Five Dock Physio: NDIS Prep for Soccer, Rugby, AFL
If you are looking for a Five Dock physio to help a young NDIS participant get ready for a club season, the useful question is how many weeks are left before round one. Soccer, rugby and AFL in Sydney all restart around April, with grading and trials from late February. That gives roughly 12 to 16 weeks of preparation, and it changes what a program should look like in January compared with March.
We run 1:1 strength and conditioning at Five Dock in the Inner West and at Gladesville on the Lower North Shore, for participants whose plan includes a sport goal.
Mapping the block backwards from round one
We start with the club calendar, not the gym. Ask the club three things: when does pre-season training start, when is grading, and how long are the games in that age group. Then the block gets built backwards.
The early weeks carry the most general work. Getting comfortable with basic patterns, building calf, hamstring and hip capacity, and gradually increasing running volume from whatever the participant is currently doing. Nobody arrives in January with a clean slate, so the first four weeks are usually about tolerating consistent load two or three times a week without soreness that wipes out school.
The middle weeks get faster and more sport-shaped. Acceleration work, change of direction, jumping and landing, and for rugby, contact positions. The last few weeks before round one drop total volume and keep intensity, so the participant walks into grading fresh rather than flat.
Soccer: turning, stopping and repeat sprints
A soccer player spends the match accelerating over short distances and stopping badly if they have not trained to stop well. Sessions typically build single-leg strength through split squats and step-downs, hamstring work such as Nordic curls or hip extension variations, calf raises through full range, and adductor work for kicking and lateral push-off.
Running progresses from straight-line 10 and 20 metre efforts to curved runs and planned cuts, then to reactive drills where the participant reacts to a ball or a call. Junior grades often play 60 to 70 minutes, so conditioning targets that duration rather than a senior 90.
Rugby: preparing the body for contact
Contact preparation is its own block. We work neck strength in multiple directions, trunk and hip control in tackle and wrestle positions, and the ability to get off the ground and re-set repeatedly. Pulling strength gets attention because rucking, wrestling and holding a tackle all depend on it.
Contact exposure builds in stages: body position drills without a partner, then controlled pad work, then live contact at club training. If a participant has a shoulder or knee history, we stage that progression with the coach and the parents so everyone knows what week they are up to.
AFL: running volume and one-legged loads
AFL asks for the most running of the three codes, and most of the skill work happens on one leg. Kicking, marking, take-off and landing all load a single limb hard. Programs usually pair aerobic development, built up over weeks rather than crammed, with single-leg strength, hip mobility for the kicking action, and trunk work for contests and tackling.
For participants with cerebral palsy, an acquired brain injury or a lower limb amputation, the running progression looks different but the logic is the same. Build tolerance gradually, measure it, and adjust when the numbers stop moving.
What a session at Five Dock involves
Sessions run 45 to 60 minutes, one participant with one physiotherapist or exercise physiologist. The order stays consistent: warm-up and movement prep, a strength block of two or three main lifts, a speed or agility block, then a short game-shaped piece so the work connects to what happens on Saturday.
We record loads, reps and times every session. That record is what tells us whether the block is working, and it is what goes into progress reports for a plan reassessment.
Parents and support workers can stay in the room. For participants who find new environments difficult, we can keep the same time slot each week, use the same equipment layout, and send a photo or short video of the space before the first visit.
In-season: less gym, not no gym
Once games start, most participants drop to one strength session a week, sometimes two if club training is light. The aim is to hold the strength built over pre-season without adding fatigue on top of training nights and games. Sessions get shorter, the main lifts stay, and the conditioning comes from the sport itself.
We also use in-season appointments to manage the ordinary knocks: a sore Achilles after a hard week, a corked thigh, a shoulder that got jarred in a tackle. Catching those early usually means fewer missed weeks than waiting until the pain is constant.
When to get in earlier
Book sooner rather than later if a participant is pulling out of drills they used to finish, limping the day after games, reporting pain that lasts more than a couple of days, or losing interest in a sport they were keen on. A drop in enthusiasm is often a load problem wearing a motivation costume.
Both clinics are accessible by car and public transport, with Five Dock serving the Inner West and Gladesville serving the Lower North Shore. You can book an assessment at either location and we will look at the season ahead and what preparation for it would involve.