Adam Smith

7 emergent trends redefining Sports Performance in late 2025. (and what smart teams are quietly doing about them) Elite performance departments in sport aren’t chasing more data, as they have it. But what they are doing is designing better systems. From Premier League to pro rugby to Olympic prep rooms, the conversation has shifted. It’s no longer “How do we train harder?” It’s “How do we sustain performance across impossible schedules?” 1. Calendar congestion is now a governance problem Fixture overload isn’t bad luck anymore - it’s a strategic risk to a degree. Leading clubs are codifying red lines: max min'/month, min. rest windows, and enforced rotation rules. Performance is no longer just physiology. It’s scheduling architecture. 2. Sleep has become a competitive moat Sleep isn’t a recovery metric anymore, but a team norm. Training-time curfews, light-exposure management, and rituals are built into programming. Teams can 'engineer' rest, not just measure it. 3. AI is a staff member Forget the hype. The best use of AI in sport is boring, and brilliant. It could be used to auto-tag biomechanics clips, generate daily risk memos, and prep pre-match briefings. AI isn’t replacing coaches. It’s reducing cognitive load. 4. Women’s performance systems are becoming core infrastructure Menstrual-cycle tracking, load mapping, and staff education aren’t initiatives anymore...but baseline. The smartest programs should be designed around female physiology, not adjusted for it (*inclusivity as a design principle). 5. Concussion and ACL policies are culture tests How a club handles head injuries or ACL prevention is a mirror of its leadership. Of course they can still happen but great teams empower medics to make conservative calls, backed publicly, acted on consistently. Policies are now proof of integrity. 6. The Hamstring renaissance Years after the Nordic hamstring revolution, adherence is finally catching up to the evidence. Blending NHE with hip-extension, publishing adherence rates, and correlating them with availability. It’s the new hygiene metric. 7. Travel, state setting and circadian science are the Next Frontier Flights, light, meals, and melatonin - the details matter. Scripting travel like training, leveraging circadian science to protect readiness and prevent soft-tissue issues. Small edges. Big availability wins. Every one of these shifts reflects a truth. The modern performance department is becoming an ecosystem of clarity... where culture, systems, and science align around sustainable excellence. The next frontier of performance isn’t physical - It’s organisational. Ideas - Audit your governance, not just GPS data. Codify red lines, not just rehab protocols. And build habits that make recovery inevitable, not optional. The system. 👉 What’s one change your team has made this year that’s had the biggest performance impact? Drop it in the comments - the best ideas often come from the room. #performance #sports #systems

68

3 Comments

"I want to be an academy coach" (But so do 10,000s of other coaches) After coaching in 4 professional football academies, there is one question I ask aspiring coaches. Do you understand the environment you want to go into? I’ve learnt from Academy Directors who have won a World Cup and developed £100 million Superstars. (Yes, you read that correctly) And, 13 years later, each environment taught me common non-negotiables. So, let me save you some time. These are your 6 "NEED TO KNOWS". --- 1. Are you approachable? Do players, coaches and parents feel they can speak with you. Show you can listen to others and understand different perspectives. --- 2. Every interaction counts Coaching goes beyond the dressing room. Conversations in the car park, corridors and dining rooms are just as important to understand more about each of the players in your care. --- 3. Is it helping your players? Know why you are you doing what you are doing for your players. Use the time wisely on things which take them 1% closer to developing realistic football habits. --- 4. You are in the business of development No one remembers if you lost 7-1 at U13s. Your focus as a coach is on developing players to have the problem solving skills to survive, strive and thrive at the next stage of their development. --- 5. An elite environment is elite for a reason You are only as good as the behaviour you tolerate. Any behaviour which goes against the set expectations must be addressed immediately in a clear and productive way. --- 6. Only a few will have a professional football career 0.000012% will become professional footballers. Most players will progress into other roles and industries which is also a success for the academy to be proud of. --- Being an academy coach isn’t rocket science. But you need to be "clued up" on the environment you want to work in. My final message → Remember the 3C's Care Connection Consistency Now you know what to expect. P.S. Which "NEED TO KNOW" made you think the most? (♻️ Repost and share)

244

36 Comments

Your boy is launching a joint venture! Data Idols has partnered with Training Ground Guru to launch a specialist recruitment service focused on data and analytics in sport. TGG’s depth of knowledge across performance, coaching, and data has made them the go-to platform for football professionals. Paired with our recruitment expertise in the data space, this partnership is built to support the clubs and individuals pushing the sport forward with evidence-based thinking. A big shoutout to Simon Austin, founder of TGG, whose passion and vision have made this possible. Together, we’re creating something that speaks to both sides of the game ... football insight and technical excellence. Learn more about what we’re building: https://lnkd.in/e8zm9Yre

44

10 Comments

📣🎬 Industry Insights | Episode 1: Football Contracts & Legal Advice for Families What happens off the pitch can make or break a career. Agents, contracts, release clauses… it’s a lot. So I’ve kicked off our new Industry Insights series with someone who’s seen it all up close: Daniel Geey of Sheridans one of the most trusted legal voices in football. Here's a clip from the full series available on our platform here: https://lnkd.in/drTzNU6t 🎙 In the full episode with Daniel, we get into: - What parents should know before signing anything - Red flags when choosing an agent - Why families need to ask more questions - The clause players often overlook The Full interview + express learning clips are now live on our platform https://lnkd.in/drTzNU6t Industry Insights is here to take the big, complicated stuff and make it clear, practical, and usable. 📅 Our other expert-led episodes are being spotlighted daily this week.

79

7 Comments

10 ways to improve your coaching in the new season - for FREE! ✅ With the new season on the horizon, there will be players and coaches alike, who will be motivated to succeed. With renewed optimism, plans to improve the team and targets set, the start can’t come soon enough for some. There will be plenty of coaches who have their preferred way of working, with others always looking to improve. The market for football coaches is huge with many apps, books and time-saving hacks that claim to help you improve, easily available. Are these choices too good to turn down, or are they the same thing that has been seen, over and over again? Today, I’ve listed 10 things you could do to improve your coaching and they won’t cost you a single penny; 1 - Have clear team intentions that all players understand and can work towards. Streamlining communication will only have positive benefits 👓 2 - Plan ahead - You will know when your training days and times are - so ensure there is an opportunity created before, to plan accordingly ✍🏼 3 - Use a camera where possible to film games and/or training. Smart phones can work, with cameras at elevated heights obviously being better 📹 4 - Record all verbal communication that you have with the players and other staff. Microphones are cheap, but the voice memo app found on smart phones works equally as well and won’t cost anything 🗣️ 5 - Listen to podcasts and take notes on what’s relevant to you. Theorise these lessons and test them within your environment 📖 6 - Network with new coaches daily and ask questions. Avoid questions about ‘how’ to do something, as no one else is in your context. ‘What’ questions can be powerful ❓ 7 - Evaluate after every training session and game - Write down your reflections or even voice record. What worked, what didn’t? 🧠 8 - Keep a diary to try and form a new habit. What do you need to get better at? Where can you time block this into your diary to give it the time it needs? Hold yourself accountable for getting it done! ⌚ 9 - Focus on designing training situations, that consistently provoke the desired behaviour you want to see. No desired behaviour = no opportunity to coach effectively 🥅 10 - Build your own community of coaches, meet face to face or online and discuss a desired topic 🗓️ In an industry where many look for the answers, sometimes they are right in front of you. This list is only some of things I do regularly and they have definitely helped me improve. Are there any worthwhile additions that you could add, to help coaches get better without the financial burden? Add your suggestions below….. ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️

36

2 Comments