Dean has held some incredible roles and experience in his already young career. He’s worked in the AFL as a Sports Scientist with the Western Bulldogs FC and as a Lead Strength & Conditioning Coach with the Gold Coast Suns. Dean has also worked as a lead physical performance coach for the Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS) specialising in combat sports before moving into his current role with the UFC. Dean has a unique perspective having worked both in team sports and with individual athletes and shares the differences in delivering a high performance program for AFL athletes in comparison to training a sub specialty of combat athletes. This is a great conversation with someone who has progressed through his career from working in landscaping to now working with the biggest combat sports organisation in the world.

Highlights from the episode…

• Dean started his career as a landscaper but admits this never drove him, this led him to pursue his real passion and then going on to study sports science.
• Dean shares how he was able to secure a role in the AFL while still studying in his undergrad degree.
• At the ripe age of 24, Dean was able to secure a full time high performance manager role with the Western Bulldogs FC and shares what he did to best position himself for the role.
• What Dean sees as good leadership and how he personally leads.
• Dean shares why he made the move interstate from a premiership winning team to a team that finished last on the ladder, in the Gold Coast Suns.
• How Dean had to dramatically change his approach to performance enhancement from his approach at the Bulldogs to now working with one of the youngest playing lists in the AFL at the Suns.
• After 6 years at the Suns, Dean made the move back down to Melbourne and begun working in the sub specialty of combat sport.
• He shares some of the differences in training structure, funding, available resources, periodisation and openness/reluctance to sport science when comparing AFL team athletes to institute of sport individual combat athletes.
• Having built a successful career on the back of long hours in his role. Dean shares some of the costs, and we discuss if success in the industry can be achieved in any other way?
• How Dean was able to secure a senior role with the biggest combat sports company in the world the UFC, and what its like to work for the Performance Institute in Shanghai, China.
• Working with athletes who have their own performance teams and how the UFC work collaboratively with each fighter’s support staff.
• Dean describes what it’s like working in China and navigating a different culture, food, lifestyle and language.

People mentioned:

• Mathew Inness: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mathew-inness-01036343/?originalSubdomain=au
• Justin Cordy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-cordy-40781149/?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Egoogle%2Ecom%2F&originalSubdomain=au
• Duncan French: https://www.linkedin.com/in/duncan-french-phd-a41bb9122/

Dr. Dean Ritchie contact details:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dean-ritchie-phd-178927205/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drdeanritchie/
• Website: https://drdeanritchie.com/

Host: Luis Resa

Contact me on:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luis-resa-a975196b/
• Email: luis.resa@outlook.com

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