Introducing morning beach swims and meditation to his daily routine was one of the factors Nat Fyfe credits with unlocking the form which propelled him to the AFL’s elite ranks.

And it appears he’s now passing the practice on to Fremantle’s first-round pick Sam Sturt.

Fyfe was introduced to meditation by former Dockers assistant and Sydney premiership player Brett Kirk, who is a strong believer in the benefits of mindfulness for elite athletes.

“Brett Kirk has been a bit of an orchestrator of a lot of the ways I live my life,” Fyfe told Men’s Health in 2015.
“The way he gets me to value stuff is that he sort of plants a seed with me and then waits for the seed to grow in my mind.

“It started with the beach swims ... exactly the same thing’s happened now with meditation.

“I find real comfort and assurance in who I am when I meditate. That’s where I need it.”

Sturt, drafted by the Dockers at pick No.17 last year, has drawn comparisons to a young Fyfe for his “freakish” ability in the air, light frame and obvious upside.

The Victorian forward has been living with Fyfe while he gets settled in WA, learning how one of the game’s best players conducts himself away from the club.

Speaking to the Freo media team while attending a family information day, Sturt’s parents revealed Fyfe has also been passing on the lessons Kirk taught to him.

“He’s been getting up at 5.30am every morning and going to the beach with Nat to start his day,” Sturt’s father Tom said.

“He’s just loved that and he just has so much respect for him as a player and a person,” his mother Melissa added.

This summer marks the first football pre-season Sturt has ever been involved in after cricket commitments throughout his junior sporting career.

He is likely to start the year at Peel but could push for opportunities as a half-forward as the season goes on.