Inform Performance

Episode 24: Andy McDonald chats to Dr Matt Tuttle a Physical Therapist working at NBA team the Denver Nuggets as Lead Sport Scientist / Physical Therapist. We spoke to Matt in episode 11 about pain science and the realities of managing pain within an elite athletic population.  In this second episode with Matt we discuss The relationship between single vs multipart athletes in the NBA and 3 key injuries in professional basketball.  Lateral ankle sprains  Managing lateral ankle sprains What do they use / do at the Denver Nuggets  Patella Region Injuries  How much Matt considers n=1 biomechanics How do you understand the internal overloads from biomechanics Lumber Spine Injuries  NSLBP  Strength & Conditioning / Testing the lumber-spine Benchmarking lumber spine performance standards    Were you can find Matt LinkedIn Twitter Instagram   Keep up to date with everything that is going on with the podcast by following Inform Performance on: Instagram Twitter Our Website   Our team  Andy McDonald   Ben Ashworth

Episode 23: Andy McDonald speaks to Per Lundstam the Director Of Performance at Redbull. Per previously enjoyed roles at both the US Ski & Snowboard association and the Swedish Ski Federation perviously. In this episode Andy and Per discuss:   Redbull High Performance Program  Redbulls performance values and ‘pillars’  The process for Redbull athletes to access performance services  Program development at Redbull Organisation objective & shared direction Cross pollinating athletes Testing athletes at Redbull  Assessing and understanding athletes extreme environments Where Per turns to develop his knowledge and skill-set   Were you can find Per LinkedIn   Keep up to date with everything that is going on with the podcast by following Inform Performance on: Instagram Twitter Our Website   Our team  Andy McDonald   Ben Ashworth

Episode 22: Andy McDonald speaks to Tom Batchelor the Head of Sport Science at Harlequins Rugby.  In this episode Andy and Tom discuss:  Tom’s background Working within the City in Equity Derivatives   Surrey Sports Park - Internship  Harlequins  GPS In Rugby: Benefits and weaknesses of GPS in Rugby Overlaying technical and tactical information on top of physical data How Harlequins define and communicate load Acute Chronic Workload Ratio  Communicating systems to Inform change  Loading Blindspots  Conditioning the modern rugby player. Conditioning at Harlequins   Where you can find Tom Twitter linkedIn   Keep up to date with everything that is going on with the podcast by following Inform Performance on: Instagram Twitter Our Website   Our team  Andy McDonald   Ben Ashworth

Episode 21: Andy McDonald speaks to Matt Jordan PHD CSCS, Strength Coach & Director of Sports Science at the Canadian Sports Institute, Calgary. Over his career, Matt was the personal strength coach to 30 World and Olympic medalists, and has worked with elite athletes in many sports including speed skating, cross country skiing, alpine skiing, snowboarding, biathlon, hockey, football, volleyball and mixed martial arts. In this episode with Matt we discuss: His career beginnings with Charles Poliquin and getting into the Canadian Olympic Setup PHD in Medical Science - Developing better methods to rehabilitate and recondition athletes after injuries.  Matts role at the Canadian Sport Institute Research Projects Matt is involved with currently  Semitendinosus study - Association between structural deficits post ACL hamstring grafts and hamstring function.  Single Leg and double leg landing abilities in freestyle skiers and snowboarders.  Relationship, Comparing their strength lab data with ACL re-injury.  Managing or accounting for the “blindspots” - the dangerous nature, load and unpredictability in winter sports.  Wearable solutions - Plantiga  How does Matt identify what matters or is important when deciding on performance testing / monitoring batteries.  Navigating “useful” verses “ problematic” limb symmetry/asymmetry Intervening with asymmetry  Interventions Interrupting the bodies ability to self-correct Forceplates as a tool to prompt further investigation  Matts usage of dual forceplate systems    Matt can be found on twitter @JordanStrength   Keep up to date with everything that is going on with the podcast by following Inform Performance on: Instagram Twitter Our team  Andy McDonald   Ben Ashworth

Episode 20: I speak to Mike Reinold the co-founder and president of Champion Physical Therapy and Performance, a PT and performance training facility just outside Boston. He is also currently the Senior Medical Advisor for the Chicago White Sox and the Director of Baseball Performance at Northeastern University, where he has been instrumental in the restructuring and building of the high performance and medical teams. In this episode we discuss Mike educating & empowering athletes, managing increasing complexity within our roles, athletes taking ownership of their data and more! 

Episode 19: I speak to Dr Ebonie Rio a Sports Physiotherapist who consults at The Victorian Institute of Sport, who is also a Senior Research Fellow at La Trobe University completing her Phd in tendon pain. Ebonies current research focuses on combining neuroscience with rehabilitation to bring innovative approaches to pain rehabilitation. In this conversation Ebonie brings us up-to-date on the fundamentals for managing both Achilles and Patella tendinopathies.   

Episode 18: I speak to Dr Heather Linden the Director of Physical Therapy for the UFC. Heather is a Doctor of Physical Therapy with a background working for the USA Olympic Committee in Colorado Springs before heading up PT for the UFC at the Las Vegas Performance Institute. In this episode we'll discuss her professional role and approach to athlete care, rehab / return-to-fighting and the value of effective multi-disciplinary-team working and more! 

Episode 17: I speak to Dr Fergus Connolly a sports performance expert, consultant, speaker and author. Fergus has worked in professional football, rugby, the NFL, NBA and with elite military units to name a few. In this episode we dive deep into his philosophies around data collection, interpretation and meaning as well as how he strategically guides teams to identify performance problems and solutions. Fergus provides a very deep insight into how he influences performance and covers the topic broadly and pragmatically from his experiences with top teams and organisations. 

Episode 16: Host Andy McDonald speaks to Dr Sherylle Calder to receive a unique insight into her expertise assessing & coaching visual performance skills. Dr Calder has worked with both England & South Africa towards Rugby World Cup victory, The All Blacks, The Miami Dolphins, Formula-1 driver Valtteri Bottas and Golfer Ernie Els to name a few! In this episode we'll discuss Dr Calder's approach to enhancing on field or competitive ability through visual skills, the online EyeGym Program and more. 

Episode 15: I speak to Dr. Christopher Dodson, M.D a board certified Sports Medicine surgeon and an Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Thomas Jefferson University. He serves as Head Team Physician for the Philadelphia 76ers and is Head Orthopaedic Surgeon for the Philadelphia Eagles. In this episode we discuss his role as a surgeon/physician in pro sports, Injury trends, ACL and Shoulder Rehabilitation, consulting to teams across the leagues and much more.