Understanding and maximising the potential of the modern athlete with David Joyce and Dan Lewindon

This week’s Pacey Performance Podcast guests are Dan Lewindon and David Joyce. Dan has been the Head of Performance Science and Medicine at the Lawn Tennis Association for the past five years following time as a physiotherapist with England Rugby and several rugby union club sides. David runs Synapsing, his sports strategy and decision-making consultancy following over a decade as a performance director. Dan and David are the authors of the book ‘High-Performance Training for Sports’, with the second edition to be released imminently.

On the podcast, they discuss what’s new in their book, such as learning environments, learning strategies, coaching and queueing, and the use of language. They also discuss the chapter they wrote together about how to transition from direct athlete-facing roles to leadership positions. This includes the changes they’ve seen in coaching over the last two decades, and how strength and conditioning training has had to adapt to outside influences such as social media and the growing need to manage mental health. If you’re a coach who’s been in the industry for a while and looking to make that transition to a leadership position, then Dan and David’s insight could be exactly what you’re looking for.

On the podcast this week…

• Dan and David’s 2^nd edition of High-Performance Training for Sports’
• What’s needed to move into a leadership position
• What a coach will need to do to transition from a coaching to leadership role
• Why some coaches will reach a certain age and transition out of sport
• Why David Joyce took an MBA and the difference it made
• Changes in the relationship between medical science and sport caused by Covid-19
• What has changed in terms of athlete professionalism in the last two decades
• What could lead to athletes using external practitioners, rather than club staff
• Maintaining influence with athletes without constraining them
• Whether elite teams and organisations are set up to manage mental health and wellbeing
• A S&C coach’s role in an athlete’s extracurricular activities outside training