“The goal isn’t to tell coaches what they can’t do. It’s to help them do more by planning smarter” Introduction Mitchell Cholewinski has taken an unconventional route into sports science. Beginning his academic career in physics and chemical engineering before completing a PhD in exercise science and nutrition, he has developed a unique systems-based approach…
When a player crosses the white line for their national team, the club’s carefully managed workload plan goes with them into a context they can’t control. Training loads shift, recovery protocols change, and the data that underpins day-to-day decision-making at club level can suddenly become difficult to access or act on. From monitoring gaps and…
Most elite sports teams and organisations have delivered some version of “the sleep talk.” We book a room, we run through the slides, we show the recovery pyramid, and we finish with the same hope: surely now they’ll go to bed earlier. Sometimes that hope is rewarded. More often, two weeks later, we’re back where…
Performance foundations and future series Performance support appears stronger than ever, with advances in staffing, technology, and analytics evolving alongside athletic capabilities. Yet growing misconceptions and external pressures risk driving practices that stray from core performance goals. This series will ask some difficult questions about current practices in performance and highlight how a focus on…
When you look at daily monitoring data, what signals genuinely influence your programming decisions for individual athletes? The two most important KPIs we monitor daily are load and distance. In 2013, we came up with a practice format that would align with our GPS numbers. The goal was to be fresh on game day. We…
What key outputs do you focus on when you first introduce sEMG into a rehab process? How do those metrics directly influence your exercise selection and progression? sEMG has most improved my early stage rehabilitation outcomes by helping identify inefficient recruitment patterns and compensatory activation strategies. If these patterns are not addressed, they tend to…
The Performance Rehabilitation team is a centralised athlete health service within the UK Sports Institute. Our mission is to support optimal rehabilitation across the UK high performance system. We want athletes to come back physically and psychologically stronger, and we help the high performance system achieve this. One of the tools we’ve embedded into our…
What forms of improper neuroplasticity typically develop after ACL reconstruction? How can velocity-based training help counter them early in rehab? After ACL reconstruction, the problem goes beyond weak quadriceps: it’s a rewired nervous system. One of the key changes is reduced corticospinal excitability to the involved limb. The brain simply doesn’t “drive” that leg as…
“The power of Power BI is not the software itself, but the clarity it gives your programme when data finally becomes usable” In episode #500 of the Pacey Performance Podcast, Rob speaks with Rob Delves, Sports Scientist at the Melbourne Storm. As one of the most visible practitioners sharing Power BI builds on LinkedIn, Rob…
We asked six leading members of various organizations this question, this is what they said: Soham Desai Head of Strength & Conditioning, India National Cricket Team The stopwatch has been the most valuable low-tech tool I’ve used throughout my coaching journey. In a world full of high-end tracking systems and smart devices, it may sound…
“Context is key” is a mantra in sports science and physical performance. With our ever increasing volume of data, it is more important than ever. However, there is often a gap between acknowledging the importance of context and effectively applying it in our analysis and decision making. As a sports scientist, I’ve spent countless hours…
Performance analysis in rugby union has evolved considerably, but significant gaps remain in how practitioners interpret and apply physical performance data. While GPS technology is ubiquitous, current approaches often fail to capture the contextual complexities that define match demands. Recent reviews and discussions highlight that the utility of the insights from GPS data has not…
We asked six experts in sports science this question, and this is what they said: Marc Lewis Director of Applied Sports Science, Houston Texans The monitoring tool that has provided the highest return on investment in the last 12-24 months has been a wellness questionnaire. We implemented a short and practical wellness questionnaire that assesses…
In elite sport, we strive to operate in environments that are evidence-informed and development-focused. However, when it comes to integrating new practices—whether that’s adopting new technology, applying a fresh training methodology, or trialling a recovery strategy—organisations often face a barrage of options with little guidance on how to separate meaningful innovation from fleeting trends. This…
Even with the widespread advancement in and adoption of sport technology, the full training potential of isokinetics continues to fly under the radar. This may leave athletes with immature structural adaptations and incomplete force generating capacities, ultimately blunting their sport specific action capabilities. In elite rehab and return to play, athletes often regain strength outputs…