How the Vixens build athletes who can handle anything

Brought to you by HCF

Vixens' fans see what happens on court. The speed, the physicality, the sharp decision-making under pressure. But the work that produces that performance happens all week, often out of sight.

We sat down with Richard Johnson, the club’s Head of Physical Performance for the Melbourne Vixens and Netball Victoria pathways, to find out what goes into developing programs designed for our athletes, and what the same principles mean for you.

Richard brings a career built across multiple elite Australian sport programs, with qualifications from RMIT University and a Master’s from St Mary’s University, Twickenham. This combination of broad, cross-sport experience and formal academic grounding gives him a practical, evidence-based view of what it takes to keep athletes performing across a long season, in any sport.

Programs designed for every athlete

One of the things Richard is clear about is that high performance programs need to be shaped around the athletes in front of him, not adapted from somewhere else.

“Our approach is highly individualised, ensuring each athlete receives the support they need to perform at their best,” he says.

That means accounting for factors such as a player’s hormonal fluctuations, energy availability, injury risk profile and how each athlete responds to training. This is all built into the programming from the ground up.

Training loads, wellness, recovery status and athlete feedback are monitored regularly, because how each player is feeling and responding can shift, sometimes week to week, sometimes day to day.

“Every athlete experiences times where energy levels, recovery capacity and readiness to train may fluctuate,” Richard explains. “Open communication and athlete education are important so we can understand how each athlete is feeling and responding.”

The takeaway: Your training shouldn’t be rigid. Feeling flat or not in your usual rhythm is feedback, not failure. Adjusting your session is part of a smart program.

Prevention and performance: the same goal

Netball puts real demand on the body. The constant jumping, landing, accelerating, decelerating and changing direction places significant load through the lower limbs, which is why physical preparation is so important to Richard’s role.

His approach is constructed on one core idea: “I view injury prevention and physical preparation as largely synonymous,” he says.

Rather than trying to avoid risk, the goal is to build athletes who are genuinely capable of handling what the sport throws at them, developing strength, power, movement coordination, landing mechanics and robustness throughout the body.

“Rather than treating athletes as fragile, our aim is to progressively build robust, resilient athletes who are physically prepared for the demands of their sport,” he adds. “The better prepared an athlete is for the demands of their sport, the better positioned they are to stay healthy and perform at a high level.”

It’s a philosophy he sums up in five words: “The best ability is availability.” Athletes can only perform if they’re consistently able to train and compete, so creating that consistency, week after week, is the priority.

The takeaway: Strength training isn’t just for athletes chasing performance, it’s one of the most effective ways to protect your body for everyday life. Two to three sessions a week, progressing gradually, helps your body handle what you ask of it.

The fundamentals, done consistently

There’s no single program that works for every athlete, so a lot of what happens behind the scenes is about understanding the individual in front of you.

Rather than using the same program for everyone, data and athlete feedback guide when to push and when to ease off. It’s about staying responsive and adjusting over time.

When it comes to recovery, there’s no secret formula.

“Recovery starts with the basics. Sleep, nutrition, hydration and appropriate training load management form the foundation of everything we do,” explains Richard.

Mobility work, strength training, active recovery and recovery tools all play their part, but none of that replaces the fundamentals.

“Consistency is often more important than any single recovery tool,” Richard says. “Athletes who consistently prioritise the fundamentals tend to recover and perform best over the course of a season.”

The takeaway: “If there is one recovery strategy that provides the biggest return on investment, it’s quality sleep,” advises Richard. Before reaching for the next recovery gadget or supplement, make sure the basics, like your sleep, hydration and nutrition, are covered.

Taking charge of your health

Whether you’re an elite athlete or just trying to stay active and feeling good, the same principles apply:

• Build up gradually, as many injuries happen when activity increases too quickly without giving the body time to adapt.
• Strength train two to three times a week to help your body handle everyday demands.
• Listen to your body and adjust when you need to. It’s part of training smart, not a setback.
• Get the basics right – sleep, hydration and nutrition do more for recovery than anything else.

Supporting women’s health, on and off the court

HCF is proud to partner with the Melbourne Vixens to empower women to take charge of their health. From developing strength to understanding what their bodies need, it’s important for women to know it’s about confidence, capability and long-term wellbeing, physically and mentally. You can explore more stories from netball stars, plus health and wellbeing tips and expert advice, at HCF’s Strong Women Hub.