The TRACK ...

My good friend Dave Meyer said something interesting the other day; and it is this …
Ultimately, it’s not whether we stay on track that counts; rather, it’s all about our ability to GET BACK ON TRACK that eventually determines our success in things. I really like this; for one reason, it allows for failure – albeit temporary failure. As is always the case with deep-principles, we can apply this across the board, in our BJJ practise, our diet, our relationships, our finances, etc.
You might have an exercise regime that you follow, which is eventually interrupted by your vacation. Upon arriving back home from a vacation (one that perhaps included little or no exercise) it can be difficult to get back into our usual routine – that’s because we have now (post-holiday) established a ‘new’ routine. Getting back on track is a great habit to develop. Be okay with splurging every now and then with our diet; sure, have a bit of cake, or drink a soft drink or beer, but then do the important thing – get back on track. Don’t make the ‘slip-up’ a new habit!
You might, for one reason or another, fall away from training on the mat for a week or two, or a month – but that’s okay, if you have the ability to get back on track and take up where you left off.
Getting back on track is a skill that will serve us well throughout the course of our lives. It allows for the occasional break in routine – which life will undoubtedly throw our way.

JBW

CHIP AWAY …

Be a grinder. Grind away – little by little move forward toward the solution or the goal. This is something I have learned through my martial arts practise and my time on the mat. Originally, I applied this strategy to my escapes … realising that the solution was almost never to found in the concept of ONE BIG MOVE – but rather in a patient series of small moves – ‘annoy your way out’, Jean Jacques Machado used to urge me. Eventually I realised that the very same strategy, ‘bit by bit’ also worked off the mat and in other areas of my life.
I am not waiting for the ‘one big break’, or once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to achieve financial freedom or pay of my house, for example – I grind, a little every day, and TIME takes care of the rest. Our natural impatience can be a real enemy; in wanting an immediate answer to any problem, we can often delay or put off taking the many small (seemingly insignificant) steps that would have led to an eventual solution. Grind away.
And here’s the kicker … there can be real pleasure and joy in the GRIND. The grind, can, to a degree, define who we are. As an old friend of mine used to say ‘ we are what we do the most’ … so chip away – and eventually, arrive.
Best wishes
JBW

THE GREAT ESCAPE

One of the most common questions I am asked – at all levels (including Black Belt) is – how to effect a good escape from Side Control – as applied by someone who knows how to do so effectively. It's one thing to escape the Side Control of someone who has virtually no skills - but then again, how would such a person establish a solid Side Control on an experienced grappler in the first place? Unlikely.
We should understand from the very outset - that escaping Side COntrol is not necessarily an easy task. If the person who has you pinned in Side Control is good – and presumably they are because they have passed your Guard and have you pinned – then we shouldn’t expect this to be all that easy. But I will demonstrate a simple variation on the basic method in the attached video clip; one that might make our efforts more fruitful. Pay careful attention to the ‘not so obvious’ detail here – is in the ANGLE at which we apply our BRIDGE, before we hip away and insert the TIP of our knee. Please watch closely; I am sure it will help.
From a broader perspective, it is also a good idea to think of our escapes in terms of 'problem solving' - and the way to solve problems is to slice them up into manageable portions. Trying to solve complex problems with a SINGLE DEFINITIVE SOLUTION is usually ineffectual. Problems that have a high level of complexity almost always require a multi-step solution.
Whether it's a rock-climbing problem, a financial problem, a relationship problem or a BJJ problem ... start out with the notion that we will need to invest ourselves in the process of the solution as opposed to looking for a single, easy trick to fix things. The key to a good solution is almost always in the fine details.
Best wishes
JBW

To CRUSH or not to CRUSH

When we all start out on the mat, we are way to loose, we allow too much space (when on top on our opponent) and we find it difficult to prevent our opponent from moving. So slowly, over time, we learn to apply our weight more effectively, and we learn to eliminate both ‘space’ and our opponent’s ability to move freely. In short – and to put it crudely – we learn to CRUSH!
Once we learn to CRUSH, we feel a lot better (certainly better than our partner) as the struggle/fight becomes much more predictable. It becomes more predictable, because our opponent CANNOT move. This gives us a sense of control; and as long as we are in danger of losing the control we have over our opponent, the tendency is to remain in CRUSH-mode; but where to from here?
NOW this next part, takes a certain amount of courage – and what I mean by this, is that we need to care a little less about the consequences of our strategy … you may try this, and it you may lose control of your opponent, and be ‘tapped’ as a result … but this is a small price to pay for the benefits you will eventually gain, which are many …
Once you are able to establish CONTROL over your opponent, back off with the pressure a little and (as Jean Jacques Machado used to tell me) ‘let the mouse run’! If we just continue to CRUSH our opponent, we get to KEEP our position but we do not develop great FINISHING abilities. We need our opponent to expose their arms, and necks to our attacks (if we want to ‘finish) and to do that, we need them to MOVE. BUT NOT TOO MUCH …
As we become more and more able to exert a good measure of control over our opponent (WHILST HE/SHE IS IN MOTION) then we greatly increase our number of attack/finishing opportunities … we also develop our cognitive and decision-making capabilities; we learn to spot and capitalize on opportunities in MID-FLIGHT; this takes training, and a WILLINGNESS TO MOVE and ALLOW our opponent some degree of freedom. Our goal is to eventually be able to exert the same measure of control over our opponent whether he or she is moving or being pinned thoroughly.
This training strategy is very powerful – while being totally counter-intuitive. Please try it … be happy with failing – and try some more.
Train smart,
JBW

Spring Training

Spring in the antipodes ... I love this time of year.
After a relatively tough year - a few operations behind me and having had my eldest son's life hanging in the balance for a good part of it - plus my usual workload (and a bit extra) - I am feeling pretty good about the change of season. I am getting into some pre-summer conditioning and getting back into grappling in my evening classes - nice! My rehab is gradually morphing into a kind of pre-season conditioning.
I should get around to doing a short film clip of my strength and conditioning work if any are interested .. it is usually based on one variation or other of the Tabata protocol: Eg: 30 seconds of intense work followed by 15 seconds of rest (used to transition to the next exercise) - times 6 exercises. After a minute rest, I repeat it three more times. Today was tough ... leaving me shell-shocked for an hour or two after the session was finished. Still, it is very time-efficient and very effective, working both aerobic, anaerobic and muscular endurance systems at the same time. Sometimes I work 20 seconds of work, ten second break - times eight exercises/tasks - repeated four or five times.
I am loving being back on my mat after being away for several weeks. The mat and training culture at my school in Geelong, is simply the best! it is a great place to be - with a super-positive and friendly atmosphere underpinning a strong and intelligent training ethic. Visitors are always made to feel most welcome - and almost always their comments revolve around a description of how included they felt and how much they walked away with at the end of the class ... just how I like it; after all, it is my home; and I am becoming more and more selective (as I get older) as to who I like to have in my home.
I have a string of weekend seminar circuits ahead of me over the next month or so - but this only means I leave home friday nights and am back home by sunday night - so it doesn't interfere with my normal week at all. This circuit will be my last for 2010; culminating with my visit to New Zealand in mid november. I look forward to that!
Well, time for food, a little rest and some precious time with my wonderful family.
More to come soon,
best wishes
JBW

Tapping: an arrow to something

How’d you go?
I have heard students pose this question, countless times, after a night of training. More often than should be the case, the answer ‘good’ or not so good’ is derivative of whether or not they tapped their opponent in whether they themselves tapped out.
It is of course, nice to tap out our partner; as it validates our training and affirms that we are able to make some of our submissions work. When we ourselves are submitted, we should realise that this is a good thing and all part and parcel of the learning/betterment process. In short, tapping is an arrow that points to a weakness in our game or strategy. Tapping, means something happened that we would rather not have happened; it illuminates the fact, that something went wrong. This is a good thing, this is exactly how we learn new behaviours, and develop new ideas.
The larger part of our learning (certainly the most accelerated learning we do) occurs during our very early childhood. We try things out, we fail (constantly) we adapt our behaviours, try new things and make wonderful discoveries. Exactly the same process happens on the mat. Because it is a combative art that we practise, we tend to equate ‘losing/tapping as a failure that has consequence – but does it really have a consequence (other than learning)? What if it were a jigsaw puzzle we were trying to solve – and we tried one piece and it didn’t fit – would we feel bad? I very much doubt it. We’d simply try again, and again and again – until we succeeded. So much of what feel and how we react to things is really just a construct built on how we perceive the world … sometimes it’s worth, thinking again.
JBW

Beneath the Surface

I jumped on the plane at dawn in Oslo (norway), flew to London, then to Hong Kong and then back to Australia; 25 hours of travel. After 12 hours rest at home with my family, I am once again at the airport.
More than once, on my recent European trip, people commented to me that they would love to live the life I enjoy. Some went further, and asked how they too, could do this kind of work – teaching martial arts, designing training for the military, writing books, etc. Whist I respect the love for martial arts training that these people have, I also doubt whether many truly understand the whole story of the drama that is my life. As my friend Geoff Thompson says “ Anyone can do these things if they too, are willing to do the things we do” – true enough.

For one thing, my job (if it can be called that) has many faces – and requires more than one skill-set. I make my living by running a successful martial arts school, teaching private lessons, writing books, authoring DVD’s and the like, dabbling in property development, travelling to conduct seminars, working for military and law enforcement organizations, etc. There is no one course that anyone can do to acquire the skill-sets necessary to do these things effectively and at a high level … this requires constant learning, investment in the self, experimentation, a willingness to fail, energy, focus and sacrifice. A few of the things I invest time in to do the work I do:

- Learn to communicate effectively
- Learn how to learn effectively
- Learn how other people learn effectively
- Learn how problem solving works
- Learn other languages
- Learn how cultural differences influence learning
- Learn to make distinctions: very fine distinctions
- Learn whose who in the zoo: hang with the lions, avoid the snakes
- Learn the importance of always keeping our promises: large and small
- Martial arts practise – experiment, learn test and re-test
- Constantly update and live at the ‘bleeding edge’ of that practise
- Learn how things work in the world: property, investment, travel, finances, etc
- Be adaptable
- Develop and maintain a work-ethic
- Work on my own fitness (in all things)
- Be congruent
- Be generous
- Be happy
- Study people, their behaviours, their motivations, etc
- Find time for myself and my family, learn to re-create
- Read a book per week – minimum
- Remind myself what is really important again and again …

Most people are fully capable of creating for themselves, the life they want, provided they are willing to do the necessary work – ... but therein lies the catch. Provided ....

Most of my life is great fun and challenging, both mentally and physically; but some of it can be a bit of a grind. If I have to be somewhere, because I have made a commitment to do so, where I am ill, injured, recovering from an operation, or recently back from a 25 hour flight from Europe, I need to ‘suck it up’ and do it. Things do not always go to plan or line up the way they should – but that’s all part of the work. Don’t misunderstand, I love my work, but sometimes things are not what they seem on the outside. Imagine a duck, gliding smoothly across the un-rippled surface of a pond – it all seems so serene and effortless – but beneath the surface, those legs are going a hundred mile an hour.
Seemingly effortless athletic prowess, or success in life is usually a result of a lot of ‘unseen effort’ – there’s usually an aweful lot going on beneath the surface.
If you are willing to do what it takes, you can live the life you want … if!
JBW