Filippo Sanna is a strength & conditioning coach, personal trainer and nutrition specialist currently studying the MSc in Performance Coaching.
Filippo shares insights into his coaching career, working across basketball and rugby and his hopes for the future.
A Passion for Health & Fitness
Filippo started out as a fitness instructor over 15 years ago, prior to moving to New Zealand where he worked as a personal trainer before moving back home to open his own private personal training studio.
“When I returned to my hometown, I opened the first private personal training studio in the area. Since then, I have been working with both private clients and sports teams, supporting them with physical preparation and nutritional guidance,” he shared.
Filippo credits growing up in a positive environment with being where he is in his career today.
“I chose this path because I have always had a strong passion for sport, health, and fitness. Since I was 15, I have spent countless hours in the gym, studying and shaping the life I am living today. I was fortunate to grow up in a very positive environment, and I feel grateful for what I have become, both personally and professionally,” he said.
Filippo Sanna Coaching and Nutrition
In his business, Filippo Sanna Coaching and Nutrition, Filippo delivers both fitness and nutritional support to a mix of athletes and general population clients.
“I provide both training and nutritional support for the general population as well as for athletes. In my daily work, I mostly work with the general population, typically aged 35 to 50, who are looking to improve their overall health.”
Working with both the general population and competitive athletes, Filippo takes a tailored approach to suit his clients needs.
“I consider myself very adaptable and empathetic. I always try to adjust my style to the needs of the person or group I’m working with. With the general population, I take a more flexible approach, focusing on health-related goals such as reducing back pain, improving flexibility, and enhancing overall well-being.
With athletes, I try to find a balance between their competitiveness and their life, work, and study commitments. It’s important that they enjoy training, but at the same time, they need to remain healthy, both physically and mentally.
I believe that a coach should adapt their style to the situation and the individual, rather than expecting the athlete or client to adapt to them.” he explained.
Balancing S&C Roles Across Rugby & Basketball
Alongside his own business, Filippo is also a Strength & Conditioning Coach for both Azzurra Basketball Oristano and ASD Rugby Oristano. He splits his time between both clubs where he also provides nutritional support and travels with the teams to support them during regional competitions.
“With Azzurra Basketball, I supervise and deliver S&C sessions across all cohorts. This allows me to maintain a broad perspective on the physical status and preparation of the entire club.
With Rugby Oristano, I provide physical preparation and nutritional support for all teams, which are mostly youth squads. I have also started working with another rugby club affiliated with Rugby Oristano, where I contribute both as an S&C coach and as a player,” he said.
Sport-Specific Programming: Basketball vs Rugby
Filippo’s work spans sports with very distinct demands—so he adapts accordingly.
With basketball:
“My main focus is on maintaining power and speed throughout the season, along with a strong emphasis on injury prevention. Each session typically includes significant prehab work.”
With rugby:
“Most of the work is centred on developing and maintaining aerobic capacity, as well as strengthening the joints that are highly involved during the sport… injury prevention plays a crucial role here as well.”
He summarises:
“In basketball, the priorities are speed, short bursts of running, multidirectional movements, and preventive work; whereas in rugby, the focus is more on overall strength and aerobic capacity.”
Lessons from Private & Team Coaching
Working across both private and team coaching, Filippo has gained valuable lessons that benefit his coaching in all environments.
“The biggest lesson I’ve learned is adaptability. Especially when working with amateur teams, you need a wide range of tools to deliver effective coaching. Sometimes you may have no equipment or limited space, yet you still need to manage 20 under14 players. In those situations, you must draw from your “toolbox” and choose the right approach for the moment,” he explained. “These tools depend on how much flexibility and adaptability you have developed over time.”
“Working with private clients has helped me build strong empathy and listening skills, while working with teams has strengthened my ability to adapt. By merging the two, I’ve built a broad skill set that I can apply in both contexts. One size does not fit all.”
MSc in Performance Coaching
When it came to expanding his knowledge, Filippo felt that Setanta’s flexibility and course content made it the perfect fit for him.
“I’ve conducted extensive research into various study solutions, and the flexibility and modules available with Setanta make it the ideal choice for me. Coming from a more medical and preventive background, I specifically need a course that focuses on coaching and performance. After a year of careful consideration, I’m thrilled to finally join the Setanta family,” he shared.
He describes the curriculum as opening his mind and prompting new ways of thinking.
“The most beneficial thing is that the content opened my mind and made me think in a completely different way. The MSc is multi-disciplinary, which is essential because coaches need to be multi-skilled and have multi-faceted thinking.”
Continuous interaction with coaches and fellow students has enriched his growth.
“Studying with Setanta and being in constant contact with great coaches and colleagues gave me the chance to learn a lot from each person, which has drastically improved my skills. I would say that, apart from the high-quality content, it’s the environment of high-quality thinking that has improved my life and career the most,” he noted.
Future Aspirations
“My main dream is the Olympics. I am ambitious, but I know you need to raise your standards for achieving big dreams. More realistically, I’d like to pursue a PhD, and I am in the process of starting one in 2026, if things go well. It’s currently in the making.
At a business level, I am building an online coaching service called HBS Coaching. (https://www.hbscoaching.it/)”
