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25.01.2022 Here's a book I picked up in the 90's (I think) - and it features a photo essay on Rickson Gracie ... a really great book - by the famous photographer Bruce Webber.

25.01.2022 1st round of seminars in Sydney for 2020 - this coming weekend. Arm getting better every day - should be able to fool everyone into thinking I am fully capable.... See everyone soon ... classes tonight at Redcat, privates with some of my long-time black belts in the morning - a quick gym session ... then off to the airport after lunch. See more

21.01.2022 Shitty Trevor knows he's sick, still goes out and about. But good Trevor doesn't know he's sick and still goes out and about. Don't hate good Trevor - he's just doing his part to build 'herd immunity'.

21.01.2022 The most import question for me ... in no longer how - but why? I have asked how ... a lot in my life. But this past decade, I find myself asking a differ...ent question ... why?. How? - is often an easy question to answer - but why? - that requires some thinking. Knowing why we are doing something, allows us to construct a better - how. On the mat we might ask how we execute the crucifix position, or some De la Riva sweeps, for example ... but in my opinion, we should start with asking why we are even thinking about those positions. Why are we thinking about the crucifix? Why are we thinking about De la Riva? In answering why? ... we come to realise that we might be thinking about crucifix when we have the opponents arm trapped in between our legs ... we might be thinking about the De la Riva when the opponent has stepped in between our legs to initiate a knee-cut pass the why gives us context and meaning ... and develops understanding. Understanding the why is actually the impetus that allows Jiu Jitsu to progress and evolve. Pic: Caio Terra delivering technical treats at Redcat Academy.

21.01.2022 2020 vision .... I have, thus-far, experienced a life of extremes. I have, as strange as it may seem to some, been equally happy sleeping in a cardboard box or... living in my current perfect lair. So this is my wish for each and every one of you - to be replete with happiness and lust-for-life, regardless of your personal circumstances. Circumstances can change. Each day presents new possibilities. If you have not yet met the love of your life - he or she might be just around the corner. Choose carefully, how, where and with whom you spend your time! Avoid activities that do not nourish you and dont waste time with inauthentic people. Finally, remember that feelings are your own creation ... and an optimistic outlook is often merely matter of choice. Have an awesome 2020! See more

21.01.2022 Fortune-cookie Distillations Distilling complicated themes down to simple ideas is a great way to start. Then, if we have more time, we flesh it out from a se...ntence to a paragraph. Even more time, from a paragraph to a chapter. From chapter to a book. You get the idea. When starting out, complexity is not our friend distilling a subject down to a bite-sized chunk can help us get on-board more quickly. Then, over time, we add both breadth and depth. Here are some simple distillations to give you an idea of what I am talking about: Crucifix: Back control done sideways Closed Guard: Upside-down mount De La Riva: Half Guard when opponent stands Spider-Guard: Butterfly Guard on the arms Darce: Arm-triangle where our chest kills the resistance Anaconda: Arm-triangle where our leg kills the resistance Kata Gatame: Arm triangle where head kills the resistance Omoplata: Kimura done with the legs

20.01.2022 What many fail to see ... It is very easy to look at someone and exclaim, theyre lucky or they have talent , etc ... and miss out on the entirety of the st...ory. Most successes are arrived at via a trail replete with failed attempts, heart-break, scars, difficulties, etc. Getting it wrong, and not being put off by it ... is how we get stuff done. See more

20.01.2022 here is a podcast I did with Richie T-thong .... may be of interest to some. Enjoy. https://www.youtube.com/watch

19.01.2022 The Australian Strategy The clear message I am hearing from the Australian authorities - is that we keep the public schools open and running. At the moment, t...his also applies to gyms and other businesses where people gather and interact, in numbers of less than 100. The idea behind this decision is a simple one - and it is this - whatever over-arching strategic measures we take - NEED TO BE IN PLACE FOR PERHAPS 6 MONTHS! Not just a few weeks! So we need to take actions that are sustainable - and actions that minimise social and economic damage, which is also very, very real. This flattens the curve, spreading demand for healthcare resources over a longer time-span - allows for opportunity to build herd immunity - but also allows society to keep functioning. Seems reasonable to me. Dont panic! Don't spread fear! Stay healthy. Look after one another. Dont use resources unnecessarily. Of course, if you are unwell, stay home for a bit - otherwise, I hope to see you at training. We are not Italy, we are not California - we are Australia!

18.01.2022 Being Tactical. Being tactical with how we spend our time, money, effort is just being smart. Shedding useless things - unrewarding pastimes - self-serving or... even toxic acquaintances - and other clutter - gives us more free time with which to place our attention things that are fulfilling. I have noticed that people in the world who really gets things done - tend to be very tactical in how they use/spend their time. Right now, of course, there are many of us with more free time than we might possibly be used to but that doesnt mean it should be squandered. Heres a pic with two people who have done large and meaningful things in their respective worlds - fellow Machado black belts and dirty dozen members - David Meyer and Rick Williams. Pic snapped in early 1997.

18.01.2022 Lets focus on what we can do - not on the things we cannot do. Human beings are not very good at noticing small changes in their situations - be those changes ...personal, environmental, whatever. If we were good at noticing small changes - people would fix their failing relationships before they led to divorce, they wouldnt get too overweight, they wouldnt accrue so much toxic debt. We suck at noticing! By the same token, we also suck at noticing when our situation is improving. So we make small gains - fail to notice that we are making those gains - and then we give up. We suck at noticing! There are many benefits to be reaped during this time of lockdown and work restrictions. But do we notice them? Or are we too busy focussing on the things we are missing out on? We suck at noticing! Notice just one thing - that is a benefit to you now that we are in this situation. Notice just one thing. If you want to share it here - awesome lets make a list!

18.01.2022 The New Currency Using this time wisely - is really a lesson in living. We should always try to use our time wisely. I totally understand how most peoples ins...tinctive reaction is to find ways to keep their income streams flowing (inward - not outward). I think many of us judge whether we are improving our lot or not, by comparing our situation today with our situation yesterday. This is NOT a time to do that! The currency of 2019 was money - in 2020 things are changing. The currency of this year - in my view - is good will. Making good will the medium of exchange in the months to come; has the potential to have us all emerge from this crisis, as better versions of ourselves. With all those martial arts coaches out there who have been saying they are in it to help others, and not for the money - well, for them this will be a very revealing time.

17.01.2022 My religion is Outcome - my prayers are Thought and Action. A good teacher comes equipped with a plan or syllabus; and a deep understanding of his or her ...subject matter. A better teacher though, comes equipped with something extra; design capability. Ultimately, a teacher should be able to equip a student with the optimal recipe for personal success. Or, if needed, tailor-design a package/lesson plan for a particular person or set of circumstances. When people say they have a system - I am always somewhat wary. The inherent trait of a system, is very often, inflexibility. Design-capability is inherently a very pliable thing.

17.01.2022 BJJ and Innovation . BJJ has enjoyed tremendous popularity over the past two decades. There are a number of reasons for this; the intersection of the UFC and the rise of the int net being one; the proven efficacy of BJJ in one-on-one confrontations; etc. However, I think the main reason, is something very, very different ... BJJ is unlike the traditional martial arts, and not in the obvious way (it’s a grappling/submission based art) but in a much deeper and more meaningful way - it is built on the idea of CONSTANT INNOVATION - and not ‘preservation’. Traditional martial arts are this that are concerned with ‘preservation’ - I have always likened them to ‘stamp collections’ in that way. BJJ is about relentless innovation by all stakeholders. It changes daily. It is constantly being improved, added to, developed by perhaps hundreds of thousands of people. No-one is interested in ‘freezing it’ I it’s current form and preserving it for future generations. This, I believe, is what attracts people to it; perhaps in the the same way they are attracted to the Internet/Web.

16.01.2022 We are always forging new versions of ourselves; at least, that has been my own experience. I guess some people stay pretty much the same throughout the course ...of their lives - but that, in my view, is a poor expression of our talent for exploration. I think we need to be open to improving who we are and deepening our understanding of the world we live in. Who we decide to learn from, to spend time with, to be like greatly determines how our lives might unfold. This is why I cringe when I see good people, interesting people, spending time with martial arts instructors who dont even know how to run their own lives. Such wasted opportunity. Someone once said that each of us are an amalgam of the five people we spend most time with in fact, I disagree with this. I think it is much more a case of being inspired by rather than having spent time with . There are people who I have spent very little time with, yet I have found myself deeply influenced and inspired by some aspect of who they are or what they stand for. Martial arts teachers can easily find themselves in a position to influence and inspire those who train with them and this is why I believe, that as teachers, we should hold ourselves to a higher standard. We cannot be all things to all people, but we should always strive to be the very best version of ourselves that we can be in the hope of inspiring others to do the same. - JBW See more

16.01.2022 In a nutshell . (my simplified summation) Getting our heads wrapped around something as complicated as epidemiology in just a few days of internet research - i...s akin to trying to understand the complexity of BJJ by just watching the UFC. It is very, very complicated. There is the view of - flattening the curve - meaning a large percentage of the population will very likely become infected so we should all socially distance - and just try to get clear of one another - not to stop the spread of this virus but to slow down the rate of infection - this will give the healthcare system a better opportunity to cope. Imagine everyone turning up to the ER in the same month yikes. So the idea is to spread the ER visits over a longer period of time, so the healthcare system can cope. You get the idea. This is the approach the USA is taking. There is another view though - one more focussed on heard Immunisation - which also assumes that the larger portion of the population will become infected - but the idea is that by staying in contact with one another, provided the more fragile subset (older, infirm, people with pre-exisiting health conditions) self-isolate and stay at home - which they tend to do anyway - then many others (those out and about and healthy) may become infected, get better and therefore will no longer be able to infect others - and so the virus dies out. This is known as herd immunity. This is the approach the UK is taking. Its complicated. And if anyone espouses that they know the answer - what they are in effect saying, is that they know better than the leading people in the field - people who have spent their lives studying this stuff. So - we just dont know. In a year we will know which approach was the better approach. Right now - we just dont know. On a personal note - I am adjusting my thinking on a day-by-day basis. Right now, today, I am going about business as usual. of course, the authorities may take this decision out of my hands at any time. Interesting times my friends - stay safe - do your best to protect the more-vulnerable.

16.01.2022 Heel-hooks and Solar Panels Often when things start small, and become a successful solution to a problem - then they are taken up very, very quickly on a larg...er scale - and suddenly, the whole world seems on board. Examples: a solar panel system at home - that saves me thousands of dollars each year - I tell my friends - who like the idea - and also get on it ... Or perhaps, take someone like Eddie Cummings, who starts tapping everyone with heel-hooks - then within the space of two years, every 16 year old kid on the mat is doing the same (and improving on it) . the idea of starting locally, is something that we can all do. I like the idea of starting locally - its like running an experiment - many will fail, some will get a great result - that result will be seen and copied by others - then we get improvement! I think, more and more, this is how the world will improve.

15.01.2022 Embracing the Rigour Rigours will come our way. No matter our plans and preparations - tough days will come. We each have our fair share of them, some more than... others, in that space between when we come into this world and our inevitable demise. There are situations of course, wherein we voluntarily embrace the difficult in order to grow, learn and develop. At other times though, difficulties are thrust upon us. Sometimes we can avoid the traps, the pain, the dramas. At other times we cannot. It is then, we must embrace them and in doing so, we sometimes learn lessons; sometimes forge ourselves into more resilient and adaptable versions of ourselves. Its rarely easy - to embrace the suck; but its part of life that we do so. Complaining about it - is optional.

14.01.2022 Also, a new video up on Johns channel. Check it out. Like. Subscribe. Admire the thumbnail..... Thanks, Geoff See more

14.01.2022 Making the distinction between the core idea of a thing and the aspects of that thing can only be found via a deep dive down the rabbit hole . Take a given top...ic (Ashi Garami, Omoplata, Crucifix, De la Riva, Darce, etc) - and write up everything you know about it (entries, most high-percentage applications, variants, transitions-from, etc). Then, organise all those things into an optimal order; ie: which should you do first, second, then third and have your reasons why! Stepping back a little, you look at your newly organised list and it should, become apparent that there is a non-negotiable part of the list (the top part) and then another part a part that we might well label - down the rabbit-hole. In my view, the majority of us are better off keep our attention and focus on the part of the list that remains above-ground, so to speak. The rest (the parts that reside down the rabbit-hole) should be of secondary importance. Good for a rainy-day perhaps; or if you have nothing but free time and plenty of training partners; or for the main obvious reason of all . its just your thing. Then of course, dive away. But making the distinction is a worthwhile exercise for all professional instructors

14.01.2022 To deliver as a competitor or coach but to disappoint as a human being This happens a lot on the landscape we love. Unfortunately, it happens right across th...e sporting spectrum. I understand that many people do not agree that there should necessarily be any correlation between, for example, the BJJ Black Belt - and living well - perhaps, perhaps not, but I say, if not, then from a leadership perspective, we see a wasted opportunity. I try to live my life well; as a human being who contributes more than he takes. A number of people come to the mat seeking an opportunity to better their lives, to create better versions of themselves - a teacher needs to understand and respect this. And so, if I found myself failing in this respect, then I would not be deserved of the position that I currently inhabit. Leadership is about many things ... but one of the most important is simply this: lead by example. Dont preach one thing and be another.

13.01.2022 When we tremble between alternatives - we experience anxiety. We live in a world of greater choice. Which of the 100 televisions on display should we buy? Which... investment should we make? Which movie should we see? Which flavour of ice cream should we buy? Its no wonder the many people experience a life replete with anxiety. When we come to realise that in the grand scheme of things - having to choose one ice-cream over another, or one television over another, or even one path over another, might not be as important or crucial as we might like to think. In the end, it may well be that such choices, dont matter quite as much as the action of choosing and the ability to live with the consequences of that choice. More opportunities to choose (provided we believe that choosing is something we can actually do) will reveal themselves soon enough - and often enough. Let go of any angst my friends - keep stepping forward - keep breathing - keep turning either left or right. Then, embrace the consequences of your choices/actions. The game unfolds in the manner it will - enjoy it, revel in it - play with a grin.

13.01.2022 ‘First Principles’ teaching I’ve been developing my particular teaching style for over 35 years now tempus fugit! But even though I am continually trying to... tweak and develop it, one thing has remained a constant. Although I haven’t realised it for most of that time, my first instinct was to always teach from a ‘first principles’ perspective. I cannot imagine teaching any other way. First principles are those base elements of an idea that we are left with after breaking the idea down into it’s smallest, most fundamental parts. I have always called this ‘the seed’ idea. Start with the ‘seed’ - grow the tree - roots, trunk, branches and finally the ‘fruit’. Avoid starting with the fruit. How does this work? Let’s break an idea down into it’s component parts to make sure we understand all the important elements. Then we begin the process of re-construction; being open to putting back together in a different way. Sometimes, we can re-order the components and create a better version of the thing we broke down. This is how innovation gets done!

12.01.2022 Excerpt from the ‘Outliers Handbook’ (a work in progress) Of course, cultural norms, friends, family and circumstances all help mould us into the persons we a...re - but internally, through the power of daydreaming, visualisation, pondering, thinking and action we add our own ‘conscious’ touches and so we continually re-shape ourselves as we go about the living of our lives. But just as not every cookie comes out of the oven in precisely the same shape and size, neither do we as human beings, resemble each other in each and every detail. Life experience continually restructures the hardwiring in our brains; and each waking day, when we look in the mirror, although what we see looks like the thing we saw yesterday, subtle differences appear as a result of our work on the malleable clay that represents who we are. Celebrate the idea that you are truly ’unique’. Whether good or bad, whether useful or not, the differences between us make the world the interesting place it is. And the amazing thing about the oven that bakes is that every now and then, a real odd cookie emerges; a cookie that has spilled from the mould; perhaps one that brings something unique to the ‘cookie landscape’. Sharpen those things about yourself that make you unique. Hone that blade to a fine edge and use to it carve out a life that is at once meaningful to you and of benefit to the wider world. The canvas of the world can always do with more ‘colour’- never shy away from being the brush that applies it! Pic: From last years Gathering love this shot. Each kid as well as the ref - are revealing the story within.

12.01.2022 I just knocked together a selection of Will-Machado posters - high resolution - for those who want to download for printing purposes. A couple of people have asked about this recently - I guess a number of instructors are taking the opportunity that 'lockdowns' offer, to spruce up their academies and clubs. I hope these are well received. Just click on the link here to be taken to a dropbox folder - where you can download. https://www.bjj.com.au/pages/w-m-posters

12.01.2022 Confession ... I never require motivating. I never have, and more than likely never will; because I have long-since identified those things within me that ar...e most-meaningful and important. Outcomes are my priority. I simply find myself fairly disciplined at not allowing myself to be distracted from getting to an outcome I want. Oft times, other people have benefited from this obsession - but ultimately and truthfully, that is most-often a by-product of my deep need to just, get the job done. My father taught me at an early age - this simple philosophy - you have jobs to do; the word unable needs to be struck from your mind. I am not driven by money, fame, glory and such ... I just need; really, really need; to get the job done. The job varies ... When I am teaching, on the mat, I am fully focussed- some might say obsessed - with driving skills into my students minds and bodies. One of the outcomes I am most interested in, is to imbue average people with an unreasonably high standard of skill, in an unreasonably short amount of time. In the spirit of full-disclosure; I have failed at this probably 10-15,000 times. And so, after having successfully eliminated the myriad of methods/training regimes/techniques that do not give me the results I want - I can , with a high degree of confidence, admit to now being able to do that job well. My advice to all coaches and teachers out there - dig deep, soul-search and find what really drives YOU - your pupils will be the real beneficiaries - and you will know your reasons and never tire of doing the job.

11.01.2022 Yep ... you read it right! Date is all set. This year is really off to a strong start. My mat is full. The schools I have visited interstate so far, are up and running at full steam; and a number of people asked me about the date for this years GATHERING ... seems people are planning out their year even earlier in 2020. So, knocked up a quick poster - date, time and venue all locked it. I look forward to seeing many of you there on September 12th!

10.01.2022 Good Morning... I've just uploaded a new video to John's YouTube channel. Check it out this weekend if you get a chance. Also please don't forget to Like and Subscribe so you don't miss any of our updates.... Thanks Geoff

10.01.2022 Last night of training for the Advanced BJJ class tonight; and the perfect way to end the year with a number of people levelling up. But the highlight of the ev...ening featured the excellent Wade Patterson - who had a shiny, new Black Belt tied around his waist. To say Wade is deserving of this new and special rank, is an understatement; he has trained with us since a teenager, originally in the kids class, taught by Melissa. Over the years we have all seen him mature as both a person and a martial artist. Ever-technical and very tricky on the mat, Wade is such a great training partner for everyone he comes into contact with. Congratulations to you Wade - we all wish you the very best on hitting this wonderful and significant milestone; a great way to end the year and the best start for you in 2020! Kudos and respect. - JBW

10.01.2022 https://www.youtube.com/watch

10.01.2022 The Guard The concept of the ‘Guard’, delivered to us from the art that has elevated the idea to new heights, has transformed the martial arts landscape these p...ast three decades. BJJ has bled into MMA and now we see inter-personal combat through a completely modern lens. The concept of the Guard though, has been around for a long time. I suspect, various versions of it have existed for millennia. The first time I witnessed Guard skill in action was actually in India in the early 80’s. The ancient no-holds-barred style of Vajramushti, employed it to great effect; and added to it’s effectiveness with the use of knuckledusters, no less. The pics here depict the Guard in action - one depicting two Japanese fighters (circa 1830) - and the other two depicting Vajramushti fighters in action (note the Omoplata finish in one of those pics). As the old saying goes - ’nothing new under the sun’. I wonder if the ancient art of Greek Pankration had a formulated system of Guard-based techniques. Oh for a time machine.

10.01.2022 The other side of night The other side of night will arrive how we act, who we are, what we do while the crisis lasts, will to a degree, define how people w...ill view us once we emerge into the light. Do we fight the elderly for supplies in the supermarket and not realise that this defines us as a base animal? Do we freak out and not realise this defines us the wrong friend to have in a crisis? Do we espouse our simplistic solutions and not realise this defines us an armchair football coach, with no clue? The tsunami will pass - most of us will have re-shaped our lives in some way - some drastically so and for others, only in minor ways. Just remember, our forebears, all thrived - at least long enough to procreate and raise their progeny - for as far back as humanity (and their ancestors) have walked the earth. Our forebears are survivors! Every single one of them. That is where we have come from. Lets use this time wisely. Be safe - yes - but dont forget to live!

09.01.2022 A message from John. We all understand that we are now entering new territory with the advent of COVID-19. I am staying abreast of the rapidly-evolving situation and trying to respond in a way that is best for us all. My number one concern, as always, is with the safety and best outcomes for not only the Will-Machado BJJ family - but the wider community and especially the elderly. Many of my international friends, including some of the most well respected coaches in BJJ, now ...find themselves in the unfamiliar situation of needing to temporarily close their academies for a few weeks (friends in the USA and in Europe). I doubt that Australia and New Zealand will be too far behind in the same response. We may be only days away from this happening. By the time you read this, I imagine your doors may be closed. Of course, we are a special community, as you know not only are we one of the leading BJJ organisations in the world, we are highly respected on the International landscape. I hope you are proud to share in the Will-Machado brand - as proud as I am of all our wonderful members. As human beings and martial artists, we want to do the responsible thing. If the cost of doing the right thing is shared, then the chance of us all getting through this is intact, is much more likely. So now is not the time for any student to bail on their academy or gym - quite the opposite. Your coach needs your ongoing support through this crisis. It may well be that most, if not all academies, will need to suspend classes for a couple of weeks; to let the worst of the crisis pass - a Corona Holiday of sorts. We want you to be safe. And if classes are suspended, I have no doubt that your instructors will find a myriad of ways to make it up to you over the next 12 months. More than likely, this will only affect you for 4-8 training nights. Of course, this is all up in the air at the moment - but that is what the consensus seems to be. So again, I ask that we all support one another through this. For many, BJJ is much more than just our weekly activity; we are a community - something that is unique and very, very special. Be smart and be selfless as we push through this novel situation together. Sincerely John Will Will-Machado BJJ Australasia

09.01.2022 Micro-losing Micro-losing is how we ‘zero in’ on the target! Small losses are how we learn to make course-corrections I first heard this from a guy called R...obert Kyosaki - who I spent a few weeks with way back in the late 80’s. Interesting guy! (I’ll summarise the other things I learned from him in another post). Micro-losing is like a game of ‘hot or cold’ (where we zero in on a target based on verbal cues from someone). When we learn new stuff, we are in a way, always playing this game. Instead of hot or cold, we are playing ‘success or fail’. The key here is that the ‘losses’ should be small enough to recover from without taking too much damage!! The practise of BJJ is a great tool for immunising ourselves against ‘loss’. No-one NO-ONE steps onto the mat, and always wins. Losses are a part of that landscape. We quickly come to learn that these losses are in fact, our real lessons. They represent the ‘cold’ in the game of ‘hot or cold’; they are how we slowly ‘zero-in’ on success (the heat). As Robert Kyosaki once told me - we are ‘heat seeking missiles’ - we need bounce off the ‘cold’ to ‘zero-in’ on the heat. Micro losses my friends - micro losses! Not catastrophic losses! But, not zero losses either!

08.01.2022 My Covert-19 19 secret things to know for a more interesting life - focus on the process, not the goal... - extract full value from each day - build trust by keeping small promises - spend 10% of your thinking on planning for the future - understand that true friendship is valuable beyond measure - remember that time goes by whether we want it to or not - embracing the suck builds character and grit - learn to make the distinction between fact and opinion - action and intent trumps prayer every time - every day offers the possibility of re-invention - invest in yourself - an extraordinary life is not made by doing ordinary things - failing is learning in an ugly disguise - most things are more complicated than we think - generosity requires no repayment - integrity is about staying true to your ethos under pressure - going broad gives us context - going deep gives us understanding - remember that you ARE what you do when it counts See more

07.01.2022 Hello, Ive added Some new gold to the YouTube channel... Take a look Geoff

07.01.2022 Ok one of the things I love about the mat, is that it is an equal opportunity landscape. For sure, the opportunity is there, for everyone, regardless of sex, ...ethnicity, cultural background, social status, etc - the mat doesnt care! But outcomes? Thats an entirely different discussion! Equal opportunity does not automatically equate to equality of outcomes. People vary; greatly. Some make great contributions - some are kind of neutral (and can go either way depending on circumstances) - are some are just takers. Some train six days a week, others twice a month - in my view, one would and should, expect different outcomes for differing levels of effort. If someone turning up twice a month expects that they deserve the same level of success as those who sacrifice, dig deep and train 12 times a week - then they are, in my view, deluding themselves. Once again though - for any out there with myopic interpretation disease I am all for helping those who need help; those who want to put in but I am not up to the task of conferring accolades, ranks, medals, trophies or other badges of honour, to those who arent willing to make an effort and do the work. Some say we are now in an age where the loudest voices we hear are those of the entitled. Where does this sense of entitlement come from? Its complicated - but parents have a lot to answer for. An entitled person, expects to get a medal just for showing up - some expect to get a medal even if they dont show up - because they feel we should all get an equal share of everything. That level of entitlement, in my view, is a disease. Rewards should be earned. Effort yields reward. Extraordinary effort yields extraordinary reward.

06.01.2022 Weighing up our worth In this age of celebrity worship - wherein the acquisition of wealth and the idealisation of physical beauty are held as standards to st...rain toward - it becomes more and more important to point out the following - being rich is zero guarantee of happiness; in fact, many, many very wealthy people are obviously unhappy in many aspects of their lives; many have low self esteem, seemingly very fragile egos and unfulfilling (often shallow) relationships with others. - building our sense of self-worth around how we look, is perhaps one of the main reasons so many people take refuge in plastic surgery and unhealthy body modification; often leading to an addiction of sorts. Happiness and fulfilment can perhaps come most easily come from being of value to others; we dont need to be rich and/or glamorous to be of worth to society. Our perspective on our self-worth morphs as we evolve through the course of our lives - how we see ourselves as 10 year olds is not how we see ourselves as young adults, middle-aged adults, etc. Note, I suggested that our sense of self-worth morphs - we should never presume that it automatically improves and continues on an upward trajectory. I have seen a number of remarkable people, lose the plot as they matured in years. I get a very strong feeling, that the more ways we can find to be of value to others, the better we feel about our place in the world. We all leave a mark on the world - what kind of mark we leave, is closely tied to what we bring to others. And small things count for a lot - take a walk - offer a greeting to everyone you pass - take a few minutes to chat to that elderly lady sitting alone on the bench its so easy to make the world a slightly better place. Here's a pic with a man who most assuredly makes the world a better place for having him in it. The wonderful professor Carlos Machado.

06.01.2022 Most of our dramas are just practice-runs I realised this pretty late in life. A slow-starter by any definition. When we face challenging times and/or situati...ons, our responses are often our ‘early’ attempts at arriving at solutions. The more ‘tries’ we have, the more likely we are to come up with ‘answers’. In fact, it has been my own experience, that all the really good stuff, usually lies on the ‘other side’ of difficulty. I first learned this on the mat - and then realised things were no different ‘out there’ in actual life. Wishing for each and every one of you - the very same realisation.

06.01.2022 Should we care so very much about what people think of us? Well, I for one, have never really needed a lot of friends. Even though having close friends is one... of lifes real joys - I have never been lonely, even without friends - and have never really focussed on seeking the approval of others, to make them. PS: Real friends - do not need to be impressed; real friends love you for who you really are! I understand that in certain environments - politics, some workplaces, etc - that our success may be linked to how others perceive us, even how much they like us so that is something to consider. But my natural inclination is to be myself - and let the chips fall where they may - and more and more so, as I get older. Perhaps it is a luxury we can indulge in as we age. I feel its more important to know ourselves - know who we really are. Then - let that be obvious and apparent to everyone. And allow them to freely judge. If they dislike or even despise us fair enough; we need to know where we stand - and with whom. #mypaldavey

05.01.2022 Morning all Geoff here. Only 15 of these beauties left. Grab them before theyre gone!

05.01.2022 Kicking off my 2020 'weekend seminar calendar' with a visit to perth this coming weekend. So, any and all over in the west, who want to turbo-boost their 2020 training, get yourself to one of these sessions. Different topics at different locations ... best wishes: JBW

04.01.2022 A few good things can equal big transformation Sometimes, we only need to make a few adjustments in our lives, to make huge differences. Big changes don’t alw...ays come from big ‘moves’. Here are a couple of simple dietary changes - super easy to make - and they’ll take you to a much healthier position. Drop a load of Carbs from your diet by: - watering/diluting any fruit juice you might drink. Think of fruit juice as ‘cordial’ - add water to it. This will also save you lots of money - Substitute dairy milk for almond milk. Almond milk has more protein and only about 1/4 of the carbs. Also has vitamin E. - back off with sugar in your coffee - go down gradually over a month until you can ’take’ coffee with no sugar; then use almond milk in it to add a little sweetness again. New habit achieved. This is diet related stuff but the same strategy can be applied to almost any other aspect of our lives. A few small changes, in a. Few different areas - and our lives become transformed. Pic: a little exercise each day - a walk around the block - a short bike ride - all transformative decisions if you are not used to training much. Before long, you’ll ramp it up to a bigger set of challenges. Here, on the bike at Chuck Norris’s house in LA back in the 90’

02.01.2022 The confounding leap The biggest problem on the martial arts landscape is an obvious one for any caring to look. One day we’re a student; a practitioner of ...our chosen art; an athlete perhaps; maybe a fighter perhaps both; then next we’re (by design or default) suddenly, a ‘teacher’. A teacher, I ask? When did we receive our ‘teaching/coaching’ training? This is an area in which huge gains can be made. The upside is so large because the baseline is just so low. The usual method by which students become teachers/coaches is by ‘imitation’, or perhaps ‘trial and error’; and although the ‘trial and error’ method is a time-tested one; it can be expensive and terribly inefficient. Having the skill-set is one thing; knowing how to transfer that skill-set to other person, is an entirely different thing. Just as growing vegetables on a farm is a different skill-set from that required to transport that produce to the store; which is different from selling that produce to a customer; which in turn is different from the skill set that customer needs to prepare that produce for consumption on the evening table. Despite all this; some do an okay job; some a terrible job; and a few, an excellent job. Nevertheless, there is much scope for improvement on this point .

02.01.2022 A heartfelt congratulations to my good friend Prof Carlos Machado who has just tied on his coral belt. As any who know him will attest, he is worthy of this rar...e accolade in a myriad of ways. A philosopher, a writer, a teacher, a father, a husband, a friend, a journeyman with the very best of BJJ pedigrees. Congrats Carlos. Much love and deep respect from all Will-Machado students in Australia. See more