The team behind the team – Stephen Hotter

Whenever the Silver Ferns step on court, there is a group of highly experienced professionals who support them every step of the way.

These people are the team behind the team.

Today we catch up with Silver Ferns strength and conditioning coach, Stephen Hotter.

SF: How did you first get involved in working with the Silver Ferns and how did you come to be a high performance strength and conditioning coach?

Stephen: I have been with the Silver Ferns since 2012 and they are now the only sports team I work with. I came to High Performance Sport NZ from the Wellington Rugby Union where I was a strength and conditioning coach with the Wellington Lions and the Hurricanes.

SF: What is your role with the Silver Ferns in the lead up to and during NWC2015?

Stephen: My role is simple - provide fit and healthy players to the coaches who are capable of excelling in the international Netball arena. How I go about that varies depending on individual player capacities, positional requirements and current best practice. During NWC2015 my role is largely one of monitoring player load and assisting in player preparation on game day.

SF: Why is strength and conditioning important specifically to the sport of Netball, particularly in a World Cup year?

Stephen: Netball is a very fast paced sport. Players need to be strong, powerful, fast, agile and possess excellent mechanics when landing and propping to assist in coping with the force experienced.

SF: What are the differences in preparing for a Netball World Cup as opposed to the ANZ Championship?

Stephen: The physical requirements for the World Cup are somewhat different from the ANZ Championship in that there are eight games over a 10 day period, as opposed to the championship structure of one game every six-eight days.  Both competitions provide significant challenges but the differences in structure must be taken into consideration.