"Nic Gill (Gilly) is a professional performance coach and consultant with huge expertise sporting performance and health. He is best known for his work in rugby with 23 years working in the sport. For the last 16 years Gilly has been the strength and conditioning coach for the New Zealand All Blacks (204 Tests), a period of unprecedented success for the team which has included more than 170 rugby test wins and the World Cup title in 2011 and 2015.

As an Associate Professor in Human Performance at the University of Waikato, Gilly is constantly refining and evolving his philosophy for being fit and healthy and having the 'winning edge' in life and in competition.

Gilly grows avocados and tries to challenge himself every year with something that ""gets him outta bed"" to stay fit and healthy."This podcast was recorded live at the UKSCA Annual Conference.

Supporting materials and the full video presentation are available on

the UKSCA website. Visit www.uksca.org.uk for more details.

"Des' presentation will give an overview of what is needed to progress to a management position in S&C and beyond. The initial topics covered will be:

Developing a Vision, Mission, objectives, Strategies, KPI’s and values for an organisation or department

Useful soft skills to manage up and lead and how to maximise interdisciplinary meetings and projects

A section on how to deliver a beneficial performance development review and how to help team members be the best version of themselves

Managing challenging players and other organisational members.

Des will share examples from his time with the Irish Rugby Football Union and Arsenal Academy and from his current position with Setanta College where they support World Rugby, Gaelic Games County Academies, Schools and Club Academies"This podcast was recorded live at the UKSCA Annual Conference.

Supporting materials and the full video presentation are available on

the UKSCA website. Visit www.uksca.org.uk for more details.

John is currently Head of Pathways and Elite Coach Development and has been a mentor for coaches and talent managers within the RFU, ECB, FA and England Hockey. He has also worked as a coaching expert with UK Sport and their Culture Health Check Programme. He spent a decade as England Rugby Head of Player Development Pathway as well as six years with Newcastle Falcons, heading up the Academy and in the role of Director of Rugby.This podcast was recorded live at the UKSCA Annual Conference.

Supporting materials and the full video presentation are available on

the UKSCA website. Visit www.uksca.org.uk for more details.

"Less than a decade ago, the European Tour had one rack in a medical truck to support nearly 200 players at an event, food menus were far from ‘high performance’ and there was no scientific support outside of basic physiotherapy and medical cover. Any onsite gym was converted into a media centre, because it was seen as ‘free space’. Golf ‘fitness’ was still in early stages of its development, with only a few players receiving high quality support and many either not training or just moving around with bands, trying to replicate their swing.

In less than a decade, professional golf has gone through a complete transformation. The players are more athletic and hitting the ball further than ever before, to complete for some of the highest prize purses in sport. This talk will showcase the development of high-performance support in elite amateur and professional golf and describe some of the exciting steps yet to come"This podcast was recorded live at the UKSCA Annual Conference.

Supporting materials and the full video presentation are available on

the UKSCA website. Visit www.uksca.org.uk for more details.

John Noonan - Talks about the transition to, and considerations around, being self employed within the field of Strength and Conditioning. Taken from a recent UKSCA online Regional Event.

For the full video recording you can also head to www.uksca.org.ukThis podcast was recorded live at the UKSCA Annual Conference.

Supporting materials and the full video presentation are available on

the UKSCA website. Visit www.uksca.org.uk for more details.

Kirsty Hicks - STRESS, RESPOND AND RECOVER: THE POTENTIAL INFLUENCE OF THE FEMALE MENSTRUAL CYCLE. Kirsty has worked in elite sport for over a decade, specifically within women's football. In this session Kirsty will examine the latest scientific evidence in an attempt to unravel the effect of the menstrual cycle on performance, recovery, and adaptation. The talk will critically discuss whether performance varies across the menstrual cycle, whilst also considering the use of oral contraception on performance. To achieve optimal performance, it is of paramount importance that we optimise the opportunity to recover and adapt immediately post and during the extended post-recovery days. Therefore, we will also discuss whether the response to, and the recovery from, an acute bout of exercise varies across the menstrual cycle. In addition to the normal measures of performance and recovery, we will focus on the symptoms experienced across the menstrual cycle. We will consider and discus the prevalence, frequency, and severity of symptoms, and whether they might affect performance and recovery in some female athletes. Finally, we will discuss how we can best use this information to inform practice, and enhance the support provided to female athletes"This podcast was recorded live at the UKSCA Annual Conference.

Supporting materials and the full video presentation are available on

the UKSCA website. Visit www.uksca.org.uk for more details.

Jim Radcliffe - "Developing a Culture of S&C in Younger Adults". Jim has been the head strength and conditioning coach for University of Oregon athletics for more than 30 years. Jim plays a significant role in the Ducks’ football programme as the designer of the year-round conditioning calendar in addition to working with the baseball and men's and women's track & field programs. A graduate of Pacific University, Radcliffe played college football for four seasons. He also earned his master's in biomechanics from the University of Oregon in 1992.This podcast was recorded live at the UKSCA Annual Conference.

Supporting materials and the full video presentation are available on

the UKSCA website. Visit www.uksca.org.uk for more details.

Dave Simms - THE PARA FOOTBALL JOURNEY; Dave has worked in Para sport for the last 12 years. He currently oversees the physical performance delivery and strategy for the FA’s Para football programme, spanning from the elite to grass roots levels of the game and covering 6 impairments: blind, visual impairment, powerchair, deaf and cerebral palsy, with some involvement with amputee in both male and female formats. He will cover the concepts and delivery, and the overarching aims from a physical performance standpoint.This podcast was recorded live at the UKSCA Annual Conference.

Supporting materials and the full video presentation are available on

the UKSCA website. Visit www.uksca.org.uk for more details.

Dr Stephen Patterson - Blood Flow Restriction: Research to practice. Stephen is a Professor in Applied Exercise Physiology & Performance. He is currently the Director of the Centre for Applied Performance Sciences and course lead for the Professional Doctorate in Strength and Conditioning at St Mary’s University. He has published over 80 peer-reviewed research papers. His research specializes in Blood flow restriction training and regularly consults with professional and international organizations on the application for elite sport. In the session we will discuss the current state of blood flow restriction training for the strength and conditioning professional. He will discuss applications for performance enhancement and recovery and give examples of how BFR may be implemented in practice.This podcast was recorded live at the UKSCA Annual Conference.

Supporting materials and the full video presentation are available on

the UKSCA website. Visit www.uksca.org.uk for more details.

Ruth is a physical performance coach at The Football Association. Her role includes the physical preparation of players for international tournaments, as well as supporting the long-term development of players across the pathway. Ruth’s prior experience includes strength and conditioning roles at British Sailing.

This podcast was recorded live at the UKSCA Annual Conference.

Supporting materials and the full video presentation are available on

the UKSCA website. Visit www.uksca.org.uk for more details.