Hendro Nel is a strength & conditioning Coach at Hoërskool Sentraal and a student on the MSc in Applied Sports Biomechanics & Movement Science student at Setanta College.
Below, Hendro shares how his journey into coaching, working with youth athletes and his future goals.
From Pandemic Workouts to a Career in S&C Coaching
“When Covid-19 struck I was 20 years old and being at home with nothing to do but workout at our home gym I fell in love with every aspect of it. I started doing research on optimising muscle growth, diet principles and I wrote my first hypertrophy programme for me and a friend.”
Five years later, that interest has evolved into a full-time career.“I’ve written countless programmes, studied consistently, and discovered that helping others improve through training is what drives me most, it’s what turned a hobby into a lifelong career path.”
In January 2025 Hendro was appointed as the gym manager and strength & conditioning coach for field hockey at Hoërskool Sentraal.
“Since then, I’ve led S&C for all hockey teams, supported junior rugby and netball programmes, and assisted with coaching the U14 rugby side. I handle programming, athlete development, equipment management, and daily gym operations,” he shared.
Hendro’s schedule is tightly structured. “My day starts at 7 am where I teach until 13:30 pm, this is also the time when I plan and review current and future training blocks. From 2:15 pm to 5:20 pm I coach athletes in the gym, and on certain days run field conditioning sessions,” he explained.
Coaching Youth Athletes
Hendro primarily coaches athletes aged 14–19 in hockey, and supports rugby and netball players aged 14–15. His coaching philosophy is grounded in longterm athlete development.
“My approach follows long-term athlete development principles, progressing athletes steadily and prioritising movement quality before intensity. For instance, an incline dumbbell press doesn’t come naturally to most so simplifying movements and slowing the eccentric allows me to make technique changes while they are busy with the movement, this allows an athlete to get comfortable with a movement.” he emphasised.
He also believes communication is key when working with young athletes: “If an athlete knows why a coach makes certain changes or decisions it can help them to understand and adapt to good or bad news.”
Working with youth athletes in a school environment comes with many rewards and for Hendro the biggest reward isn’t focused on numbers and success, but seeing athletes working together as part of a team striving for more than just individual success.
“I would say seeing how athletes evolve from being a single person to pushing themselves for a team whether in the gym or on the field. The goal of an S&C programme is to increase the performance of a team or athlete but seeing an athlete fight for something more than themselves is the most rewarding part of my job,” he shared. “ Those moments show that our work goes beyond physical training; it shapes character and teamwork.”
Why Setanta?
After completing a degree in Human Movement, Hendro knew he wanted to deepen his knowledge to set himself apart.
“I wanted to further my knowledge in the field to separate myself from others but most local postgraduate degrees required fulltime study which wasn’t possible while working,” Hendro explained.
Having discovered Setanta previously through his rugby coaching certificates,it was a recommendation from his brother, a fellow Setanta student, that led Hendro to check out what other courses Setanta had to offer where he found the MSc in Applied Sports Biomechanics and Movement Science .
“The most beneficial part of studying with Setanta is the flexibility I have when covering the content. When it’s a difficult week with a lot of time constraints I can always go back to previously covered content and work through it at my own pace,” he said. “Most of what I’ve learned at Setanta gets used in my daily work like athlete monitoring and technique analysis.”
“The lecturers are also very understanding of the fact that students are working and accommodate them by offering flexible deadlines and extra support,” he noted.
Looking Ahead
Looking to the future Hendro aspires to make the move into the performance driven world working with professional teams.
“ The training is more intense, data-driven, and specialised, and the pressure to deliver results is much higher,” he explained. “Working in that environment would allow me to collaborate with other professionals like physiotherapists and other sports scientists, and contribute to athletes performing at their absolute peak.”
He also hopes to teach in the S&C space, and continue helping others. “I enjoy it when an athlete comes to me with questions about diet, gaining weight or exercise selection because I can then share and explain fundamentals of what I’ve learned over the years.”
Learn more about the MSc in Applied Sports Biomechanics and Movement Science here.
