Childhood’s End

When the Machado Brothers gave me my Black Belt back in ’97 – they also gave me some solid advice. “You are pretty much the same person tomorrow, that you were yesterday’ Said Rigan ‘ you will win some and you will lose some; don’t worry about it; don’t let the new belt weigh you down’. ‘And remember’ said Jean Jacques, ‘we are not supermen; we can and will make mistakes.’ True words – and good advice.

Our childhood on the mat comes to and end, not when we get a blue belt, a purple belt, a brown belt or even a black belt. Our childhood comes to an end when we are tapped out by someone with a lower rank than ourselves; when we realize that we are only human and can, (and in fact, need to) make mistakes.

A lot of people worry excessively about losing on the mat; but consider, everyone needs to lose. In chess, there are winners and losers, in pretty much every game; it’s the fun of playing that ultimately counts.

JBW

We all fumble …

We are born fumblers. No-one is born knowing how to do anything other than breathe and dirty their diaper. We learn everything else. We learn to walk – unsteadily at first. We learn to talk – unsteadily at first. We learn to play, to ride a bike, to cook food, to write, to sing, to design – all of these things and more – but all, unsteadily at first. Why are we so hard on ourselves? People are, in my experience, very hard on themselves. This is ‘throw-back’ behavior – I think it is a left-over behavior from the days when we lived in small tribes. If we demonstrated to the tribe that we couldn’t hunt well or provide well or be of benefit to the tribe in some way – then we lost standing in the tribe – and that, could mean starvation or even death. Those who were quickly able to demonstrate their capabilities were afforded prestige in the tribe – those who couldn’t – were afforded less prestige. And for much of our history, prestige amongst our peers mean’t an increased chance of survival (better mates, a larger share of food, etc). But the world we live in now is very different; our survival isn’t as strongly connected to how other people see us. We can, to a large degree, survive well without the approval of our peer group. When we are learning new things – we can afford to fail, and fail grandly – the price is no longer what it once was. So take a chance – try that new technique – turn left when you normally would have turned right – experiment – the price-tag is usually affordable.

JBW

Language Barrier ..

In many of my training travels, I found myself in places where I did not speak the local language – but I still managed to learn, and learn well. How? Simple really … I learned by watching – and watching closely. Most of us have this ability – indeed, it is in my opinion, our foremost learning mode. It’s how we learned as children – and for most of us, it’s how we learn as adults. We look, and we emulate – simple as that.

I guess everyone knows this to be the case – but here is something that may not be quite as obvious; a lot of very good learning can by done by listening. If we come across teachers/mentors/people that have something of value to say – we can learn a lot by listening – and listening well.

One of the things I have learned in the teaching of over 25,000 classes – is that most people do not have a natural talent for listening and then translating what they hear, into action. This particular skill is not something that our society readily instills.

In my school, I have an introductory class. In that class, novices are exposed to a number of different training methods – pad-work, clinching, groundwork – even pre-fight management strategies – but they are also being taught to follow detailed verbal instructions; in short, they are taught, how to learn.

Teaching adults how to learn is something that is often overlooked in martial arts schools; and many other types of learning institutions. It is usually assumed that people are adept at learning – but this has not been my experience as a teacher. We all need training in the art of learning …

JBW

My Socratic Approach to BJJ

I guess most of you have heard of Socrates – he was a famous (or more accurately – infamous) Greek philosopher, who stalked the streets of Athens around 400 B.C. Socrates is one of my historical heroes – he was a man short on compromise – in fact, he died for his beliefs - but that's another story.

Socrates was not well-liked; certainly not by the establishment – because he always asked the hard questions; in doing so, he rocked the status quo and eventually was brought up on charges for ‘inciting the youth’ – and ‘living impiously’. he questioned - constantly - he couldn't not question - one of his famous sayings went something like "An unexamined life - is a life not worth living". 

Socrates had a method of teaching that to a large extent underpins how I approach my own teaching. He had his students engage in ‘argument’ as a means of strengthening their respective positions. I like to think of this as ‘resistance training’ for the mind. The body doesn’t ‘adapt/change’ unless we apply pressure – and the same goes with our thinking. This, in my humble opinion, is what Socrates was doing with his ‘debative approach’ to learning.

I think of the evolution of martial arts/BJJ in the same way; we contest/we grapple/we fight as a means of strengthening each other’s technique and strategy. For Socrates, it was not about winning or losing – it was about uncovering ‘truth’. For me, as  martial artist, it is not about winning or losing – it is about uncovering weakness and developing better strategy and technique. We contest – we argue – we strengthen each others position. We are in it together – for this common outcome. This is my Socratic approach … hope it helps someone.

JBW 

Prioritising …

The art of prioritisation is one that is well worth cultivating.

If you want to build a strong competitive game on the mat – you are best off starting by prioritizing your ‘plan of action’ in each position. When it comes to the crunch – those who act immediately and decisively when a given situation arises, usually do much better than those who do not. The construction on a good ‘game plan’ begins with ‘ordering’ or ‘prioritizing’ the possible actions or paths (read: techniques) we could execute in any given situation.

This is very much in contrast to ‘free-flow’ roiling – wherein we do not want to prioritize but rather react and experiment with different (even novel) reactions to events as they arise.

Neither approach is better than the other – they both offer different pay-offs. Prioritizing (developing a very specific game-plan) builds ‘depth’ and ‘intent’ – whereas Free-flow reacting develops ‘breadth’ and ‘adaptability’.

In life away from the mat – again, both approaches provide benefits. Free-flow living builds character, adaptability; an understanding of the bigger picture – but prioritizing allows us to get things done – to achieve – to build wealth – to hit goals.

And again – it is a blending of the two approaches – a balance of both, that achieves the best results of all.

JBW

Some of my Game-changers …

Understanding the importance of being able to distinguish between fact and opinion

-       Understanding that we build trust by making small promises and keeping them

-       Understanding that we achieve by identifying the step-by-step process that leads to where we want to be and then by taking massive action on the first step in that process

-       Understanding that both big picture and deep focus are vital for a balanced, healthy and effective approach to almost anything

-       Understanding that living with passion and a sense of purpose is fundamental to happiness in life

-       Understanding that longevity and sustainability are vital elements of success in many facets of our lives

-       Understanding that time passes whether we realize it or not

-       Understanding that there is great fulfillment in helping others achieve their goals

-       Understanding that despite our predilection for both reflection and forward planning, being more in the now, being fully present, is an enriching and effective way to spend our time

JBW

Changing the Game ...

I have always had an inclination toward changing the game ….

By this, I mean, I was always, for as long as I can remember; slightly dissatisfied with the status quo – with the way things were done – with the way teachers taught, with the way I learned – with the way things could’ve been designed a little better, with the way things were explained to me … etc.

Being a Game-changer is about being curious – about being dissatisfied – about being ill-content with the state of something – and then DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT. And that is the key – the Doing Something; the being dissatisfied part is easy, it’s coming up with a solution or process that leads us toward a better Something, that separates the Game-changer from the rest. Mozart was a Game-changer, as was Charles Darwin, as was Galileo, Isaac newton, Thomas Edison - as was Peter Jackson as was Helio Gracie as was Mohammed Ali, and Robert de Niro and Tiger Woods and Charlie Chaplin, Bruce Lee – the list goes on, and always will …

Game-changers must care little about what others think of them – well, they can care, but they musn’t allow that caring to prevent them from walking their own path. I remember very clearly, some thirty years ago, being ridiculed by the martial arts community for talking about how we should combine stand-up, with takedowns and groundwork. ‘You can’t do that’, ‘those things don’t mix’, ‘why would you want to?’ – and ‘can’t you make up your mind?’ were typical of the comments thrown my way.

Most people, I learned very early, were not as open to the idea of changing the game as was I. Game-changing was seen as a departure from what was already perfectly fine … Game-changing was the habit those who couldn’t get their act together – it was risky business, viewed by most as foolhardy or the business of the desperate. Game-changing isn’t for everyone, it is, quite obviously, only of interest to those who actually WANT to change the Game. And the Game, once changed – will attract a multitude of staunch supporters, all claiming that it needs to be preserved exactly ‘as is’ – because now, finally, this latest model – is JUST RIGHT – and need never be changed again. Many Game-changers will even joined the ranks of those newly converted supporters – but a few Game-changers will rise again and push and prod at the edges until something even better emerges.

JBW