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This podcast is available on 8 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.

Does this podcast accept guests?

No, this podcast does not typically feature guests.

Performance Strategies & Stumbles

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by Dan Howells, Collaborate Sports

5.0(9 reviews)

54 episodes

Updated Weekly

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Podcast Overview

Welcome to ”Performance Strategies and Stumbles,” a podcast where we dissect the dynamic world of strategies in performance sports, as well as practitioner struggles, in two compelling halves! In our initial segment, we delve into the strategies practitioners employ in performance sports environments, uncovering the HOW and the WHY behind their decisions. This exploration equips our audience with actionable insights, providing a playbook of strategies to implement in their own athletic endeavours. The second half of our podcast shifts focus to the hurdles and missteps encountered by practitioners throughout their careers. As we delve into the realm of mistakes, our guests candidly share valuable lessons learned from their setbacks. By shedding light on the imperfections in performance, we underscore that success is a journey filled with unexpected twists. Embracing the concept of ”failing forward,” we invite you to join us as we unravel authentic stories behind the ebb and flow of strategy in the ever-evolving world of performance sports! Host: Dan Howells, Founder of Collaborate Sports www.collaboratesports.com email: info@collaboratesports.com

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Publishing Since

12/27/2023

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Recent Episodes

July 12, 2026

Ep 52 - Les Spellman Stumbles - "I was too obsessed with targets."

What happens when a coach is willing to admit what they got wrong? In this episode, Les Spellman, founder of Spellman Performance, opens up about the mistakes that shaped his coaching — and why vulnerability, not certainty, has been the real driver of his development. Having worked with athletes across the NFL, NCAA, MLB and Olympic sport, Les has earned the right to be confident in his methods, which makes his honesty about where he's got it wrong all the more valuable. At the heart of the conversation is the danger of rigidity — how being too wedded to targets, technology and technical drills can quietly hold athletes back. Les reflects on his early mistakes in speed training and the shift towards a more holistic approach, including the role of eccentric work in keeping athletes fast and healthy. We also get into why context is everything in performance training, how feedback from teams has sharpened his coaching, and the often-overlooked challenge of hiring and managing staff in the private sector — and what it takes to build an environment where both athletes and coaches thrive. Output Sports are the sponsors of today's episode. One portable sensor, one platform — helping coaches test, track and programme athletes with velocity-based training and real-time performance assessment. They'll be at Collaborate 360 this July, so if you're coming along, you'll have the chance to get hands-on with the technology in person. If this episode got you thinking about how you reflect on and evolve your own coaching, that's exactly the territory we'll be exploring at Collaborate 360 in July. Early bird tickets have sold out, but if you're a listener of the pod, use the code event25 at checkout before the end of the month and you'll get that early bird price. Link below. Collaborate 360 tickets: www.collaboratesports.com/360 Enjoy the episode!

July 5, 2026

Ep50 - Les Spellman Strategy - "Speed is an expression of physical resilience."

In this speed episode of Performance Strategies and Stumbles, I'm joined by Les Spellman — a speed coach who has built a systematic approach to speed training and physical preparation for football athletes, with a particular focus on preparing players for the realities of training camp and the season ahead. At the heart of this conversation is a simple but powerful reframe: training tolerance matters more than raw speed gains. Rather than chasing numbers on a timing gate, Les builds structured microcycles designed to prepare athletes for the actual demands they'll face — and this episode is a detailed look at what that planning process really involves. We get into microcycle design for football athletes — how Les balances volume, intensity, and recovery across the week, the specific drills and session structures he uses, and how constraints and coaching cues shape movement without over-coaching it. From there, Les walks through his approach to periodization for NFL players, what progressive overload looks like in a speed context, how sport-specific conditioning and contact prep fit into the plan, and the metabolic and endurance considerations that often get overlooked in speed-dominant programs. There's a real thread of pragmatism running through this conversation — the idea that the best training plan isn't the one that produces the biggest gains in isolation, but the one that builds athletes who can tolerate, absorb, and express their qualities when the demands of camp and season arrive. Episode Sponsor — 1080 Motion This episode is supported by 1080 Motion — the industry leader for motorised resistance in high performance sport. 1080's technology gives elite practitioners the ability to create precise and unique loading such as overspeed, eccentric overload, and isokinetics straight from a screen, with instant insights from athlete outputs and profiling. From speed to strength to return-to-play, 1080 Motion has everything you need to truly drive performance.Their website is HERE. 1080 Motion will also be running a dedicated learning zone at Collaborate 360 in July — our first in-person event. Tickets are available now, link below. Collaborate 360 — Our First In-Person Event Collaborate 360 is coming this July. A full day built around applied practice, group thinking, and getting hands-on with technology that can genuinely change how you work. If you want to be in the room, see what we have planned and grab your ticket HERE!

June 28, 2026

Ep50 - Tim Kettenring Stumbles - "I grossly overestimated my impact!"

Tim Kettenring doesn't hold back in this episode. We go all the way back to the early days of his coaching career - the arrogance he carried in, the relationships he damaged, and a job he lost because of it. It's the kind of honest reflection that's rare in this industry, and it sets the tone for everything that follows. What makes Tim's story particularly valuable is how he traces the turning point. Not a single lightbulb moment, but a slow and sometimes painful process of looking inward — recognising that the reason he wasn't in coaching wasn't down to bad luck or circumstances, it was down to him. We talk about the absence of structured mentorship, his sensitivity to feedback and how that kept him stuck, and the moment he started seeking it deliberately - and what happened when he asked for too much of it. We also get into programming and how a support network for sense-checking ideas should always be proactive rather than reactive to avoid mistakes. The episode closes with a moment from Tim's time in professional rugby that might be the most memorable of the whole conversation. Tim describes how a single comment changed his entire approach, moving from a mindset of authority to one of collaboration, and realising that how athletes feel and the trust they place in you matter far more than any session you could design. This episode is sponsored by TeamBuildr - the platform for strength and conditioning coaches to programme, track, and communicate with their athletes. Coaches attending Collaborate 360 in July get a full month of free access. To get your tickets to our first in-person live set of workshops, visit www.collaboratesports.com/360 We'd love to see you there! Enjoying the podcast? Then please consider leaving a review or sharing on your social networks!

54 total episodes available

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Frequently asked questions

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What is Performance Strategies & Stumbles?: Welcome to ”Performance Strategies and Stumbles,” a podcast where we dissect the dynamic world of strategies in performance sports, as well as practitioner struggles, in two compelling halves!

In our initial segment, we delve into the strategies practitioners employ in performance sports environments, uncovering the HOW and the WHY behind their decisions. This exploration equips our audience with actionable insights, providing a playbook of strategies to implement in their own athletic endeavours.

The second half of our podcast shifts focus to the hurdles and missteps encountered by practitioners throughout their careers. As we delve into the realm of mistakes, our guests candidly share valuable lessons learned from their setbacks. By shedding light on the imperfections in performance, we underscore that success is a journey filled with unexpected twists. Embracing the concept of ”failing forward,” we invite you to join us as we unravel authentic stories behind the ebb and flow of strategy in the ever-evolving world of performance sports!

Host: Dan Howells, Founder of Collaborate Sports

www.collaboratesports.com email: info@collaboratesports.com
How often does this podcast release new episodes?: This podcast updates weekly.
Where can I listen to this podcast?: This podcast is available on 8 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
Does this podcast accept guests?: No, this podcast does not typically feature guests.

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