Pacey Performance Podcast

This week's Pacey Performance Podcast see Rob talking to Associate Professor at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Ola Eriksrud. As well as his day job, Ola is involved in the research and development at 1080 Motion, a company most known for their patented robotic resistance technology within the 1080 Sprint. In this episode, Ola starts off by explaining how we can test deceleration in the field whether we have a technology like the 1080 Sprint, or whether we have no technology at all. Deceleration is getting more and more airtime both in research and in practitioner discussions. We are starting to understand the importance of testing and training this quality. As a natural progression from deceleration, in the second half of the episode Ola talks about change of direction testing and how we can understand injury risk in athletes when they are cutting. If you're interested in understanding more about deceleration and reducing injury risk when cutting, this episode is for you. Main talking points - Decele

Enda featured on episode #288 of the Pacey Performance Podcast. This #bitesize episode takes a great clip from that episode where he discussed - Assessing risk of athletic hip and groin pain Using video effectively in the assessment process Which tests to use as benchmarks through the RTP process Check out the full episode with Colin here - https://www.sportsmith.co/listen/pacey-performance-podcast-288-enda-king/ 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 the Pacey Performance Podcast, Rob is speaking to Foot and Ankle Rehabilitation Lead at Hôpital de La Tour, Romain Tourillon for a part 2.  Part 1 went deep into what part the foot plays in athletic tasks like jumping, sprinting and changing direction, how we can assessment the function of the forefoot and how we can then train it with various focused exercises. In part 2, Romain details the function of the mid-foot and 1st ray and explains how we can assess both of these as well as training them. We finish off the discussion with a really interesting chat about common misconceptions about foot and ankle training. In this section, Romain tackles barefoot training, a one-size fits all approach and how plyometrics can train the foot. If you're looking for even more information on the foot and ankle and how you can train it with your athletes, this podcast is for you. Main talking points - Midfoot strength and stiffness assessment Modified single-leg heel raise test Midfoot strengthening

Colin featured on episode #416 of the Pacey Performance Podcast. This #bitesize episode takes a great clip from that episode where he discussed - How to assess calf and soleus capacity How to train the calf and soleus in straight and bent knee positions Monitoring calf strength on a daily basis as part of a readiness assessment  Check out the full episode with Colin here - https://www.sportsmith.co/listen/training-the-lower-limb-to-improve-performance-and-reduce-injury-risk/ 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 on the Pacey Performance Podcast, Rob is speaking to Foot and ankle rehabilitation lead at the Hôpital de La Tour, Romain Tourillon. Romain is conducting his PhD under the supervision of JB Morin and others and is investigating the role of the foot on sports performance. Recently Romain wrote an incredible article for Sportsmith on Training the foot to improve performance in sprinting, jumping and change of direction and we wanted to get him on the podcast to get into the detail on some of the assessments and exercises presented in this article. This episode is split into two parts with the first part focusing on the link between foot strength and sports performance. Romain gives us a great overview of what the literature says before explaining current foot strength practices and why they are becoming outdated and largely ineffective. He then moves onto describing the assessments used to quantify forefoot strength and why its important before finally giving us a detailed look at the exercises he use

Sophia Nimphius, Brian Gearity and Lorena Torres featured on episode #4302 of the Pacey Performance Podcast. This #bitesize episode takes a great but sad clip from that episode where they discussed - Their personal stories of discrimination in our industry The difficulty for women working in men's sport The common "solutions" which aren't Check out the full episode with Sophia, Brian and Lorena here - https://www.sportsmith.co/listen/pacey-performance-podcast-302-barriers-encountered-by-females-in-sc-sophia-nimphius-lorena-torres-brian-gearity/ 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 sees Rob speaking to Head of Performance at Perth Glory in the A-League, Carmen Colomer. Since 2017, Carmen has had quite the journey going from the Australian Institute of Sport to the Brumbies, Brisbane Broncos, Philadelphia 76'ers as Director of Sports Science and then into her current role in Perth. With all those experiences across multiple sports and countries, we wanted to chat to Carmen about what she has learnt along the way, particularly when it comes to recovery. The NBA has a notoriously gruelling schedule, so how did Carmen implement fresh ideas to the organisation and what has she took from that experience and integrated into the programme at Perth?  The first half of the conversation is all about recovery, what has worked for Carmen and her athletes and what hasn't. Then the second half is all about load monitoring. This is certainly a passion of hers but she early in the conversation gives us the cold hard facts of what load monitoring is and isn't.  If yo

This week's episode of the Pacey Performance Podcast sees Rob speaking to Micheál Cahill. Micheál has been in the US for a number of years while completing his PhD and working at Athlete Training and Health in Texas. Most practitioners will know him for his work in resisted speed training with youth populations which is the exact topic of today's discussion. In the first half of the discussion, Micheál outlines his philosophy when working with youth athletes and outlines the gaps in maturation and develop where we can really focus on speed development. He also outlines why you may use sled pushes versus sled pulls with youth athletes. In the second half of the conversation we focus solely on resisted sprint trainnig for all populations. How can we prescribe load and how can we understand what an athletes needs from resisted sprints? Finally Micheál tackles some of the misconceptions and common questions that come up around resisted sprints. If you want a deep dive into resisted sprints and getting youth playe

Marco featured on episode #413 of the Pacey Performance Podcast. This #bitesize episode takes a great clip from that episode where he discussed - The importance of HRV data collection timing HRV data collection protocol recommendations Other things that can affect HRV data Check out the full episode with Marco here - https://www.sportsmith.co/listen/heart-rate-variability-what-we-know-and-how-it-can-be-used-to-inform-training-prescription/ 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 speaking to Rob is Stephen Patterson. It's actually Stephen's second time on the podcats having featured 3 years ago talking about the same topic, blood flow restriction training (BFR). Blood flow restriction training, although being around for years and years has seen an explosion in interest of the last few years. More devices on the market, an up surge in research and Stephen's podcast has all led to this boom. As interest rises and practitioners get their hands on the wearables or garments used for blood flow restriction training, new applications are spoken about. Because of this, it was essential to get Stephen back on to discuss some of those new applications and see what research (anecdotal or peer-reviewed) is behind them. In the first part of the episode we discuss BFR's more traditional applications; strength training, hypertrophy and rehab. The second part sees us discussing some of the more novel applications of this training modality; recovery a

Nathan featured on episode #420 of the Pacey Performance Podcast. This #bitesize episode takes a great clip from that episode where he discussed - What MAS is and isn't Misconceptions about MAS and its use to programme conditioning How to use percentage of MAS to target different physical adaptations Check out the full episode with Nathan here - https://www.sportsmith.co/listen/maximal-aerobic-speed-vs-tempo-which-is-optimal-for-team-sport-aerobic-fitness/ 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 on the Pacey Performance Podcast, Rob is speaking to Senior Director of Performance Science at the Kansas City Royals, Austin Driggers. Although often flying under the radar, Austin is highly respected in the field having come up through the US Olympic Committee system working with winter sport athletes under the tutelage of Brad DeWeese. This episode kicks off with Austin explaining how the Royals have developed a system which assesses each player throughout the year to understand their strengths and weaknesses. This then helps him and the rest of the team design programmes to keep each athlete fit and competing across the gruelling 180+ game season. We also chat about how he has tapped into and learnt from other environments such as business. This is a fascinating part of the episode as sport can often seem in a bubble with people looking in but not much going the other way. If you're aim is to reduce injuries with your athletes, check out this episode with Austin and press play on your chose podc

This week's Pacey Performance Podcast sees Rob speaking to Senior Strength and Conditioning Coach at New South Wales Institute of Sport, Nathan Spencer. So what has Nathan got to do with NBA players? Well, prior to moving back to Australia,  Nathan spent 4 years at the Orlando Magic, firstly as a Performance and Rehab Coach before progressing to Head Strength Coach. In this episode, Nathan reflects on his time in the NBA, opening up about a difficult transition from Australian pro basketball. He dives into his preconceptions about NBA players and what they should and shouldn't be doing before detailing the assessments that formed the foundation of their programme. We discuss assessments that came and went during his 4 years in Orlando as well as the metrics that become valuable to him and the rest of the performance team. We finish off the conversation by getting into the detail about how NBA players train on the road, how they maintain such high physical capacity whilst in the midst of a packed schedule. If

Johann featured on episode #415 of the Pacey Performance Podcast. This #bitesize episode takes a great clip from that episode where he discussed - How to maximise impact with data The importance of communicating data in interesting ways Why the simple option of data visualisation is often best Check out the full episode with Johann here - https://www.sportsmith.co/listen/data-science-data-visualisation-and-evaluating-the-effectiveness-of-a-programme/ 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 on the Pacey Performance Podcast, Rob is speaking to Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Florida Atlantic University (FAU), Joey Guarascio. Joey has previously held positions at Colorado State, and Ole Miss before landing at FAU in 2020. Deceleration testing and training is getting more and more attention both in research and in practice, and rightly so. Joey has recently written about his thoughts on deceleration and its this topic Rob chats with him about in this episode. We kick our discussion on how he integrates some of Damian Harper's deceleration assessments into his larger battery of tests at FAU. Joey emphasises the need for specific deceleration assessment versus thinking that a change of direction test will tell us what we need to know. We then chat about building the qualities needed to improve deceleration ability, firstly in the weightroom and then out on the field. Joey explains how he uses eccentric training at various different levels to build the engine and then the drill he us

Håkan featured on episode #272 of the Pacey Performance Podcast. This #bitesize episode takes a great clip from that episode where he discussed - How to programme the load used in resisted sprint training? The impact heavy loading can have on acute and chronic sprint technique Using resisted sprint training with team sport athletes Check out the full episode with Håkan here - https://www.sportsmith.co/listen/pacey-performance-podcast-272-hakan-andersson/ 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 on the Pacey Performance Podcast, Rob is speaking to Dr. Shaun McLaren about all things RPEs and subjective measures. RPE is no doubt the most used tool for coaches to understand an athlete's response to training. But just asking an athlete for a number to rate how hard a session was has lots of moving parts. When do you ask them? How do you ask them? Do you provide the scale on paper so they can see it? What scale are you using? Is the scale valid? How these questions are answered can have significant impact on the quality of data we get. And we all want to maximise data quality and not waste our or our athlete's time. In this episode, Shaun gives some great recommendations how we can make the "right" decisions when setting up a system to collect RPEs and other subjective measures. But before he does that, Shaun gives us a great overview of why he thinks RPEs are so valuable and the science behind their being. The type of scale used has sparked a number of Twitter debates about the type of scale th

On this week's Pacey Performance Podcast, Rob is speaking to Dan Baker, Lachlan Wilmot and Jonathon Weakley. This episode was originally recorded in 2020 as a Live roundtable but because the information on velocity based training (VBT) was so incredible, we decided to release it as a podcast. Dan, Lachlan and Jonathon are most certainly authorities in this area from both a practical and academic perspective. All three of these guys know this area inside out. Firstly we start by tackling a few misunderstandings when it comes to VBT and then chat through why each of the guests decide to implement VBT in their different environments. There seems to be a disconnect between the science of VBT and its application. On paper it looks great but implementing it in practice seems to be a barrier to some coaches. Is it the technology available, is it athlete buy-in, is it friction when it comes to programming? Jonathon gives his view here given his recent review of this area in his paper, Velocity-based training: From th

Luke featured on episode #357 of the Pacey Performance Podcast. This #bitesize episode takes a great clip from that episode where he discussed - Symptoms of tendinopothy Managing tendinopothies with isometric training Managing tendinopothies with blood flow restriction training  Check out the full episode with Luke here - https://www.sportsmith.co/listen/rethinking-rehabilitation-tendon-health-and-the-rise-of-blood-flow-restriction-training/ 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 the week's episode of the Pacey Performance Podcast, Rob talks to Nathan Heaney, The Conditioning Consultant. The topic of the discussion is one that often spills over into arguments on social media and that's maximal aerobic speed (MAS) versus tempo running. In this episode Nathan clarifies what MAS actually is and isn't as well as giving us an insight into the different ways of getting MAS data. That is followed up with him giving us a great insight into how he individualises aerobic training based on MAS. The second half of the episode has Nathan giving the other side of the argument and explaining the pros and cons of tempo training. Although not Nathan's preferred choice, he explains the adaptations that coaches may be seeking by using tempo running (vs MAS) and why this actually goes against much of the literature on aerobic training with elite athletes. Talking points - Importance of aerobic fitness for team sport athletes What MAS is and isn't • Different types of HIIT and when each one may be used