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Introduction
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In 2008 I’ve really trimmed down on the amount of people who I’m going to allow to “fly with me”.

I’ve cut down on it significantly. I’m doing more consulting for Judo Coaches, Grapplers and MMA practitioners. I’m doing more clinics and really focusing on my clients.  On the Judo side, my main focus is Taraje Williams-Murray.

As the Judo Crusader, I’m really concerned about helping others achieve a great deal on and off the mat and in the sporting and life career. 

Right now Taraje has made a move that The Judo Crusader wanted him to make for some time.

Not the move in the physical sense, but the move in the mental sense.

Taraje is now in Boston, MA training judo with Jimmy Pedro and he’s already making leaps and bounds that just aren’t possible unless you thrust yourself into a to total training environment.

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The Move….
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Alot of people who perform martial arts and judo believe that you have to learn more moves, and do more moves, and get the best moves, but the truth of matter is this…… All you have to do is “make the right moves”.

And most of the time these moves are made off the mat.

Such as the “move” to go hard in practice. The “move” to practice 6 days a week. The “move” to train twice a day at the minimum everyday, and the move to be willing to risk losing everything you like to gain the one thing that you love.

Taraje has done this before, he just had to return to such a place.

The only different between “then” and “now” is that he’s much older, much wiser, and has more to lose. That makes it harder to let everything go.

I know for a FACT that I can make another Olympic Team and do well. The only issue is this – I AM not willing to risk losing everything that I have to gain another Olympic Berth.

It tough. The Olympic journey requires more than a backpack and a pair of shoes for the trail to greatness. You basically have to strip yourself naked of everything that you thought you knew and don a knew form of reasoning. A kind of reasoning that is foreign to ‘normal’ people and a so foreign that is places Olympians in their own type of group or fraternity. 

I wish I could explain to you all of the things that I’ve learned from being on the other side of the mat, but we just don’t have all day.

I thought competing was hard. I really see now that my parents and my wife probably had the hardest job of all.

Watching the people who you love and care for actually chase after a noble cause and ideal with the knowledge that a “hit” or a “miss” can send the athlete into a massive depression or create a massive high (with a slight depression to follow). You can sit back and see what the athlete can and can’t see and you have to be that stern, but loving parent and sometimes interject (with the acceptance of rejection) and sometimes allow things to occur and allow a former message that lies latent in the mind of the athlete to resurface while they are going through this phase of their life.

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Taraje Williams-Murray
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Lil’ T as I call him is a phenomenal young man. If you take a look at the Olympians from 2004 and look at the ones who are still competing today, I believe th he is the only one who has sought out to further his education in hopes of preparing himself after judo. 

This was and is The Judo Crusader’s number one imperative through the training process. Training is a physical and mental process. This increase in education has been wonderful for Taraje, his conversation is richer, more informative and his thought processes are succinct and impressive.  Although this is good, it makes hanging around his peer group very difficult       (more on that later).  I’m sure that he feels like Yao Ming in a short man’s world. I know, I’ve been there before 

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Here’s A Lil’ Help
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If you would like some help of how you can improve on and off the mat you can get The Gold Mettle Plan FREE Offer and also get the Gold Mettle Plan Package for FREE as well.  There’s alot more to this judo game than you see on the mat and it’s my charge and desire to help you get what it is that you want out of judo and that’s improvement.

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Closing
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Make sure that you visit this site – www.TheJudoCrusader.com and www.Taraje.com during this 2008 run. It will be super exciting.

Take care,

Rhadi Ferguson (a.k.a. “The Judo Crusader”)
USA Judo 2006 “Doc” Councilman Sport Sciene Award Winner
2004 Olympian
4-Time National Judo Champion
http://www.GoldMettlePlan.com