Professor John Will: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Evolution, Real Self-Defense, and Building Safety Nets | EP. 26

In this episode, I sit down with Professor John Will, one of Australia's most legendary martial artists and the person who brought Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to the continent. John is now a coral belt in BJJ, was the first Australian to earn a black belt in the art, and has over 45 years of teaching experience with everyone from beginners to elite military units, including the Australian Defense Forces, US Marine Corps, and FBI.

We discuss what makes a truly great martial arts school, the evolution of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from a simple fighting system to a global sport, and why what gets you in the door isn't what keeps you there for decades. John shares his powerful "5% improvement" philosophy for making progress in martial arts and life, the critical importance of building safety nets before taking risks, and why learning how to learn might be more valuable than any technique.

We also dive into practical self-defense concepts, including "the fence" for situational awareness and conflict prevention, the Four D's of street attacks, and why most self-defense classes miss the mark. John opens up about fear, anxiety, mental toughness, and how the skills developed on the mat—problem-solving, incremental progress, and resilience—translate directly to success in business, relationships, and personal growth.

Whether you're a BJJ practitioner, martial artist from another discipline, or someone interested in personal development through physical training, this conversation delivers actionable wisdom, honest insights about the realities of combat training, and inspiration to keep showing up for the long game.

Links:

Contact for John Will:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/john.b.will.7

Previous John Will Episode:

https://youtu.be/ZxPifNLKTUo?si=fzFuPAmz_H7KhSTg

Redcat Academy

https://www.redcatacademy.com.au/

Jeff Thompson's book “Watch My Back”

https://a.co/d/aWTTcp7

BJJ Essential Tactics: Volume 1 of the Dirty Dozen BJJ Curriculum (BJJ - A Dirty Dozen Curriculum) 

https://a.co/d/5bqB4ki

BJJ - Level Up Your Game: Volume 2 of the Dirty Dozen BJJ Curriculum (BJJ - A Dirty Dozen Curriculum) 

https://a.co/d/00Ca5wn 

Sifu Douglas Wong

https://www.whitelotuskungfu.com/about-masterwong.html

White Lotus King Fu

https://www.whitelotuskungfu.com/

Robert Strong, Comedy Magician

https://www.strongentertainment.com/

Marcello Garcia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcelo_Garcia_(grappler)

Music “Disambiguation” by Robel Borja https://open.spotify.com/artist/7j0DUZ79z4edeLkU2H1UoJ?si=eISl0YfaQ-yLThljs48j5A

Get in touch!

This episode was directed and presented by Dave Meyer, editor & coproducer by Ryan Turner, producer & marketing Robbie Lockie, music kindly provided by Robel Borja.