Supporting Champions
Steve Ingham, performance scientist, leader and author, explores the science, art, purpose and origins of high-performance. Steve interviews and discusses these concepts with the people who have been there and done it, whether it’s achieving at the highest level, been the driving force in making remarkable performance happen or those who have explored and researched aspects of human performance in real-depth.
Episodes
Thursday Sep 07, 2023
Thursday Sep 07, 2023
This week we're launching a major new survey. We've teamed up with Jamie Pringle to create one of the must comprehensive surveys about "what it takes to be successful as support practitioner". Please take 30 mins of your time to contribute to the survey. SURVEY
*** Academics, Professionals and Students - WE NEED YOU TO HELP US HELP THE INDUSTRY!***
In this discussion, Jamie and I talk through what the survey is, why we are working on it, how we believe it will help create clarity for those recruiting, developing and training the next generation of performance professionals and likewise how it will help the students of today, who will become professionals and leaders of our industry tomorrow.
Summary
🔍 A skills survey is being conducted to understand the qualifications and abilities valued by employers in the sport and exercise science industry, as well as the effectiveness of educational programs in preparing graduates for the workforce.
Highlights
📚 The survey aims to capture insights from industry professionals, educators, and students to improve the development and readiness of graduates entering the workforce.
💼 Work-based learning and vocational skills were identified as crucial for successful employment in the industry.
🤝 Collaboration between industry and education is emphasized to ensure curriculum aligns with industry requirements.
🎯 The survey results will provide clarity on the skills and qualities sought by employers and help inform recruitment and curriculum planning.
👥 All industry professionals, educators, and students in the sport and exercise science field are encouraged to contribute to the survey to provide valuable insights for the future of the industry.
PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO FILL THE SURVEY IN
All survey respondents will receive the headlines from the 2108 survey and have an option for the full report and follow up resources. We're also presenting the findings of the skills survey at the 2023 BASES conference
The podcast returns to normal service next week!
Wednesday May 10, 2023
123: Michael Johnson on serial winning, challenges and preparing to peak
Wednesday May 10, 2023
Wednesday May 10, 2023
This week’s guest is Michael Johnson.
Michael will not need an introduction to many of you, but for those who are not aware of one of the greatest athletes of all time and for those who want a recap here are a few highlights. Michael has won gold medals in 200, 400m and 4 x 400 at the Goodwill games. He took gold medals at the 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999 World Championships and golds the 1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympics Games. Unforgettably, Michael broke the world 200m record in an astonishing time of 19.32 s at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, having a few days before won the 400m title. Michael also broke the world 400m record in the Seville World Championship final in a time of 43.18. Those records stood for 14 and 17 years respectively.
Since Michael retired he is familiar to many as a commentator and pundit for athletics, where he offers great depth, perceptive insight, challenge and clarity of thought about performance. He is also an entrepreneur, running Michael Johnson Performance, providing speed, agility and injury prevention support to elite teams.
In this discussion we of course talk about all of these things, Michael’s athletic career, as well as how he’s how cultured insights into how people perform, where he thinks athletics is going, and his work in business.
As you’d expect Michael brings rich insight to all of these.
I hope you enjoy the conversation!
***We're taking a short break from the podcast. I hope you're enjoyed the series***
Links
https://www.mj-gold.com/
https://www.michaeljohnsonperformance.com/
Twitter at https://twitter.com/ingham_steve
Supporting Champions on Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champs
Tik Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@supportingchampions
Supporting Champions on Linkedin, www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-champions
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/supportingchampions/
Friday Apr 28, 2023
122: Nigel Adkins on the demands on the modern football manager
Friday Apr 28, 2023
Friday Apr 28, 2023
This week's guest is Nigel Adkins. Nigel is a former professional football player, coach and manager. He's also trained as a physiotherapist, so not only does he have experience of playing coaching but also has been part of the backroom staff too.
Nigel is sharing, describing, and supporting others through the demands placed upon modern managers. He is passionate about helping others realise that the managers identity, worth and health should not necessarily be impacted upon due to the role of coaching at the top end.
However Nigel does describe the prevailing philosophy in football clubs being that if they don't win the manager is likely to get sacked. We get into this in the conversation and discuss what you can do and take ownership for, the right and wrongs of this approach and what might help you as a modern manager thrive in this world where you might not have much time to do your best work.
Links
Twitter at https://twitter.com/ingham_steve
Supporting Champions on Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champs
Tik Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@supportingchampions
Supporting Champions on Linkedin, www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-champions
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/supportingchampions/
Wednesday Apr 12, 2023
121: Brendan Cropley and Zoe Knowles on Reflective Practice
Wednesday Apr 12, 2023
Wednesday Apr 12, 2023
This week’s guests are Zoe Knowles and Brendan Cropley
Zoe is a Professor of Engagement and Learning at Liverpool John Moores University and Brendan is Professor of Sport Coaching at University of South Wales; and both are sports psychologists by trade.
They are also pioneers for reflective practice in sport and have been moving this field forward together with a band of researchers and applied scientists and they’ve recently released the 2nd Ed of Reflective Practice in the Sport and Exercise Sciences.
In this discussion we get into the value that reflection brings, the evidence of whether reflecting enhances your performance, some potential downsides of reflection, whether personality type or biases effect how one engages with reflection, the potential effects of reflective practice on mental health. Of course we explore different models of reflection and Zoe and Brendan take you through a fuller reflective cycle and a shorter, snappier version - which gets us on how, when and under what circumstances you might reflect.
Download the reflective practice worksheet and use for yourself.
Links
Zoe on Twitter https://twitter.com/SpExPsych
Brendan on Twitter https://twitter.com/BrendanCropley
Reflective Practice in the Sport and Exercise Sciences book https://www.routledge.com/Reflective-Practice-in-the-Sport-and-Exercise-Sciences-Critical-Perspectives/Cropley-Knowles-Miles-Huntley/p/book/9781032056944
If you want to develop your applied performance science impact take a look at our courses for S&C, psychology, nutrition, physiology (with me), performance analysis
Use code APPLIED2023 for £50 off (limited number of discounts - only a few places left)
Use the code for £50 off any Applied Pro courses
https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/onlinecourse/#appliedpro
Links Twitter at https://twitter.com/ingham_steve
Supporting Champions on Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champs
Tik Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@supportingchampions
Supporting Champions on Linkedin, www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-champions Instagram https://www.instagram.com/supportingchampions/
Wednesday Mar 29, 2023
120: Sian Allen on wearable technology
Wednesday Mar 29, 2023
Wednesday Mar 29, 2023
This week’s guest is Sian Allen.
Sian is a vastly experienced performance scientist having worked at the English, Scottish and New Zealand Institute of Sports. Sian received her PhD in Statistical Modelling of Sports Performance from Aukland University of Technology, while working with British and New Zealand swimming teams. Sian headed up the performance intelligence work for the New Zealand Sorts system, carving out data informed insights into how, what, where, when and who new Zealand athletes and teams could gain an advantage. She is now at Lululemon – an athletic apparel company that designs, distributes, and retails athletic apparel and accessories.
Beyond this Sian, has been creating some fascinating insights and sharing them on Twitter about wearable technology, with a blend of data-driven observations about herself, research based insights and questions and ideas about how us humans interact, benefit, misuse and get confused by the various devices that we purchased and stick on on ourselves in an attempt to measure various variables. Sian shares her motivations for developing content, the key insights she has gained which monitoring devices she has found to be the best for monitoring sleep, heart rate and activity; as well as a look into the future about where technology is headed and whether with the advent of AI, we’re going to be interacting with human support.
I should also mention that Sian is our course tutor for the Supporting Champions Performance Analysis course - so if that is your thing and your interested in the course, it is just a superb digest of 10 lessons running you through how to take a data-informed approach to improving athlete performance! Sian shares a little bit about her motivations for the course and how it is helping practitioners from all fields harness the power of data.
Sian on Twitter
https://twitter.com/DrSianAllen
Sian's Applied Pro Performance Analysis course
https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/applied-performance-analysis/
Use code APPLIED2023 for £50 off (limited number of discounts - only 100 places)
Use the code for £50 off any Applied Pro courses
https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/onlinecourse/#appliedpro
Links Twitter at https://twitter.com/ingham_steve
Supporting Champions on Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champs
Tik Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@supportingchampions
Supporting Champions on Linkedin, www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-champions Instagram https://www.instagram.com/supportingchampions/
Wednesday Mar 15, 2023
119: Jean Gomes leading self and others
Wednesday Mar 15, 2023
Wednesday Mar 15, 2023
This week’s guest is Jean Gomes.
Jean is a New York best-selling author and a business consultant to 100s of CEOs and businesses. He is CEO and founder of Outside who utilise the latest research to support and develop wellbeing, leadership and organisational culture. His clients over the years include Google, Nike, Schneider, BMW, Tik Tok, but also includes the Lawn Tennis Association, UK Sport and Manchester City.
In his new book ‘Leading in a Non-Linear World’ Jean delves into the latest research into mindset and how we’ve been limping along with an outdated definitions for years - making the case that it is more than just the beliefs and mental models that we carry. We get into this idea in our discussion and explore self-awareness, how we need to be more aware of how our emotions are formed, how to build a healthier, more agile mindset, the value of interoception and perspectives of resilient people. Ultimately this is a book about self-management - how we lead ourselves so that we’re better able to lead others. This is a concept that is central to everything we do at Supporting Champions.
Jean brings a lucidity to the work that he does, he strives to be more human and connected in how he creates and supports others to high-performance and interestingly over the years he has evolved as a consultant and as a leader. You’ll get a sense of this is our discussion - how he’s stayed abreast of research, thought about what he’s seeing and observing and curated ideas to help others - kind of like the best applied scientists!
***Applied Pro Practitioner courses are now discounted
USE CODE APPLIED2023 for £50 off until 7th April
Sign up now to take advantage of live Q&As with tutors***
Go to https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/onlinecourse
Links
Leading in a non-linear world https://www.weareoutside.com/leading-in-a-non-linear-world
Mindset monthly https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/mindset-monthly-7001265313933619201/
Evolving leader https://www.weareoutside.com/evolving-leader
Links
Hi, I’m Steve Ingham ...
I help aspiring and professional Performance Science and Support Staff improve their skills, experience and mindset for working with sports performers through a range of online courses and an exclusive community hub https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/onlinecourse
Links
Twitter at https://twitter.com/ingham_steve
Tik Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@supportingchampions
Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champs
Linkedin, www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-champions
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/supportingchampions/
Wednesday Mar 01, 2023
118: Mark Burnley on training zones
Wednesday Mar 01, 2023
Wednesday Mar 01, 2023
This week’s guest is Dr Mark Burnley
Mark is an exercise physiologist by trade, currently an academic at Loughborough University, having previously been at Brighton, Aberystwyth, Kent and Wolverhampton.
Mark’s background is in oxygen uptake kinetics, having undertaken much of the pioneering work on priming - which I’ve used extensively in my work with athletes. Much of Mark’s work has centred around the concept of Critical Power and the physiological landmarks that distinguish different exercise intensities - essentially exploring ways in which we can distinguish the way our body responds differently in different domains of exercise.
This is relevant because these landmarks offer us some logic to how we might go about setting training zones. And that is what we get into in this discussion. We delve into what the key landmarks are, what happens when you exercise in, below or above different landmarks. We explore the strengths, mistakes and pitfalls of different types of zone structures, debating laboratory, field, precise prescriptions or margins, whether to use heart rate, power, speed, breathing as some of the ways to regulate exercise intensity.
As you can imagine the discussion goes in all different directions and what we’ve tried to do is define each concept as we go, just in case you’re not familiar with the various terms. But rest assured you’re in safe hands with Mark, his keen intellect, exacting precision combined with an eye for the applied practical implications of this topic - are all delivered with highest level of clarity in his communication.
Links to Mark
Mark on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@all-outphysiology2177
Mark on Twitter https://twitter.com/DrMarkBurnley
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Hi, I'm Steve Ingham Sports and Performance Scientist co-founder at Supporting Champions. I have the privilege of supporting over 1000 athletes of which over 200 have gone on to win World or Olympic medals. For the last 25 years I've been fascinated by, researched and applied innovative ideas to help people succeed and now I want to share those performance strategies with you.
I help aspiring and professional Performance Science and Support Staff improve their skills, experience and mindset for working with sports performers through a range of online courses and an exclusive community hub https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/onlinecourse
If you're working in sports performance or business and want to get support to develop your team and systems - take a look at what I offer here - https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/speaking/
Listen to the podcast https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/category/podcast/
LinksTwitter at https://twitter.com/ingham_stevehttps://www.tiktok.com/@supportingchampionsSupporting Champions on Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champsSupporting Champions on Linkedin, www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-championshttps://www.instagram.com/supportingchampions/
Tuesday Feb 14, 2023
117: Costas Karageorghis on music and performance
Tuesday Feb 14, 2023
Tuesday Feb 14, 2023
This week’s guest is Costas Karageorghis
Costas is a professor of sports psychology at Brunel University. I first knew of Costas, many years ago as “Piano Man”, as he was sat at the piano in a bar at a BASES conference, skilfully and joyfully playing away entertaining conference attendees. Only the next day did I find out that that music was his specialist topic. Since, Costas has become renowned for his research on the effects of music on exercise and sports performance.
In Costas’ book Applying Music in Exercise and Sport, the preface begins with a quote from Confucius, “Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without”. What is fascinating is that the link between music and sport isn’t more widely explored. In this discussion we explore the connection between sports and music, starting with on one of my favourite indulgences -the sports montage. We delve into how music can support exercisers, how it can make exercise seem easier, how it can be used to help performers get ready for competitions, how music preferences diverge based on culture, within teams and based on your circumstances.
I start by asking Costas what he thinks about the Supporting Champions podcast music.
Links
SAVI Group on Twitter https://twitter.com/SAVIBrunel
SAVI playlists on Spotify Brunel SAVI Group
On Instagram https://www.instagram.com/brunel_music_and_driving
Hi, I’m Steve Ingham Sports and Performance Scientist co-founder at Supporting Champions. I have the privilege of supporting over 1000 athletes of which over 200 have gone on to win World or Olympic medals. For the last 25 years I’ve been fascinated by, researched and applied innovative ideas to help people succeed and now I want to share those performance strategies with you. I help aspiring and professional Performance Science and Support Staff improve their skills, experience and mindset for working with sports performers through a range of online courses and an exclusive community hub
https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/onlinecourse
If you’re working in sports performance or business and want to get support to develop your team and systems – take a look at what I offer here – https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/speaking/
Links
Twitter at https://twitter.com/ingham_steve
Tik Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@supportingchampions Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champs Linkedin, www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-champions
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/supportingchampions/
Thursday Feb 02, 2023
116: Kate Hays on the psychology of the Lionesses
Thursday Feb 02, 2023
Thursday Feb 02, 2023
This week’s guest is Dr Kate Hays
Kate is Head of Women's Performance Psychology at The English FA
Kate is just about as richly experienced a practitioner and leader in sports psychology as you are likely to meet. Kate has worked on the Front line in Olympic sport, in particular in the sport of diving, working with Olympic Champion Tom Daley; she has worked in professional rugby at Harlequins RFC and as a leader Kate was the Head of Psychology at the English Institute of Sport.
In this conversation I speak to Kate about her experiences in support of the England women’s team in the lead up and during the winning run at the European Championships. Kate shares the insights into handling the pressure, embracing the excitement and buzz of the tournament while staying in control and delivering to the plan. Kates shares the characteristics that you should be interested in developing if you’re interested in developing a winning culture, some of which are non-negotiables and some of which are created from within.
If you’re listening in because you want to hear what went on behind the scenes for the Lionesses, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. If you’re tuning in to hear about what makes a successful team, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. If you are tuning in to hear about a great performance psychologist works, how psychology support has evolved from one-to-one, behind closed doors work to on-pitch, integrated and woven into the fabric everything a great team does - then you won’t be disappointed.
Links
Follow Kate on Twitter
https://twitter.com/DrKateHays
England Women's team
https://www.englandfootball.com/england/womens-senior-team
Hi, I’m Steve Ingham Sports and Performance Scientist co-founder at Supporting Champions. I have the privilege of supporting over 1000 athletes of which over 200 have gone on to win World or Olympic medals. For the last 25 years I’ve been fascinated by, researched and applied innovative ideas to help people succeed and now I want to share those performance strategies with you.
I help aspiring and professional Performance Science and Support Staff improve their skills, experience and mindset for working with sports performers through a range of online courses and an exclusive community hub https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/onlinecourse
If you’re working in sports performance or business and want to get support to develop your team and systems – take a look at what I offer here – https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/speaking/
Links
Twitter at https://twitter.com/ingham_steve
Tik Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@supportingchampions
Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champs
Linkedin, www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-champions
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/supportingchampions/
Wednesday Jan 18, 2023
115: Joe Baker on the tyranny of talent
Wednesday Jan 18, 2023
Wednesday Jan 18, 2023
This week’s guest is Joe Baker
Joe is a Professor at the School of Kinesiology and Health Science at York University in Toronto
Joe’s work specialises in optimal human development, largely to understand how someone gets to, and stays at, the highest levels of performance. This means he works in the areas of skill acquisition, talent identification and athlete development. He has recently written a book called the Tyranny of Talent, which pokes and probes of the ideas of what talent is, how it is typically thought about, worked with and developed (or attempted to be developed) in many elite environments. What are the pitfalls, pivot point and priorities in supporting people all the way through their athletic, sporting and exercising journey.
Joe is a true expert in the field and he brings an erudite wisdom to this discussion, but he is also active in helping others switch their mindsets to begin to think again about how we can develop people.
Links
Link to The Tyranny of Talent - https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1738644103
Link to Joe's page at York University - https://www.yorku.ca/professor/bakerj/
Joe on twitter https://twitter.com/bakerjyorku
Hi, I'm Steve Ingham Sports and Performance Scientist co-founder at Supporting Champions. I have the privilege of supporting over 1000 athletes of which over 200 have gone on to win World or Olympic medals. For the last 25 years I've been fascinated by, researched and applied innovative ideas to help people succeed and now I want to share those performance strategies with you.
I help aspiring and professional Performance Science and Support Staff improve their skills, experience and mindset for working with sports performers through a range of online courses and an exclusive community hub https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/onlinecourse
If you're working in sports performance or business and want to get support to develop your team and systems - take a look at what I offer here - https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/speaking/ Listen to the podcast https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/category/podcast/
Links
Twitter at https://twitter.com/ingham_steve
Tik Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@supportingchampions
Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champs
Linkedin, www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-champions
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/supportingchampions/