What does effective sport science actually look like in practice?

In this episode of VALDCAST, host Dylan chats to Anna Cruse, Assistant Athletic Director for Applied Health and Performance Science at the University of Utah. They delve into the systems, relationships and decision-making processes that underpin successful sport science programs — explaining why collaboration, data quality and athlete-centered thinking are essential for turning information into meaningful action.

The conversation explores:

• Why sport science looks different in every organization
• Building collaborative performance teams that break down silos
• The importance of data hygiene and reliable testing processes
• Why collecting more data isn't always the answer
• Communicating performance insights effectively to coaches
• Balancing athlete-specific information with team-wide decision-making
• Creating flexible systems that adapt to the realities of high-performance sport

Whether you work in sport science, strength & conditioning, rehabilitation or athlete performance, this episode is packed with practical insights on building systems that help practitioners make better decisions while keeping athletes at the center of the process.

What does it actually take to work in elite sport environments? 

In this episode of VALDCAST, Braylon Tatum discusses athlete profiling, objective data and the realities of operating in high performance sport. From managing elite athletes to building systems that support performance decision-making, this conversation dives into how modern practitioners approach performance, monitoring and development at the highest level.

The conversation explores:

• Athlete profiling in elite sport
• Using objective data to guide decision-making
• Key physical qualities practitioners should monitor
• The realities of working in high performance environments
• Building systems around athlete performance and readiness
• Lessons from operating in elite sport settings

Whether you're a coach, sports scientist, physio or practitioner looking to work in elite sport, this episode offers valuable insight into modern performance systems and athlete management.

What does elite ACL rehab actually look like in 2026?

In this episode of the VALDCAST, Ziad from Ignite Phyzio breaks down how objective data, athletic development and clinician education are reshaping modern rehab.

 From using ForceDecks and ForceFrame testing to guide decision-making, to integrating sport-specific drills early in the rehab process, this conversation explores what it really takes to return athletes to performance — not just participation.

 The discussion also dives into:

• Why EQ matters more than IQ when hiring clinicians
• How data changes exercise prescription and rehab progression
• Why isometrics are essential in early ACL rehab
• The role of athletic development in return to sport
• Using technology to improve outcomes and clinician growth
• Building culture and leadership inside high-performance rehab teams

If you work in sports medicine, physiotherapy, rehab or performance, this episode is packed with practical insights.

In this episode of VALDCAST, high‑performance leader Dave Hamilton shares insights from over 25 years across Olympic sport, collegiate athletics and the NFL. From his early days at the UK Institute of Sport to leading performance units in elite team environments, Dave breaks down how he cut's through complexity and builds performance models that genuinely move the needle.

Dave explains why simplicity beats dashboards full of noise, how objective testing like jump metrics can reveal readiness and fatigue and why intent, context and human behaviour matter just as much as data. Drawing on real‑world examples from team sports, he unpacks how performance staff can balance monitoring, recovery and competition demands across long seasons.

The conversation also unpacks:

• Why simple performance models outperform overengineered systems
• How CMJ and RSI can be used to monitor fatigue and readiness
• How hormonal and biomarker data can inform preparation and recovery
• Why fresh athletes, not just fit athletes, win games
• The importance of soft skills, communication and influence in high performance

Dave also reflects on career longevity, lessons learned from elite environments and what emerging practitioners should actually focus on if they want to succeed in performance sport.

In this episode, clinician and researcher Jarrod Antflick breaks down the real drivers of tendinopathy across the Achilles tendon and patellar tendon. 

From systemic influences like metabolic and hormonal factors to the impact of high load sport, Jarrod explains why diagnosis is everything and why not all tendinopathies are created equal. He dives into the key differences between Achilles and patellar tendinopathy, how tendon structure and length influence performance and what the key foundations to quality tendon rehab look like.

The conversation also unpacks:

• Why heavy slow resistance and progressive loading remain the gold standard
• How poor load management and shortcuts like injections can do more harm than good
• The role of strength testing and kinetics in identifying risk and guiding rehab
• How plyometric progression should be prescribed like strength training
• Why tendon structure matters more than most practitioners think

Jarrod also shares insights from elite sport and his ongoing research into tendon kinetics, plus how surgical interventions are evolving for chronic cases.

What’s really changed in high performance over the last 20 years?

In this episode of VALDCAST, Mark Fitzgerald shares lessons from decades in elite sport — from early days with minimal data to today’s tech-driven environments.

He dives into:

• Why coaching intuition still matters (and how tech should support it)
• Managing athlete relationships and “owning the room”
• Making better decisions with both objective and subjective data
• Building trust so athletes actually buy in
• Why your real value as a coach goes far beyond programming

This conversation is a must-watch for coaches, practitioners and sports scientists looking to evolve with the industry, without losing what matters most.

In this episode of #VALDCAST, host Dylan sits down with Jess Ellis — founder of Rehab Code and former NBA health and performance director — to challenge some of the most common assumptions in modern rehab.

From structure and function in elite athletes, jump testing and pathomechanics, Jess discusses the topics in rehab and performance that many often shy away from. 

In this conversation, Jess reflects on mentorship, the dangers of rigid systems and how clinicians can avoid getting trapped in their own schools of thought. If you’re navigating return-to-play decisions, blending rehab with performance or trying to sharpen your clinical reasoning, this episode is for you."

In this episode of #VALDCAST, our host Ryan sits down with Dr. Marc Lewis — Director of Applied Sports Science for the Houston Texans and co‑founder of the Sport Science Network — to unpack what it really takes to build and run a high-performance system in the NFL.

Shaped by his military background, Marc shares how systems based thinking underpins everything from in‑season decision‑making to long‑term performance strategy in the NFL. Together they explore how to manage the chaos of a season, individualise care across vastly different positional demands and build monitoring systems that athletes actually buy into.

The conversation dives deep into jump and isometric focused test selection, how to interpret meaningful change (beyond asymmetry percentages), why CMJ's remain the cornerstone of in‑season monitoring and how both objective and subjective data must be tied directly to intervention. Marc also outlines his four‑construct athlete monitoring framework — a scalable system that works at any level, with any resources. 

If you’re a practitioner looking to build better systems, improve athlete compliance and turn data into meaningful action, this episode is for you.

In this BONUS episode of VALDCAST, Ryan sits down with physio, biomechanist and researcher Dr. Chris Bramah to explore how practitioners can better profile and prepare athletes for HYROX.

Chris breaks down the unique demands of the sport, highlighting why running remains the central performance driver and how factors like plantar flexor strength, tendon stiffness and reactive qualities underpin performance and recovery between stations. He shares practical insights into profiling the HYROX athlete, focusing on the often overlooked qualities that separate good performers from great ones.

The conversation also explores injury risk reduction and building robust athletes, alongside a deep dive into Chris’ Sprint Mechanics Assessment Score (SMAS) and its real-world applications to date.

A practical, insight-driven episode focused on identifying the “big rocks” that truly move performance forward.

In this episode of VALDCAST, our host Ryan sits down with biomechanist and Griffith University researcher, Tyler Collings, to break down one of the most common and most misunderstood topics in sports technology: validity and reliability.

Tyler explains what these terms actually mean in practice, why they’re often confused and how human variability, testing protocols and “gold standards” influence the data practitioners rely on every day. The conversation unpacks common misconceptions in validation research, how to interpret reliability and validity papers and what practitioners should really be looking for when assessing performance and rehab technology.

They also dive into Tyler’s work validating field-based tools like force plates and strength testing devices, the importance of transparency in research and how laboratory findings translate into real-world performance and rehab settings.