Athletic Skills Podcast

Too many S&C coaches, sports scientists, and performance staff feel like leadership is something reserved for the person with the highest title. In this episode, I’m joined by performance coach, Ryan Blake to break down what leadership actually looks like for those working in sport — who's not always at the top. We unpack the traits that earn trust and influence, how to shape your leadership ident...

Too many coaches still see nutrition as “someone else’s job.”But if you’re working with athletes — at any level — you’re influencing how they fuel, recover, and perform. In this episode, I’m joined by Dan Richardson, performance nutritionist and applied practitioner, to break down how coaches can support better nutrition habits in youth and team sport settings — without needing to be a nutritionis...

How to Use AI to Save Time, Plan Smarter, and Transform Your Coaching 🚨 Most coaches are still Googling while the way forward is using AI. In this episode, I am joined by Marnie Wills, an AI educator, strategist, and expert o explore how AI is reshaping sport, coaching, and education—and how coaches can use it to work smarter, not harder. Whether you’ve never opened ChatGPT or you’re already usin...

Why Growth Spurts Confuse Coaches – And What to Do About It If you’re a coach or PE teacher, this situation is all too familiar. But how we respond to it can make or break an athlete’s confidence, development, and future potential. In this episode, I’m joined by Jamie Salter, a researcher and educator in youth athletic development, to explore how growth and maturation affect performance, movement,...

Build stronger, faster, and more robust cricketers—without changing your entire coaching programme. You’re preparing your players technically... But are they physically ready to perform, compete, and stay injury-free? Too many cricket coaches still treat physical development as a bonus—or don't even see the need. But modern demands more than skill. If you're not actively developing your players ph...

🚨 Coaches, you’re scouting young athletes all wrong – and it’s costing them AND you. Most coaches think talent ID is about watching the best player on the ball. Wrong. The real indicators of elite potential happen OFF the ball—movement, physicality, and mindset. Miss this, and you’ll overlook future athletes. In this episode, Harry Varley, an expert in Talent ID and youth athletic development, ex...

🚨 Growth spurts are sidelining young athletes—and most coaches have no idea why. Are you making the same mistakes? 🚨 Young athletes aren’t adults, and they can’t be trained like adults. Yet, many coaches apply the same training methods to growing bodies, leading to injuries, poor movement, and burnout before athletes ever reach their full potential. Coaches focus on technique, fitness, and skill...

🚨 Most golfers are training the wrong way—and it’s costing them power, speed, and consistency. Are you one of them? Golfers are obsessed with technique, but what if that’s not enough? The real game-changer for adding distance, accuracy, and longevity isn’t just perfecting your swing—it’s strength & conditioning. In this episode, Chris Hair, a performance coach specialising in golf athletic develo...

🚨 Are schools unknowingly holding young athletes back? 🚨 For years, schools have relied on traditional PE and outdated training methods, but are they actually setting young athletes up for success—or failure? ⁠In this episode, Guy Sandys-Renton,⁠ a leading expert in youth athletic development, reveals why most schools are missing the mark when it comes to helping young athletes move better, perf...

🚨 Most young athletes will never make it to the elite level—but why? 🚨 Every coach wants to develop high-performing athletes, but the truth is, many training methods aren’t preparing them for the demands of elite sport.  In this episode, Brent Dickinson, Head of Academy Performance at Watford FC, reveals what it really takes to develop athletes who can handle pressure, perform under stress, and...

🚨 Golf coaches and players—are you training the wrong way? 🚨 Strength & Conditioning in golf is still misunderstood, with many players avoiding strength training or focusing on "golf-specific" exercises that don’t actually improve performance. In this episode, Luke Robinson, a lecturer for the PGA and an expert in golf Strength & Conditioning, breaks down: ✅ The biggest myths in golf fitness—an...

📢 Why Coaches MUST Get Nutrition Right – Or Risk Their Players Failing! Every coach focuses on strength, tactics, and fitness—but nutrition is the missing piece in unlocking peak performance. 🚀 If your players are gassing out in the last 20 minutes or struggling with recovery, their fueling strategy could be the problem. In this episode of the Athletic Skills Podcast, we sit down with Ted Munson...

🚨What if everything you’ve been told about mental toughness is wrong? 🚨 Athletes are constantly told to"control their emotions" to perform at their best. But what if that approach is actuallyholding you back? In this episode,Lauren Garner, a sports psychologist in training working with Sunderland AFC, breaks down whyacceptance, not control, is the key to unlocking athlete performance. We dive de...

🚀 Speed and agility can be the difference in winning and losing—but are you training them effectively? In this episode, we sit down withJames Nolan, First-Team Strength & Conditioning Coach at Cardiff Rugby, to break down how to develop speed and agility that actually transfers to game performance. With a background spanning rugby, football, and elite athlete development, James shares insights in...

How to Break into Pro Sport: Lessons Every Young Practitioner Needs to Hear 🎙️ In This Episode: Do you feel stuck trying to break into professional sport? This episode is packed with actionable advice, real-world insights, and career-changing strategies to help young practitioners take their first steps in the competitive world of pro sport. We’ll cover how to turn small opportunities into big bre...

How sending one email opened a door and set up my career For Isaac Hopkins, an experienced Strength and Conditioning coach, it started with one bold move—a single email that opened doors to shadowing elite coaches and kickstarted his journey. Today, Isaac is shaping the future of England Touch, preparing athletes for the intense demands of this fast-paced, high-intensity game. From agility to dece...

Breaking into professional sports as a coach or practitioner can feel like an uphill battle. 🏆 In this episode of the Athletic Skills Podcast, Jonty Norris, S&C coach at British Triathlon and Head S&C at Sunderland FC, shares his secrets to landing roles in elite sport and thriving across football, cricket, rugby, and triathlon. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to elevate your career i...

In this episode of the Athletic Skills Podcast, we speak with Andrew Langford, Director of the iUSCA. Andrew shares his perspective on the journey from student to strength and conditioning (S&C) coach, discussing how universities can support aspiring coaches through both education and practical experience. He highlights what defines a high-quality degree program, the importance of hands-on experie...

In this episode of the Athletic Skills Podcast, we speak with Blaine Clancy, Physical Performance Coach. Blaine Clancy brings extensive experience coaching various sports and working with diverse populations. He delves into Youth Athletic Development, exploring how his philosophy has evolved over time. We discuss an intriguing question: when coaching fundamental movements, is there such a thing as...

In this episode of the Athletic Skills Podcast, we speak with BAM, Finland Women's Sevens coach and is also owner of the Clubhouse Gym. This is a must listen to learn how to coach fundamental movements in a fun, practical way in any environment, especially acceleration, deceleration and change of direction ability! We cover ➡️ Delivering a Warm Up with Fun and Engagement ➡️ The use of games in dev...

In this episode of the Athletic Skills Podcast, we speak with Emma O'Toole, founder of BUILT TO ENDURE Click the link in the comments to watch the full episode. Emma shares her passion for endurance training and highlights why strength training is essential for endurance athletes. She discusses various methods of endurance training and offers insights into how it can be made fun and engaging for a...

In this episode of the Athletic Skills Podcast, we speak with Marnie Wills, Founder and Director of SportyMinis Marnie's passion for the physical development of young children shines through in this engaging podcast. She discusses the gaps she sees in current physical education programs, comparing the approaches in Australia and the UK. The challenges she encountered inspired her to create SportyM...

In this episode of the Athletic Skills Podcast, we chat to Rob Anderson who is the founder and director of the Athlete Academy. We chat to Rob on all things Youth Athletic Development, Maturation and Growth Spurts and how Rob develops his athletes movement to create the foundations for long term success. You can see straight away Rob's passion for Youth Development and how he is looking to solve m...

In this episode of the Athletic Skills Podcast, we chat to Dom Tripp who is an England Touch Rugby Player and Coach. We chat to Dom on how S&C was integrated in to his playing career and he gives a players perspective on how it helped develop his performance. Dom discusses how a passion in S&C and physical development has shaped his coaching philosophy and why play is always at the centre of his c...

In this episode of the Athletic Skills Podcast, we chat to ⁠Chris Chapman⁠ who is a Speed Coach and Coach Mentor. This is Part 2 with Chris following on from his previous episode (Episode 15) where we discuss how Speed Coaching can be put in to context so athletes get faster in their sport, not just to have "good mechanics". We also discuss why coaches should have mentors and what qualities make a...