This week on the Pacey Performance Podcast sees us continue last week’s conversation with Gareth Sandford. Following on from the topics of VO2 max, anaerobic speed reserve, training models and athlete profiling, Gareth continues by discussing building volume and endurance through anaerobic training. He explains how for team sports, this can differ, and athletes may need to be split into subgroups with some hybrid variations. He also explains why some coaches get this wrong and misunderstand – and what to do instead. Gareth also tells us about how he would fit tempo training into an overall programme involving MAS and anaerobic speed reserve, and how to address the argument of sport-specific versus physiological training. For all this information and much more – including further expert resources and publications on anaerobic speed reserve – take a listen to last week’s instalment in addition to this one for Gareth’s outstanding insight. This week’s topics: Interval training to increase running stamina over longer distances The subgroups of anaerobic training, and hybrid techniques Key misinterpretations of Gareth’s training theories How to avoid misunderstandings of anaerobic training When to avoid anaerobic training for certain athletes Where tempo training fits in between MAS and anaerobic speed reserve How to address the argument of sport-specific versus physiological training Profiling athletes in sprint training Further resources on the topic of anaerobic speed reserve The research publications to look out for

Alex featured on episode #267 of the Pacey Performance Podcast. This #bitesize episode takes a great clip from that episode where Alex discusses - What are the benefits of isometric training What are the various types of isometric training How can we programme isometrics with athletes Check out the full episode with Alex here - https://www.sportsmith.co/listen/pacey-performance-podcast-267-alex-natera/ 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 Gareth Sandford, a researcher and physiologist for Athletics Canada, working with the Canadian Sports Institute, and the University of British Columbia. He previously earned his master’s in Sport Science and Physiology, where he did a year’s placement at Chelsea Football Club. He has also coached in the UK, US and in a tribal community in India. This led to a world tour which saw him observing and speaking to some of the best coaches in the world as part of his PhD. Gareth is someone that you as a coach want to be listening to due to his education background and years of experience. This week’s podcast is a must listen/watch as Gareth talks about the anaerobic speed reserve, training models, athlete profiling (and its advantages) and tempo running vs maximal aerobic speed (MAS). This episode is for all practitioners and coaches who want to maximise the conditioning work they do with their athletes. All you have to do is hit the play button to learn all this and much more. This week’s Topics: What is the anaerobic speed reserve and why would you use it? Critical speed and what practitioners need to do to be able to look across the whole intensity speed continuum Different trainings models, strengths and limitations they have Tests you can use as a coach to help you best profiling your athletes Timestamps 2:07 Topics learned from the world tour when getting his PhD and when was it 5:39 What anaerobic speed reserve means and what it does 7:14 The impacts of coaches exposing their athletes to anaerobic speed reserve with examples 10:34 The critical speed and what practitioners need to do to be able to look across the whole intensity speed continuum 12:38 Different trainings models, strengths and limitations they have, and what you can do 14:11 Important things to note as a coach when choosing the training model that works best for your athletes 22:13 How profiling your athlete can get them to the elite sport continuum 24:57 Tests you can do as a coach to help you do the best profiling of your athletes 29:39 The critical speed testing model and advantages and the challenges of using it 35:49 The types of models that you can use in developing athletes with aerobic qualities like footballers 40:50 Tempo run and ways in which a coach can use it successfully to train his or her athletes

James featured on episode #204 of the Pacey Performance Podcast. This #bitesize episode takes a great clip from that episode where James discusses - Why we should coach team sport athletes differently to sprinters How to profile team sport athletes How to develop a programme based on appropriate profiling Check out the full episode with James here - https://www.sportsmith.co/listen/pacey-performance-podcast-204-james-wild/ 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 Pacey Performance Podcast guests are Dan Lewindon and David Joyce. Dan has been the Head of Performance Science and Medicine at the Lawn Tennis Association for the past five years following time as a physiotherapist with England Rugby and several rugby union club sides. David runs Synapsing, his sports strategy and decision-making consultancy following over a decade as a performance director. Dan and David are the authors of the book ‘High-Performance Training for Sports’, with the second edition to be released imminently. On the podcast, they discuss what’s new in their book, such as learning environments, learning strategies, coaching and queueing, and the use of language. They also discuss the chapter they wrote together about how to transition from direct athlete-facing roles to leadership positions. This includes the changes they’ve seen in coaching over the last two decades, and how strength and conditioning training has had to adapt to outside influences such as social media and the growing need to manage mental health. If you’re a coach who’s been in the industry for a while and looking to make that transition to a leadership position, then Dan and David’s insight could be exactly what you’re looking for. On the podcast this week… Dan and David’s 2nd edition of High-Performance Training for Sports’ What’s needed to move into a leadership position What a coach will need to do to transition from a coaching to leadership role Why some coaches will reach a certain age and transition out of sport Why David Joyce took an MBA and the difference it made Changes in the relationship between medical science and sport caused by Covid-19 What has changed in terms of athlete professionalism in the last two decades What could lead to athletes using external practitioners, rather than club staff Maintaining influence with athletes without constraining them Whether elite teams and organisations are set up to manage mental health and wellbeing A S&C coach’s role in an athlete’s extracurricular activities outside training

Damian Harper featured on episode #359 of the Pacey Performance Podcast. This #bitesize episode takes a great clip from that episode where Damian discusses - Why team sport coaches should test and train deceleration The best deceleration tests to use How to improve deceleration with athletes Check out the full episode with Damian here - https://www.sportsmith.co/listen/deceleration-ability-testing-developing-underpinning-qualities-and-the-braking-strategy-framework/   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 Adam Owen, a man who has had more experience than most as a coach, sports scientist, performance director and consultant at numerous football clubs around Europe and the rest of the world. Starting as a player at Wrexham, Adam has coached at Rangers, Celtic, Sheffield Wednesday, Sheffield United, Servette, Lechia Gdansk, Benfica, Hebei Fortune and the Wales national team when they reached the semi-finals of Euro 2016. With this experience, Adam gives us a superb overview of what it’s like to be a leading coach or assistant manager in professional football. Adam talks about the inner workings of coaching, such as man management, what a coaching qualification teaches us (and what it doesn’t), and how coaches can marry both the physical and technical side of the game. With several publications to his name, Adam explains how to take this profession beyond the academic. Simply hit the play button now to discover all this and much more. On this week’s podcast: Why it benefits coaches and sports scientists to have a deeper understanding of football Why having a qualification in sports science or coaching isn’t always enough What the minimum coaching qualification is that can give you influence within a club Why it pays to know the physical side of football, not just the technical as a coach How coaches with a physical style can gain a technical side How to use experience gained in a pre-GPS time with that technology Common misunderstandings between the physical and technical sides Building rapport and trust with players by presenting a methodology How to extract the best information from the coaches available at a club How much a qualification, such as a UEFA A License, is dedicated to man management

This week’s Pacey Performance Podcase sees Rob joined by Sean Cumming; Professor of Paediatric Exercise at the University of Bath. He’s also been conducting a lot of work with the Lawn Tennis Association, Premier League, and the Football Association regarding the growth and development of young athletes. This is exactly what he speaks about this week, both in terms of physical and mental development. For example, Sean discusses how a young athlete’s development can be shaped by the selection biases surrounding a particular sport, and how late and early development can be both beneficial and a drawback. Sean and Rob also discuss how training – both individually and as a group – can be adapted so everyone can meet their potential. This includes how to monitor maturation both with and without a budget – a must for many coaches at local and community sports clubs. For all this and much more, hit the play button now to hear more insight from this superb sports scientist. This week’s topics: Selection biases in tennis, and how they apply in other sports Why selection biases are the reverse in gymnastics Why coaches should consider biological maturation versus chronological age Sean’s recommendations for creating a safe framework for early and late developers Adapting training to stop young athletes becoming injured during growth spurts The length of time it takes for early developers to catch up both physically and mentally How to monitor maturation in young athletes on a lower budget How to monitor maturation in young athletes on a higher budget Why background and ethnicity can influence how quickly athletes mature Use of bio-banding in football, and the cut-off points between each band Why encouraging young footballers to play below their age group can be beneficial

This week’s guest on the Pacey Performance Podcast is sports psychologist Dan Abrahams. Dan became a psychologist following a stint as a professional golfer with an interest in the mental side of the sport. After calling time on his playing career, he became a coach and followed that up by gaining a master’s degree in sports psychology. He’s been working in this capacity for 16 years now, including for England Rugby, England Golf, and numerous Premier League football clubs. Following the recent Olympic and Paralympic Games, sports psychology has been in the spotlight more than ever. Dan discusses the impact this has had on the subject, including how an athlete’s mental state can be rated on a three-stage ‘traffic light’ system depending on their current needs. He also addresses the theory that you cannot coach attitude, effort and energy - although the athlete is responsible for their own attitude, Dan explains how coaches and sports psychologists can create an environment that engages athletes and helps them maintain all-important intensity when training. If you’re interested in the mental side of coaching and sports science, then this week’s podcast is for you. This week’s topics: How sports psychology is currently split between athlete performance, wellbeing and mental health Why sporting organisations need to address all three as psychology becomes more prominent Why sports clubs on a budget could spend time educating their existing coaches in sports psychology Why it’s said that you can’t coach attitude, effort and energy How coaches can engage athletes and maintain all-important intensity during training How to create a positive training environment that gets the best from athletes Building relationships with athletes – and maintaining boundaries between the personal and professional

Matt Van Dyke, Director of Sports Science for the Houston Texans, discusses performance pillars, testing, monitoring, and specialist training. Topics include GPS metrics, physical performance qualities, triphasic training, oscillatory training, isometric exercises, and power development. Insightful examples and further reading recommendations are provided for coaches looking to enhance athlete performance.