Be all you can be..... because you can!!

Born to run?

Do all the best athletes posses natural talent. Was Muhammad Ali born to box? does Roger Federer have some special Genes that no-one else in the world possesses. Not too many years ago Banbury had a host of British European and World Champions in Semi Contact martial arts including Alvin Mighty, Neville Mighty and Mark Aston.  Was Banbury blessed with a gene that made us natural martial artists?  All top international cross country races and marathons seem to be won by Kenyans? Does lake Victoria in Kenya have special nutrients that make Kenyans faster over long distances than the rest of the world?

Personal Achievements

At school from a very young age I was always the fastest runner, I was a good all round sportsman/boy and not much of an academic. I took up boxing when I was 15 years old in Coventry.  I was described as a 'Natural Boxer'  I boxed in a gym full of champion boxers and later after moving to Banbury became 5 times Home Counties Amateur Middleweight Champion then Twice British Full Contact Kick Boxing Champion winning my first title after only 5 months, and won numerous smaller titles eventually competing in the World Kickboxing Championships in front of thousands in Budapest, Hungary.  I have boxed and kick boxed around the world. My achievements made me a regular in the local newspaper the Banbury Guardian.  Although I had no interest in politics I was approached by the local Council and asked if I would like to stand for Council in the local elections, which I comfortably won making me the Town Councillor for the district where I live, I am currently the owner of a fitness club and I am the Chairman of the Spit n Sawdust boxing club. I do talks at schools and colleges inspiring children and youths to make the right choices. I hopefully have the respect of all ages. And to top it all I was selected to carry the 2012 Olympic torch, again this was thanks to my popularity and being nominated by the Banbury Public.  Did this all come about because of me being a 'natural talent'

A Natural Talent?

So lets go back to the beginning.  Do all the world's best athletes posses 'natural talent'? 

Was Muhammad Ali Born to box?  After having his bike stolen, a 12-year-old Clay promises to "whup whoever stole it." In an attempt to channel his aggression, the policeman he reported the crime to takes him under his wing and eventually directs him to boxing trainer Fred Stoner. Over the next six years, Clay, Ali's surname at the time, would win six Kentucky Golden Gloves championships, two national Golden Gloves titles, and two AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) crowns.     He had decided after having his bike stolen all he would do was box. He never had a Job but spent all his days in a boxing club. not only training but studying other boxing styles in particular that of Sugar Ray Robinson, said by many to be the best pound for pound boxer who ever lived, and his skills are testament to all of the hours he put in over those early years. 

Earlier I spoke of my personal achievements and  how I was described as a natural boxer.  At the time being a child I believed it. I went to the local boxing club that was full of amateur boxing champions and on seeing me for the first time even they said I was a natural and said how they expected me to be a champion just as they were. What I haven't told you is that my father was a former professional heavyweight boxer.  His closest friends, the Turpin's from Leamington Spa, who were British European and world champion boxers. The family included Randolph Turpin the former undisputed middleweight champion of the world. Until I was 15 I was training at home. My father, Maxie Earle, (Who tells me he knocked out Henry Cooper in sparring and he also actually TKO'd his brother George Cooper in two rounds) and his friends. Every time we visited the Turpins I would practice boxing.  With so many people around me involved in boxing at the highest level it was inevitable the when I turned up at boxing club that I would look natural. I had a whole life of boxing practice behind me.  I was not a natural I 'had put the hours in'

Back in the 1970' and 80's after Bruce Lee hit the screens, but before Martial arts were as popular as they are today Banbury had a couple of Martial arts Dojo's that were full of Students wanting to be like Bruce Lee.  It was around the time I first moved to Banbury and Lau Gar Kung Fu seemed bigger than Boxing.  I was so surprised  at the number of British and World Championship.  I was from a City of over 500,000 yet I knew no world champions yet in Banbury with a population of around 30,000 there was an abundance of them. 

Matthew  Syed

I am reading a book at the moment by the former table tennis champion Matthew Syed. He tells a similar story to what I am telling but includes the people he has known in his life and how he feels hard work and a good set up can lead to one street having many champions from local to world level.  He was 'lucky enough' to have a full sized table tennis table in his garage that he would practice before school, after school and at weekends with his brother.  He also had a teacher at school who was a table tennis fanatic and an expert teacher who did his best to get as many people in the school to play table tennis.  Matthew took full advantage of this and the result was Matthew Syed becoming British number one at 24 years old in a sport where 30,000 people are signed up.  Not only did he excel but the street where he lived had champions. He and his brother Andrew  lived at 119 Silverdale Road and Andrew went on to become one of the  most successful junior players of all time, Matthew himself became 3 time Commonwealth champion and two time Olympian, at number 274 Karen Witt who won countless junior titles, the national senior title and the Commonwealth championship.  At number 149 Andy Welman won a series of titles mainly at doubles and was feared by all the top players.  This one Street produced more table champions than the rest of the nation combined.  Was this one street of naturally talented table tennis players?

During my time here at Spit n Sawdust the biggest changes I have seen were with Neil Slater and Robert Evans, though there are many more who have had positive directional life changes that led them away from drink, drugs, violence and a possible life in and out of prison.

 How hard work triumphed over an assumed lack of 'talent'

Neil Slater was 17 when he first came to the gym and nobody would ever had said he was a natural talent. When I first met Neil he had learning difficulties and was at college on the 'Entry To Employment' course with students who also struggled with education.  Some of the youths in his class had disabilities such as Downs, ADHD, Asperges, and other varieties of the autistic spectrum. I felt Neil's difficulties were more related to confidence and a difficult upbringing and not a disorder per se.  After first showing Neil around the gym he was full of enthusiasm and that visit was quickly followed by a visit with his mother who quietly told me of his troubled life. She said he was on medication for his ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and had a bad temper.He was bullied at school and had very little confidence.  She also explained that all the panels in the doors and some walls at home had holes in where Neil in his frustration had punched them.  I didn't want Neil to think he was any different to any of the other people at the gym so I treated him as if he was no different to anyone else.  Neil did excel.  And to be honest I didn't expect him to.  The big difference with Neil and the rest of the students at the time was that he finally found something he believed he could be good at.  He found in me someone who believed in him.  So Neil trained every day and was more of a tenant than a member he is now a member of the Spit n Sawdust Family.  We have had many a talk over the years and I have watched him grow from an insecure youth into a far more confident young man.  Neil has been off his medication for years and is now a very capable heavyweight boxer. One of my proudest moments was when his arm was raised at the end of a boxing bout to declare he was a 'winner.'

Role model Roy Jones Jr

Rob Evans on the other hand had stacks of confidence at school but channeled all his energy the wrong way.  He was disruptive and was often in trouble.  He was drinking smoking and often ended up in trouble with his teachers and later into his teens the police.   It is clear to see now that Rob had lots of potential and just needed to direct it.  Once Rob decided what he wanted he gave it 100% He told me he was the best at all sports at school and always knew he would win at almost everything he applied himself to... and I believed him.  But the trouble was he never applied himself to anything.  Rob had two attempts of climbing the stairs to my gym but failed to make it because he could here everyone skipping and punching the bags and didn't want to make himself look silly.  He decided the best way to see what it was like was to come up when there was no-one here and came to see me on a quiet day when I was alone.  After I told him about the boxing he decided to join up.  

mmm? But well done

At first Rob played at it.  He seemed to use it as a way of showing off in front of the girls who came to watch him and the other boys train.  I remember a turning point being when I told his friends he would Never make a boxer because all he was interested in was talking to girls and looking at himself in the mirror.  Fortunately for me this was a turning point. Rob trained harder than everyone in the gym.  His pride had be dented and his ability questioned.   He never talked to me for 2 weeks but I didn't mind because this is how he became 3 times national champion in just 3 years winning all of his 17 fights along the way.  He trained 7 days a week often 6 hours a day, his role models were all the best boxers who had ever laced up gloves.  Boxing was his life. No drinking, no smoking....anything and no women.  All the boys that used to beat him in sparring were avenged and he used every negative comment to fuel his fire once telling me "You didn't think I could do this but I showed you!"  Natural talent? No way, I still think he has two left feet but he was one hell of a puncher he was extremely fit, a very skilled boxer who hated losing.  And now he is a supermodel for Calvin Klein... drinking, looking in the mirrors and talking to girls aaargh!!! I did my best :0).........NEXT!!!

Child Prodogies

So... the argument still exists and I still ask the question is their such thing as a 'natural'?. Are some children born with talent?

We see many people of differing abilities using the gym, from the students who come from Frank Wise school for the physically and mentally 'challenged'  to top athletes and academics.  Some people will take to training quite naturally whilst others will struggle with fitness or learning something new.  So many people tell me they can't join a class because they have no co-ordination?  When I see someone come in who looks like a 'natural'  I always ask what other sports they do. I have found that most people who are good at football are well balanced and find the transition from football to boxing comfortable.  You will find that most people who excell at one sport will do reasonably well in most.   So lets look at other examples.  In fact lets start with my daughter Rosie Berry.  Rosie has had no formal musical training and, as many teenagers do, spends much of her time in her bedroom away from us boring parents who are watching Reality TV, (her mum) or Sky Sports, (me) One Christmas we bought Rosie a keyboard for a present as we couldn't afford the piano she wanted, nor would a piano fit in our house.  Most evenings after Christmas you could hear Rosie bashing away on the keyboard playing something that vaguely resembled music.  Then she found that she could teach herself melodies using You Tube tutorials and started playing her favourite tunes. In no time at all we would hear tunes we recognized from her room and I found myself sitting outside her room listening in amazement.  Eventually I would ask her to play tunes for us in the living room.  It was like you would imagine in the days before TV.  Rosie playing the piano and us sitting and listening and singing her praises.... Not singing, but you know what I mean.  Rosie was certainly no expert but to us she was a natural being able to learn so quickly with just the aid of You Tube.

Ok that was a personal story that we found astonishing and I have heard many a similar story at my gym.  It seems every time a story is told the person listening has an equally amazing story.   Unless of course your name was Leopold Mozart and your son was the famous Wolfang Mozart.  Now then, young Wolfie was charming the aristocracy with his piano skills, often with his sister Maria Anna  at the age of six and had been composing pieces for the violin and piano since he was 5 years old! (three of  Wolfgangs earliest pieces can be heard by clicking on the link) Surely Mozart was a 'natural talent'?  Let's just check his early life. I know for a fact You Tube wasn't about so let's rule that out first.  As I mentioned Wolfie's dad was Leopold Mozart who was a famous composer and performer in his own right.  He was also a domineering parent who started his son on a programme of an intensive training in composition and performing.  When Wolgang was 3 his father was interested in how music was taught to children.  While Leopold was only so so as a musician he was highly accomplished as a pedagogue (that's a strict or pedantic teacher) and had a book on violin instruction published the year Wolfgang was born. He remained influential to his son for decades from the earliest age.  Mozart's first work that was regarded as a masterpiece today 'piano concerto No. 9' was composed when Mozart was 21 .  yes that is early but it was after 18 years of extremely hard expert tuition.  3 of Mozart's early works were written when he was 16 and were re-arrangements of the music of other composers. A bit like using You Tube then mixing the songs?  Mozart was one of the hardest working composers in history which explains why we are still talking and writing about him today

When Tiger Woods became the youngest ever winner of the US masters in 1997 many said he was the most naturally gifted golfer to ever play the game.  But once again when you dig into his past another more reasonable explanation comes to bare.  Like all of the stories previously  

Tiger could drive a ball 80 yards aged 2 years and 4 months
and pitch 40 yards accurately  

mentioned there is much hard work in producing a golfer as good as the Tiger.  Tiger's father Earl Woods believed practice brings greatness.  He started his son at what he described as an 'unthinkably young age', before he could even walk or talk.  Earl used to sit Tigar in his high chair as a baby so he could see his father hit balls into a net, and had a golf club before his 1st birthday.  By the age of 2 years and 8 months Tiger was familiar with bunker play and by the age of 3 he had developed a pre-shot routine.  At the age of two after much practice on the driving range and putting green he entered his first pitch and putt competition where he could already hit his 2.5 wood 80 yards and pitch accurately from 40 yards.  Earl hired a professinal to accelerate Tigers learning when he was 4 years old and Tiger won his first national tournament at 15 years old.  Drills would typically involve putting a ball from thee yard consecutively  into the cup to see how many putts Tiger could make.  After 70 in a row Earl would be still standing there.  By his mid teens Tiger had clocked more than 10,000 hours of expert practice just like Mozart.  In tennis the Williams sisters Serena and Venus have a similar story and even practiced tennis using baseball bats instead of rackets.  One very important thing we should know about all of these child prodigies is that they all loved their activities.  Pushing a child into something they are not interested in will not yield the same results.

Though I have many more stories of fantastic achievements by people who have gone down in history as 'naturals' and 'child geniuses' to wow you with, and believe me some of the stories are quite unbelievable until they are explained. I feel I have dwelt long enough on this subject to make the point I set out to achieve.

Taking It To The Next Level

Right what next?  Ah yes.  We have, or rather, I have explained how I believe success is achieved and the importance of hard work and a good tutor can bring out the best in an individual. I also mentioned how enjoying what you do is equally important (especially when dealing with children) if you want to yield great results.   So is there anything else we should know, anything that we should consider if we are to reach the top and be better at our chosen activity than anyone else?

It makes more sense to me to talk about experiences I have had than it does talking about stories I have heard 'second hand'  So that is where I will start in this chapter. I run a humble gym in Banbury in Oxfordshire.  People have been using the gym for 8 years.  The people who use the gym come here for a number of reasons.  Most come to keep or get fit, some want to lose weight, some children are bought here by their parents because they are being bullied at school some come here for social reasons and want to make friends with people etc....  The boxers on the other hand come here because they want to box.  All of the other reasons may be some of the reason why they first joined, but once they join a boxing class and start to learn boxing skills their primary objective is to compete in a boxing ring.   

Now and again, normally when I am unhappy with the commitment of the boxers, I will have a group meeting. I will ask the class who wants to compete as a boxer.  And just about every time all hands will be raised.  I will then go on to explain the importance of regular training, how important it is that they listen to the coaches and learn at every opportunity.  I remind them that boxing is dangerous and if they are not as fit as their opponents they may get hurt.  Boxing is not a team sport.  Once the first bell goes you are on your own. At the end of your bout it is you alone who will take all the glory.... or you can be the loneliest person in the building after a defeat. My little talk is always followed by a committed class.  The class will be focused and the only talking that is done is about boxing. 

Winning and losing 

What I tell all aspiring boxers is that to be the best in the world you first need to be the best in this gym .  I tell them they need to be faster, more skillful and fitter than everyone in the gym.  They should be the best in all departments including skipping, punching bags, press--ups everything.  If a heavyweight boxer tells me he can't be as fast as a lightweight boxer I ask him why not?  To take a boxer to the next level you have to train him at a higher level.  Sometimes this means taking him to other gyms for sparring and coaching techniques and sometimes we have to improvise.  One way we might improvise is to put the best boxer into a spar with 2 or even 3 other boxers to improve his/her movement and skills.  This also is a reminder to that boxer that he is of exceptional skill and above the level of the other boxers. At the same time it gives the lesser skilled boxers an opportunity to get in the ring with someone they aspire to be like.... and maybe land a few punches on him/her.   If a boxer struggles with infighting (boxing up close) then I will split the ring into 4 smaller rings making it difficult to 'run away' forcing the boxer to learn how to fight in a smaller space.  I remember an incident many years ago, when Ken Reynolds, my former coach took me on a coaching course.  Ken was an advanced coach and had been teaching boxing for many years and was full of boxing knowledge.  He had studied all forms of boxing and also knew some martial arts. Unbeknownst to me Ken used to teach us techniques that other gyms didn't use.  Tricks of the trade he had picked up over the years from other trainers around the world.    When he saw me sharing this knowledge with a trainer from another gym he quickly came and told me off saying 'they don't know this stuff'  Having the edge over an opponent can often be a simple training method or technique that others are not familiar with.  So I won't share any more ;0)  

Brazilian Futsal Player

In other sports different methods are used to increase skill levels.  For many years the Brazilians were, and to some still are, considered the most naturally gifted footballers in the world.  Their one touch accurate passing and intricate skills were marvelled at by many.  When we look closer into the reasons why this might be we find that in Brazil children are bought up playing a sport called futsal.  which is football played on a much smaller pitch with a smaller and heavier ball.  Futsal players touch the ball six times more often per minute this requires decisions to be made more quickly and the skill level to be higher.  Sharp passing is paramount and the game is all about looking for angles, spaces and quick combinations.   Ball control and vision are crucial, so that when Futsal players play on a full size pitch the feel as if they have acres of space in which to operate.   Almost all of the Brazilian greats played futsal.  Names who played futsal that you may be familiar with are Pele, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Zico

Growth mind-set v fixed mind-set

Those people who firmly believe that talent is genetic, something we were were born with, maybe a gift handed down through generations through gifted relatives can be described as people with a fixed mind-set.  Where as those who believe that intelligence can be transformed  through effort had a growth mind-set.  

In an experiment involving 330 students 10 to 11 year old's all the students were given task. As the tasks got more difficult the students with the fixed mind-sets decided they had reached their level of intelligence and quit the experiment deciding they were not smart enough to go on, where as the growth mind-set group kept looking for answers and had far better results.  The thing is, once we have decided we can't do something it becomes true.  The same can be said about once we decide we can do something.  A fixed mind-set limit a persons beliefs.   I know this personally because I always doubted what I could do as a child. I decided on the subjects I liked and the subjects I didn't like.  The subjects I liked I done well at an the subjects I didn't like I decided were too difficult, or I just blamed the teachers.   

When I flunked Maths and English at CSE level at school at 16 I knew it was because I was not an academic.  When I passed them at the higher GCSE level at college I knew I was wrong when I was 16.  I had a different mind-set at 16.  I knew that as long as I put the work in I would pass both exams.  At 16 I never thought I could pass so why study?  With a growth mind-set you don't need to pretend you are intelligent because you will know you are on the way to getting there. If we adopt the fixed mindset we have already decided we have gone as far as we can go.

missed 26 game-winning shots

The people who progress the furthest are the people who have made the most mistakes. The legendary basketball player Michael Jordan once said in a TV commercial that he had missed more than 9,000 shots, I have lost almost 300 games and 26 times I have been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed.  Michael Jordan is a testament to the growth mind-set and that to become the best player in the world you have to embrace failure. 

Others with a growth mind-set who turned failure into success: 

The Beatles

Turned down by a recording company saying "We don't like their 

sound and guitar music is on the way out"  

Charles Darwin

Was told by his father that he would amount to nothing and be a disgrace to himself and his family 

 Beethoven

Told by a music teacher "as a composer he is hopeless" -

Walt Disney

Fired from a newspaper because he "lacked imagination and had no original ideas" - 

Belief

During the second world war the allied forces decided to launch an attack at Anzio, Northern Italy but it went wrong and the Americans ended up trapped in caves and received far more casualties than the medics could deal with.  Although the casualties kept pouring in the medics had run out of anesthetic.  A young medic, Doctor Henry Beecher from Havard was responsible for treating the injured.  What the doctor decided to do when presented with gaping wounds that needed operating on quickly, was to  administer a salt water injection into the buttocks of the wounded soldiers, instead of morphine before operating.  Beecher found that the soldiers could tolerate the pain equally well after a salt water injection as they did with the morphine.   Just believing they were injected with morphine was enough to take away the pain.  

Muhammad Ali was, according to the media and many of Ali's camp and followers, at 32 years old, well past his best and no match for the younger, fitter and stronger George Foreman who was destroying opponents Ali had struggled against. What the media didn't figure on was Ali's religious beliefs.  Muhammad Ali was  a devout Muslim and believed that Allah would help him defeat the odds.   Ali actually said "How can I lose with Allah on my side?" I remember watching that fight with my father as a ten year old child.  I watched as Muhammad Ali took a tremendous beating for seven rounds.  I was an Ali fan but remember being frightened for Ali.  Foreman was using him as a punchbag.   But somewhere deep inside with the belief that Allah was with him Ali came out in the eighth round and came off the ropes with a 5 punch combination to knock out George Foreman.

Faith helped this born again
atheist to win Olympic Gold

There are lots more stories about God, Allah, Jehovah and how these heavenly bodies have helped people in times of need.  Whether or not you are a believer  in a higher power, having a belief has certainly helped many people.  Jonathon Edwards was a world record triple jumper and an Olympic champion and also a christian.  Every time he attended a competition he would carry a tin of sardines in his kit bag as a reminder of the miracle in bible, telling the story of the feeding of the 5,000.   As he walked to the field of play Edwards whispered a silent prayer "I place my destiny in your hands"  a few hours later he captured the Olympic gold medal making him a household name and securing his status as one of Britain's greatest athletes.  His high status and his faith secured him position presenting   Songs of Praise the most high profile religious programme on British television.   Being retired did not sit comfortably with Edwards.   He realised his sport was a bigger part of his identity than he had previously thought.  He started asking himself questions about his life, his sport and his faith.  He went though a personal crisis and doubted the existence of God.  He retired from his position presenting Songs of Praise and became a born again atheist.  But he is aware of the fact that religion played a huge role in his accomplishing what he did. 

Belief, faith and placebo's are all important when it comes to increasing performance.  I have noticed with my boxing club a huge difference when a boxer has belief and a boxer doesn't.  One of our boxers used to attend classes when he felt the need. When he had a bad day at home or a fall out with another boxer or a girlfriend he might go missing for a week or two so was never really as fit as he should have been.   If we told him he had a fight coming up he would train hard for the fight for a couple of weeks in preparation.   On the night of the fight he would be anxious and worry that his fitness level was not up to scratch and would be a nervous wreck by the time he entered the ring.  Being a southpaw and standing about 6ft tall, weighing only 67 kilogrammes at the time gave him a great advantage over his competitors, plus he is a stylish boxer who boxes off the back foot making it very difficult for boxers to reach him.  After one round of the three round bout he would be very tired, after two rounds he was ready to throw the towel in and after the third and final round he would be exhausted and glad it was all over even before the result of the had been announced.  After winning his first three fights in this manner he then realised that he needed to train harder as the opponents were going to get tougher.  So he attended all the classes and also came to the gym between classes for extra tuition.  His next fight was a home show bout so he wanted to impress.  He was still a little nervous as he was performing in front of 7oo people in his home town but had no worries about his fitness so was confident and looking forward to his bout.  He was boxing a lad who had an identical boxing record as him so we expected a tough fight.  But a clash of styles left him frustrated.  Although throughout the fight he was comfortable with his energy levels and didn't tire between rounds he was frustrated because the other lad didn't seem to want to get involved in a 'fight' and felt, although he had won on all of the judges scorecards, that he had let the public down by under-performing.   After this fight he started to go missing again and would turn up to training make his excuses then leave. We matched him again and took him to box in Slough.  This time the confidence had disappeared.  When he was warming up he complained about tiredness after only a few seconds on the pads so I knew things were not right. Then Just before he stepped into the ring he whispered to me "I am Sh**ting myself.  The bell sounded and it looked as if he may have been on his way to earning another scrappy win when he broke his thumb and the fight was called off. 

Belief comes from many different sources.  We can ask for guidance from our respective God's and we can train hard knowing that the opposing person has not trained as hard or gained the same skill level as we have as we have.... but we must always have belief. As Henry Ford once said " Whether you think you can or think you can't- you're right!" He also said  “Failure is simply an opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.”