Former Great Britain boxing coach shares how ‘brain gym’ in Brierley Hill is helping him move forward

Dillon, who retired last year, has helped coach some of the sport’s biggest stars including Anthony Joshua, Amir Khan, James DeGale, Luke Campbell and Nicola Adams and was part of the GB Boxing coaching staff that prepared boxers for the Olympic Games in London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 where the team won 14 medals.

He has been a coach for more than 35 years and has had spells as head coach at Warley ABC, Lions ABC Brierley Hill and Stourbridge Boxing Academy.

The 65-year-old says he was suffering from anxiety attacks, depression and a lack of sleep at night but was not keen on speaking to a therapist about his problems.

Through his son, Kevin, Dillon was recommended to try the UK’s first ‘brain gym’ in Brierley Hill called Spartannn Brain Gym which opened iN December at the sight of the Lions club.

The company was set-up before Christmas by Doctor Emily Barney, primarily for men in the area who ‘want to sort their head out’.

It provides special one-to-one personal training for mental fitness and replaces a therapist with a ‘brain trainer’ combining modern psychotherapeutic methods with the most comprehensive knowledge of how the brain works.

The trainer helps deliver practical brain exercises which can help activate different parts of the brain so that good chemicals such as serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin and endorphins can be produced, building mental strength, power and endurance to lead a fuller and better life.

Bob said: “During my boxing coaching career and since retiring, I was having anxiety attacks, felt depressed, and was experiencing sleepless nights and it was basically because, for all this time, I had forgotten to look after me.

“Even though I loved working with GB Boxing, had a fantastic lifestyle as I got to travel all over the world to lots of different countries, there were still times when I was very unhappy. I think a lot of the time the problem is we’re ‘programmed’ to dwell on our failures in life, rather than our successes.

" Kevin got me in touch with Spartannn and I decided to go along to it and, to be honest, it was a complete surprise how good I felt even after that first session.

"After four weeks I felt more focused, more confident, and more motivated. The concept is so simple and it really, really works.

" I don’t suffer from any type of stress attacks anymore and I can sleep better at night now.”