Performance Strategies & Stumbles

In this episode of Performance Strategies and Stumbles, I'm joined by Tom Clough — Head of Performance at Newcastle Red Bulls — for a conversation about systems thinking and what it actually looks like in a performance sport environment.

At the heart of this conversation is a simple but powerful reframe: systems thinking isn't a problem-solving technique, it's a way of seeing. Most of what we treat as problems are really symptoms of interactions we haven't mapped — and until you look at the whole system rather than its individual parts, you end up solving the wrong thing well. Rather than starting with solutions, Tom starts with the question of whether the problem has even been correctly identified — and this episode is a detailed look at what that philosophy involves in practice.

We get into why identifying the actual problem is harder and more valuable than generating answers to it, and why the instinct to simplify a complex problem is so often the thing that keeps it unsolved. From there, Tom walks through feedback loops and how they shape behaviour in a department whether or not anyone is paying attention to them, the practical use of causal loop diagrams to get those interactions out of your head and onto paper where a group can interrogate them, and the role leadership plays in building a culture where this kind of thinking is possible rather than theoretical. He also makes the case for collaboration as a genuine input to better decision-making, not a nice-to-have.

There's a real thread of curiosity running through this conversation — the idea that practitioners don't need better answers so much as deeper questions about the environments they work in, and that awareness of how the parts interact tends to do more for outcomes than any single intervention.

Episode Sponsor — Absolute Performance

This episode is supported by Absolute Performance — gym facilities designed to inspire, built to perform. Absolute Performance design and build performance spaces that push boundaries, set standards, and inspire greatness, maximising potential and performance for people and teams in every space they touch.

Their website is HERE.

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In this episode of Performance Strategies and Stumbles, I'm joined again by Peter Hughes — a rehabilitation specialist at the Gallagher Chiefs in New Zealand — this time for a conversation about the mistakes that shaped him.

At the heart of it is a reframe that runs against how most practitioners are trained to operate: mistakes aren't something to be minimised or hidden, they're the primary mechanism by which you actually get better. Peter is refreshingly open about his own, and this episode is a detailed look at what he took from them.

We get into the early-career trap of believing more is always better, and why that belief is so seductive for young coaches. Peter walks through the single stressor approach in rehab — why isolating one variable at a time is often the only way to know what's actually driving a problem — and how he manages expectations with coaches when athlete welfare and selection pressure pull in opposite directions. He also makes the case for mentorship as a genuine accelerator, and for self-reflection and journaling as practical defences against confirmation bias.

There's a real thread of humility running through this conversation — the idea that trust with athletes is built through genuine care rather than technical credentials, and that a team culture only grows when people are willing to challenge each other respectfully and be challenged in return.

In this episode of Performance Strategies and Stumbles, I'm joined by Peter Hughes — a rehabilitation specialist at the Gallagher Chiefs in New Zealand, whose role uniquely combines physiotherapy with strength & conditioning to deliver a truly performance-driven approach to rehab.

At the heart of this conversation is a simple but powerful reframe: rehabilitation isn't just about restoring what was lost — it's one of the biggest opportunities for performance gains an athlete will ever have. Rather than treating rehab as a holding pattern, Peter builds programs designed to return athletes better than they were before injury — and this episode is a detailed look at what that philosophy involves in practice.

We get into why understanding the injury mechanism is the foundation of effective rehab, including assessing the movement patterns that existed before the injury ever occurred. From there, Peter walks through his approach to intensity in rehab (and why it doesn't simply mean adding load), the value of early exposure to game-like scenarios for reintegration, and how he isolates individual qualities before integrating them back into the whole. He also makes the case for why movement quality is so often sacrificed for quantity — and what a whole-system approach to rehabilitation really looks like.

There's a real thread of pragmatism running through this conversation — the idea that the best rehab plan isn't the one that simply clears an athlete to return, but the one that restores, rebuilds, and enhances their capabilities so they're genuinely ready for the demands of the game.

Episode Sponsor — VALD Performance

This episode is supported by VALD Performance — makers of the NordBord, ForceFrame, ForceDecks and HumanTrak. VALD Performance systems are built with the high-performance practitioner in mind, translating traditionally lab-based technologies into engaging, quick, easy-to-use tools for daily testing, monitoring and training.

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. If you want to be in the room, see what we have planned and grab your ticket HERE!

What happens when a coach is willing to admit what they got wrong? In this episode, Les Spellman, founder of Spellman Performance, opens up about the mistakes that shaped his coaching — and why vulnerability, not certainty, has been the real driver of his development. Having worked with athletes across the NFL, NCAA, MLB and Olympic sport, Les has earned the right to be confident in his methods, which makes his honesty about where he's got it wrong all the more valuable.

At the heart of the conversation is the danger of rigidity — how being too wedded to targets, technology and technical drills can quietly hold athletes back. Les reflects on his early mistakes in speed training and the shift towards a more holistic approach, including the role of eccentric work in keeping athletes fast and healthy. We also get into why context is everything in performance training, how feedback from teams has sharpened his coaching, and the often-overlooked challenge of hiring and managing staff in the private sector — and what it takes to build an environment where both athletes and coaches thrive.

Output Sports are the sponsors of today's episode. One portable sensor, one platform — helping coaches test, track and programme athletes with velocity-based training and real-time performance assessment. They'll be at Collaborate 360 this July, so if you're coming along, you'll have the chance to get hands-on with the technology in person.

If this episode got you thinking about how you reflect on and evolve your own coaching, that's exactly the territory we'll be exploring at Collaborate 360 in July.  Early bird tickets have sold out, but if you're a listener of the pod, use the code event25 at checkout before the end of the month and you'll get that early bird price. Link below.

Collaborate 360 tickets: www.collaboratesports.com/360

Enjoy the episode!

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 matters more than raw speed gains. Rather than chasing numbers on a timing gate, Les builds structured microcycles designed to prepare athletes for the actual demands they'll face — and this episode is a detailed look at what that planning process really involves.

We get into microcycle design for football athletes — how Les balances volume, intensity, and recovery across the week, the specific drills and session structures he uses, and how constraints and coaching cues shape movement without over-coaching it. From there, Les walks through his approach to periodization for NFL players, what progressive overload looks like in a speed context, how sport-specific conditioning and contact prep fit into the plan, and the metabolic and endurance considerations that often get overlooked in speed-dominant programs.

There's a real thread of pragmatism running through this conversation — the idea that the best training plan isn't the one that produces the biggest gains in isolation, but the one that builds athletes who can tolerate, absorb, and express their qualities when the demands of camp and season arrive.

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 such as 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.

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 built around applied practice, group thinking, and getting hands-on with technology that can genuinely change how you work. If you want to be in the room, see what we have planned and grab your ticket HERE!