A vid clip experiment

Hi all,
this is just an experiemnt that i am doing with video clip uploads to google - if it works, you should be able to access a litle clip I have just put together of some of the classes I have taken over the pst few weks. The quality is poor but- it serves as a start to my idea of getting the odd clip up for you to view.
Good training,
JBW

Attack from the mount video clip ...

Hi everyone,
I have just uploaded a small video clip of a fundamental but very high percentage attack from the mount position - onto video.google.com. Here is the address, if you would like to check it out:
Safe training,
JBW

• ATTACK FROM MOUNT

The Southpaw Advantage ...

There is merit in being unorthodox. The most obvious reason is the tactical advantage it gives us over the greater training population. The technqiues that pop up most frequently on the mat are the ones that everyone learns to counter most quickly. Those techniques that only pop up occasionlly, are not seen regularly enough for organic counters to spread and thrive. Hence - the southpaw advantage. So far - so obvious ..

Consider this though .. this is how the evolutionary process is driven. )hope I don't offend too many here) But it goes like this: Over time, loads of new animals are born - and loads of genetic freaks are included in these new populations. every now and then, one of these 'freakish traits' just happens to have to give the animal an edge over the rest of the population for some reason (maybe thicker fur - and winter is coming on). Sio this animal tends to mate with another, or for whatever reason, this 'freakish trait' is passed on - and so that 'new and variant species' now lives where others die out. And so, evolution ..

Same goes for the mat. BJJ is driven by Darwinian forces - new and 'freakish' techniques are thought up, or accidentally discovered, they 'work' and so we continue to use them, until they are usurped by other techniques.

I encourage the development of individual 'speciality' moves after blue belt level to help give rise to this process. it's good for the mat - the local 'species' become innoculated to the 'new technique' (develop the counter) and so the process goes.

Stay safe - train smart.

JBW

What a great night it was at Dominance Jiu Jitsu academy last night.
I was proud to present the following ranks:
Dan Toole - purple belt
Doug Meijer - brown belt
Oliver Murray - brown belt
and to top the night off:
Murray Ballenden - Black Belt.

This makes Dominance one of the most 'top heavy' schools in Australia with two black belts and a stack of brown belts regularly hitting the floor. Congratulations to all of the above, but also, big kudos to Cam Rowe and Dave Hart for making it a great place to train.

Murray - you are simply great! What a long way you have come since I first met you over at 's school in Christchurch - New Zealand. It was great to have Geoff on the phone last night and bring him into the occasion. he is a true martial artist - a caring and empowering coach - and a good friend of mine (I am proud to say!) We both wish you all the best Murray - and know you will represent us in all the ways that matter.
best wishes all,
JBW

Gearing up for the 2006 Nationals.

Only a month to go before several hundred BJJ competitors gather in Melbourne for the 2006 Will-Machado Nationals. I am busy organzing the draws, the venue and the various sponsorship packages. This should be our best year yet, with the event being held in the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre for the first time.

We will have four mats running - and with all going as smoothly as last time, expect to be all wound up before sunset, leaving the evening free for people to head out together and enjoy Melbourne's nightlife.

Rigan Machado will be there as a guest referee for any black belt matches that may be set up. We shall wait and see how things shape up in that regard. Several black belt have expressed interest!

Our annual competition is a unique event. It is as much a social gathering as it is a serious BJJ tournament. I am overjoyed to see competitors leaving the mats together, to exchange ideas and thoughts on the technqiues and strategies they had bought to bear against each other only minutes earlier! You just don't see that anywhere else!

A lot of work goes on behind the scenes though; I couldn't possibly run the event without the tremendous support and help from a fantastic team of volunteers. This year will be no different! So thank you all in advance!

So if you are thinking of entering - don't wait! Entry forms and info on the comp can be downloaded from our our homepage. Get organized now for the best BJJ event of the year. And keep the Sunday afterward open - as Rigan Machado will be holding seminars at Dominance Jiu Jitsu Academy in Melbourne. Again, download the poster from our homepage.

Best wishes and good training to all,
regards,
JBW

Transitions Training = Brainfood

If the secret to ground control is 'Position -position-position' then the secret to ground strategy is 'transition-transition-transition'. hey - that's pretty good - I should write that down!

Transitioning is all about movement - not holding position but morphing from one position to another to keep 'ahead of the opponent'. When you begin to lose a position, you don't hold it - you move on to another - and keep ahead in the 'thinking stakes'.

Transitioning develops in us, the ability to recognize:
- what's coming next
- were we should bail to when we are losing position
- an instinct for seeing attack possibilities 'around the corner'
etc - etc

We can practice transitioning skills by linking together approproate techniques in threes, four's or five's - and running through the sequence with a partner at ever increasing speeds - or we can spar with the 'no-holding' rule. Ie: once you get a position, you either attack or move on within two breaths. This keeps the thing running at good pace - and will build good transitions. This is what happens organically when we wrestle with no gi!

Food for thought -
good training,
JBW

Who are your friends ...

I write this with some small amount of trepidation, as I do not want to come across as an elitist in any way - but I feel that is worth saying - and perhaps more importantly, worth hearing.

As the old saying goes - "You will never soar like an eagle if you're hanging out with turkeys".
Well, that can often present a problem in the martial arts - no, not like you think - it's not so much that there are too many 'turkeys' in the martial arts industry , as I suspect there are turkeys in every industry and you'll find them wherever you are - but rather, I do find that martial artists can be a rather 'loyal' bunch, and sometimes this loyalty (a fine trait) can be misplaced - forcing us to hold on when at times it makes more sense just to 'let go!'

I learned a long time ago - to a large extent, each of us is somewhat a product (wrong word but you know what I mean) of that group of people with whom we spend out time. My advice is this - not new advice by any means - but be careful who you spend your time with .... surround yourself with like-minded people - positive people - people who are interested in bettering themselves through learning and application - people who are not afraid to take risks - people who know the true meaning of the much bandied 'win-win' - people who are uplifting rather than down-pulling - people who will acknowledge your accomplishments and not see accomplishment as competition - people who see the 'big picture' - people who know you for the person you are and not just the person that the world sees - people who support, share, love and live life to the fullest. These are the people we all should learn to recognize and allow into our lives - you cannot help but benefit by being in their company.

I have a variety of friends - martial arts friends, business friends, family friends, fishing friends; all have something great to offer. But here's the harsh bit (please do not think less of me) - life is short, time is too precious - sometimes we need to move on (or away) from spending time with those people who are not a good and positive influence in our lives. It's not their fault - it;s often just who and where they are in that point in time.

Anyways - to finish on a positive note - it is no co-incidence that I surround myself with positive people and find that positive things keep happening in my life. People often comment to me that I seem to know lot of 'way cool' people, or succesful people - or amazing martial artists, etc - beleive me, it is no co-incidence. It is all about the choices we make.
Good training - choose wisely!
JBW

PS; The added pic is of yours truly accepting an award from Chuck Norris recently in the USA.

Making use of downtime ...

Just got home on from my trip around New Zealand. It was great to catch up with everyone there - and the seminars were all pretty much packed. Due to a shocker of a back injury, the whole event was a little tougher than usual - but all went well nevertheless!

Bad injuries do not sit well with me. I become frustrated at not being able to do my job as well as I would like - but on the upside, when I am incapacitated, I usually find something positive comes out of it. These last few days have seen me pretty much laid up - so I got a new laptop (can't sit) so I could recline and do some work. I have spent the time working on learning some new software that came with the new Mac laptop. This is almost certainly not learning that I would have undertaken had I been mobile and healthy. So there's always an upside!

I have also worked out how to multiple video conference whilst I am on the road. it was great to be able to 'see' my family, from a hotel room in Wellington - NZ! Great Mac technology.

I remember writing one of my books whilst I was laid up after knee surgery some time back. Funny how quite often, when we are not working, and we have the time to learn and create, we can often make more money than when we are grinding it out physically (not that I wouldn't ind be able to do that right now!)

Next time you are laid up - consider doing some leqrning that you would not have otherwise undertaken. I guarantee you it will be a rewarding experience.
Stay well - enjoy yout training. I'll be back into it myself real soon.

JBW

To Wellington ...

What a great night at Shayne Cox's school. We went through some entering to clinch work before settling down to work escapes on the mat. The class was packed, as usual, and all did well right through the entire three hour session.
Dinner with Shayne afterward, saw us talking 'shop' til midnight. Now I'm on the plane heading to Wellington where I'll catch up with Geoff Grant and Ko Ranchod when I'll be asking Geoff to help me with a few computer dramas I am having. Trying to video conference from my laptop whilst sitting in Starbucks is proving to be more difficult than I had envisaged. It seems I need to be on some kind of weird telecom plan, especially set up for that purpose. I thought that all I had to do was find some 'hotspot' and I would be up and running. Damn!
Apart from this hiccup, I have to say that I do highly recommend the Macs - I love being able to -ichat (video conference) a couple of close martial arts friends and talk training 'eye to eye' - from one side of the world to the other. I have even done some teaching via video conferencing - way cool!
I also need to check out how to get pics up on this blog - I have some fun shots from my recent USA visit that I would like to share. if I can't do that - I'll drop them up on the main site.
Better go - we are heading down (controlled landing) - good training till next time.
JBW

PS: Here's a neat pic snapped in Las Vegas two weeks ago - 'Man bites Dog!' (Yours truly chomping on Gene LeBell's ear - yum!)

NZ Travels ...

At the moment I am sitting at the Auckland airport waiting for my flight to Napier. I have just taught three seminars in Auckland (after having been down at Geoff Aitken's school in Christchurch), one for Glen Tarrant, one for Micahel Fooks and one yesterday for Karl Norton - all went well despite a severe tear in my lower back. I have never been one for pain killers, but as I could barely walk to the check-in counter on my way to NZ, I had to take medical advice and down some heavy duty pain killers. This stuff wreaks havoc with your system but at times like this, it seems necessary.
Despite the heavy dosage that I need to walk onto the mat, my head remains relatively clear and so the sessions have been good. At least that is the feedback I have received - I hope they are not just being polite. I pride myself on being able to 'deliver' and give people what they need to improve as martial artists. (A huge thanks to those who were assisting me with demonstrations during the seminars - I could not have done it without you!)
Anyways, Napier, here I come. Visiting Shane Cox and the Hawkes Bay gang is always a lot of fun. They are a great group to work with - fully engaged and eager to soak up the info. besides, they always give me a box of stale licorice (my biggest vice) after each session - I love that - and really appreciate the thought. They have to buy it three months early, open it up to the air - to make it hard and stale! What an effort!
After Napier, I am off to Wellington to work at the Police College with the New Zealand Police Defensive Tactics Cell and the Diplomatic Protection Squad before teaching for good friend Geoff Grant at the Mt Victoria Dojo on wednesday night.
I love my New Zealand trips - the people are the friendliest you'll ever meet - the countryside and wilderness can only be described as spectacular (the flyfishing is amazing - but that's another story) and the BJJ level is continuing to climb at an exponential rate.
Enough for now - time to board my flight. See you all back home in a few days.
JBW

100 little things ...

It may be said that 'talent'' allows us to hit a target that most people cannot hit - wheras 'genius allows us to hit a target that no-one else can see.' In the teaching of martial arts - and in trying to get people over the hurdles and finally to a place that allows them to truly flourish, can be a tricky business. One of the most common troubles that people seem to have is they are continully looking for 'the answer' to a problem they are having - wheras the solution, in my experience at least, is usually found in a dozen (or a hundred) little things.

"But I still can't escape form side control' they lament - 'show me another escape' - well, escaping side control is just a problem - and like most problems, the total answer is found in the correct usage of a series of smaller answers. The devil is in the details they say - another truism - not in any one detail but in the synergistic effect found by bringing the correct amount of details together to overcome the problem.

What is the secret of building a good, strong martial arts school? Well, it ain't one thing - it's a hundred little things. Want to get 100 more students, do a hundred more little things. Want to improve your business - again, 100 little things - want to pass that impassable guard - it's the serie of small, little details that will serve as the beginning of a solution, not any one 'obvious secret' - think about it, if the answer to tricky problems was to be found in one solitary solution, then most everyone would be stumbling across that solution.

So when trying to overcome difficulties with our training, be mindful of the fact that it may be a dozen little things that we need to do - and not one major thing.
Good luck with your training -
best wishes,
JBW