Shows
The Track and Field Performance PodcastPaul Burgess: Vaulting from Elite Athlete to World-Class CoachFrom being a 6m pole vaulter back in 2005 to coaching the 2024 Olympic gold medallist Nina Kennedy and 2023 World Championships bronze medallist Kurtis Marschall, Paul Burgess has transitioned from elite athlete to coach with huge success over the past 5 years.That journey, however, hasn’t been straightforward. In this episode, you’ll hear real humility from someone who has kept an open mind and a strong drive to support the athletes he works with throughout their careers.We spoke not only about the technical side of pole vault coaching, but also about how Paul contextualises it for...2025-07-071h 29
The Track and Field Performance PodcastEamonn Flanagan: Key Principles Behind Effective Plyometric and Jump TrainingEamonn Flanagan is the Head of S&C at the Sport Ireland Institute. In this episode, Eamonn shares deep insights from a career that spans elite Olympic (including track & field), Paralympic, and professional rugby environments. He is very well known for his work on jump or plyometric training with peer-reviewed research, online courses and much more on this form of training. We unpack a range of topics including:-Eamonn's career journey and some key perspective shifts along the way-Varying physical preparation based on sporting demands-Coaching and progressing plyometric training-Technique and a...2025-05-1956 min
The Track and Field Performance PodcastJoseph Coyne: Giving the Athlete What They Need When They Need ItJoseph Coyne, PhD is the Director of High Performance & Sports Development, Lindisfarne Anglican Grammar and Strength & Conditioning Coach, Elite Sport Program & Swimming, Bond UniversityJoseph's experience in Track & Field extends far and wide; we dug into his time working with the Chinese athletics federation including his work supporting Olympic-level sprinters and jumpers alongside world-renowned coach Randy Huntington. Joseph shares practical insights on plyometric training, athlete profiling, special strength training, contrast methods, as well as how he adapts his approach across youth, developing, and elite athletes.Joseph conducted his PhD research on training load at Edith...2025-03-221h 13
The Track and Field Performance PodcastChris Shambrook: How Psychological Preparation Fuels Performance, Confidence, and ResilienceDr. Chris Shambrook, is a renowned expert in performance psychology with over five Olympic cycles of experience. In this episode, Chris shares his journey from earning a PhD in sports psychology to working extensively with British Rowing, Olympic athletes, and high-performance teams across various sports and business settings.We explore the evolving role of sports psychology in elite environments, discussing how athletes and coaches can integrate psychological skills into daily training rather than treating them as separate sessions. Chris explains the challenge vs. threat mindset, the importance of psychological adaptability, and how mental preparation can influence an...2025-03-011h 14
The Track and Field Performance PodcastJames Sandilands: The Art and Science of High JumpingAthletics New Zealand track and field coach, James Sandilands is mainly known as the coach to the current World Indoor and Olympic champion in the jump, Hamish Kerr, but James's current crop of high level athletes spans far and wide from multi-eventers, sprinters, and horizontal jumpers.He is a former high jumper and hurdler himself with several years of experience as both a performance technique analyst and a strength and conditioning coach for High Performance Sport New Zealand.In this episode:-James' transition from athlete to coach and the pivotal mentors who shaped his...2025-02-031h 23
The Track and Field Performance PodcastWerner Prinsloo: Akani Simbine's Journey to 9.82 and 4th Place at the Paris OlympicsIn this episode, I chatted with Werner Prinsloo, the coach behind South African sprinting sensation Akani Simbine who in his third consecutive Olympic 100m final, at the age of 30, ran a national record of 9.82 seconds to finish fourth place. Werner shares his unique journey into coaching, from a corporate career to becoming a full-time coach for one of the world’s most consistent sub-10-second sprinters and his group of aspiring elite sprinters in Johannesburg. Key topics include:-How Werner transitioned from coaching recreational athletes to working with elite sprinters.-Akani Simbine’s journe...2025-01-041h 18
The Track and Field Performance PodcastJosef Karas: Nailing General Prep, Coaching Workhorses, and Battling Physiology (Part 1)Josef Karas is a former Czech International Decathlete and a graduate of Kansas State where he worked under legendary coach Cliff Rovelto. Since transitioning into coaching, Josef has coached long jumper Radek Juska to 8.31m (NR), gold at the World University Games, Silver at the European Indoor championships and most recently, the Olympic final in Paris. Josef is a well known multi's coach working with 8,000+ point decathletes like Adam Helcelet and current world u-20 champion Tomas Järvinen.In this episode, he his general preparation phase (GPP), prescribing training for 'workhorses', and adapting technique to t...2024-12-091h 16
The Track and Field Performance PodcastGlenn Smith: Breakthrough Performances, Technical Qualities, and Coaching Philosophy Glenn Smith is a former Canadian national champion and world championship semi-finalist in the 200m sprint. He holds a Master’s Degree in Exercise Science from the University of Texas at Austin and has nearly 20 years of coaching experience. His expertise spans developing All-American collegiate athletes and international-level competitors in the jumps, throws, multi-events, and sprints. A central theme of this episode was Glenn Smith's coaching philosophy, which emphasizes the importance of building strong relationships with athletes, mastering key technical principles, engaging in personal reflection, and structuring training effectively. Additionally, he shared insights into how his jumpers achi...2024-11-271h 25
The Track and Field Performance PodcastGordon Bosworth: Wisdom from 40 years of Physiotherapy with Elite AthletesBeing the Chief Physiotherapist to UK Athletics/British Athletics at the London Olympic Games (2012) is just one of many major roles that Gordon Bosworth has undertook during his professional career. He has played a key role in several national physiotherapy teams in winter and summer Olympic enabling Bobsledders like Kaillie Humphries to win Olympic gold.Gordon who owns his own practice 'The Bosworth Clinic' in Oxfordshire, England extrapolated many key theoretical insights, assessment techniques, and treatment strategies.Follow Gordon:-https://www.thebosworthclinic.co.uk/-https://www.instagram.com/thebosworthclinicSupport the...2024-10-131h 38
The Track and Field Performance PodcastDan Pfaff: Horizontal Jumps, Performance Testing, and DebriefingDan Pfaff is widely regarded as one of the most influential track and field coaches of all-time with over 50 years of experience. His thought provoking insights on sports performance concepts always come with a lot of dept and in this episode, He spoke about the rationale for having a holistic knowledge base and how coaches can develop that. From there, we dove into debriefing throughout the season so that coaches can make the athlete aware of the overall objectives to facilitate 'smoother' sailing throughout the year.The horizontal jumps is an area where Dan has h...2024-08-011h 15