Dr. Matt Jordan is a specialist in player health and performance, and he has been a sport scientist consultant for elite athletes over six Olympic Winter Games. Matt holds a Master of Science in Exercise and Neuromuscular Physiology, and a PhD in Medical Science. His research focuses on neuromuscular adaptations to resistance training and knee injury/re-injury prevention. A key method in his research is the development of neuromuscular testing techniques that can be used to monitor recovery after knee injuries to forecast recovery and improve rehabilitation. Currently, Matt is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Calgary. He is also a Sport Science Advisor at the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary where he conducts research that supports Canadian Olympic athletes. Matt regularly consults with professional sport organizations to help them improve player health and performance. 

Rob has been in the industry for over 25 years working across the field of corporate fitness; physical therapy; higher education, youth development; adaptive sport and elite sports performance. Rob has just completed two Olympic cycles as the Head of Physical Performance for the Netherlands Olympic Ski, Snowboard and Skeleton Bobsleigh programme.

Megan is a Post-Doctoral Researcher at Leeds Beckett University. She completed her PhD at University of Bath in 2020, with Dr Sean Cumming and Dr Darragh McGee and Southampton Football Club investigating the effects of growth and maturation on talent identification and selection in elite youth football. 

Rob is the founder of Athletic Evolution, which he created to provide best practice in the athletic development and coaching of young athletes. Rob previously worked in the Scottish Rugby Academy for 5 years, leading programs across 2 regions as well as the Under 16, 17 and 18 National Squads. Rob joined the LTAD Network as a regional affiliate in March 2021 and is the host of the LTAD Network Podcast. Rob has previously presented for Indigo Fitness, the UKSCA, Perform Better and Jersey Sport Foundation among others.

James is currently the Head of National Talent Identification for Olympic Sports, as well as a Senior Strength & Conditioning Coach and Performance Support Lead for Athletics at the Aspire Academy in Qatar. He brings a unique blend of skills and experience as a S&C coach, PE teacher, sport scientist and researcher. James is currently pursuing a PhD investigating the impact of growth and maturation in youth track and field. Prior to arriving in Doha, James established a number of school based LTAD programmes in the UK, and in 2017 he was awarded the UKSCA’s S&C Coach of the Year for Youth Sport for his work at St. Peter’s R.C. High School.

Paul Read is a former professional athlete and is currently the General Manager at the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health, London. He has previously held roles as the clinical lead researcher and head of the athlete assessment unit at Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Qatar and was program, director in Strength & Conditioning Science at both St Marys University and the University of Gloucestershire, UK. His research to date has focused largely on assessment strategies of lower limb neuromuscular control in youth and injured athletes. Paul is a fully accredited strength and conditioning coach with both the UKSCA and NSCA, and has consulted with Olympians, professional and international athletes in a range of disciplines. In addition to his professional experience, Paul has also authored over 120 research publications for world leading journals in the fields of sports medicine, science and strength and conditioning. Paul has a clear focus on bridging the gap between science and practice and aims to inspire others to think critically. Paul was awarded the UKSCA ‘coach of the year’ in the research and education category in 2020. Ultimately, his focus is to conduct high level and impactful research that can be directly applied in the field with a focus on injury prevention and enhancing outcomes for athletic populations following rehabilitation and return to sport. 

Talk title: Movement assessment in youth athletes – effects of maturation and associations with injury

This presentation will first provide an overview of the different movement assessments used to profile youth athletes, prior to a discussion of how growth and maturation can influence movement mechanics. Finally, associations with injury risk will be examined to help delegates identify injury risk factors and key considerations for designing appropriate field-based screening protocols in youth. Throughout, factors for accurate interpretation will be examined to provide delegates with essential tools to critically analyse screening tools and how the results can be used to risk stratify their athletes.

Mike brings the unique qualities of being a nationally recognized researcher, coach, and educator. His depth of knowledge and experience in the field of athletic development is evidenced by his stays at all three U.S. Olympic Training Centers as an athlete (Lake Placid), sport scientist (Colorado Springs & Chula Vista), and coach (Colorado Springs). Mike has served as the primary coach for national or international team qualifiers for several disciplines in Athletics, as well as Bobsleigh, Skeleton and Weightlifting. In the sport of Track & Field, he has coached or assisted multiple Olympians, National Champions, Masters National and World Champions and Collegiate National Champions. Additionally, he has served as the Strength & Conditioning coach for professionals in a wide range of sports including the NFL, MLB and MLS. He served as the Fitness Coach for the Vancouver Whitecaps of the MLS for the 2012 & 2013 seasons. Prior to that, Mike was the sport performance coach for the 2x NASL Champion Carolina Railhawks. Previously, Mike coached Athletics at the NCAA level at 4 Universities, most notably coaching 4 years at LSU where the team won 6 National Championships.

Practical Session 1: Linear Speed Development [Practical]

To sprint faster you need to sprint. Everyone already knows that. But optimal speed development is more nuanced. In this practical session, Mike will provide the technical and training progressions he's used to develop elite athlete speed-power athletes in both team sport and athletics. He'll provide insight on his technical model, favorite coaching cues, specific drills and logistics of managing a speed development session. 

Practical Session 2: Strength Training That Transfers to Speed

Speed and explosive power are the hallmarks of great athletes. Many traditional training methods have stood the test of time for their efficacy. Yet many have observed a disconnect between the adaptations from traditional training methods and a positive transfer to sports performance. In this practical session, Mike will present with the unique perspective of a sport scientist and coach of elite speed-power athletes. Young will share how he tweaks time-tested traditional training methods for maximum impact. He will also provide insight on the more novel methods he is using to improve the transfer of training to sport speed and power.