David Johnson on Growth, Maturation, Training Load, and Defending Against Injury

This conversation is with Dr David Johnson, a physical development specialist with a deep understanding of growth and development. His research in injury prevention has shown what’s possible in football when the natural changes every young athlete experiences are accounted for. As the Head of Physical Development at West Ham United Football Academy and Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Bath, David continues to be a leader in this field. Today, we explore David’s research, including the questions he asked, what he found and how he integrated his findings into practice. We discuss how you can measure growth regardless of the resource you have available, the 4 key risk factors of injury, and how you can effectively intervene to protect your athletes. We also discuss David’s current project where he’s taking the scientific process he learnt studying for his PhD and applying it to nutrition. If you work with athletes navigating accreted growth and would like to know more about preventing physical injury, this conversation is a must-listen. Enjoy!  Sign up for Craig's newsletter (Beyond the Game) at athletedevelopmentproject.com/newsletter Get Craig to speak at your club or school here.   Connect with Craig:Instagram: instagram.com/drcraigharrison/ Facebook: facebook.com/drcraigharrison Twitter: twitter.com/drcraigharrisonSupport the show