Performance Strategies & Stumbles

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 framework with genuine depth can transform the way you understand and support athletes. Rather than accepting the tools and systems already available, Jesse identified a gap, went looking for answers, and built something better. This episode is a detailed look at what that process actually involved.

We get into the groin injury problem in ice hockey — how Jesse identified it as the key issue to address, the research and collaboration that followed, and what the understanding of the sport's anatomy and biomechanics revealed about why existing profiling systems were falling short. From there, Jesse walks through how he developed a new assessment framework from the ground up, what effective prescription looks like when it's genuinely tailored to individual athlete needs, and how monitoring every two weeks using force frame data allowed him to adjust strategies and anchor expectations to the adaptation process rather than guesswork.

There's a real thread of intellectual honesty running through this conversation — the idea that it sometimes takes an adverse situation to prompt the kind of investigation that should probably have happened sooner, and that the minimum effective dose approach, when applied thoughtfully, can be one of the most powerful tools a practitioner has.

Episode Sponsor — 1080 Motion

This episode is supported by 1080 Motion — the industry leader for motorised resistance in high performance sport. 1080's technology gives elite practitioners the ability to create precise and unique loading like overspeed, eccentric overload, and isokinetics straight from a screen, with instant insights from athlete outputs and profiling. From speed to strength to return-to-play, 1080 Motion has everything you need to truly drive performance.

Their website is HERE.

Collaborate 360 — Our First In-Person Event

Collaborate 360 is coming this July. A full day built around applied practice, group thinking, and getting hands-on with technology that can genuinely change how you work. Early bird discount tickets are still available — link to join us HERE.

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 now. He shares honest lessons from his time coaching in para football — an environment that challenged his assumptions about athlete needs and pushed him to think differently about engagement and communication. We also get into the cost of saying yes to too much, how spreading yourself across too many commitments can quietly compromise the quality of everything you're doing.

There's a thread running through all of it about the art of coaching — and what it actually takes to bridge research and real-world practice in a way that genuinely serves the athletes in front of you.

Episode Sponsor — Output Sports

This episode is supported by Output Sports. Output help coaches test, track, and programme athletes using one portable sensor and one platform — built to give practitioners the tools they need to get the best out of their athletes. Through velocity-based training and real-time performance assessment, they help coaches make smarter, faster decisions — on the pitch, in the gym, wherever they work. See their product HERE

Output Sports will be at Collaborate 360 this July, supporting the Decision Zone — where coaches will get hands-on with the technology and explore how to make within-session changes to programmes to ensure the goal and the stimulus for the athlete is being met at all times.

Collaborate 360 — Our First In-Person Event

Collaborate 360 is coming this July. A full day built around the kind of practical, collaborative thinking that moves you forward as a practitioner — with the Decision Zone, learning environments, and a room full of people who take their development seriously. Tickets are available now HERE.

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 detailed, practical conversation that goes well beyond the surface level. Tom walks us through the core biomechanical principles that underpin effective change of direction, including the angle-velocity trade-off and the stress placed on the ACL during cutting manoeuvres — and why coaches need to understand this before they design a single drill.

We get into how to approach needs analysis when entering a new sport, how to assess change of direction across multiple angles and actions rather than relying on a single test, and the role game analysis should play in shaping what we do in training. Tom also discusses how to build effective progressions and regressions, how technology is changing the way we evaluate these qualities, and why developing perceptual cues for anticipation is just as important as the physical output itself.

If you work with athletes who need to move fast, change direction under pressure, and do it repeatedly without breaking down — this one is worth your full attention.

Episode Sponsor — 1080 Motion

This episode is supported by 1080 Motion — the industry leader for motorised resistance in high-performance sport. 1080's technology gives elite practitioners the ability to create precise and unique loading like overspeed, eccentric overload, and isokinetics straight from a screen, with instant insights from athlete outputs and profiling. From speed to strength to return-to-play, 1080 Motion has everything you need to truly drive performance. Check them out HERE.

1080 Motion will also be running a dedicated learning zone at Collaborate 360 in July — our first in-person event. Tickets are available now, link below.

Collaborate 360 — Our First In-Person Event

Collaborate 360 is coming this July. A full day bringing together practitioners from across high-performance sport, with 1080 Motion running a dedicated learning zone on the day. If you want to be in the room, see what we have planned and grab your ticket HERE!

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 things went wrong, and what James has taken from them.

James shares honest reflections from his time in Ireland and with the Welsh Rugby Union — from communication breakdowns and administrative errors to the gradual realisation of how much active listening and self-awareness matter in a coaching environment. He talks about the tension between being an energetic, engaging presence and staying true to the core principles of a programme, and why understanding how you come across to the people around you is just as important as what you know.

Ultimately, this episode is about recognising that mistakes are part of the process — and that growth comes from how we reflect, adapt, and improve.

If this episode has made you reflect on your own practice, our Collaborate Sports performance mentorship programmes are designed to support exactly that kind of development — you can find all the details here: https://collaboratesports.com/groupmentorship

A big thanks to our sponsor once again, the IUSCA. Check out what they do HERE

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.

Drawing on his experience in elite rugby environments, James shares how to approach in-season training with intent, structuring programmes around clear goals, and ensuring athletes continue to adapt despite the demands of competition.

We discuss how to build training blocks across the season, how to balance intensity and volume within sessions, and why individualisation and communication across staff are essential for effective delivery.

James also introduces the idea of using storytelling as a coaching tool, helping athletes better understand and buy into training, and explains how viewing the season as a series of “chapters” can help coaches plan more effectively.

Ultimately, this episode is about shifting from simply maintaining performance to continually developing athletes within the constraints of competition.

🚀 Collaborate Sports Mentorship Programmes
If this episode has challenged your thinking around programme design, in-season training, and athlete development, our Collaborate Sports performance mentorship programmes are designed to support that journey.

👉 Explore all mentorship programmes HERE:

This episode is supported by the International Universities Strength and Conditioning Association (IUSCA).

IUSCA are hosting the International Conference on Strength and Conditioning 2026 at Leeds Beckett University on Friday 5th June 2026, bringing together leading practitioners and researchers from across the world. Details HERE.