Episode 59 (2020) Stephen Bird Performance Talk

Associate Professor Stephen Bird is an international award-winning performance scientist, researcher, and speaker with expertise in athlete preparation, strength and conditioning, and sport science. Stephen holds a Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology, an Honours research degree in Chronobiology and a Bachelor degree in Human Movement. His works in the area spanning more than 20 years, with an extensive publication record. He currently hold the positions of Associate Professor in Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Southern Queensland, Athlete Health and Performance Lead for Basketball New Zealand Women’s Senior National Team (Tall Ferns), Associate Editor for the Journal of Australian Strength and Conditioning, and Editor-in-Chief of the International Universities Strength and Conditioning Association Journal.
During his ten year span as Director of Strength and Conditioning at the Western Region of Sport (WRAS), the program was four-time winner of the National Strength and Conditioning Association Strength of America Award in the USA, following which Stephen was recognised with the WRAS Life Membership Award and Australian Strength and Conditioning Association Mentor Coach of the Year.
Stephen’s international experience as an innovative performance science consultant is impressive. His previous clients include the Indonesian Olympic Committee, Basketball Scotland, British Basketball League, Basketball New Zealand, Scotland Rugby League, Poland Rugby League, Team UR Racing, Papua New Guinea Sports Foundation and the Solomon Islands Performance Institute. Working with the highest-performing athletes from around the world, Birdy has attended two Olympic Games (2008 Beijing and 2016 Rio), World Championships, World Cups, Commonwealth Games, Southeast Asian and Asian Games, along with multiple international pre-competition training camps.
Closer to home, Stephen has worked within championship-winning teams across the National Basketball League, Women’s National Basketball League, and National Rugby League. He teaches proven strategies to successfully embed integrated performance frameworks, translating scientific data into practical and applied performance strategies. Communicating complex performance issues through a simplified contextual unpacking process allows key personnel to fully understand the benefits to improve organisational performance. 
Working elite sport since 2000, “Birdy” as he is affectionately known, has implemented high-performance frameworks all around the world for developing youth athletes to elite juniors, through to World Champions and Olympic Games medallists.