Victorian Institute of Sport

In episode 9 of Elite Insights, we explore the world of winter sports with VIS Physical Preparation Coach, Will Morgan. We chat about the complexity of training for winter sports and the challenges winter sports athletes face. Will takes us through the importance of strength and power in winter sports, as well as what he’s been doing with athletes at home and abroad to prepare for the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Will also explains the stark contrast of working in elite sport compared to professional sport and how physical preparation for AFL players is completely different compared to winter sport athletes.

In episode 8 of Elite Insights, we’re joined by VIS Strength and Conditioning coach for a special Track and Field focused edition of Elite Insights. We chat to Cory about the role strength and conditioning plays in track & field, where strength and conditioning fits into the coaching program and the role it plays when it comes to injury prevention and rehab. Cory explains why he prefers to train his track & field athletes as a squad and gives us an insight into the difficulty of training athletes who are travelling overseas. We also speak about where and when strength and conditioning training might fit into grassroots sport.

Episode 7 of Elite Insights gives us an insight into the importance of personal excellence in the life of an elite athlete. We speak to VIS Personal Excellence Coordinator Bernadette Sierakowski and VIS scholarship holder Anabelle Smith on what personal excellence is. Anabelle takes us through what personal excellence looks like to her, as an elite athlete, and how she managed to find a balance between sport and life. Bernadette explains how she works with athletes and the people around them to find a healthy balance in their life, and how personal excellence is a lot like a supportive scaffolding.

In this episode of Elite Insight, VIS Head Men’s Hockey Coach Jay Stacy and VIS Head Rowing Coach Bill Tait join us to talk about coaching. They take us through how they perceive success in coaching beyond the week to week wins. Jay talks to us about how he prepares his athletes to thrive on the national stage, and Bill gives us an insight into the role of the coach in optimising performance all while maintaining an athlete’s sport life balance. Then, we speak about where grassroots coaches can find coaching resources and why it’s important they reach out to more experienced coaches for advice.

Join us on Episode 5 of Elite Insights, where we take a trip down to Dexa Melbourne and chat with Dexa Melbourne Director Andrew Ho-Peng and VIS Dietitian & Dexa Melbourne Bone Densitometrist Elaine Bo to learn all about dexa scanning. Andrew breaks down exactly how dexa scanning works and the various roles it can play in elite sport. Elaine takes us through how she uses dexa scanning in her role as a dietitian at VIS. We explore the benefits of dexa scanning for both elite and recreational athletes, including in managing nutrition and injury.

In the fourth episode of Elite Insights, VIS Sport Scientists Rod Siegel and Nick Owen join us to talk about heat and altitude training. We explore why we might vary our environment in order to optimise performance, and look at the potential physiological benefits. Nick takes us through how altitude training works and the different ways athletes might train or live at altitude. Then, Rod breaks down the potential benefits and practicalities of heat training within elite sport. We chat about what we can learn and gain from heat and altitude training, and discuss the risks of both. Finally, we look at if and how recreational athletes would benefit from altitude and heat training.

In this episode of Elite Insights, we’re joined by VIS Dietitian Loren Chambers and VIS Sports Scientist Rod Siegel to discuss the relationship between diet and training in elite sport. We explore the importance of eating for health and maintaining a well-balanced diet in elite sport and everyday. Rod takes us through the idea of using nutrition to optimise gains and performance in elite sports, and Loren fills us in on where she believes supplements and protein shakes fit into elite sport. Before wrapping up, we discuss the individualised nature of nutrition in elite sport.

In the second episode of Elite Insights, we chat to VIS Sport Scientist Rod Siegel and VIS Strength and Conditioning Coach Cory Innes about training loads and how they can be used to optimise performance in elite sport. We explore what training loads might look like across different sports and the hundred different ways they can be measured and tracked. Cory explains physiological and mechanical loads, and Rod breaks down the risks of not training at an appropriate load. We talk about the lack of hard and fast rules when it comes to training loads, before the experts give us some tips on how the average sportsperson can measure and manage their training load to optimise performance.

VIS Podcast Elite Insights | Episode 1 (Performance Analysis) In the first episode of Elite Insights, we speak to VIS Women’s Hockey Head Coach Stacia Joseph and VIS Performance Analyst Jamie Bahnisch on the mechanics of performance analysis in elite sport. Staying largely within the realm of hockey and netball, we break down how they analyse all manner of things from the gameplay and tactics, to the finer techniques in their roles at the VIS through performance analysis. We explore how performance analysis can provide with an objective, and comprehensive view of sport, and how athletes and coaches alike use performance analysis data to improve. Then, the experts give us their top tips for club level teams and athletes wanting to analyse their own performance.