Prepare Like A Pro

01/11/2026

#179 - Jack McLean Explains the Off-Season AFL Recovery Plan the Best Players Follow

Could the way you train this summer be the reason you fade in the fourth quarter?
In this episode, we look at how the smartest players use their off-season, why some stars can change a game with only a handful of touches, and how to find the one area in the gym and on the field worth chasing. We also share the common training mistake that quietly catches up with players months later, often right when it matters most.

🔑Highlights from the episode:

- The off-season habit experienced AFL players swear by
- Why Nick Watson might only need 10 touches a game
- Are you training your natural gifts in the gym?
- The one field quality worth chasing this off-season
- The hidden danger of skipping your post-grand final break

Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/

Listen Now & Subscribe!

🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube
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💡 Learn more at preparelikeapro.com

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https://scheduler.zoom.us/jack-mclean-wm92x1/15-min-discovery-call

Our website link is in the comments below ⬇️

01/11/2026

Tomorrow we pull back the curtain on how the smartest AFL players use their off-season, from the recovery habit experienced players swear by to why Nick Watson might only need 10 touches a game, plus the post-grand final mistake that quietly catches up with players months later.

▶️ Watch on YouTube:

Could the way you train this summer be the reason you fade in the f...

29/10/2026

#378 Part 2 - Raymond Verheijen on Football Fitness and the Periodisation Mistake Most Clubs Make

Is your beep test actually measuring football fitness? Raymond Verheijen joins Jack on Prepare Like A Pro to challenge some of the most common habits in high-performance coaching. He explains the age window when young players’ decision-making takes off, the edge Eddie Jones went looking for before the 2019 Rugby World Cup, and why leaning on AI could be quietly weakening the way we think. Plus, the one coaching tool he believes matters far more than anything you say.

🔑Highlights from the episode:

- The age window when young players’ decision-making takes off
- Is the beep test really measuring football fitness?
- How Eddie Jones tried to out-think New Zealand
- The hidden danger of using AI for everything
- The coaching tool that matters more than your words

Connect: https://www.fcevolution.com/
Email: [email protected]

Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/

Listen Now & Subscribe!

🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube
📲 Follow us on Instagram:
💡 Learn more at preparelikeapro.com

Book a FREE Coaching Discovery Call:
https://scheduler.zoom.us/jack-mclean-wm92x1/15-min-discovery-call

Our website link is in the comments below ⬇️

29/10/2026

Your beep test might be lying to you.
Tomorrow we’re back with Raymond Verheijen, founder of the Football Coach Evolution, for Part 2, unpacking the age window when young players’ decision-making takes off, how Eddie Jones tried to out-think New Zealand before the 2019 Rugby World Cup, and the one coaching tool that matters more than anything you say.

▶️ Watch on YouTube:

Is your beep test actually measuring football fitness? Raymond Verh...

29/10/2026

Want to know why some footballers improve year after year while others stay stuck doing the same thing?

It often comes down to one thing: understanding *why* you’re training, not just *what* you’re training.

In this episode of the High Performance Podcast, Raymond Verheijen challenges traditional thinking around player development and explains why philosophy and action theory sit at the heart of elite performance.

The best athletes and coaches don’t blindly follow programs.

They understand the principles behind every decision, every session and every action.

Key lessons from this episode:

✅ Why understanding the “why” behind your training matters
✅ How elite coaches make better decisions
✅ Why copying drills doesn’t guarantee results
✅ The role of philosophy in player development
✅ How great decision-making accelerates performance improvement
✅ Practical lessons AFL footballers can apply immediately

If your goal is to maximise every training session, develop faster and gain an edge over your competition, this episode is a must-listen.

TAKE YOUR GAME TO THE NEXT LEVEL!

Comment or DM us for the link to this podcast.

28/10/2026

Are you training hard... or training smart?

One of the biggest mistakes footballers make is trying to improve every physical quality, all the time.

The reality? The best players and teams know when to push, when to recover and how to peak when it matters most.

In this episode of the High Performance Podcast, Raymond Verheijen, Founder of Football Coach Evolution, breaks down the fundamentals of football periodisation and why the timing of your training can have a bigger impact on performance than the training itself.

Key lessons from this episode:

✅ What football periodisation actually means
✅ How elite footballers manage fitness throughout a season
✅ Why more training isn’t always better
✅ The importance of balancing workload and recovery
✅ How to avoid burnout and maintain performance when it matters most
✅ Why some athletes keep improving while others plateau

If you’re serious about improving your football, understanding how to structure your training over the entire season could be a game changer.

TAKE YOUR GAME TO THE NEXT LEVEL!

Comment or DM us for the link to this podcast.

27/10/2026

Most footballers think fitness is about running harder.

Raymond Verheijen believes it’s about something completely different...

The best players aren’t the ones who feel the least fatigue. They’re the ones who can keep making great decisions when fatigue hits.

In this episode of the High Performance Podcast, Raymond breaks down why football fitness should be developed through football itself, and how elite players learn to focus on the next action rather than the feeling of being tired.

Key takeaways:

✅ What football fitness really means
✅ Why traditional conditioning often misses the mark
✅ How fatigue impacts decision-making and skill ex*****on
✅ The mindset of elite performers late in games
✅ Practical lessons for footballers wanting to improve their match-day performance

If you’re serious about improving your game, this is a must-listen episode.

TAKE YOUR GAME TO THE NEXT LEVEL!

Comment or DM us for the link to this podcast.

25/10/2026

#378 - Raymond Verheijen on Football Fitness and the Periodisation Mistake Most Clubs Make

Why do the best players in Europe look so sharp for their clubs and so lost when they join up with their national teams? Raymond Verheijen unpacks the philosophy that shapes the way he sees players, the biggest misconception organisations have about football periodization, and the moment in every hard session where a player’s mind decides whether to push on or give up. He also shares the simple framework he uses to define football fitness, and how it changes the way training should be designed.

🔑Highlights from the episode:

- The philosophy professor who shaped Raymond Verheijen’s coaching lens
- Is periodization really just another word for fitness?
- The hidden danger of thinking fatigue mid-session
- Why national team football almost hurts your eyes
- The three phases behind every football interaction

Connect: https://www.fcevolution.com/

Email: [email protected]

Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/

Listen Now & Subscribe!

🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube
📲 Follow us on Instagram:
💡 Learn more at preparelikeapro.com

Book a FREE Coaching Discovery Call:

https://scheduler.zoom.us/jack-mclean-wm92x1/15-min-discovery-call

Our website link is in the comments below ⬇️

25/10/2026

Same players, different shirt, worse football.
Tomorrow we sit down with Raymond Verheijen, founder of Football Coach Evolution and former assistant coach with the Netherlands, South Korea and Russia national teams, to unpack why Europe’s sharpest club players look lost with their national teams, the biggest periodisation mistake most clubs make, and the moment in every hard session when a player’s mind decides whether to push on or give up.

▶️ Watch on YouTube:

Why do the best players in Europe look so sharp for their clubs and...

19/10/2026