"A Whole-Person, Socially-Conscious Approach to Sport"
|
We work throughout British Fencing (with leadership, volunteers, coaches, parents, and athletes of all levels). Our work is practical, creative, responsive, tailored, and needs-led. We deliver classes and workshops, provide consultancy, deliver mentoring programmes, produce research, and more! The information below is designed to give you a glimpse into our work together.
|
Showcasing Our Partnership, Influencing The Sector
|
Listen to our podcast conversation with UK Sport Chair, Dame Katherine Grainger, and British Fencing CEO, Georgina Usher, where we discussed our partnership with British Fencing, and how to walk-the-walk when it comes to "Medals & More". We are proud to lead the way in ushering in a new culture of sport that is far more aware of the needs of individuals, and of society as a whole.
|
February 2021
We produced eight "TAP Speaks: with British Fencing" videos which showcased gave a platform to the mentors and mentees on our TAP-BF mentoring programme to speak about the issues that matter to them, and share new found holistic training techniques with the wider fencing community.
“It's been rewarding, surprisingly effective and surprisingly fast in the results and the outcomes we’ve seen." - National Lead Coach, Jon Salfield (Episode 8 below)
“It's been rewarding, surprisingly effective and surprisingly fast in the results and the outcomes we’ve seen." - National Lead Coach, Jon Salfield (Episode 8 below)
|
|
|
|
|
August 2020
Read our article in The Sunday Telegraph, raising awareness of our holistic approach. and partnership with British Fencing:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/olympics/2020/08/09/sporting-experience-needs-re-imagined-re-evaluated/
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/olympics/2020/08/09/sporting-experience-needs-re-imagined-re-evaluated/
July 2020: State of the Nation Athlete Wellbeing Survey
In order to continue to strengthen the TAP-BF partnership, we decided we needed to understand more about fencers’ experiences. So, we sent a survey to all ADP fencers and 146 fencers responded (73 males and 73 females). The survey asked fencers about their experiences of lockdown, their hopes and fears on their return to fencing, the qualities of their relationships with ADP coaches, their overall wellbeing, self-efficacy and social trust. We also revisited questions from one year ago exploring the perception of what makes a great athlete, the extent to which fencers practice mindfulness and perceived barriers to wellbeing.
July 2020
|
Midway ReportLearn more about the first year of our ground-breaking partnership with British Fencing.
|
June 2020
Leadership and Coach Development Continues
Here's an image from our Compassionate Communication workshop: In moments of uncertainty, instability, or conflict, Compassionate Communication provides a clear and powerful framework for grounding us and clarifying our needs, and in taking action to meet those needs. Few other tools can empower people so quickly and effectively to self-coach, coach others, or reconcile differences in times of stress. Book this workshop for your own team or organisation by clicking here.
"The British Fencing team will be integrating compassionate communication techniques into the work that we do – whilst also being able to understand and support further onward delivery of workshops to the wider community."
"The British Fencing team will be integrating compassionate communication techniques into the work that we do – whilst also being able to understand and support further onward delivery of workshops to the wider community."
May 2019
Click the image to read page 16-17 of the latest edition of The Sword magazine.
BF AND THE TRUE ATHLETE PROJECT FOCUS ON A ‘WHOLE PERSON APPROACH
British Fencing is excited to announce a new partnership with The True Athlete Project (TAP).
Maxine McCombie, Aspiration Fund Manager, said, “It’s with thanks to funding from UK Sport and Sport England that BF are able to partner with TAP to deliver exciting new projects which reflect BF’s vision for a new, whole-person, socially-conscious approach to athlete development”.
ATHLETE TO ATHLETE MENTOR PROGRAMME
As part of the UK Sport Aspiration Fund, one aspect of the project will be a mentoring programme, in which senior fencers are matched with aspiring youth fencers who would not otherwise have access to high quality and individualised support. The programme will focus on Mentoring and Coaching Skills, Compassionate Communication, Emotional Intelligence, Mindfulness for Sport Performance, Athlete Activism and Nature and Connectedness.
Laurence Halsted, London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic Fencer, sums up the importance and benefits of mentoring with his comment, “Mentoring is such a fantastic and unique thing to do because on top of being a momentous experience for the young person you are matched with, it also helps you realise the extent of knowledge and expertise that you have gained in your journey, as you pass it on to your mentee to help them avoid making some of the same mistakes. It has also been clearly shown that the greatest meaning in a person’s life comes from service to others, or giving back. I have absolutely found that in my two experiences of mentoring, and I would encourage everybody, athlete and ‘civilian’, to give it a go.”
As a pilot project, in the first year (2019/2020) only a small number of athletes will be invited to join the mentor programme to ensure it can be personalised to individual challenges and goals. The vision is that the TAP mentor programme will develop and continue to be a core element of an athlete’s journey in future years.
ADP EDUCATION PROGRAMME
Together with the mentoring programme, TAP will also support the ADP to deliver an education programme starting this month at the ADP Camp in Nottingham.
ATHLETES – The ADP’s mission is to support athletes on the talent pathway to “thrive”, not just “survive”. We want athletes to experience increased self-awareness, profound personal and social development, enhanced perception of what it means to be an athlete, a greater understanding of strategies to be resilient in the face of life and sporting challenge, and improved physical and mental wellbeing. We expect this holistic, caring approach to result in improved sporting performance.
COACHES & VOLUNTEERS – Together with the athletes, fencing coaches and volunteers working within the ADP will also be equipped with a greater understanding of, and the necessary skills to develop the mental wellbeing of the athletes they support. In turn, this is expected to lead to improved coach wellbeing, development and retention critical to the success of fencers along the pathway in the future.
Steve Kemp, GBR Programmes Manager, said “For our fencers to achieve success, we must support the whole person. Our work with TAP will afford our fencers and coaches to create the non-judgemental and safe space where there can be compassion, openness, and ‘challenge’. This is not only the correct approach in supporting those fencers on the pathway, but the next level of competitive advantage in performance sport. I believe that this is an exciting opportunity for both fencers and coaches, and our wider community.”
British Fencing is excited to announce a new partnership with The True Athlete Project (TAP).
Maxine McCombie, Aspiration Fund Manager, said, “It’s with thanks to funding from UK Sport and Sport England that BF are able to partner with TAP to deliver exciting new projects which reflect BF’s vision for a new, whole-person, socially-conscious approach to athlete development”.
ATHLETE TO ATHLETE MENTOR PROGRAMME
As part of the UK Sport Aspiration Fund, one aspect of the project will be a mentoring programme, in which senior fencers are matched with aspiring youth fencers who would not otherwise have access to high quality and individualised support. The programme will focus on Mentoring and Coaching Skills, Compassionate Communication, Emotional Intelligence, Mindfulness for Sport Performance, Athlete Activism and Nature and Connectedness.
Laurence Halsted, London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic Fencer, sums up the importance and benefits of mentoring with his comment, “Mentoring is such a fantastic and unique thing to do because on top of being a momentous experience for the young person you are matched with, it also helps you realise the extent of knowledge and expertise that you have gained in your journey, as you pass it on to your mentee to help them avoid making some of the same mistakes. It has also been clearly shown that the greatest meaning in a person’s life comes from service to others, or giving back. I have absolutely found that in my two experiences of mentoring, and I would encourage everybody, athlete and ‘civilian’, to give it a go.”
As a pilot project, in the first year (2019/2020) only a small number of athletes will be invited to join the mentor programme to ensure it can be personalised to individual challenges and goals. The vision is that the TAP mentor programme will develop and continue to be a core element of an athlete’s journey in future years.
ADP EDUCATION PROGRAMME
Together with the mentoring programme, TAP will also support the ADP to deliver an education programme starting this month at the ADP Camp in Nottingham.
ATHLETES – The ADP’s mission is to support athletes on the talent pathway to “thrive”, not just “survive”. We want athletes to experience increased self-awareness, profound personal and social development, enhanced perception of what it means to be an athlete, a greater understanding of strategies to be resilient in the face of life and sporting challenge, and improved physical and mental wellbeing. We expect this holistic, caring approach to result in improved sporting performance.
COACHES & VOLUNTEERS – Together with the athletes, fencing coaches and volunteers working within the ADP will also be equipped with a greater understanding of, and the necessary skills to develop the mental wellbeing of the athletes they support. In turn, this is expected to lead to improved coach wellbeing, development and retention critical to the success of fencers along the pathway in the future.
Steve Kemp, GBR Programmes Manager, said “For our fencers to achieve success, we must support the whole person. Our work with TAP will afford our fencers and coaches to create the non-judgemental and safe space where there can be compassion, openness, and ‘challenge’. This is not only the correct approach in supporting those fencers on the pathway, but the next level of competitive advantage in performance sport. I believe that this is an exciting opportunity for both fencers and coaches, and our wider community.”
