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Matt Ham is the Head S&C Coach for the Townsville Blackhawks who compete in the second division of Rugby League in Australia. What is most fascinating about Matt’s story is that he has no prior experience working with rugby players but was still able to acquire a role in a sport where S&C jobs are often only given to those with a background in rugby. Sit back and listen to someone who grew up in country Queensland who played football at the highest level in Australia, to only be brought back down to earth and spending years working as a “over qualified PT”, to progressing on to becoming a decorated S&C coach working in the A-League, internationally with the Guam National Football Team and then on to his current role with the Blackhawks all whilst owning and operating his own bespoke gym facility. 

Highlights from the episode…

• Matt shares his life growing up in rural Queensland to playing at the highest level of  football in Aus. 
• After an abrupt end to his professional playing career, Matt speaks about being injured and the sense of feeling lost which lead to his pursuit into an S&C career. 
• Now armed with a Undergrad and a Masters degree, Matt was ready to take on the world of professional sport, but soon realised that he was “just a really qualified personal trainer” and was forced to spend several years working in a commercial gym. 
• Why Matt feels it’s better to first open your own gym and progress into sporting club roles as opposed to, doing what most people do in the industry, which is the opposite. 
• Matt talks about getting a job with the Brisbane Roar and the Guam National Team.
• The adventures of traveling globally with the Guam National Football Team.
• The differences between being a national team S&C coach vs. a club S&C coach.
• The value of investing in your own vocation and the different ways you can achieve this as opposed to, simply getting another degree. 
• What I learnt while having my physio clinic at the Hammer Athletic gym facility. 
• “If you’re not measuring your guessing”. What things Matt would measure to track progress. 
• Why establishing “Culture” is one of the most important aspects of S&C.
• “Don’t prescribe things that you haven’t done yourself” the importance of getting a clear understanding of what you want to do before you get someone else to do it.
• Matt speaks of how he built credibility when working with professional Rugby League players having had no background in Rugby League at all. 
• Advice on how S&C coaches and Physios can work together to get the most out of their athletes.

People mentioned: 

• Alan McCall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9M_D8puW0I
• Dan Baker: https://www.danbakerstrength.com/about-dan
• Martin Buchheit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-buchheit-6a355828/?originalSubdomain=fr

Matt Ham contact details:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-ham-971b18a7/
• Website: https://www.hammerathletic.com.au/team/matt-ham/
• Email: [email protected]

Host: Luis Resa

Contact me on:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luis-resa-a975196b/
• Email: [email protected]

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.