Inform Performance

Episode 160: In this episode, Steve Barrett talks to Paul Schaffran, the executive assistant of the managing director and head of strategy and youth development for Borussia Dortmund, sharing his unique journey in sports science and youth development. Paul discusses his educational background, the challenges of balancing family and career, and the innovative sports science initiatives implemented at Borussia Dortmund Academy, including bio-banding. Paul emphasizes the importance of collaboration between science and coaching, the need for a holistic approach to player development, and the significance of measuring success through both subjective and objective metrics. He also highlights the competitive landscape of German football and the club's commitment to nurturing talent from within. - Topics discussed ⁠•⁠  Self-Development within Sports Science  •⁠  Transitioning into leadership roles  •⁠  ⁠⁠Effective Bio-Banding •⁠  ⁠⁠Sports Science initiatives to support the MDT - Where you can find Paul: LinkedIn Paul.schaffran@bvb.te ResearchGate - Sponsors  VALD Performance, makers of the Nordbord, Forceframe, ForeDecks and HumanTrak. VALD Performance systems are built with the high-performance practitioner in mind, translating traditionally lab-based technologies into engaging, quick, easy-to-use tools for daily testing, monitoring and training. Hytro The world’s leading Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) wearable, designed to accelerate recovery and maximise athletic potential using Hytro BFR for Professional Sport. Teambuildr: A platform for any coach in any setting. Every day, thousands of coaches log into TeamBuildr to write training programs, build questionnaires and access athlete and client performance data. Teambuildr is a complete platform. Whether you're building your own programming, looking to create custom reports or give athletes a tool for accountability, they've built it out. -  Where to Find Us 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 Alistair McKenzie Dylan Carmody Steve Barrett  Pete McKnight

Episode 159: Dr Andy McDonald chats to Jo Clubb. Jo is an international Sports Science Consultant with extensive experience in elite professional team sports through her company Global Performance Insights. Jo has over a decade in applied sports science, she has worked with top teams including the Buffalo Bills (NFL), Buffalo Sabres (NHL), and Premier League clubs Chelsea FC and Brighton and Hove Albion FC.  In this conversation Andy & Jo discuss the fundamentals of Sports Science and how to implement new technology or systems in high-performance environments.  -  Topics Discussed  Role of a Sport Science Consultant Bringing clarity to Sport Science Implementing technology Cultural readiness to change Athlete data ownership - Where you can find Jo: Youtube LinkedIn Twitter Instagram -  Sponsors VALD Performance: makers of the Nordbord, Forceframe, ForeDecks and HumanTrak. VALD Performance systems are built with the high-performance practitioner in mind, translating traditionally lab-based technologies into engaging, quick, easy-to-use tools for daily testing, monitoring and training - Hytro: The world’s leading Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) wearable, designed to accelerate recovery and maximise athletic potential using Hytro BFR for Professional Sport. - Output Sports: is a faster, cheaper and more efficient way to test, analyze, report and program athletic performance - all in a single platform and sensor. Provide comprehensive performance evaluations with 200+ assessments spanning VBT, strength, power and movement. Validated by 10+ years of scientific research.  -  Where to Find Us 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 Alistair McKenzie Dylan Carmody Steve Barrett  Pete McKnight

Episode 158: In this Research Unpacked Episode from Inform Performance, Dylan Carmody chats to Bryan Heiderscheit. Bryan is a Physical Therapist, Biomechanist and Professor/Vice Chair of research in the Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, he is also the director of UW Badger Athletic Performance. - Topics Discussed  Hamstring Injury Risk Factors     Methods of Profiling and Monitoring Hamstring Performance   Guiding Principles for Hamstring Rehabilitation   Screening and Assessment of Hamstring Strength   The Impact of Detraining on Hamstring Health   Nuances in Nordic Hamstring Curl Analysis -  Where you can find Bryan Linkedin Research Gate - Sponsors VALD Performance, makers of the Nordbord, Forceframe, ForeDecks and HumanTrak. VALD Performance systems are built with the high-performance practitioner in mind, translating traditionally lab-based technologies into engaging, quick, easy-to-use tools for daily testing, monitoring and training. - Hytro: The world’s leading Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) wearable, designed to accelerate recovery and maximise athletic potential using Hytro BFR for Professional Sport. - Remaker: The Portable Strength Tracking Ecosystem. Remaker provides real-time insights to optimise your performance, making even the smallest improvements in your strength training visible in an engaging and powerful format. Remakers integrate seamlessly with the exercise equipment you already use, and the app provides meaningful metrics for every rep, of every set, of every exercise. - Where to Find Us 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 Alistair McKenzie Dylan Carmody Steve Barrett

Episode 157: Steve Barrett chats to Shaun McLaren. Shaun is a S&C coach at Newcastle Falcons. Through employment and consultancy, he has previously worked with UEFA, England and GB Rugby League, The NBA, MLS Next, The Premier League, Aston Villa FC, Brisbane Broncos, and Nottingham Rugby, to name a few. Shaun is also a Professor in Practice with Durham University and a Visiting Research Fellow with Manchester Metropolitan University. He is an editor for Science and Medicine in Football and BASES, having published over 60 research papers in applied sports physiology and performance. - Topics Discussed  Practitioner v Academic Applications and Misconceptions of RPE RPE vs. Differential RPE Understanding Training Load as Exposure & Dose paper Pitfalls of Terminology in Sport Science - Where you can find Shaun: LinkedIn X (Twitter) Research Gate Data Skills Group Mentorship on Collaborate Sports -  Sponsors VALD Performance, makers of the Nordbord, Forceframe, ForeDecks and HumanTrak. VALD Performance systems are built with the high-performance practitioner in mind, translating traditionally lab-based technologies into engaging, quick, easy-to-use tools for daily testing, monitoring and training Hytro: The world’s leading Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) wearable, designed to accelerate recovery and maximise athletic potential using Hytro BFR for Professional Sport. TeamBuildr: A platform for any coach in any setting. Every day, thousands of coaches log into TeamBuildr to write training programs, build questionnaires and access athlete and client performance data. Teambuildr is a complete platform. Whether you're building your own programming, looking to create custom reports or give athletes a tool for accountability, they've built it out. 

Jo Gibson, a Clinical Physiotherapy Specialist at the Liverpool Upper Limb Unit, shares her extensive expertise in shoulder rehabilitation. She discusses the critical role of the kinetic chain in shoulder function and emphasizes the importance of individualization in treatment. The conversation also explores the psychological aspects of recovery, highlighting techniques to assess athletes' confidence and performance. Jo advocates for a collaborative approach, urging practitioners to foster trust through movement and communication during rehabilitation.

Episode 155: Dr Andy McDonald chats to Dr Steve Thompson a Senior Lecturer and Course Leader for the MSc in Strength and Conditioning (S&C) Coaching at Sheffiled Hall University. In this episode Steve and Andy discuss the current state of VBT research and application, including profiling and velocity loss. They also explore the use of VBT in machine-based exercises and its utility in rehab. Steve highlights the importance of feedback and monitoring in VBT, as well as the potential for using VBT to assess stability and balance -  Topics Discussed  Velocity Loss and Profiling in VBT The Power of Feedback and Monitoring in VBT VBT in Machine-Based Exercises Objective Assessment of Strength Improvements with VBT - Where you can find Steve: LinkedIn Twitter Instagram -  Sponsors Remaker: The Portable Strength Tracking Ecosystem. Remaker provides real-time insights to optimise your performance, making even the smallest improvements in your strength training visible in an engaging and powerful format. Remakers integrate seamlessly with the exercise equipment you already use, and the app provides meaningful metrics for every rep, of every set, of every exercise. - Hytro: The world’s leading Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) wearable, designed to accelerate recovery and maximise athletic potential using Hytro BFR for Professional Sport. - Output Sports: is a faster, cheaper and more efficient way to test, analyze, report and program athletic performance - all in a single platform and sensor. Provide comprehensive performance evaluations with 200+ assessments spanning VBT, strength, power and movement. Validated by 10+ years of scientific research.  -  Where to Find Us 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 Alistair McKenzie Dylan Carmody

Episode 154: Ben Ashworth chats to Dr Edel Fanning, BSc, MSc, PhD. Edel is a chartered physiotherapist and leads the upper limb rehabilitation service at the Sports Surgery Clinic, Dublin. Prior to working in Dublin, she worked as a Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist in the UK National Health Service. She has a keen interest in shoulder biomechanics, the sporting shoulder and injury prevention and has worked with elite athletes from a wide range of sporting disciplines. She completed her PhD at the University College Cork investigating the use of return to play criteria post glenohumeral joint stabilisation. Her work explores the role of 3D biomechanics and the use of novel upper limb functional tests in assisting return to play decision making post shoulder reconstruction in contact athletes.  - Topics Discussed  The Role of Isokinetic Testing in Shoulder Rehabilitation Objective Markers for Return to Play in Shoulder Rehabilitation Go-To Exercises for Shoulder Rehabilitation The Role of Psychological Readiness and Confidence - Where you can find Eden: LinkedIn X (Twitter) -  Sponsors Hytro: The world’s leading Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) wearable, designed to accelerate recovery and maximise athletic potential using Hytro BFR for Professional Sport. TeamBuildr: A platform for any coach in any setting. Every day, thousands of coaches log into TeamBuildr to write training programs, build questionnaires and access athlete and client performance data. Teambuildr is a complete platform. Whether you're building your own programming, looking to create custom reports or give athletes a tool for accountability, they've built it out. Output Sports: is a faster, cheaper and more efficient way to test, analyze, report and program athletic performance - all in a single platform and sensor. Provide comprehensive performance evaluations with 200+ assessments spanning VBT, strength, power and movement. Validated by 10+ years of scientific research.  - Where to find Athletic Shoulder Website Podcast

Episode 153: Dr Andy McDonald chats to Simon Harries. Simon holds PhD and is the Head of Strength & Conditioning at the NSW Institute of Sport and has also worked at GSW Giants, Australian Rugby and Newcastle Knights. In this episode Andy & Simon discuss the opportunities available for coaches working in rehab roles, how to blend S&C and physio in rehab and his approach to return-to-running.  - Topics Discussed  Rehabilitation Roles  Delineation of Roles and Collaboration Planning the Return to Running Starting with a Technical Approach Incorporating Drills to Improve Running Technique - Where you can find Simon: LinkedIn -  Sponsors VALD Performance, makers of the Nordbord, Forceframe, ForeDecks and HumanTrak. VALD Performance systems are built with the high-performance practitioner in mind, translating traditionally lab-based technologies into engaging, quick, easy-to-use tools for daily testing, monitoring and training - Remaker: The Portable Strength Tracking Ecosystem. Remaker provides real-time insights to optimise your performance, making even the smallest improvements in your strength training visible in an engaging and powerful format. Remakers integrate seamlessly with the exercise equipment you already use, and the app provides meaningful metrics for every rep, of every set, of every exercise. - Hytro: The world’s leading Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) wearable, designed to accelerate recovery and maximise athletic potential using Hytro BFR for Professional Sport. - Where to Find Us 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 Alistair McKenzie Dylan Carmody

Episode 152: In this Research Unpacked Episode from Inform Performance, Dylan Carmody chats to Brady Green. Brady is a Senior Lecturer of Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy at the University of Notre Dame, Australia. He has extensive experience working in elite sport and has completed his PhD on calf muscle strains in sport. - Topics Discussed  Structural Differences of Calf Muscles Comprehensive Rehab: Vertical and Horizontal Strengthening The Expert Examination of Calf Injuries Preparation for Elementary Run Prescriptions Minimizing Ground Contact Times for Soft Tissue Injuries   -  Where you can find Brady Linkedin X (Twitter) Research Gate   Inform Performance - Comprehensive Calf Force Profiling E-Book - Sponsors VALD Performance, makers of the Nordbord, Forceframe, ForeDecks and HumanTrak. VALD Performance systems are built with the high-performance practitioner in mind, translating traditionally lab-based technologies into engaging, quick, easy-to-use tools for daily testing, monitoring and training. -  TeamBuildr: A platform for any coach in any setting. Every day, thousands of coaches log into TeamBuildr to write training programs, build questionnaires and access athlete and client performance data. Teambuildr is a complete platform. Whether you're building your own programming, looking to create custom reports or give athletes a tool for accountability, they've built it out. - Hytro: The world’s leading Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) wearable, designed to accelerate recovery and maximise athletic potential using Hytro BFR for Professional Sport. - Where to Find Us 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 Alistair McKenzie Dylan Carmody

In this engaging conversation, Karl Denvir, Head Physiotherapist for Queensland Reds and former lead physiotherapist at Leinster, shares his expertise on managing shoulder injuries in rugby. He discusses the top shoulder injuries athletes face and his holistic approach to rehabilitation. Karl emphasizes the crucial link between neck health and upper quadrant injuries, and he explores strategies for balancing player safety with performance needs, ensuring athletes return to play safely and effectively.