Anthony Klenczar

I do not have a long career as a fencer to fall back on having only found the sport at the age of thirty- five. My time as a fencer was short but competitive, I always strived to be the best I could be but soon realized I could offer more as a coach. Most of my coaching career has been done on a voluntary basis, I was fortunate enough to have a twenty-six year career in policing, the last eighteen years I spent as an operational sergeant developing numerous teams both individually and collectively. This has given me a broad knowledge of diversity, equality, empathy, tactics and techniques. The environment was one of experiential learning with a wide range of feedback on performance, I supervised safeguarding of people at their most vulnerable and went through massive highs and lows with my teams, I learned how to deal with real pressure. I spent the last two years of my career as an assessor for all newly promoted sergeants in the force, assessing them through their qualification in police first line management. I have around sixteen years coaching experience, I started with beginners at Wingerworth fencing club where I was a founder member on the first beginners’ course; I worked my way through the BAF coaching courses and in 2013 achieved a level 5 Diploma Epee qualification. In my time as a coach, I have been able to transfer my skills from policing it’s all very similar; I was a big part of building Wingerworth Fencing Club which I left in 2019. In 2015 I opened the Derbyshire Epee Academy, this has become my main focus where I have developed GB cadets, juniors and seniors. Fortunately, I have had all my fencing success as a coach, winning National titles with the following fencers: Senior Commonwealth Men's Epee Champion with Matt Cooper Junior World Championship bronze medal with James Jeal Junior European team medals with James Jeal and Joe Walmsley Four Senior British Championships, British University Champion and Elite Epee Grand Final with Hannah Lawrence British Junior Champion and runner up, Elite Epee Grand Final, BUCs runner up and 12th place at the Junior European Championships with Matt Cooper British U-23 Champion, British Junior Champion, British Youth Champion, EYC and 27th place at the Junior European Championships with James Jeal. British Cadet Champion and runner up, British Youth Champion with Joshua Goh Hannah Lawrence, Jayne Ward and Hannah Nesbitt have won commonwealth team medals. I believe above all that hard work and quality practice get these results; it is the quality things you and your pupils do every day that achieve success.