Adrian van der Ploeg

I was born in Johannesburg, South Africa & moved over to England with my family just before I was 12. I have been here since then & never looked back.

Hobby & interests-wise, it’s a bit of a range! I played rugby throughout my years at Loughborough & love most sports. Of the more quirky ones, I enjoy scuba diving, where I am really lucky to be a qualified Rescue Diver. In terms of everyday interests, it is whittled down to brewing & drinking coffee, as well as having my mind blown by anything to do with outer space.

In my second year I volunteered as a rugby coach with Robert Bakewell Hall. Alongside several other guys in the rugby club. That was a really valuable few months as we saw a lot of lads play in the IMS All Stars game.

In my final year, I volunteered as a strength & conditioning assistant with Men’s Basketball. That, alongside my experience on placement at Locker 27 in Addlestone, is what ultimately kick-started my professional career. On reflection, I am incredibly grateful for those opportunities.

I had a great time as both a rugby coach & a volunteer S&C coach. The latter was much more relevant to my development now, but coaching in general has facilitated the development of a lot of key characteristics that have got me to where I am now.

The ability to coach & deliver in front of larger groups of people is probably the biggest skill that has crossed over into my work, both on a professional and personal level. On top of that, the ability to adapt to the people & differing personalities you have in front of you.

In the industry of S&C, you absolutely NEED to get hands on coaching experience as soon as you can. Put yourself out there- message local gyms, sports clubs and S&C coaches seeking opportunities to volunteer. The worst that can happen is that you get told ‘no’. Best case, you get a load of coaching experience & potentially a mentor that guides your development both from a practical & theoretical level.