John Will (born ) is a notable

martial artist Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the pres ...

from Australia. Will won the ''Best Exponent Award'' in the first World

Silat Silat is the collective term for a class of martial arts from the Nusantara and surrounding geocultural areas of Southeast Asia. It is traditionally practised in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Southern Thailand, Southern Philippi ...

Championships in

Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...

in 1981. Will also completed his black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Rigan Machado and

Jean Jacques Machado Jean Jacques Machado (born February 12, 1968) is a Brazilian Jiu jitsu practitioner. He is one of the five Machado brothers ( Carlos, Roger, Rigan and John). Machado is nephew of BJJ co-founder and Grandmaster Carlos Gracie, and lear ...

in 1998, making him one of the first twelve foreign nationals to have earned a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Martial artist

Will's background includes training in

amateur wrestling Amateur wrestling is a variant of wrestling practiced at Olympic Games, Olympic, Collegiate wrestling, collegiate, Scholastic wrestling, scholastic, and other levels. There are two international wrestling styles performed at the Olympic Games, fr ...

, Goju Kai

Karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...

, and

Taekwondo Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...

, training with

Benny Urquidez Benny Urquidez (born June 20, 1952) is an American former professional kickboxer, martial arts choreographer and actor. Nicknamed "The Jet", Urquidez was a non-contact karate competitor who later pioneered full-contact fighting in the United St ...

Gene LeBell Ivan Gene LeBell (October 9, 1932 – August 9, 2022) was an American actor, judoka, stuntman and professional wrestler. Nicknamed "Judo Gene" and "The Godfather of Grappling", he is credited with popularizing grappling in professional fighti ...

, Pete Cunningham,

Rorion Gracie Rorion Gracie (; born January 10, 1952) is a Brazilian-born Gracie jiu-jitsu Grand Master, a prominent member of the Gracie family, writer, publisher, producer, lecturer, lawyer and the co-founder of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is th ...

Rickson Gracie Rickson Gracie (; born November 21, 1959) is a Brazilian retired mixed martial artist. He is a member of the Gracie family: the third oldest son of Hélio Gracie, brother to Rorion and Relson Gracie, and half-brother to Rolker, Royce, Robin ...

and the Machado brothers, and teaching

Shootfighting Shootfighting is a martial art and combat sport, with competitions governed by the International Shootfighting Association (ISFA). It incorporates techniques from a multitude of traditional martial arts, the most principal of these being wrestlin ...

. During a trip to India, Will trained in the art of Vajra Mushti under the Jyesthimalla clan in

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

, India. Will is also credited with publishing a rare first-hand account of the ancient

Indian martial art Indian martial arts refers to the fighting systems of the Indian subcontinent. A variety of terms are used for the English phrases "Indian martial arts", deriving from ancient sources. While they may seem to imply specific disciplines (e.g. arch ...

in Western media. Will is noted for taking several overseas martial arts training trips each year and has been doing so since 1975, including training in Indonesia,

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

, Japan, the U.S. and Brazil. After receiving his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt from Professor Rigan Machado in 1998, he became the national director of Machado Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in Australia. The organisation is the largest in the Australasian region (with over 70 member schools) and is known as BJJ Australasia. He teaches BJJ and Shoot fighting at his REDCAT Academy in

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung language, Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in Victoria, Australia, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River (Victo ...

. Will's regular schedule includes a wide-ranging seminar circuit spanning several countries and most Australian states. Along with partner David Meyer (based in San Francisco), Will founded and authored a BJJ Curriculum (BJJ America) – providing more than 600 schools throughout the US with a means to facilitate their entry into the art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. More recently, he has tailored-designed various curricula for notable martial arts organisations, including Chuck Norris's UFAF (United Fighting Arts Federation). Will teaches defensive tactics programs to various law enforcement and military agencies, including the Australian Federal Police, the Australian Defence Forces, the Marine Corps at Quantico in Virginia, USA and many others.

Writing

Will is a self-published author with four instructional books directed at the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Self-defence market. His first three books are purely BJJ orientated and cover: Fundamentals, The Guard and Advanced Attacks & Escapes. His fourth Instructional Book is "Fight ~ Logic," that covers Will's passion for all aspects of the self-defence game, from Pre-Fight scenarios to taking the fight to the ground and conclusion. Will's recent writing focus has been penning his autobiography, which was released as a 3-part series entitled ''Rogue Black Belt''. The series focusses on a chronological set of life lessons. As with his instructional books, Will has published these works himself. * ''Book 1: Rogue Black Belt: Fear & the Engine'' focuses on Will's early years growing up in Australia and the path leading him to the Martial Arts and Bali, and his Silat World Championship win in 1982. * ''Book 2: Rogue Black Belt: Challenge & Ownership'' continues the story after the Bali years through the formation of Blitz Magazine in Australia and his subsequent travels to India, Thailand, Japan, the US, and Brazil. He interacts with some of martial arts' biggest legends and most famous practitioners there, leading to his discovery of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. * ''Book 3: Rogue Black Belt: Passion & Purpose'' will take Will's story from his fledgling BJJ and Defensive Tactics teachings to the full-blown instructor of today's instructors.

Personal life

Will resides in

, a large regional town in the southern Australian state of Victoria. He is married to Melissa Will.

Instructor lineage

Kanō Jigorō was a Japanese judoka, educator, politician, and the founder of judo. Judo was one of the first Japanese martial arts to gain widespread international recognition, and the first to become an official Olympic Games, Olympic sport. Pedagogical ...

→

Tomita Tsunejirō , born , was the earliest disciple of judo. His name appears in the first line of the enrollment book of the Kōdōkan. . Tomita, together with Saigō Shirō, became the first in the history of judo to be awarded the rank of Shodan by the foun ...

→ Mitsuyo "Count Koma" Maeda →

Hélio Gracie Hélio Gracie (October 1, 1913 – January 29, 2009) was a Brazilian martial artist who together with his brothers Oswaldo, Gastao Jr, George and Carlos Gracie founded and developed the self-defense martial art system of Gracie jiu-jitsu, als ...

→

Rolls Gracie Rolls Gracie (; 1951–1982) was a Brazilian martial artist. He was a prominent member of the Gracie family known for their founding of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and considered by some the family's best ever fighter. He was teacher of Rickson Gracie, ...

& Carlos "Carlinhos" Gracie Jr → Rigan Machado → John Will

Notable students

* Elvis Sinosic – UFC Fighter * Anthony Perosh – UFC Fighter * George Sotiropoulos – UFC Fighter * Adele Fornarino

References

External links

John Will's autobiography Rogue Black Belt: His life from his perspectiveJohn Will profileWill/Machado BJJ Australia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Will, John 1957 births Living people Sportspeople from Geelong Australian male taekwondo practitioners Silat practitioners Australian male karateka Australian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Australian submission wrestlers Australian male sport wrestlers People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Submission grapplers Brazilian jiu-jitsu trainers Australian non-fiction writers Writers from Victoria (state) Australian sportswriters Martial arts writers