GB Sabre coach, Truro high performance lead and published fencing co-author - Jon Salfield

Fencing: The Fenced In Podcast

“Tough times don’t last, but tough teams do” This is exactly the mantra the head coach for Great Britain’s Sabre team lives by. Jon joins Chris and Ben to discuss how his club Truro is not only surviving but thriving in lockdown! Having established, and still leading, the Cornish club’s high performance programme he explains what has gone into producing some of GB’s best sabreurs and how, in a time like this, no club should lose momentum. Nearly an hour was spent talking to Jon but it could have been much longer listening to his tales and perspective on how Truro, a town of just 18,000 people, became a powerhouse of fencing world. The British Fencing Athlete Development Programme (ADP) coach talks in depth about his own learning as an athlete, having started fencing and achieved his World Cup selections later than most. It’s his attitude towards development that has seen him become one of Britain’s most successful coaches. Jon explains how through all his years in the game, he was amazed by the fact that no guide existed for parents in our complex sporting world. He, alongside Daniela Norris, co-authored ‘From last to first - a parents guide to fencing success’ that was published in March 2020, which fits in perfectly with the intentions of the show. The Ask us anything’ section throws up a question that goes to Jon, who stuns us with a fantastic answer, providing great guidance to any coach out there on how to still connect with their club through quarantine. Not to mention the ‘quote-off’ at the end! Please remember to rate us and to subscribe for every update!