The Long Term Athletic Development Podcast

In this episode of the LTAD Network Podcast, James is joined by Mick Stierli, founder of Katalyst Performance, to unpack how he’s built a thriving private sector strength & conditioning programme for young athletes. Mick shares the story of growing his operation from sessions in his home garage to a fully equipped performance facility, and what’s actually involved in making that jump sustainable.
Along the way, he discusses how he structures the athlete journey from first contact to long-term membership, key training principles that underpin his programme, and how he navigates the realities of fees, scheduling and parent expectations while still doing what’s best for long-term development. Mick, a Coach of the Year award winner with both the NSCA (USA) and ASCA (Australia), also reflects on lessons from working across professional sport and how these translate to youth settings in the private sector.
Whether you’re thinking about starting your own S&C business or looking to sharpen an existing setup, this conversation is packed with practical ideas for building an athlete-centred, development-focused programme outside of traditional school or academy systems.
To dive deeper into youth athletic development, head to ltadnetwork.com—and get a free month of membership by using the code FREEMONTH at checkout.

In this episode of the LTAD Network Podcast, James is joined by Tom Clarke, Head of Athletic Development at Tanglin Trust School in Singapore. Tom shares the story of how he has built a genuinely whole-school athletic development programme in a large international school—joining up curriculum PE, co-curricular sport, and a structured S&C / physical development programme, with clear pathways from junior through to senior school.
They discuss what’s worked (and what hasn’t), why the project shifted from a narrow “performance pathway” into a broader, curriculum-embedded model, and how Tom navigates the realities of international school life: academic pressures, staff buy-in, engaging less confident students, and using simple systems and data to support better decisions for coaches and athletes.
To dive deeper into Tom’s framework and see how you might apply it in your own context, join his live LTAD Network webinar on Wednesday 10th December at 1pm GMT. You can register here:👉 https://ltadnetwork.com/course/live-monthly-webinar

In this episode we are joined by Stephen McGhabban (UCRISE/NSWIS) — ex-elite Gaelic footballer, physiotherapist, UKSCA / ASCA L2 S&C coach, and PhD researcher focusing on enhancing talent identification with novel assessments of multisensory abilities and coachability.
In this conversation we cover:
How NSWIS supports talent ID for Olympic/Paralympic sports and links with 12 regional academies.
Coachability: definition, the six components, and a dual-perspective questionnaire for athletes/coaches.
VVS-A testing (visual, vestibular, somatosensory, autonomic) and why it complements coaching judgment.
Research findings from Stephen's work with elite and emerging young divers.
Upcoming live webinar: “Can We Improve the Selection of Future Olympic Athletes? Integrating Multisensory Assessment with Machine Learning”Sun 2 Nov 2025 — 7:00 PM AEST | 9:00 AM GMT (UK) | 1:00 PM GST (Dubai).
Join LTAD Network Premium — get the webinar + access to the recording. Use code 'FREEMONTH' for your first month on us. https://ltadnetwork.com/course/live-monthly-webinar
Resources & links:
Stephen’s LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/stephenmacgabhann
Coachability Systematic Review (Sports Medicine): https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-025-02267-6

In this episode of the LTAD Network Podcast, we’re joined by Dan Howells (Collaborate Sports) to unpack Energy System Development (ESD). During the converstion Dan and James discuss:
Conditioning vs Strength Training Priorities
Negotiation Strategies for Sports Coaches
Energy Systems Training for Athletes
Testing Protocols that “surf the curve”
Adapting Training for Diverse Groups
ESD/Conditioning for Youth Athletes
Go deeper with Dan—live webinar: Wednesday, 8 October 2025, 6:00 pm BST (9:00 pm GST).Access this webinar (and all upcoming sessions) with an LTAD Network Premium Membership—£24.99/month: https://ltadnetwork.com/course/live-monthly-webinar
Plus, your membership includes:
200+ hours of video libraries
The Youth Athletic Development System
Toolkits such as our Growth & Maturation Calculator
New to LTAD Network? Get your first month free with code FREEMONTH at checkout.
 

In this episode of the LTAD Network podcast, we’re joined by Dr. Steve Barrett from PlayerMaker to explore the evolving world of talent identification in football and beyond.
We discuss the shift from traditional scouting to a holistic, data-informed approach that blends expert judgment with insights from wearables, performance testing, and long-term athlete monitoring. Steve highlights why talent ID should be seen as an ongoing process, considering technical, tactical, physical, and psychological factors—while supporting, not replacing, selection decisions.
The conversation also covers innovative strategies such as pre-academy programs, multi-sport participation, and position-specific testing that align with coaching philosophies.
With over 20 years’ experience across applied, academic, and commercial roles—including Hull City, Scunthorpe United, The FA (England Women), and more than 60 academic publications—Steve brings deep expertise on youth development and talent ID processes across football and other sports.Join us for the webinar "Talent ID in Football and beyond" with Dr. Steve Barrett, Dr. Nick Gearing, Dr. Michael King & Dr. Johann Windt on Wednesday 3rd September at 6pm BST (UK time) with a Premium Membership (monthly [£24.99] or annual [£249.99]) available at https://ltadnetwork.com/memberships which also include access to a huge online video library with 200+ hours of video content, practical resources and LTAD toolkits plus our flagship Youth Athletic Development System.

Joining us for this episode of the LTAD Network podcast is Nathan Parnham, a strength and conditioning specialist based in Brisbane, Australia. With a career spanning over two decades, Nathan has worked across both amateur and professional sport, and is one of the few who has made the leap into elite-level coaching across both genders—working in the NRL as well as with Australia’s Women’s 7s.
He was voted Development Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year by the Australian Strength and Conditioning Association in 2021, is the best-selling author of The Sporting Parent, and has recently launched The Get Down Podcast—focused on youth athletic development.
Nathan is currently based at Brisbane Grammar School, where he leads their athletic development program, while also consulting for schools across Australia.
During this episode we discuss:
Athletic Development program at BGS
The non-negotiables for a successful program
Common challenges faced by school practitioners and how to overcome them
The role of a school like BGS in the wider sport eco-system with a home Olympic on the horizon in 2032.

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Scott Cocking - Senior sports physiologist at Aspire Academy and the performance support lead for the track and field endurance program. Additionally he provides physiology and nutrition consultancy to a number of Qatar senior athletes. Scott is a BASES accredited physiologist (CSci), certified nutritionist (cISSN) and anthropometrist (ISAK level 3).
During this discussion, we focus on Scott’s work with the Track and Field Endurance programme at Aspire Academy and he provides some fascinating insights including:
An overview of the Track & field endurance programme
Discusses the challenges of the climate, environment, and landscape in Qatar,
Outlines what the performance support for the athletes entails
The importance of S&C and testing with the endurance athletes
This episode is sponsored by Fitogether (www.fitogether.com) and VALD performance (www.valdperformance.com)
As a podcast listener, get a month's free VIP access to our online learning platform where you can access the latest videos from the 2024 conference in our new 'Premium Video Library'. Use the code 'LTADPODCAST' when signing up here

Thanks for listening into to the LTAD Network podcast, we hope you enjoy the panel discussion with Sean, Des and Marco. During this episode they discuss:
Why it is important to measure growth and maturation in an Academy setting
Different uses for the information including age and maturity evaluations, injury prevention and identifying selection biases
Tools available to coaches and practitioners to help track and monitor growth and maturation.
New directions in the research and applications in PE settings with education for teachers.
If you want to learn more from these guys and the rest of the fantastic speakers at the conference, you can sign up to the online version of the conference and access all 13 talks and practicals from the event at https://ltadnetwork.com/course/ltad2024
Alternatively, you can access the conference in our new 'Premium Video Library' with a VIP membership. A new video is released from the conference each month as part of your on-going membership, along with access to the back catalogue of videos and resources. Get a month's FREE subscription to our online learning platform with over 150+ hours of video content and resources using the code 'FREEMONTH' when signing up here. 
This episode is sponsored by Fitogether (www.fitogether.com) and VALD performance (www.valdperformance.com)

In this episode, we are joined by Simon Brearley, who is a Strength and Conditioning Coach for the European Tour Group and England Golf. As well as the Head of Athlete Development and Rehabilitation at Cranleigh School in Surrey.
During the conversation, we take a deep dive into physical profiling for golf, exploring the metrics that matter, how Simon measures them and the types of training uses to positively impact them. Whether you are currently working in Golf or not, there’s a lot to take away from this episode from Simon’s thorough understanding of the sport, the processes he and his colleagues have worked through to distill their testing and assessments down to what is essential for their sport.
Get a month's FREE subscription to the LTAD Network online learning platform with over 150+ hours of video content and resources using the code 'FREEMONTH' when signing up here.
If you want to be the first to know when the LTAD Network Online Conference is available to access join the waiting list now by following this link: https://manage.kmail-lists.com/subscriptions/subscribe?a=R74Ssn&g=VvbfcG
This episode is sponsored by Fitogether (www.fitogether.com) and VALD performance (www.valdperformance.com)
Do you have your own question you want answered by James and the LTAD Network team? Submit your topic or question now

During this LTAD podcast, we are joined by Kev Mannion (Lead Academy S&C coach) and Rob Simpson (Senior S&C coach) from Sale Sharks to discuss key transition points for young athletes through the school and rugby academy systems in the UK. We dive into some of common challenges they face and what strategies can be used to help them manage those transitions at a time in their lives when there is lot going on in terms of sport, academics, greater independence, and social pressures. If you work with young athletes there tons of great info in this episode that will help you support athletes through these key transitional periods.
Get a month's FREE subscription to the LTAD Network online learning platform with over 150+ hours of video content and resources using the code 'FREEMONTH' when signing up here.
If you want to be the first to know when the LTAD Network Online Conference is available to access join the waiting list now by following this link: https://manage.kmail-lists.com/subscriptions/subscribe?a=R74Ssn&g=VvbfcG
This episode is sponsored by Fitogether (www.fitogether.com) and VALD performance (www.valdperformance.com)
Do you have your own question you want answered by James and the LTAD Network team? Submit your topic or question now

In this episode, James responds to a listener's questions:
1) Do you have any tips for developing a coaching framework?
2) How is best to cater to a general group with a wider age range (10-15 years) of mixed ability?
James discussed the process of developing a coaching framework for young athletes, emphasizing the importance of understanding the environment, the athletes, and their future progression. He also highlighted the need for a progressive approach to exercise, considering the age group's attention span, engagement, and learning style. Lastly, he addressed the challenges of catering to a diverse age range within a group of young athletes, suggesting the use of an exercise continuum and a flexible coaching approach.
Get a month's FREE subscription to the LTAD Network online learning platform with over 150+ hours of video content and resources using the code 'FREEMONTH' when signing up here.
If you want to be the first to know when the LTAD Network Online Conference is available to access join the waiting list now by following this link: https://manage.kmail-lists.com/subscriptions/subscribe?a=R74Ssn&g=VvbfcG
This episode is sponsored by Fitogether (www.fitogether.com) and VALD performance (www.valdperformance.com)
Do you have your own question you want answered by James and the LTAD Network team? Submit your topic or question now

In this episode, Dr. Mike Young & James Baker, the co-founders of the LTAD Network discuss how they approach training speed at different stages of development.
During this episode they discussed:
What is and isn't appropriate for young athletes that are new to training
Making speed training engaging for young athletes
The whole-part-whole approach to developing speed using a blend of games and drills
This episode is sponsored by Fitogether (www.fitogether.com) and VALD performance (www.valdperformance.com)
Get a month's FREE subscription to the LTAD Network online learning platform with over 150+ hours of video content and resources using the code 'FREEMONTH' when signing up here.