Blog
What to do Without a GPS
When you take on a new move in Jiu Jitsu, you begin with basic directions to get some idea of the technique. A bit like 
someone giving you the bare minimum to get from point A to point B. Once you have the basic picture you are likely to ask for more information such as particular landmarks, the service station on the corner etc. Then it might be roundabouts, distinctive buildings, parks, etc. Now the trip from point A to point B is whole lot more than you thought it was.
In learning new Jiu Jitsu techniques, the journey begins with simple navigation with detail being added along the way. That's what makes it all that interesting. If you drive a particular route everyday, the more times you do it, the easier it becomes and you can rattle off a whole lot of details you've picked up along the way. Eventually, you go into auto-pilot mode, your subconscious mind takes over. That's what happens when you practice your movements over and over again.
If you like to ride a bike like I do, the fun part of it is how and where you ride it. To improve your riding skills you need plenty of hills, twists and turns; anybody can ride a bike on a flat and straight highway (how boring). So in Jiu Jitsu, some of the moves can get a little complicated, just like the twists and turns, but do them enough times, they become second nature. There is no such thing as a GPS in the martial arts, that's why we have Tour Guides (Instructors), hopefully, who can steer you in the right direction.
Enjoy the journey!
GA
At the Hall of Fame – part 2
Make sure you read have previous blog before this one.
During one particular speech, in which you can hear a pin drop in between words, Jordan's phone goes off like a Rock Concert and he couldn’t find it fast enough bringing 
everyone out of a coma. It brought tears to my eyes. A lot of thanks again to my mate, Richard, about the wonderful things he said about me during his speech. As I said it made my wife very happy. When the coffee came around it was a ‘do or die’ thing with me. Richard knows how much I hate instant coffee and I asked the waiter, a number of times, what were they serving. He wasn’t going to answer. The pic says a thousand words.
At the end of the function Barry and I went downstairs to the bar to catch up and stayed there till 1.30am. We weren’t the only ones. More congrats to me, from people, about the speech (if I find out what it is, perhaps, I can bottle it). In the 
morning, Barry, Richard, me and the wives met up for breakfast and as always, great to talk. After that, I went upstairs and watched the demos and seminars put on by the AMAHOF members and the new inductees. It was very interesting to watch; there is always something new to see and learn. I was not afforded a time slot to do my bit because of the uncertainty of my back injury a few weeks prior. The good thing about the demos was where Budoshinkai stands in comparison with others. Wow, I’m impressed with our system in terms of usefulness and reality. That was pretty much it. It was a great ‘get together’ all in the name of martial arts. A very enjoyable weekend. Many thanks to Richard and Judy for hosting us.
GA
At the Hall of Fame – part 1
I thought I might just blog this out in a couple of parts – too much too read in one go. Damien reckons I'm a ‘blog-a-holic’. ‘Sms-a-holics’ shouldn’t talk! The weekend was all about the Australian Martial Arts Hall of Fame (AMAHOF) which was held in Melbourne and I must admit it was a ple
asurable experience, and quite prestigious to receive 'Martial Artist of the Year'. I was also presented with a similar award from the World Karate Union which was held last week in Pennsylvania, USA.
The night before, at registration, I put my hand up to just to make sure no speech was required at the presentation because there was no mention of it. The Chairman jumped up and thanked me for reminding him because he forgot to tell us about making our speeches. I had to slip out through the back door to avoid an angry mob. Later, Richard and Judy came by and picked me, and my wife, up (daughter included) from the hotel and went to a very nice restaurant with a bird’s eye view of the trams. That was a very enjoyable 3 hours. My son, Jonathan, was not there with us, he flew in the next day.
The awards night went very well with Richard and Judy being invited as special guests. As I watched every inductee go up and do their speech I was starting to get a little worried about what I was going to say. I had Richard stirring me what I had written down in my notes for what I was going to say. My awards were presented by none other, than Richard Norton himself. When it was time to make that speech I just basically threw down my notes and started uttering words out. To my surprise, it went quite well because I had people congratulating me all night, and the rest of the weekend because they said it was natural and entertaining! There was one particular blunder (quite embarassing), I forgot Barry Johnston’s surname as I was thanking him for the person nominating me. However, I got a few laughs out of it because they thought it was part of my gig. In another part of the speech I mentioned what had happened to me, the previous evening, when I went to register and did not see any familiar face in the room. One guy came up to me and introduced himself and I did the same. He asked me where I was from, and I told him, 'Sydney'. He then asked which crane company I was from. I stopped and thought 'what makes him think I work with cranes'. I then looked at a display banner which said, ANNUAL VICTORIAN CRANE ASSOCIATION MEETING.
Richard read a beautiful email, on behalf of Hanshi Tino Ceberano, who could not be there on the night. I was also taken by surprise when Richard stepped up on stage again and said a few wonderful words about me which was well appreciated by me and my family. He started off saying, "I am here to talk about George Adams, what can I say about him? Not much!" and took a couple of steps off the stage leaving the audience in laughter (which was well needed that night). I bet he couldn't wait to get that one in. He must've been planning it for weeks!
Better stop here, I don’t want anybody to overdose from my blog. Leave part 2 for another day.