A Winning Mentality
My sport was fencing and I committed to it for ten years, from school through to university and it has affected my outlook on life and my approach to tutoring. It is a very technical sport, requiring high levels of mental as much as physical discipline. It develops balance, discipline, stamina and strength.
The fencing club’s coach at that time, Johnny Davis, was an old boy of the School and had competed in two Olympic Games, at Seoul in 1988 and Barcelona in 1992, where he reached the quarter finals. He was still the Number One foilist in the UK. So he had gained our respect from the outset and he motivated me at least to aim high and achieve things I didn't think possible. In one of the largest clubs in the province, captaining the club, I was training three times a week at least, two to three hours at a time, with a competition most weekends. I think I even peaked in my fencing performance at fifteen/sixteen, despite continuing the sport until I was twenty-one. I had come in the top ten in the Men’s Foil rankings and top ten in the Public Schools’ Fencing Championships three times, the second largest fencing tournament in Europe. I gathered a few medals in other competitions too. Looking back, it was Davis who nurtured my interest, talent and an Olympic spirit. He was a great mentor to have at that time when I was fourteen/fifteen years old. I was fortunate to have two other great coaches after he left for other projects, but the impact had already been made.
The role that psychology plays in top-level sport cannot be underestimated; there is little to separate the top athletes physically. I went into competitions and fencing bouts/fights absolutely believing that I would win each one 5-0. It didn't matter that I lost a few hits; that focus would help me win each time through to the knock-out stages of the competition. Then adrenaline would kick-in. This training also helped me prepare for exams and kept me mentally tough generally, setting goals and targets along the way. I try to keep this winning mentality now and pass it on to my students, which adds another layer to the way I approach tutoring. A tutor is not just there for the syllabus. I have often found that parents are looking for someone to be a mentor for their child to inspire them to go beyond and explore their potential. Just as a great fencing coach can, a great tutor can do just that too.
In my role as President of The Tutors’ Association for three years up until March 2019 I undoubtedly drew upon these qualities and developed my leadership skills. Reading and learning from many books on leadership along the way, it made a big impact on me and the organisation, leaving it for my successor in a very healthy state to build upon. I am very happy to share the things I have learnt during that time to my students to inspire them to become effective future leaders.