Performance Strategies & Stumbles

In this speed episode of Performance Strategies and Stumbles, I'm joined by Les Spellman — a speed coach who has built a systematic approach to speed training and physical preparation for football athletes, with a particular focus on preparing players for the realities of training camp and the season ahead. At the heart of this conversation is a simple but powerful reframe: training tolerance matt...

Tim Kettenring doesn't hold back in this episode. We go all the way back to the early days of his coaching career - the arrogance he carried in, the relationships he damaged, and a job he lost because of it. It's the kind of honest reflection that's rare in this industry, and it sets the tone for everything that follows. What makes Tim's story particularly valuable is how he traces the turning poi...

Multi-directional speed is one of the most talked-about qualities in performance sport - but is it one of the most misunderstood? In this episode, Tim Kettenring , President of Maverick Human Performance ( https://www.instagram.com/tim_kettenring/ ) makes the case for why so much speed development work misses the mark, and what a more principled approach actually looks like. With over a decade of...

In this stumbles episode of Performance Strategies and Stumbles, I'm joined again by Jesse Green — a sports scientist whose career has taken him from Australian rules football academies to the NBA and NHL — to explore the mistakes and learning experiences that have shaped how he operates as a practitioner. This isn't a conversation about failure for its own sake. It's about what happens when you'r...

In this strategy episode of Performance Strategies and Stumbles, I'm joined by Jesse Green — a sports scientist who has developed a rigorous, systematic approach to athlete profiling, with a particular focus on ice hockey and the injury challenges that come with it. At the heart of this conversation is Jesse's closed-loop process — assess, profile, prescribe, and monitor — and how applying that fr...

In this Stumbles episode of Performance Strategies and Stumbles, I'm joined again by Thomas Dos'Santos to explore the mistakes and learning experiences that have shaped his approach as a practitioner and researcher in sports performance. Tom reflects on what it felt like to walk into situations badly underprepared early in his career, and the lasting impact that had on how he approaches his work n...

Mastering Change of Direction: Technical Principles, Assessment and Training Frameworks — with Tom Dos Santos In this strategy episode of Performance Strategies and Stumbles, I'm joined by Tom Dos Santos — a researcher and practitioner who has dedicated a significant amount of his work to understanding one of the most technically demanding qualities in sport: change of direction. This is a detaile...

In this Stumbles episode of Performance Strategies and Stumbles, I'm joined again by James Nolan to explore the mistakes and learning experiences that have shaped his approach as a coach in high performance sport. Following on from our previous conversation around in-season strength and power development, this episode shifts the focus to the realities of professional growth — the moments where thi...

In this episode of Performance Strategies and Stumbles, I sit down with James Nolan to explore how we should rethink in-season strength and power development, particularly in rugby. Too often, in-season training is framed as “maintenance.” In this conversation, James challenges that concept — arguing that if we’re not continuing to develop athletes, we may actually be doing them a disservice. Draw...

In this Stumbles episode of Performance Strategies and Stumbles, I’m joined again by Dr Peter Tierney to explore the mistakes and learning experiences that have shaped his approach as a practitioner in sports science and coaching. Following on from our previous conversation around wearable technology, this episode shifts the focus to the realities of professional growth — the mistakes that happen...

In this strategy episode of Performance Strategies and Stumbles, I sit down with Dr Peter Tierney to explore how wearable technology should be understood and integrated within modern performance environments. Peter is a sports scientist whose career spans elite sport, applied research, and performance technology innovation. He has previously worked within high-performance environments, including L...

In this Stumbles episode of Performance Strategies and Stumbles, I sit down with Stephanie Grubbs, Major League Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach with the Houston Astros, to explore the early mistakes and leadership lessons that shaped her career. Steph reflects on getting overly focused on outcome goals, the challenges of transitioning into leadership roles, and the importance of emotio...

In this strategy episode of Performance Strategies and Stumbles, I’m joined by Stephanie Grubbs, Major League Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach with the Houston Astros, to explore how microdosing strength training can be used effectively in elite team sport environments. Steph shares practical frameworks for dividing volume into shorter, more frequent exposures, adapting training around...

In this Stumbles episode of Performance Strategies and Stumbles, I’m joined again by Michael Gerhardy to explore the mistakes that have shaped his practice as a sports scientist working in applied performance environments. Michael reflects on early errors made in coaching, research, and sports science, including relying too heavily on statistical significance, misinterpreting data, and trying to a...

In this episode of Performance Strategies and Stumbles, I’m joined by Michael Gerhardy, a sports scientist specialising in neuromuscular fatigue and applied workload monitoring. Michael holds a PhD in Applied Sport Science, where his research focused on neuromuscular fatigue and concurrent training. It was during this PhD work that a key idea emerged — the value of running-specific testing to bett...

In this Stumbles episode of Performance Strategies and Stumbles, I’m joined by Warren Bradley, founder of Hytro, to explore the mistakes and lessons that shaped his journey from working in professional sport to becoming an entrepreneur. Warren reflects on his early career as a performance nutritionist, where not fully understanding hierarchy and environment led to avoidable challenges. He shares h...

In this strategy-focused episode of Performance Strategies and Stumbles, I am joined by Dr Warren Bradley, founder of Hytro and a leading specialist in Blood Flow Restriction (BFR). Warren has worked across professional sport, including roles with England teams, Munster Rugby, and football clubs such as Hull City and Derby County, and now combines applied practice with research and innovation thro...

In this Stumbles episode of Performance Strategies and Stumbles, Dan sits down once again with Pete McKnight, one of the most respected performance consultants and strategists in elite sport. This time, the conversation shifts from strategy to the mistakes that have shaped Pete’s leadership journey — the moments that taught him the most about people, communication, and team culture. Dan and Pete e...

In this strategy-focused episode of Performance Strategies and Stumbles, Dan sits down with Pete McKnight - one of the most respected performance consultants and strategists in elite sport. With nearly 25 years of experience across Olympic programmes, football, rugby, and motorsport, Pete is known for transforming how organisations structure their performance systems. Together, Dan and Pete explor...

In this episode of Performance Strategies and Stumbles, we are again joined by Liam Connor, Head of Performance at Newcastle United Women’s Football Team. Together, we explore the importance of answering performance questions deliberately and accurately int his performance strategy episode. When we recorded this episode, Liam. was working with England Badminton. From his time there, he breaks down...

Welcome back to the podcast! In this episode, Paul Talty joins us again and shares his experiences and reflections on the mistakes he has made throughout his coaching career. He emphasises the importance of balancing strength and conditioning training, the necessity of reflective practice, and the value of communication in program design. Paul discusses recent stumbles in his coaching, particularl...

Listen time - 29mins In this episode, Alan shares his stumbles and mistakes as a strength and conditioning coach. He discusses a hamstring strain injury and the lessons he learned from it. He reflects on the importance of preparing the nervous system and understanding that not all speed is equal. He also talks about programming mistakes, including a focus on linear periodization and force generati...

Listen Time: 33mins In this conversation, I welcome Andrew Usher to discuss the importance of understanding oxygen utilization in sports performance. We challenge the traditional focus on VO2 max as a measure of aerobic capacity and highlight the significance of muscle extraction and utilisation of oxygen. We dig into the benefits of extracting oxygen quickly and efficiently and it being more impo...

Listen Time 28mins Richard Husseiny shares his journey from the UK Sports Institute to working with Chinese diving teams in this Performance Strategies and Stumbles podcast episode. He reflects on the cultural differences, initial mistakes, and the importance of building relationships over making immediate impacts. Richard discusses the pressures of performance, the challenges of communication in...

Listen Time - 30mins In this episode, I interview Paul Talty about strength and power development for swimming. Paul was Head of Performance for Swim Ireland leading into Paris 2024 where they delivered medal-winning performances. We discuss Strength & Power development in swimmers and Paul emphasises that swimming is different from other sports due to the unique environment it takes place in....