Dave Hamilton: Building Performance Systems That Actually Win

In this episode of VALDCAST, high‑performance leader Dave Hamilton shares insights from over 25 years across Olympic sport, collegiate athletics and the NFL. From his early days at the UK Institute of Sport to leading performance units in elite team environments, Dave breaks down how he cut's through complexity and builds performance models that genuinely move the needle.Dave explains why simplicity beats dashboards full of noise, how objective testing like jump metrics can reveal readiness and fatigue and why intent, context and human behaviour matter just as much as data. Drawing on real‑world examples from team sports, he unpacks how performance staff can balance monitoring, recovery and competition demands across long seasons.The conversation also unpacks:Why simple performance models outperform overengineered systemsHow CMJ and RSI can be used to monitor fatigue and readinessHow hormonal and biomarker data can inform preparation and recoveryWhy fresh athletes, not just fit athletes, win gamesThe importance of soft skills, communication and influence in high performanceDave also reflects on career longevity, lessons learned from elite environments and what emerging practitioners should actually focus on if they want to succeed in performance sport.