This week on the Pacey Performance Podcast has Rob speaking to Foot & Ankle Rehabilitation Lead and the Sports Surgery Clinic in Dublin, Colin Griffin. Colin is an Olympian turned accredited strength and conditioning coach, specialising in the rehabilitation of the foot and ankle. This episode references and dives deeper into some of the concepts presented in this article that Colin wrote for Sportsmith earlier in the year. We chat about why the foot, ankle and calf have traditionally been neglected when it comes to performance enhancement. Colin then details his testing procedures so coaches and clinicians can get a better idea of how much time they need to dedicate to this area. On the back of those tests, Colin explains the interventions he would use to develop each given area. As well as looking at performance enhancement, he takes us through various lower limb rehabilitation examples, going through exercise selection, sets and reps. He finishes off with some insights into his PhD and a novel test that is showing encouraging signs. If you want to listen to Colin, press play on your chosen podcast player. Today's topics - Assessing calf strength Reasons for recent increases in calf injuries Developing calf strength  Foot strength assessments Developing exercises for the foot Is isolated foot work needed for all athletes Developing reactive strength during the return to play process Reactive strength assessments, progressions and regressions Explosive strength assessments, progressions and regressions

Alex featured on episode #392 of the Pacey Performance Podcast. This #bitesize episode takes a great clip from that episode where he discussed - How you can use run-specific isometric strength training (RSIST) with youth athletes Which isometric exercises to use (and not use) with youth athletes Programming considerations when using isometric strength training Check out the full episode with Alex here - https://www.sportsmith.co/listen/isometric-training-assessments-progressions-and-regressions-and-programming-for-different-populations/ 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 Johann Windt. Johann is Head of Performance Data Science at the Vancouver Whitecaps in MLS. He is a strength and conditioning coach turned data scientist and it is this transition which makes Johann such an interesting person to speak to. He is able to speak "coach". He "gets" what happens in the weightroom and on the field and is able to integrate that mindset into his discussions on complex topics. In this episode he chats with Rob about what data science actually is. It has gained a perception of being a mystical thing that goes on in dark rooms with staff who don't speak to each other. However, when done well its quite the opposite. He speaks about how data science is being used to help every other department at the club answer important questions. "Is this piece of technology valid?" or "what effect is this intervention having on our players?" He finishes off the conversation by reflecting on his recent article for Sportsmith on data visualisation and explaining the principle of data being "not ugly and efficient". If you're interested in making the most of the data that you collect with your team, hit play on your chosen podcast player now. Today's talking points - Where a data scientist fits within an organisation? For those that don’t have a data scientist, what are the minimum data skills required across a sports science department? Technology evaluation and linking research and practice Subjectives evaluations Maximising data quality Evaluating the effectiveness of your interventions Data viz ‘Not ugly’ and ‘efficient’ Examples of how you live this daily What you present and how Common data viz mistakes —-failing to contextualize

Peter featured on episode #403 of the Pacey Performance Podcast. This #bitesize episode takes a great clip from that episode where she discussed - How strength transfers to acceleration ability How strength transfers to max speed ability How we can maximise transfer Check out the full episode with Peter here - https://www.sportsmith.co/listen/speed-training-what-we-know-what-we-think-we-know-and-what-is-a-good-guess/ 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.

On today's episode of the Pacey Performance Podcast is Pete Burridge. Pete is First Team Athletic Performance Coach at Bristol Bears and heads up the speed training element of the programme. He recently wrote an article on Sportsmith which detailed a number of myths that surround this area and how we can debunk them. This podcast dives even deeper into 5 of them. We tackled 1) "You can't coach speed", 2) Technical models are a waste of time for team sports, 3) You can’t change a movement pattern that engrained, 4) Speed is too risky to train 5) They already get speed exposures in session. But not only that, given that Pete has shared his exact sessions (see viral tweet), Rob asks him to expand on what he is doing and why within his speed training sessions. If you're interested in getting insights into speed training from someone who is living it each and everyday, press play on your chose podcast player. You can find us on YouTube, iTunes, Spotify and all other podcast stations. Today's main talking points - Myths around speed training "You can't coach speed..." "Technical models are a waste of time for team sports" The technical model and scoring system Pete uses "You can’t change a movement pattern that engrained" Getting slower to get faster Understanding what is a technical issue and what is a physical capacity issue "It's too risky to train" How much is too much? What is not enough? "They already get speed exposures in session" What do your athletes get exposed to in rugby sessions How do you go about topping the guys up should they need it How you develop posture, pelvic position, front side mechanics, switching and skills at speed

Xavi featured on episode #299 of the Pacey Performance Podcast. This #bitesize episode takes a great clip from that episode where she discussed - How to understand reliability of a piece of sports technology What to look at when trialling sports technology Evaluating whether the technology answers a question or creates more questions Check out the full episode with Xavi here - https://www.sportsmith.co/listen/pacey-performance-podcast-299-xavi-schelling/ 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.

In this episode of thre Pacey Performance Podcast, Rob is speaking to Scientist and Owner of HRV4Training, Marco Altini. In addition to this, Marco is also an advisor to Oura Ring. This episode is all about heart rate variability (HRV) and how the data can be used to inform training in various different environments. We kick off the conversation by outlining what HRV actually is and Marco gives us a rundown of how we can collect reliable, actionable data with the technology we now have available. He then reveals why he thinks HRV hasn't been incorporated into the team setting given its value in assessing the response to stress. He then finishes off this fascinating episode with insights into what else HRV can tell us about what is going on with our athletes like illness or menstrual cycle phase. If you're interested in knowing more about heart rate variability and how it can be used with your athletes, hit play now.

Today's guest on the Pacey Performance Podcast is Dr. Colleen Hacker. Colleen has worked with some of the biggest sporting organisations and businesses in the world as a Mental Performance Consultant. She most recently served on the Gold Medal staff for USA Ice Hockey in the 2018 Olympic Games which was alongside her tenure with the women's football USA national team. Within this time she helped the USA win multiple Olympic gold medals. On the episode today we discuss a number of different mental skills which performance coaches may want to develop. This may not be a sole focus, but things like mental toughness, resilliance and dealing with adversity are skills that can be developed in numerous environments which onto the field or court. Given recent conversations on mental toughness and military style training, we chat a lot about how performance coaches and those without the luxury of a mental skills coach can use strategies in their sessions to build this. If you're looking to learn from one of the world's best in the area of mental skills development, press play now. What is a mental performance consultant and mental skills coach How to develop mental toughness How can coaches build in mental toughness elements to their practices? What sport can learn from the business world: stress, pressure etc Common mental traits of gold medal winning teams

Rett featured on episode #375 of the Pacey Performance Podcast. This #bitesize episode takes a great clip from that episode where she discussed - How to design a warm up How to ensure the warm up fits the following activity What are Rett's thoughts on stretching Check out the full episode with Rett here - https://www.sportsmith.co/listen/warm-ups-and-cool-downs-maximising-our-impact-as-coaches/ 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 episode of the Pacey Performance Podcast sees Rob speaking with High Performance Consultant and Coach Mentor, Craig White. Craig has worked with some of the biggest rugby organisations in the world from England Rugby to Wasps, Wales Rugby and Leicester Tigers. Craig has a really interesting story from being a hardcore S&C coach, obsessed with the craft and getting athletes physically strong and powerful, to being a practitioner who now focuses on the psychological, emotional and spiritual aspects of performance. As a consultant for a number of tier 2 rugby nations over the last few years, Craig is brought into organisations to guide culture, communication and brotherhood. In this episode we dive into those non-traditional aspects of performance. We also discuss mentoring and why mentoring isn't for everyone, and for those that it is for, one mentor may not be enough. If you're looking to hear from a highly experienced practitioner and their journey to enhance performance on the field, hit the play button now. Talking points - What Craig looks for in an S&C coach The role of a mentor Does everyone need a mentor? Career development vs inner development Reflections on working in high performance environments Career periodisation