various maturation;Playing Academy level football in the UK;Paul's love of movement;The long-lasting effects of an injury on the way an athlete moves;The difficult questions of measuring movement variability and how Paul is starting to tackle it;Chaos versus structure in the training environment;The importance of working from a set of principles;Significant mentors in Paul's research and coaching journey;Why getting rid of the term 'injury prevention' might be a good idea; andUsing technology to enhance your coaching.You can say hello to Paul on Twitter here.If you enjoy the show, please subscribe using your favourite podcast app. I’d also encourage you to head over to iTunes and give the show a rating as it helps to share the show with more people.Kia ora!Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifySupport the show

“What we identified was that is was the relatively younger players and later-maturing individuals who were actually more successful at getting League Super appearances.”  - Professor Kevin TillIn this episode, I chat with Kevin Till, a Professor in the Carnegie School of Sport at Leeds Beckett University.His expertise lies in athletic development, strength and conditioning, coaching and sport science.In our conversation, Kevin shares stories and insight from his PhD and coaching work in youth rugby league and union, including how relative age and biological maturation influences talent identification and development.We also discuss:The physical and psycho-social impacts of youth sports programmes;Why late-maturing may have an advantage when it comes to making the elite-level of performance;The RAMPAGE programme Kevin developed to help community coaches better plan sessions to improve engagement and athletic development;Kevin's childhood and his passion for rugby;The need for programmes in youth sport that develop the whole-person in sport and what they could look like; andMixing performance with participation.Please say hello to Kevin on Twitter @ktconditioningIf you enjoy the show, please subscribe to your favourite podcast listening app.I’d also encourage you to head over to iTunes and give the show a rating as it helps more people to hear the show.Kia ora!Support the show

This conversation in with Chris Juneau, a Qualified Physiotherapist and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) who has worked with athletes from junior to the professional level.Chris is currently completing a Masters of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Science at AUT University in Auckland, New Zealand.You can find Chris @Chris_Juneau3 on Twitter or at 'In Good Hands Physiotherapy' in Browns Bay.In this conversation, Chris and I talk specifically about managing injuries in youth baseball, including why kids are getting hurt and what needs to happen both to reduce the risks and for successful rehabilitation.We also discuss:Why he moved from the US to study in New Zealand;Chris's thoughts on current healthcare literacy and why a move to empowering athletes to take more responsibility is important for better outcomes;Using scaffolding to enhance learning with youth athletes;Showing empathy;The merging of the physiotherapy and strength & conditioning industries;The role of parents when their kids get hurt;The physics of baseball pitching and why strength matters when it comes to preventing injury;The problem with over-scheduling in youth sport;How movement diversification reduces risk; andWhy fun must stay a big part of the injury rehabilitation process for kids.If you enjoy the show, please subscribe with your favourite podcast app. We’d also encourage you to head over to iTunes and give the show a rating as it helps us to share the show with more people.Thanks so much for listening!Support the show

This conversation is with Dr Joe Eisenmann, a translator of scientific knowledge working ‘in the trenches’ with youth athletes and their coaches every day.  He is also a scholar in paediatric sports science.  Joe has a diverse skill set that includes exercise physiology, human growth and maturation, epidemiology, talent identification, data science and strength and conditioning. Now a visiting Professor of Leeds Beckett University in the UK, Joe completed his doctoral research at Michigan State University in the US and his Master's degree at Northern Arizona. In this episode, we discuss the ins and outs of knowledge translation and why Joe believes is it so important. Joe has spent time in LTAD environments across the world and I wanted to really understand what it takes to deliver a quality experience.  We also discuss:COVID-19, unstructured play, and the future of coaching in youth sport;Motivation and mentorship;The importance of excellent leadership for creating change;What led to Joe falling in love with science;Why every youth coach needs to understand growth and maturation;The ‘living lab’;Joe’s advice for up and coming practitioners; andThe comment made by one of Joe’s best friends and how it changed his life.You can find Joe on Twitter @Joe_Eisenmann If you enjoy the show, please subscribe with your favourite podcast app. We’d also encourage you to head over to iTunes and give the show a rating as it helps us to share the show with more people.Thanks so much for listening!Support the show

“Everyone is a hero in life, everyone's got a story to tell, everyone's had to face and overcome adversity. And on that basis, being kind just seems like an obvious thing to do.”  This conversation in with Chris Bullen, a leader in coach development at High Performance Sport New Zealand.Chris has been working in education and sport for 45 years.In that time, he's provided education for coaches across a wide range of team and individual sports, coached Badminton at the highest level, and taught in a number of schools, including time in the East End of London in the 1970's.In this conversation, Chris and I go deep into the art of coaching, including;Being kind and showing empathy;The importance of authenticity in Chris' work;How to provide meaningful coach development experiences;Testing assumptions;Being a purposeful (grand)parent;Changing the sporting culture in schools;The coach-athlete relationship and the importance of establishing a connection;Living your values;Being mindful about your behaviours;Talent development and how we can spend our time, money and effort wisely;The subtly of asking great questions;Why change is so hard; andThe value of attention in a highly distracted world.If you enjoy the show, please subscribe with your favourite podcast app. We’d also encourage you to head over to iTunes and give the show a rating as it helps us to share the show with more people.Thanks so much for listening!Support the show

This conversation is with Dr Micheál Cahill, Vice President of Performance and Sport Science at Athlete Training and Health in the US.He is also an expert in athletic development.Originally from Ireland, Micheál has spent time working with hundreds of athletes across a broad range of sports from amateur to professional level.His doctoral research examines the development of sprinting speed in youth athletes.In this episode, we discuss the 8-18 year-old programme Micheál founded at ATH.I wanted to really understand the overall approach they take to developing young athletes, the way they assess progress, and how they think about integrating research into practice.We also discuss:Growing up in IrelandThe impact of a great coachWork ethicCreativityObstacles courses and climbing wallsSpeed trainingGrowth and maturationStrength trainingParentingYou can find Micheál on Twitter @MCahillPhD.If you enjoy the show, please subscribe with your favourite podcast app. We’d also encourage you to head over to iTunes and give the show a rating as it helps us to share the show with more people.Thanks so much for listening!Support the show