A high performance mentality: Basketball star and Royal Marine Jordan Dawes
“There’s a saying we have in the Corps – ‘that’ll do’ will never do,” says Jordan Dawes, Royal Marines Lance Corporal and City of Birmingham Rockets basketball star.
It’s a mindset the 30-year-old lives by in his multi-faceted career as a military commando, sportsman and fitness entrepreneur.
Solihull-born Dawes knew the Marines would be his calling if a career in the professional leagues failed to take off.
He joined the Corps seven years ago, having finished his contract with then British Basketball League club Worcester Wolves.
Yet, his two passions remain inextricably linked.
Alongside his military service, Dawes continues to represent the Rockets - with whom he spent his junior career - and has been integral to their rise to National Basketball League Division One.
He has also turned out for the Marines, Royal Navy and UK Armed Forces basketball teams in international competition.
Whether on forces duty or the basketball court, Dawes channels the same high-performance mentality.
“The Marines is known for having some of the toughest training in the world,” he said.
“But knowing I can do it has given me confidence in so many areas of my life. And when you overcome challenges in sport or within the military, it makes some of the things you worry about on day-to-day basis pale into insignificance.
“It’s about creating high standards for yourself. There is so much that runs parallel (between basketball and the military) in terms of communication and relationships.
“When the stakes are high, you have to find a way of getting things done in a manner that pays off for everybody.”
During the 2023-24 season, the Rockets, who work with around 1,300 young boys and girls across the West Midlands, collaborated with the Marines and Navy in a partnership designed to showcase forces career opportunities.
In 2023, the Nechells-based club also became the 1,000th West Midlands organisation to sign the Armed Forces Covenant - pledging support to the work of the forces and cadets.
Advocacy is an important part of Dawes’ duties. As well as his specialism in heavy weapons, he works with the Marines and Navy’s Positive Action Team to help those under-represented in today’s military – particularly women and ethnic minorities – join the Services.
The rewarding role involves hosting seminars, engaging with young people and even starring in recruitment adverts.
“One of the biggest things is being seen in our uniform,” he explains. “It allows kids that look like us to aspire to do this job.
“It’s about recruitment and improving representation, which can be a tough battle. But it increases awareness and allows people to change their lives - because it really can.
“And a lot of people don’t realise there are 147 different roles you can do in the Navy, it’s not just soldiering.
“So, the skills that you can leave with and everything else that you can take away far outweigh any of the ‘dangers’ that people might associate with it.”
So, who inspired Dawes’ own ascent through military ranks?
Both his parents had distinguished careers in public service with the police.
Dad and Rockets chairman Kirk is a former detective, high-risk mediator and Queen’s Police Medal recipient, while mum Debra was a murder squad detective.
“With the careers my parents had, there were always conversations at home that you probably wouldn’t have in most houses.
“I guess it gave me the desire to do something exciting. But I also saw the respect they generated – not for external validation but the respect I had for them. I loved listening to their stories.
“I looked at the Marines a thought ‘this is something that suits me’ but also carried a lot of the shared morals and values that I’d been brought up with.”
Dawes has added another string to his bow by co-founding Phyz Factory, an online fitness and performance coaching business, alongside fellow athletes and forces personnel.
He applies the same values that have enabled him to thrive as a basketball player and serviceman.
“It was never supposed to be a business but it was born out of people asking us to post workouts online.
“Then we started selling a few T-shirts and it just grew. We focus on three pillars – fitness, mindset and nutrition.
“We've got a rehab team, performance nutritionists and elite coaches, both mindset and physical.
“Fitness is an important element to my life. I love it and think it comes down to lessons I’ve learned from sport and the military – being able to push yourself further.”