“A Whole-Person, Socially-Conscious Approach to Sport”
In April 2019 BF announced a new partnership with The True Athlete Project (TAP).
The True Athlete Project is a charity bringing together Olympians, Paralympians, clinical and sport psychologists, mindfulness teachers and even policymakers in its ambition to support improving athletic performance whilst nurturing mental wellbeing and cultivating a more compassionate culture in sport.
By partnering with TAP the intention is to deliver exciting new projects which reflect BF’s vision for a new, whole-person, socially-conscious approach to athlete development.
BF’s work with TAP is funded by both UK Sport and Sport England.
As part of the UK Sport Aspiration Fund, one aspect of the project is a mentoring programme, in which senior GBR 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:
“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 (2019/2021) only a small number of athletes were invited to join the mentor programme to ensure it could be personalised to individual challenges and goals.
In 2021-2022 the programme concluded with a number of mentors and mentees sharing their experience via TAP Speaks videos:
You can watch all the episodes here: BF TV
In 2023, the third cohort started with five pairings taking part. Feedback from the attendees was positive with five strong partnerships.
“This year meeting and working with my mentee has been such an enriching and fulfilling journey, and I feel we built a wonderful relationship that was meaningful and purposeful.”
“I hope that I have had a positive impact on my mentee’s life, not just as a fencer, but as a person, and that he will continue to flourish going forward. I am grateful to TAP for this experience. Thank you to my mentee as well for trusting and opening up to me.”
“I had a great experience as a TAP mentor this past year. I’m really proud of the relationship that I built with my mentee this year, and how much we both grew over the course of the programme.”
“TAP has helped me in more ways than I can imagine since I initially joined the programme. My relationship with my mentor was very beneficial in my growth as a person and as a fencer. This was not a mentor-mentee relationship, but rather a big brother relationship,”
“I learned so many tricks for my competitions, which I still use. My mentor has gone above and beyond and has treated me so well, listening to everything I have to say, from fencing to my daily life.”
“I have felt really supported by my kind and insightful mentor and the TAP community, who gave me perspective and taught me self-compassion. This helped me stay strong while I was recovering from sport related injuries and inspired me to help others in similar situations. I am so grateful to the True Athlete Project and British Fencing for giving me this unique opportunity!”
Together with the mentoring programme, TAP is also supporting the GBR Pathway to deliver an education programme with the following outcomes:
For Athletes – The 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 challenges, and improved physical and mental wellbeing. We expect this holistic, caring approach to result in improved sporting performance.
For Coaches & Volunteers – Together with the athletes, fencing coaches and volunteers working within the Pathway 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.
Mindfulness – Mindfulness can strengthen our ability to handle high-stress situations and pressure, work with doubt and anxiety, help overcome injuries and stay focused and present in training and competition. Mindfulness practices have been incorporated into Pathway camps working with both fencers and coaches.
Compassionate Communication – Skills and techniques to help fencers and coaches to create a non-judgemental and safe space where there can be compassion, openness, and ‘challenge’. Not only is this the correct approach in supporting fencers on the pathway, but it will support the next level of competitive advantage in performance sport.
Athlete Identity and Values – For athletes or coaches who would like to understand how an athlete’s sense of identity can be either a help or hindrance for their long term sporting ambitions, uncovering some of the unhealthy, traditional misconceptions around sporting identity.
Cultivating Gratitude to Optimise Performance – Cultivating a grateful mindset during times of adversity can build resilience, enhance well-being, and optimise performance. Skills on how to use gratitude to shift an athlete’s perspective, be present in the moment, build connection, and cope effectively, particularly when facing uncertainty in sport and life.
Return to the GBR Pathway Programme Zone
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