Science for Sport Podcast

This week, Richard Graves is joined by Anna Cruse, Assistant Athletics Director for Applied Health and Performance Science and Director of Football Performance Science at the University of Utah.

Anna’s route into sports science began as an international-level rower. Her interest in training, performance and data eventually took her from competing for the United States to helping develop the systems that support athletes across 19 sports at Utah.

In this episode, Anna explains how Utah has moved from manual data exports and generalised reporting to faster, integrated workflows that deliver relevant information to coaches and practitioners. She discusses why collecting more data is not always the answer, the importance of educating decision-makers and how greater context can prevent practitioners from drawing the wrong conclusions from a metric.

The conversation also explores individual athlete baselines, the limitations of fixed asymmetry thresholds and the need to make data specific to the athlete, position and sport. Anna also shares her perspective on artificial intelligence, including where it can improve performance workflows and why it should never replace qualified human judgement.

In this episode you will learn

How Anna moved from international rowing into applied sports science

Why Utah only collects data it can use to support athletes or performance

How the university delivers performance information across 19 different sports

Why coaches and support staff must understand the context behind every metric

How Utah has developed more sport-, position- and athlete-specific reporting

Why fixed thresholds can be misleading when assessing asymmetry

How integrated performance teams can make better use of limited resources

Where AI can support practitioners without replacing their expertise

Why athlete welfare must remain central to every performance decision

How strong systems create more time for meaningful analysis

About Anna Cruse

Anna Cruse is Assistant Athletics Director for Applied Health and Performance Science and Director of Football Performance Science at the University of Utah.

A former elite lightweight rower, Anna represented the United States at the World Rowing Under-23 Championships before moving into coaching, performance science and data analytics. Her career has included experience with the Philadelphia Union, Penn State and exercise intelligence company Svexa.

At Utah, Anna helps lead the systems used to collect, interpret and communicate performance information across the university’s athletic programme. Her work focuses on turning data into useful decisions while ensuring that technology and analysis remain grounded in good science and the needs of the individual athlete.

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This week on the Science for Sport Podcast, Richard Graves is joined by Great Britain track cyclist Joe Truman.

Joe has spent nearly a decade as a full-time professional athlete with British Cycling, progressing through the pathway from a talent ID session at 15 to becoming a senior member of the GB sprint squad. After years of European, World Championship and Commonwealth medals, Joe recently claimed his first major individual title with European gold in the kilo, setting a British record in the process.

In this episode, Joe gives a fascinating insight into the training methods, decision-making and performance science behind elite track sprinting. He explains how studying sport and exercise science changed the way he understood his own body, why he now has greater input into his own programming, and how that shift has helped drive a significant increase in performance.

Richard and Joe also discuss the practical use of blood flow restriction training, how BFR moved from a rehab tool after back surgery to a staple part of Joe’s training, and why lower-load, lower-volume methods can still create meaningful performance adaptations when used intelligently.

In this episode you will learn

How Joe Truman progressed from British Cycling talent ID to the senior GB podium squad.

Why his first major individual gold medal felt like a weight off his shoulders after years of silver and bronze medals.

How sport and exercise science changed the way Joe approaches his own training.

Why understanding the “why” behind a session can be a major motivational tool for elite athletes.

How Joe uses blood flow restriction training in the gym and on the bike.

Why BFR became a key tool after back surgery and later evolved into a performance method.

How Joe balances peak power, glycolytic capacity and race-specific cadence.

Why tapering can determine whether an athlete reaches their true performance ceiling.

How training quality, recovery and freshness influence maximal sprint output.

Why athletes should trust their own knowledge and listen closely to their body.

How Joe is preparing for the next phase of the Olympic cycle towards LA 2028.

About Joe Truman

Joe Truman is a Great Britain track cyclist and one of the senior members of the GB men’s sprint squad.

Originally from Portsmouth, Joe was identified by British Cycling at the age of 15 and has been part of the British Cycling pathway ever since. He progressed through the under-16, under-18 and under-23 squads before joining the podium programme full-time after his first World Championships in 2017.

Across his career, Joe has competed in the team sprint, individual sprint, keirin and kilo, winning medals at European, World Championship, World Cup and Commonwealth level. In 2026, he claimed his first major individual senior title with European gold in the kilo, setting a British record and going under 58 seconds.

Alongside his career as an elite athlete, Joe has studied sport and exercise science and now takes an active role in shaping his own training programme. His approach combines physiology, race-specific preparation, strength training, blood flow restriction training, recovery and athlete self-awareness.

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This week on the Science for Sport podcast, Richard Graves welcomes Matt Parr back to the show for a deeper look at the work that really drives performance in elite sport.

Matt is the Head of Athletic Performance at Leicester Tigers, a former professional rugby player, and the founder of High Performance Puzzle. Having worked across both rugby union and rugby league, including Leicester Tigers and Catalan Dragons, Matt brings a rare combination of playing experience, coaching insight, leadership responsibility, and high-performance strategy.

In this episode, Richard and Matt explore the “invisible work” that sits behind successful performance environments. Not the gym programme. Not the GPS report. Not the testing data. But the conversations, decisions, relationships, standards, and judgement calls that determine whether the physical work actually lands.

They discuss why data needs context, how performance teams can align with coaches under pressure, what good decision-making looks like when information is incomplete, and why trust remains one of the most important currencies in elite sport.

For sports science, S&C, medical, coaching, and performance staff working in elite environments, this episode is a valuable reminder that high performance is not built by data alone. It is built through people, relationships, standards, and the ability to make good decisions when the pressure is on.

In this episode you will learn

Why the work that drives performance often sits outside the formal programme, session plan, or data report

How conversations between coaches, medical staff, S&C, sports science, and players provide vital context

What good alignment looks like in a high-performance environment

How to manage differing opinions between technical and performance departments

Why frameworks are essential when emotions and pressure start to influence decision-making

How to make better decisions when you do not have the complete picture

Why trust between the head coach, medical team, and performance staff is critical

How to use data without becoming over-reliant on it

Why standards often slip in small ways before they show up in performance outcomes

How relationships can make or break the effectiveness of even the best performance systems

Why gut feel still matters, provided it is shaped by experience and reflection

How elite practitioners can reflect more effectively on their own decisions and behaviours

Why discipline is a habit, not just a personal trait

What Matt has learned from working across rugby union and rugby league

Why the best players want honest feedback when standards start to slip

About Matt Parr

Matt Parr is Head of Athletic Performance at Leicester Tigers and founder of High Performance Puzzle.

Before moving into strength and conditioning, Matt spent around 14 to 15 years as a professional rugby player, representing clubs including Sale Sharks, Saracens, London Irish, and Leicester Tigers. His transition into performance coaching began at Leicester Tigers, where he initially combined a player-coach role with S&C responsibilities before moving fully into the performance department.

Matt has since built extensive experience across both rugby union and rugby league. After progressing through the performance setup at Leicester Tigers, he joined Catalan Dragons as Head of Performance, before returning to Leicester as Head of Athletic Performance.

Alongside his role in professional rugby, Matt has launched High Performance Puzzle, a consultancy focused on high-performance strategy, systems, leadership, and integration.

FREE 7d SCIENCE FOR SPORT ACADEMY TRIAL

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​ Learn Quicker & More Effectively

​ Optimise Your Athletes' Recovery

​ Position Yourself As An Expert To Your Athletes And Naturally Improve Buy-In

​ Reduce Your Athletes' Injury Ratese

​ Save 100's Of Dollars A Year That Would Otherwise Be Spent On Books, Courses And More

​ Improve Your Athletes' Performance

​ Advance Forward In Your Career, Allowing You To Earn More Money And Work With Elite-Level Athletes

​ Save Yourself The Stress & Worry Of Constantly Trying To Stay Up-To-Date With Sports Science Research

In this episode of the Science for Sport Podcast, Richard Graves welcomes Dr Dave Hancock back to the show.

Dave has spent more than three decades working in elite sport, including roles with Chelsea, Leeds United, the England national team and the New York Knicks. He is now CEO of Apollo, where his work focuses on helping performance teams use data, technology and AI to better understand player availability, injury risk and performance.

Dave begins by sharing the latest developments in his Blind Screen approach, which looks beyond traditional testing by examining movement quality, control and rotational demands. He explains how Apollo is combining screening information with AI-generated insights, practitioner feedback and individualised exercise recommendations.

The conversation then turns to the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Drawing on his experience of working with England at the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012, Dave discusses the challenges facing performance and medical teams across a long international tournament: heat, travel, accumulated club workload, recovery, sleep, mental freshness and the need to bring a squad together around one common goal.

This is a practical discussion about the margins that matter at the highest level of sport, from interpreting data more effectively to preparing players and staff for the demands of tournament football.

In this episode you will learn

How Dave’s Blind Screen approach is developing and being used with elite athletes and teams.

Why rotational movement may be an important missing consideration in traditional screening methods.

How AI can help practitioners combine objective data with coaching and clinical insight.

The key physical demands facing players heading into the 2026 World Cup.

Why player preparation must become increasingly individualised after a demanding club season.

The importance of sleep, recovery monitoring, travel planning and heat acclimatisation during a major tournament.

Why mental freshness, squad togetherness and staff culture can influence performance at international level.

What Dave learned from working with England at the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012.

About Dr Dave Hancock

Dr Dave Hancock is the CEO of Apollo and an experienced performance director, chartered physiotherapist and strength and conditioning coach.

Across a career spanning more than three decades in elite sport, Dave has worked as Head Physiotherapist at Leeds United and Chelsea, served on the medical staff of the England national team at the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012, and spent seven years as Performance Director of the New York Knicks in the NBA.

Through Apollo, Dave now works with sports teams around the world, using athlete management technology, data and AI to support player availability, injury risk management and performance decision-making.

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The 2026 Men’s World Cup will place unprecedented demands on international teams: 48 nations, 104 matches and a tournament staged across Canada, Mexico and the United States, with teams required to manage heat, humidity, altitude, travel and limited recovery time.

In this episode of the Science for Sport Podcast, Richard Graves is joined by Dr Ben Rosenblatt, Founder of 292 Performance and former Lead Men’s Physical Performance Coach at The Football Association.

Ben draws on his experience preparing the England men’s football team for two World Cups and a European Championship, alongside his work with Olympic athletes, GB Hockey and elite performers across a range of sports.

The conversation explores what it really takes to prepare athletes for tournament football at the highest level. Ben discusses why physical preparation cannot begin when players arrive in camp, how small doses of training can create meaningful change during a tournament, and why “available” is very different from “ready to compete” when returning players from injury.

He also explains the physical and psychological challenges of competing in extreme environments, from heat and altitude to fatigue and pressure, and shares how the best performance teams use data, observation, communication and athlete understanding together to make better decisions.

For practitioners working in elite sport, this episode offers a detailed insight into preparing players not simply to take part in major tournaments, but to perform when the demands are at their highest.

In this episode you will learn

Why effective tournament preparation starts months before the first game.

How England used micro-dosed strength training during the 2018 World Cup to improve players’ power and hamstring strength.

Why athletes must continually adapt and “reinvent” themselves to sustain performance at the highest level.

How Ben used daily monitoring with GB Hockey to prepare players for the demands of eight matches in 13 days at the Rio Olympics.

Why data should be considered alongside observation, athlete feedback, staff conversations and practitioner judgement.

The difference between returning a player to availability and preparing them to compete in the decisive stages of a major tournament.

How performance teams can prepare players for heat, humidity, altitude and travel during the 2026 World Cup.

Why recovery, nutrition, strength training and sprint exposure must be individualised rather than delivered as a single team-wide solution.

How clarity, trust and pressure training help athletes execute when the stakes are highest.

What the best high-performance environments look and feel like behind the scenes.

About Dr Ben Rosenblatt

Dr Ben Rosenblatt is the Founder and Director of 292 Performance, a multidisciplinary performance consultancy supporting elite athletes and organisations.

He previously served as Lead Men’s Physical Performance Coach at The Football Association, where he supported the England men’s senior team through two World Cups and a European Championship. His career has also included work with the British Olympic Association, GB Hockey, elite football and Olympic athletes across multiple Games.

Ben holds a PhD in biomechanics and motor learning, and his work focuses on helping athletes and teams prepare for the most demanding moments in high-performance sport.

FREE 7d SCIENCE FOR SPORT ACADEMY TRIAL

SIGN UP NOW: https://bit.ly/SFSepisode241

​ Learn Quicker & More Effectively

​ Optimise Your Athletes' Recovery

​ Position Yourself As An Expert To Your Athletes And Naturally Improve Buy-In

​ Reduce Your Athletes' Injury Ratese

​ Save 100's Of Dollars A Year That Would Otherwise Be Spent On Books, Courses And More

​ Improve Your Athletes' Performance

​ Advance Forward In Your Career, Allowing You To Earn More Money And Work With Elite-Level Athletes

​ Save Yourself The Stress & Worry Of Constantly Trying To Stay Up-To-Date With Sports Science Research