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Anthony has been part of the fabric of Australian football for over 3 decades and has assisted 3 different A-League clubs win silverware with Sydney FC, Melbourne Victory and Macarthur FC. Anthony has also held the prestigious position of Head of Strength and Conditioning for the Australian National Football Team for close to a decade and was part of Socceroos history with involvement in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and 2006 World Cup in Germany. Other roles have included working in the J-League as well providing consultancy for clubs in the EPL, Serie A and the Trinidad and Tobago national team, to only name a few. This is a one kind long form conversations where we discuss all things football performance in amongst some never heard before stories of being a part of some of Australian footballs most iconic moments.

Highlights from the episode…

• Having had no previous experience in S&C, Anth received his first opportunity in S&C from Australian football legend Frank Farina in the NSL.
• In an ever evolving industry of sports science, we discuss dealing with the challenges of staying up to date while maintaining time tested methodologies.
• We discuss the volatility of the industry and navigating coaching changes, staff changes and job security.
• Anth discusses the innovative approach Football Federation Australia took to maximise their chances of qualifying for the 2006 World Cup.
• Anth provides an unprecedented and never heard before perspective of what it was like in the lead up to the famous qualifying game against Uruguay, the game itself and what occurred after that famous game.
• How to communicate at times unpopular perspectives around player injuries, player loads, recovery etc. to coaching staff.
• Session design. What factors, frameworks, concepts Anth uses to design world class on field training sessions for his teams.
• After a decade with the Socceroos Anth had an opportunity to move overseas to the J-League and he speaks about his time working and living in Japan.
• Anth vulnerably shares what it was like to be sacked for the first time in his career and how he dealt with the uncertainty, scrutiny and volatility all while trying to turn a club around and managing family life while in a foreign country.
• After Japan and a short stint at Sydney FC, he spent the next 6 years with Melbourne Victory and speaks about all the success at the club.
• Why Anth chose to leave the biggest football club in the A-League to move to a “start-up” club with limited resources, new staff and fresh players at Macarthur FC.
• From football pitch to board rooms. Anth discusses how he has been able to make a successful transition away from his traditional role as S&C coach to now a consultant to several organisations across the globe.

People mentioned:

• Frank Farina: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Farina
• Ian Crook: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-crook-b6a69230b/?originalSubdomain=au
• Les Gelis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/les-gelis-9aa78727a/
• Jean Paul de Marigny: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Paul_de_Marigny
• Guus Hiddink: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guus_Hiddink

Anthony Crea contact details:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonycrea004/
• Email: acrea@nevadarush.com

Host: Luis Resa

Contact me on:

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

Thanks for listening and please leave a review. If you would like more information on anything mentioned in this episode simply send me an email.

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Callum is a sports physiotherapist and strength & conditioning coach who has worked in the elite levels of various sports across Europe and the UK. This has included working for both the Mercedes AMG Petronas and Hass F1 racing teams in the Formula 1 (F1), in professional football with both Reading FC women’s team as well as holding a variety of roles with the English Football Association (The FA). He is now currently working with some of UKs best Olympic and Paralympic athletes and manages a specialised multidisciplinary team at the UK Sports Institute (UKSI). This is a fascinating conversation with someone who originated from Australia and has now gone on to hold prominent roles in the UK sports landscape and continues to add value, not only to the athletes he works with but also the colleagues he now leads, educates and mentors in the industry.

Highlights from the episode…

• We discuss the practical steps Callum took to get his first role at Reading FC Women’s team with no prior football experience.
• Callum shares his time at Reading and dealing with the pressures and challenges of being in a relegation battle.
• His transitioning from football into F1 with the Mercedes racing team and discusses his role as team physiotherapist/performance coach.
• Is there value in providing performance support not just for the athlete but also for the wider performance support staff?
• Callum shares what are the non-negotiables are for practitioners who are considering working in F1.
• Sport is a “trust-based” industry not a “skill-based” industry. It’s not always the person with the most skills who gets the job, it’s more likely the person who they “trust” most can do the job.
• Callum share one of the most comprehensive and creative methods The FA used during its recruitment process to acquire top talent in the competitive market of English football.
• Having spent 7 years with The FA, he shares what his roles were and how the national team staff and resources are structured throughout the medical/performance departments.
• We chat about balancing a strong relationship with a significant other while pursuing a career in elite sport.
• Career transition and the “CLAMPS” framework. How it can assist in difficult decisions around career opportunities.
• How the UKSI is structured, how it services athlete and Callum’s role as clinic lead rehabilitation.
• Now running a department at the UKSI what extra curricular activities/courses/degrees should one consider to help them effectively run a department in sport.
• “Performance reviews”. How Callum provides feedback to staff.

People mentioned:

• Peter Lion: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterlion/?originalSubdomain=uk
• Clare Lion: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clare-lion-464b7789/
• Sam Boylett-Long: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-boylett-long-56b8b855/
• Craig Ranson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craig-ranson-85a58832/
• Mark Adamoulas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markadamoulas/
• Simon Spencer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-spencer-5b699732/
• Chris Bodman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-bodman-9a4ba340/

Callum Repper contact details:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/callum-repper/
• X: https://x.com/callumrepper?lang=en

Host: Luis Resa

Contact me on:

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

Thanks for listening and please leave a review. If you would like more information on anything mentioned in this episode simply send me an email.

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Luke is an Australian Sports Physiotherapist whose career spans some of the biggest codes in Australian sport having worked with the likes of Rugby Australia (Rugby Sevens), GWS Giants (AFL) and Sydney FC (A-League). Currently he is a senior physiotherapist for the world renowned Aspetar, where he plays a pivotal role in their knee injury division which services elite athletes from across the globe with an ACLR re-injury success rate of less than 5%. In this conversation we chat about all thing’s injury management as well as his move from pro sport in Australia to living in the middle east and working with the world-leading specialised orthopaedic and sports medicine hospital shaping high performance care across various sports and athletes.

Highlights from the episode…

• Why Luke early on persevere with receiving low pay, long hours, extra work just to pursue a chance of a career in sports.
• Acquiring his role at GWS Giants and how most practitioners are doing it all wrong when trying to get their foot in the door of pro sport.
• Having never played/worked in AFL how Luke gained the knowledge and skills to effectively develop and deliver rehab programs at the highest level of a unfamiliar sport.
• When developing a rehab plan for an athlete, Luke has established a “Drill Library” and discuss how he built this and utilises it.
• The importance of understanding “what” needs to be communicated and “how” coaches, players, colleagues etc. like to be comminated too.
• Working at Aspetar, Luke shares some of the world class facilities, calibre staff and the comprehensive approaches they take to injury management.
• Although an incredible opportunity to be chosen to work for Aspetar, Luke vulnerably shares the conversations and considerations he had to make as a father and a husband before making the final decision to move Qatar.
• With the experienced gained in his career as far what things would he do differently when it comes to rehabbing an athlete back to Return-to-Sport (RTS).
• Luke shares some the milestones to determine progression in an athletes rehab/RTS decision making and we discuss how much weight should practitioners put on these milestones and when they can be ignored and when they should be non-negotiable.
• When it comes to injury prevention, we debate over the importance of needing symmetrical, clean, efficient biomechanics, or can athletes inevitably overcome any biomechanical inefficiencies and develop reasonable adaptations that inevitably make them robust?

People mentioned:

• Matt Cameron: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-cameron-phd/?originalSubdomain=au
• Nalesh Murti: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nalesh-murti-845008b9/?originalSubdomain=au
• Nick Walsh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-walsh-3ba07139/details/experience/
• Alex Natera: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-natera-035a7765/
• Roula Kotsifaki: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Roula-Kotsifaki

Luke Heath contact details:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luke-heath-8b015795/
• HPRS Physio Website: https://www.hprsphysio.com.au/who-we-are
• Aspetar ACL protocol: https://aspetar.com/en/professionals/aspetar-clinical-guidelines/acl-rehabilitation-protocol

Host: Luis Resa

Contact me on:

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

Thanks for listening and please leave a review. If you would like more information on anything mentioned in this episode simply send me an email.

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This is one of the most unique, inspiring and fascinating stories to date and Tim shares his entire journey as far, having worked in high performance sport across 4 different continents. Tim provides an unprecedented insight of what it’s like to work internationally, including being one of few Australian practitioners to have navigated living and working in China with some of the countries elite athletes for over 5 years. After stints in China and the UK, with the English Institute of Sport, he now leverages the experience, skill set and knowledge his gained working across various athlete types to now working with the world’s best combat sports athletes as Physical Therapy Manager for the UFC Performance Institute in Mexico City, Mexico.

Highlights from the episode…

• How his experience living in the Ukraine and Peru shaped his philosophies and decisions around pursuing sports physiotherapy around the world.
• Playing semi professional football himself, Tim shares the challenges that most up-and-coming practitioners have with gaining sports physio experience and still wanting to pursue their own athletic career.
• “Sacrifice” and how many suggest this is what’s needed to get ahead in the industry. I ask “do you have to give up your 20s to make it?” Tim’s answer No! and why…
• Tim shares a play-by-play of his move to England and how he was able to obtain a role with the English Institute of Sport having no contacts in England.
• Having built a career in sport in the UK, why Tim chose to move to China for work.
• Tim shares a fascinating story of the recruitment process and how he eventually obtained a role with the Shanghai Sports Institute working with some of China’s elite athletes.
• Tim shares an unprecedented look into what its like to work in high performance sport in China including the challenges, advantages and the unique clinical experience he gained that he would have never obtained unless he had the privilege of working in China.
• COVID affected many in the high performance sport industry and Tim shares what it was like living and working in the epicentre of COVID while in China.
• We dive into the structure and set up of the UFC PI, how services are delivered, facilities, number of athletes etc. and how it differs from Shanghai and the Mexico City institutes.
• How Tim approaches the balance of minimising injuries in fighters but understanding that injuries are inevitable and may even be beneficial to a fighters journey.
• Being unable to speak Spanish or Chinese, how Tim has been able to conduct comprehensive assessment, deliver treatment plans as well as build rapport and connection with his athletes?

People mentioned:

• James Moore: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-moore-4a412814/
• Rob Madden: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robmadden/
• James Vickers: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-vickers-9b522a34/
• Kurt Tropinao: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kurt-tropiano-b9962663/
• Adam Forrest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-forrest-17693248/details/experience/
• Heather Linden: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-heather-linden-dpt-4758642b/
• Dean Amasinger: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dean-amasinger-076b4b225/

Tim Roberts contact details:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-roberts-601920130/
• Email: troberts@ufc.com

Host: Luis Resa

Contact me on:

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

Thanks for listening and please leave a review. If you would like more information on anything mentioned in this episode simply send me an email.

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Rachel has worked with elite athletes across many domains through her work as a sports physiotherapist, breathing specialist and her expertise in the field of performing in high pressure environments. Rach has worked with elite performers from the NBA, NRL, AFL, military and corporate to only name a few, but it’s her ability to have recreated her identity time and time again in a profession that rewards staying in once’s lane that is most fascinating. Listen as we dive into the physiology of how athletes and practitioners can better deal with high pressure situations as well as dive into her unique journey from elite gymnast to specialist in improving performance in high pressure environments.

Highlights from the episode…

• After representing New Zealand in the commonwealth games and world championships as a Gymnast, she was exposed to some exceptional physiotherapist that inspired her to choose a similar pathway post her athletic career.
• It was a chance encounter with an athlete with Hyper Ventilation Syndrome that inspired her to pursue a better understanding around breathing it’s affect on performance.
• How Rach began working with the Golden State Warriors (NBA) and how the same approach led to her being invited to contribute at an event hosted by the Vatican City.
• With an ever growing cohort of practitioners exploring avenues outside of their siloed profession we discuss how she has been able to transition beyond her title as a physiotherapist into other roles in Business, IT, Breathing, Coaching etc.
• We have a vulnerable conversation around the challenges Rach had in the early stages of recreating herself beyond her identity as a physio/”breathing lady” and what she did to navigate through this period.
• Dealing with pressure. “You can’t compartmentalise your physiology! You can compartmentalise your thoughts, but not your physiology!”
• How to balance having confidence in being an expert of your field but being humble enough in your approach to understand that you are not an expert of their sport.
• Why breathing is important and how to maximise it to enhance athletic performance both biomechanically and physiologically.
• What are the elements that define a high pressure situation and what can athletes and practitioners do to train/mask/blunt the negative effects that come with pressure.
• Rach shares a real-life case study of the breathing and performance under pressure techniques she used with an elite golfer to improve his performance.
• Specific training modalities to induce a stress response and in turn exercise the techniques around the physiological aspects of arousal state control.
• In a moment of pressure there are 3 things Rach suggests focusing on 1. Where are you looking? 2. Where are you breathing? and 3. What are you thinking about?

People mentioned:

• Paul Hodge: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulwhodges/?originalSubdomain=au
• Mark Young: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-young-b2aaa520/
• Wim Hof: https://www.wimhofmethod.com

Rachel Vickery contact details:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelvickery/
• Website: https://rachelvickery.com/about/
• Email: rachel@rachelvickery.com

Host: Luis Resa

Contact me on:

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

Thanks for listening and please leave a review. If you would like more information on anything mentioned in this episode simply send me an email.

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Is it quality or quantity? What physiological and cognitive adaptations happen during sleep? What is sleep inertia? Are wearables improving sleep or can they be detrimental to the affects of sleep? We answer all the questions. Not only is Liv an expert in the field of sleep and athletic performance she has also worked directly in the trenches of elite sport having been the high performance manager for the Western Bulldogs and Hawthorne Hawks AFLW teams. In this conversation we explore how sleep effects performance and dive into Liv’s personal journey working at the top tier of women’s AFL to now applying her expertise in athletic performance to the corporate world.

Highlights from the episode…

• While completing her Sport Science undergrad, Liv shares how it was actually the things she did outside of her degree that eventualy led to her initial opportunities in sport.
• Having only being graduated for a few years and with minimal experience in AFL, how Liv was able to secure a high-performance manager role with the Western Bulldogs AFLW.
• How Liz navigated her first year with a new team, new role, dealing with new technology all while managing the overall performance of the playing group at the Bulldogs.
• What inspired Liv to do a PhD and how she used it as a unique point of difference in a highly competitive world of elite sport.
• Liv dives into what it takes to complete a PhD, considerations, how to be accepted, the costs, financial support, time commitment etc.
• What practitioners wanting to work in AFLW should expect in regards to role structure, remuneration, time commitment, expectations etc.
• How does sleep restriction affect strength training and what S&C coaches should consider when working with athletes who may be having challenges with sleep.
• What are the adaptations that occurring during sleep?
• Is it the quality or the quantity that is most important with sleep and if unable to get a good sleep what is the value of a nap? Is it more the cognitive or physical benefits to napping?
• We discuss my experiment around sleeping and waking within specific sleep cycles at the aim to avoid “Sleep Inertia”.
• Is perception stronger than reality? How you think you’ve slept may impact your performance throughout the day than how you actually slept!
• There is an abundant of research, education, monitoring devices but how did you get your athletes to actually adhere to a sleep protocols? Liv provides advices that I've never heard before.
• The practitioners challenge of balancing career ambition with the other prioritise as a parent, daughter, wife, team mate etc.
• How Liv was able to leverage her skills in sport to establish a corporate career with a real estate firm.
• What do high performance mangers get evaluated for in both sport and in corporate.

People mentioned:

• Fiona Jacobs: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fiona-jacobs-ba853124/
• Brad Aisbett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brad-aisbett-a6333b20/?originalSubdomain=au
• Ben Walker: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-walker-67874194/?originalSubdomain=au
• Shona Halson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shona-halson-627b74268/

Liv Knolwes contact details:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-olivia-knowles/
• Website Sleep-Ed: https://fingertip.com/sleep-ed
• X: https://x.com/livknowles1

Host: Luis Resa

Contact me on:

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

Thanks for listening and please leave a review. If you would like more information on anything mentioned in this episode simply send me an email.

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Jason has over 30 years experience in the industry and during his time at the pinnacle of both Rugby and AFL he has taken his experience and expertise and developed a novel analytics tool to assist both medical and performance staff navigate the challenges around injury prevention, rehabilitation and return to play decision making with SpeedSig. Not only has Jason contributed to the industry through his recent technology he has also been a regular voice in the industry and assisted some of the most well known practitioners navigate their own journeys in sport. This is a unique and candid conversations filled with an abundance of technical insights and unfiltered truths around what it takes to excel in the world high performance sport.

Highlights from the episode…

• Having been exposed to the likes of strength coach Ian King, this is what led to an interest in doing one of the first sports science courses offered in NSW.
• ‘Its not for everyone and may not even be necessary!” Jason shares what to consider when deciding to do a PhD.
• Having been told he was wrong on a number of occasions this motivated Jason to seek answers for himself which was the catalyst of his PhD and in turn SpeedSig.
• The evolution of sport scientists in elite sport and the move from not just looking at WHAT athletes are doing but HOW they are doing it.
• How Jason got his foot in the door of elite sport with his first role at the QLD Reds.
• Jason and I discuss the tension between not working for free and finding a way of getting your foot in the door of a highly competitive industry.
• Jason has taken some huge risks and massive investments starting SpeedSig and the biggest investment of all is not what you think.
• Having seen abnormalities in movement through a “coaches eye”, Jason wanted to find a way to quantify this and do it at scale, which he feels SpeedSig can assist teams with.
• Why conventional off field objective measures may be missing the mark when it comes to return to play decision making.
• How do you know what you’re observing through SpeedSig is causative and not just correlative?
• “Collecting the dots vs. connecting the dots”. How SpeedSig works, what it does and how to use the information gathered to inform decision making.
• Being a high performance manager how have you managed how medical and performance staff may view things differently when it comes to return to sport decision making.
• When there is non-consensus in a performance team, how do you effectively make a collaborative decision about an athlete?

People mentioned:

• Ian King: https://kingsports.net/about-2/
• Prof Rob Newton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/profrobnewton/?originalSubdomain=au
• Chris McLellan: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5WvV4e6B5twcYl2Bw1Edwx
• Zach Higginbotham: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zach-higginbotham-8a5862222/
• Tim McGrath: https://open.spotify.com/episode/73xkOCQlyT1RJ0u9s3ybdE
• Aaron Coutts: https://profiles.uts.edu.au/Aaron.Coutts
• Linda Bennetts: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linda-bennetts-a801542b/?originalSubdomain=au

Jason Weber contact details:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-weber-928a0032/
• Website SPEEDSIG: https://www.speedsig.com
• Two coaches & a coffee podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5cCwmakTSa25EUXVznTjCW
• X: https://x.com/JasonAWeber

Host: Luis Resa

Contact me on:

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

Thanks for listening and please leave a review. If you would like more information on anything mentioned in this episode simply send me an email.

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Nick Kane is an Australian sports physiotherapist and the founding director of Sports MAP. During his career he has spent over a decade in professional sport where he was the Head Physiotherapist for the Essendon Bombers FC in the AFL, all while establishing a multi site private practice physiotherapy clinic and curating some the world’s leading practitioners in the world of sports medicine into an online master classes and live events held across the globe in Europe, USA, Asia and Australia. In this episode we discuss what his learnt leading the medical management of one the biggest clubs in AFL as well provide an insight into what it takes to build and deliver the premier sports medicine learning and network platform in Australia.

Highlights from the episode…

• With Nick recently stepping away from the responsibilities, pressure and expectations that come with working in professional sport. We explore why he chose to step away and how is he currently navigating the transition away from the AFL.
• What can those currently working in high performance sport do to ensure that their inevitable transition out of sport is a successful one?
• Be clear where you want to build a legacy knowing that it may come at the cost of building a legacy where you want to the most.
• Why Nick moved from Melbourne to start his physio degree on the other side of the country in Perth.
• Why Nick chose to add more stress, work, responsibilities etc. by starting a private practice all while working in professional sport.
• How Nick was able to secure a role in the AFL with the Essendon Bombers and what it was like to join the club right off the back of the well-publicised “supplements saga”.
• With Essendon having on average a new coach every 2 years. Do coaching changes influence injury rates?
• We discuss is it better to specialise in one skill set (eg pathology, rehab, orthopaedic assessment etc.) or developed a breadth of knowledge around broader topics (eg business, psychology, sales etc.) when growing as a practitioner.
• The genesis of Sports MAP and an unprecedented insight into how he puts together events, structures content, finances involved, securing world class guests etc.

People mentioned:

• Daniel Jones: https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/retail/how-physiotherapist-turned-simple-idea-into-multimilliondollar-global-empire/news-story/0cc6b6f1efbc25a94bd5d4c59fab3e35
• Emidio Pacecca: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5unNgbm6ukafZ2VeFc7Y4r
• David Dawes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-dawes-377b0184/?originalSubdomain=au
• Meirion Jones: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meirion-jones-aa18a637/?originalSubdomain=uk
• Cullen Ball: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2xiClu3L6OFhGqeHkmz8aq
• Dr. Bruce Reid: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Reid_(doctor)
• Peter Blanch: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3FHpOBIanMmbQRkx9YjkUx

Nick Kane contact details:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-kane-9b8bb940/
• Sports MAP Website: https://sportsmap.com.au
• X: https://x.com/NickKanePhysio
• Sports MAP podcast: https://sportsmap.com.au/podcast/

Host: Luis Resa

Contact me on:

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

Thanks for listening and please leave a review. If you would like more information on anything mentioned in this episode simply send me an email.