Simon is a Strength & Conditioning (S&C) coach who has worked in all 4 professional collision sports in Australia. He has held roles with the Newcastle Knights (NRL), Rugby Australia in both their Rugby Union and Rugby Sevens programs as well as with the GWS Giants (AFL). He is probably most well-known for his expertise in the athletic rehab and the return to performance space and currently is the Head S&C at NSWIS working with Olympic and Paralympic athletes. Alongside this he is also the founder of Performance Compass which provides consulting and mentoring to practitioners in the space of athletic rehab. This is a great conversation with someone who started his career having never stepped into a gym to then going on to be one of the most prolific voices in athletic rehab in Australia.

Highlights from the episode…

• Admittedly with almost no previous experience in S&C, how Simon was able to get his first role in professional sport with the Newcastle Knights.
• We discuss the art of teaching in coaching and how historically S&C coaches started from a background of PE teaching.
• After staffing changes at the Knights, there was uncertainty in his position so he courageously approached Rugby Australia with a proposal…
• “Be patient with the outcome but urgent in your process”. How Simon stayed patient and focused more on mastering his craft which eventually led to high profile roles.
• How Simon was able to propel through the ranks of Rugby Australia.
• The difference in “competency” and “capacity” when developing a rehab plan for an athlete.
• When monitoring athletes, “its less important to determine what the test is measuring than it is to understand what its not measuring”.
• The “tear drop” approach to collaboration between S&C coaches and Physios while managing injured athletes.
• How Simon was able to migrate from the game of Rugby to the AFL with becoming Senior Athletic Performance Specialist for the GWS Giants.
• He shares his philosophies around athletic rehab that can be used within many facets of developing athletic of performance.
• Simon provides a detailed insight into the recruitment process of him being selected for a converted role with NSWIS.
• NSWIS structure, allocation of services & resources, allocation of staff to certain sports, day-to-day roles and responsibilities etc.
• Simon’s current project “Performance Compass” and how this can help you navigate rehab with your athletes.

Simon Harries contact details:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-harries/
• Sportsmith article: https://www.sportsmith.co/articles/developing-a-rehab-running-framework-for-soft-tissue-injuries/
• Performance Compass website: https://www.performancecompass.com.au/

People mentioned:

• Tim Rogers: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-rogers-96856441/?originalSubdomain=nz
• Alex Natera: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-natera-035a7765/
• Nick Poulos: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-poulos-phd-a415a66/

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.

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