Pacey Performance Podcast

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.

This week’s guest on the Pacey Performance Podcast is John Wagle, Director of Performance Science and Player Development at the Kansas City Royals in Major League Baseball. Previously, he earned his PhD at East Tennessee State University, worked at DePaul University as a strength and conditioning coach, and spent some time prior to that as a baseball coach. John is here to talk about eccentric training – a subject he covered extensively in the PhD.. Eccentric training exists on a continuum, encompassing a large variety of methods from tempo training, to flywheel inertial training, accenuated eccentric training (AEL) and playometric training. John's PhD focused on AEL so discusses why it is specifically beneficial. If you’d like to know the timings and potential exercise selection that can bring greater muscle strength and recovery even to ‘lower end’ athletes, then this week’s podcast is for you. Topics this week: The benefits of eccentric training Why eccentric training has been gaining in popularity The downsides of eccentric training to be wary of How to start focusing on eccentric training How coaches can develop their use of flywheel training Developing training programmes to lead into AEL (accentuated eccentric loading) Simple exercises anyone can do which involve AEL How ‘low end’ athletes can benefit from AEL When to apply plyometrics in an AEL programme Maintaining fitness levels while a team is ‘on the road’

Daniel Bove, Director of Performance for the New Orleans Pelicans, discusses the use of the quadrant system as a visualisation tool in strength and conditioning training. He shares principles for periodisation and planning, managing quadrants in close game schedules, and the use of force plates in the NBA. Topics also include metabolic quadrants, plyometrics, and providing feedback to athletes during rehab.

Damian Harper is our guest on this week’s Pacey Performance Podcast, bringing with him a wealth of wide-ranging experience in coaching and strength and conditioning. Damian is currently working in the Institute of Coaching and Performance at UCLAN, supervising students on professional masters and doctorates in elite performance. He’s also a member of UCLAN’s newly developed football performance hub, developing the human braking research group following his PhD. Prior to his time with UCLAN, Damian lectured in exercise physiology at York St John University, coached at the Bobby Charlton Soccer School, and earned his master’s degree while working with sports clubs in his local area. One of which was St. Albans Rugby Club, where he developed the 10/05 repeated jump test. This test, amongst other jump testing options, and deceleration testing and training, is what he discusses today. With a huge depth of academic and first-hand experience of strength and conditioning harking back to his days as a footballer, there are very few individuals better placed to give their insight into S&C. Listen to this week podcast below to learn more about how Damian builds effective deceleration and change of direction, without succumbing to injury. This week’s topics: 10/5 repeat jumps and why Damian uses them over other options Why deceleration is so important Why it’s important to ‘test the brakes’ of an athlete How to find the sweet spot of the acceleration-deceleration ability (ADA) test The tech needed to run the ADA test – and other options available Exercises that can measure an athlete’s ability to decelerate effectively How to improve deceleration performance The use of eccentric approaches during training Increasing intensity of decelerations during small-sided games Where to look and who to listen for on the subject of deceleration

Cory Schlesinger is this week’s guest on the Pacey Performance Podcast. He has over 20 years’ experience in basketball, including 4 years as a player and 15 as a coach at college level before moving on to his current role as Head of Strength and Conditioning with the Phoenix Suns in the NBA. With the experience of both playing and coaching at college level, Cory discusses what he’d do differently in terms of attitude if he had that opportunity again. Cory also discusses the techniques he tends to use, including his love of machines in strength and conditioning, and how sports science helps him get the best out of his players. This also includes some inside information about how the Phoenix Suns use force plates and aqua bags effectively. Finally, Cory talks about Instagram and how he started to build a personal brand online. For all this and much, much more, listen to the podcast to gain some insight into what it’s like to coach promising and top-level athletes for over two decades.   On this week’s podcast: What Cory would do differently if he had his time as a player again The misconceptions Cory has about the NBA Why certain coaching techniques wouldn’t transfer from college to the NBA The importance of strong leadership in top level basketball The differences between college basketball and NBA in terms of philosophy How Cory dealt with the difference between coaching adult athletes and college students The importance of avoiding judgement in weight training and strength and conditioning What the NBA needed from a college coach’s point of view Why Cory is a huge fan of using machines in S&C, and the techniques he uses The difference between sports science and S&C in terms of impact How sports science allows coaches to understand training efficiency How the Phoenix Suns use force plates and aqua bags effectively The low level plyometrics Cory favours How Cory chooses to periodise recovery and the exercises he would prescribe The use of Instagram and building a personal brand as a coach

Luke Vella, Lead S&C Coach at Melbourne Rebels, is a seasoned expert in rehab and tendon health, with experience across rugby, Aussie Rules, and Olympic cycling. He shares insights on tendon injury management, highlighting symptoms to watch for. Luke discusses the benefits of blood flow restriction training, explaining how it can alleviate pain and improve muscle hypertrophy. He emphasizes personalized rehab planning and the significance of isometric loading protocols, making this a must-listen for coaches and athletes alike.

On this week’s Pacey Performance Podcast, Rob speaks to James Hanisch of Hawkin Dynamics. James is the former Director of Performance Science at the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL, and with a Super Bowl win as a coach to his name his wisdom and knowledge will be ideal for any sports scientist or aspiring trainer. James talks to us about what it was like making the transition between Australia and the United States, both professionally and culturally. American football fans will also be interested to know about his role in the 2018 Super Bowl win for the Eagles, and why togetherness and a long-term coaching staff can make all the difference in a successful team. James also gets in the technical side of coaching, with tips on how to maximise power output, stamina and analyse data on a much smaller budget than the large franchises can afford. He also goes into detail on the methods the Eagles used at that time, and how it led to success on one of the biggest stages in sport. To learn how, hit the play button now.   On the podcast this week: Making the transition between sports and cultures Coaching differences between Australian and American football Why James decided to call time on his NFL coaching journey How the Philadelphia Eagles came to win the Super Bowl in 2018 Why longevity in the coaching staff worked for the Eagles Communication and why it is key to successful team The importance of listening, trust and exit interviews The training techniques the Eagles used in the build-up to their Super Bowl win