Six Bahamians medalled at the US Judo Junior Olympics International held on Sunday in Orlando Florida. Standouts were 14 year old Myriael Newry who won a silver medal and 13 year old Nathan Williams who won the Best Sportsman Award and a bronze medal. Other bronze medal winners were Cynthia Rahming (15), Tajaro Hudson (12), Alex Martinborough (15) and Kameron Knowles (11). The team was coached by 2004 US Olympian Rhadi Ferguson who is of Bahamian heritage.
“I am especially delighted for Nathan,” said Junior Coach Wellington Mullings.”He has the right atitude and the heart of a tiger.” Judo is a very demanding physical combat sport. Nathan was born with a slight physical disability in that one of his arms is shorter than the other and does not extend fully, yet he still manages to be competitive in a sport against fully able bodied persons.
“This was an assessment tournament,” said Coach Ferguson.”We needed to see which areas we need work in, but yet we are pleased with the results that have already been achieved.” The team will now undergo two intensive training camps in preparation for the US Junior Open Championships, World Cadet trials and World Championships. Next week the team will compete in the US Jr. Open in Ft. Lauderdale the largest and most prestigious junior tournament in the hemisphere. Persons interested in Judo in the Bahamas may contact the Bahamas Judo Federation at 364-6773 or www.bahamasjudo.com.
The Bahamas Olympic Association through Olympic Solidarity has provided
$12,000 in funding to the Bahamas Judo Federation to take two athletes to
the World Cadet Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Fifteen year olds
Cynthia Rahming and Alex Martinborough will be the elite athletes to attend
this event. They will be coached by 2004 Olympian Rhadi Ferguson who
designed the teams training regime.
“Judo is a fast growing sport with an aggressive administration,” Says BOA
President Wellington Miller, “We are fulfilling our mandate by finding
resources for athletes to participate in key competitions.” D’Arcy Rahming,
President of the Bahamas Judo Federation was delighted with the level of
support. “We have worked very hard to build this sport and we deeply respect
the hard work of the BOA. President Miller and his administration has been
completely supportive of our efforts. The same is true for our Minister of
Sport Desmond Bannister and his administrative team, they have helped to
position the Bahamas to be the leader for Judo in the region.”
The athletes have undergone intensive training which culminated in the
Caribbean Cup this past weekend at Loyola Hall. This Championship and the
seminars leading to it were sponsored by a grant from the Ministry of Youth
and Sports and the International Judo Federation. Over the past two weeks
the Bahamas experienced five visiting Judo Olympians who taught athletes,
referees, coaches and Administrators. ”The Bahamas has created the
prototype development model for the region. It is a model that the rest of
the Caribbean will be imitating.” says Caribbean Judo Association General
Secretary Hoskins Caddle who was in town to watch his athletes from Barbados
compete.
At the Caribbean Cup, the Bahamas won two of five exhibition matches against
top level competition from Barbados and Puerto Rico. “It really shows how
our level is rising. All of the matches were competitive. This result would
have been very different even 6 months ago,” says Bahamas Judo President
Rahming.
Anyone wishing to help Judo in the Bahamas can contact the Bahamas Judo
Federation at 364-6773 or through the official website at www.bahamasjudo.com.
Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh Barnett submitted a “positive test” prior to his much anticipated title fight against Fedor Emelianenko at Affliction: “Trilogy” from the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Aug. 1, according to Sherdog.com.
***UPDATE: Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio has confirmed with MMA Fanhouse that the August 1 main event between Fedor Emelianenko and Josh Barnett has been canceled.
Here’s a snip:
“(Barnett) tested positive for a banned substance. The athletic commission will not reinstate his license. Him and Fedor is off.”
Middleweight Vitor Belfort, a former light heavyweight who is already booked to fight Jorge Santiago in a 185-pound contest on the same night, has reportedly agreed to step in if needed, however Atencio refused to comment on that possible scenario as well as a potential call up for Bobby Lashley.
The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) will apparently issue a “comprehensive statement” on its findings later today.
I stumbled upon a website the other day by Gerald Lafon called http://www.BetterJudo.com There are some very good articles there for you to read if you are in the martial arts and more specifically a BJJ or Judo practitioner or coach. Check it out, I’m sure you will agree that there are some things to be gained from this site.
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New Strength
And Conditioning Videos
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I just want to let you know that I have some new strength and conditioning videos available on my new website at http://www.RhadiFerguson.com
The site is almost done, but it is functional right now and will be complete in the near future. I took away all the flash and whiz-bang stuff and decided to get back to basics and make it content rich and elegant.
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What’s Going On
With Rhadi
=================
As I said, before, I’m in the Bahamas and am training the Bahamian Judo Team. I’m really thinking about creating a new DVD now that I’m here concerning the merging on Brazilian Jiujitsu and Judo. I’ve learned so much over the years of how to combine the two arts effectively. If this is something that you’d be interested in please email me at info@rhadi.com and let me know exactly what you would like to know about combining the two arts or what concerns you have about the two arts. Such feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance. info@rhadi.com
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Closing
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I just wanted to let you know….. have a wonderful day today.
If some of you haven’t noticed, we been going through some huge changes.
Some of you have noticed that phone calls, emails and response rates to your questions and customer service issues have gotten even faster. This has been due to some small business restructuring and the hiring of two new assistants that I have who are making my life wonderful.
You will also notice that there are more p.h.r.e.e. things for you to experience and enjoy.
If you haven’t notice, please allow me to point them out to you.
1. The Body Weight Workout, is not p.h.r.e.e. all you have to do is go to http://www.TheBodyWeightWorkout.com and get your p.h.r.e.e. video at NO CHARGE.
2. I recently shot 3 DVDs entitled, Extreme Pushups, Extreme Situps and Extreme Squats. I’m sure many of you know that my Ph.D. Dissertation had a lot to do with pushups and pressing and these DVDs where shot during the time of my studies. I’m sure you will love these DVDs but before I offer any one of them to you I want you to be able to experience one of the DVDs first. For that reason I placed the WHOLE Extreme Squats DVD on Youtube in 14 segments which are approximately 5 minutes each, so that you may look at them, at your convenience.
3. Also in the next 30 days I will fully switch over to my new site which is still in Beta Testing mode right now.
That’s about it.
I certainly hope you all have a great weekend.
Take care,
Rhadi Ferguson, Ph.D., CSCS
2004 Olympian
Judo Olympian, Former College Wrestler and
High School Wrestling Coach Selected as
Head Coach for Cadet and Senior
World Judo Championships
“Dr. Rhadi Ferguson Has Been Selected as
Head Coach for Two Prestigious Judo Events”
Dr. Rhadi Ferguson has just been appointed as the head coach of the Bahamian Delegation for the Cadet World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, as well as the Senior World Judo Championships in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Both events are very prestigious and well known in the world of Judo.
Dr. Ferguson did not receive this appointment by accident. For years, he has been a well known member of the judo, strength and conditioning and grappling communities. He is a 2004 Olympian and a four-time National Judo Champion. In addition, he holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiujitsu and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). He is a highly recognizable force in the judo community because of these accomplishments.
Ferguson helped train world-renowned athletes such as former WWE Wrestler Bobby Lashley, MMA fighter and World Grappling Champion Jeff Monson, UFC standout Brandon Vera, 2-NCAA All American Wrestler Brian Picklo as well as many other athletes. In addition, Ferguson helped nine athletes compete at the Olympic Trials in four different sports and coached two Olympic trial events, which were weightlifting and judo. Due to his background with the Olympics, UFC, wrestling, grappling and world class training techniques, he was an obvious choice for the Cadet World and Senior World Championships. The President of the Bahamian Judo Federation said, “Dr. Ferguson is providing us with the knowledge that is going to take competitive Judo in the Bahamas to another level. What I really enjoy about Dr. Ferguson is his ability to understand coaching within the social and cultural context of The Bahamas. He didn’t come here and tell us what we needed to do. He listened first, gathered information and then provided us with a series of options per our desired outcome. His approach is professional and is one of the main reasons why he was selected to be on our coaching staff.”
In the middle of his busy coaching schedule, Dr. Ferguson also found time to help kids with wrestling. Ferguson moved to Titusville and volunteered as the high school wrestling coach. During his time as the wrestling coach, he made quite an impression on the Titusville High School Athletic Director Dan Diesel and was recommended to Dale Mays to speak with the senior class. He is well known for his motivational speaking and inspired the kids of Titusville High. Due to the inspirational nature of his speech, he has been asked to come back next year. In addition, he is also in the selection pool as a possible speaker at next years graduation.
Ferguson said, “I enjoy spending time with young children and investing in their future. I truly believe that there is educative value in play as well as great value in the development of self discipline through classroom and noble extracurricular pursuits.”
Along with his coaching and speaking engagements, Ferguson has also dedicated a great deal of time with his online business, where he sells various training, martial arts and motivational audio and video products. In addition, he is available for speaking, training and coaching engagements.
Ferguson embraces his busy schedule, as it allows him to help people. He stated, “Our family pays monetary tithes, but I also believe that there is a social tithe that we all must pay out of respect for each other.” Ferguson fulfills his social tithe by helping others acquire the motivation and skills they need to succeed, whether it be in judo or other areas of life.
Dr. Rhadi Ferguson is a well known coach that has helped numerous people further their careers. He received his PhD from Capella University and is now dedicating his time to coaching and consulting for the Cadet World Championships and the Senior World Judo Championships. For more information on what he has to offer, visit
There used to be a time where you could focus on being the best technician and that’s all you had to do.
In baseball, all you had to do was learn how to pitch it, catch it, hit it and run. And the key was to just “keep your eye on the ball.”
In american football it was all about “blocking and tackling.”
In judo it was all about solid technique, a good hikite, great posture and “stand up” judo.
But today’s sporting environment doesn’t lend luck out to the people who prepare for today’s competitive environment with yesterday’s methodologies and yester-year’s training and preparation modalities.
Today the difference, more often than not, in winning and losing comes down to knowledge and exposure. You have to be exposed to the right people, the right information and the right circumstances at the right time. And sometimes this is luck and sometimes you have to “make” your own luck by getting the information that is going to help you.
Creating or maintaining a stubborn or bullheaded posture because you don’t like the way that the sporting world is going is your prerogative, but it’s not your right to force that on those around you. Provide those people around you with all the tools and opportunities for upward and onward advancement.
It has certainly been a blessing to have the experiences which I’ve had over the past 10 years.
In the past 10 years I’ve done the following:
Missed an Olympic Team
Made an Olympic Team
Won 4 National Championships in Judo and 2 in Football
Won a Silver Medal at the Brazilian Jiujitsu World Championships (lost by referee decision)
Coached and have been the training partner for, arguably, the World’s best Submission Wrestler
Competed in the Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling World Championships
Coached the 1st African American female to represent the United States in the sport of Weightlifting
Coached at 2 different Olympic Trials in 2008
Became an International Judo Consultant
Created over 20 DVDs on the topics of Martial Arts, Fitness and Motivation
Earned my Black Belt in Brazilian Jiujitsu
Created a successful business
Coached an Olympian
Became a highly sought after motivational speaker
Became known as “the judo guy” in many martial arts circles
Became one of the most popular judoka in North America
Increased the visibility and power of judo to the grappling and MMA world
Earned my Ph.D. in Education and wrote an outstanding dissertation about Stabilization Limited Training
And so much more….
And you know how I did all of this stuff.
First of all let me say that “I” didn’t do it.
I did take advantage of some situation and circumstances. I did stay up late, work hard, take risks. I did run, lift, practice until the sweat turned to blood. I did perform enormous amounts of reps, read more books than I can remember, attend expensive seminars, travel the globe to train and rack up a lot of debt doing it. I did all of that but……
What I didn’t do is….
I didn’t plan to….
Play football against Lloyd Irvin in college in 1993, and then have his former head coach serve as the defensive coordinator at my school, Howard University and then plan on running into Lloyd Irvin in 1994 and then again in 1998 have him teach me how to teach and train in Brazilian Jiujitsu. He taught me how to roll on the mat and keep a cool look on my face as the vomit traveled from my stomach, into my throat and then my mouth. He taught me how to swallow it back down without even showing how disgusting it tasted on my face. He taught me how to push through and keep fighting when my calf muscles or the muscles on the bottom of my foot or my abs were cramping and to maintain position because if it happens in the real fight you have no option but to keep fighting. He taught me how practice BJJ by myself, even if I didn’t have a partner and the importance of repping movements. He taught me how to NEVER say, “I’m done.”
If you are rolling with Lloyd, you will never hear him say that he doesn’t want to go again. He will NEVER say it. He will let you say it but he will NEVER say, “I’m done, I don’t wanna go anymore.” At least, I’ve never heard him say it and I’ve been watching for years. I’ve practice with him in the lobby of hotel rooms, outside on the grass, on the mat, in the practice room, his living room floor on hard gym floors. Everywhere. One time we were practicing at a gym in Maryland and he got his head hit the carpet and scraped his skin clean off. Guess what? He didn’t stop. Keep rolling. He will not stop. He is a Brazilian Jiujitsu Machine. And he’s like that in his business and it is one of the reasons that he is so successful. He also doesn’t hesitate to stop and learn whatever he feels is going to be effective for him or for his students or son now or later on down the line. He keeps an open mind and is always willing to learn.
I also didn’t plan on……
meeting 4 Time Olympian and 1999 World Judo Champion Jimmy Pedro during, what some will clearly say, was the height of his judo career in the years of 1997-1999. In 1998 I think Jimmy’s overall record was something like 83-4. That’s 83 wins and only 4 losses. Unfortunately there wasn’t a World Championship that year and in 1997 Jimmy got hurt and missed the Judo World Championships, so he had to wait until 1999 to become a World Champion. It can easily be said that from the years of 1993 to 2008, Jimmy Pedro was, pound for pound, one of the 7 best Judo Players in the World. I trained with Jimmy Pedro. When I returned to judo, that was the person who I trained with. I got to see, up close and personal, what a world class judo player looks like. If you’ve never seen it and I’m pretty sure many of you never have…let me tell you, it is a sight. I’m not talking about watching somebody practice hard. I’m talking about, “I’m-trying-to-win-a-damn-gold-medal” type of training. That is something all together different. There’s no laughing, no joking, just training. It is past the realm of being intense. It borders on insane and sick and no one really knows nor wants to know what it takes. They just want to talk about it over a beer or two. I saw it with my own eyes and I’ve been able to spend a considerable amount of time around Jimmy and I can tell you this. He doesn’t BS, he doesn’t do things halfway, he believes in being professional, he believes in getting the right people in place to do a job and he is big on personal accountability. If you aren’t serious, he probably won’t hold a long conversation with you. That doesn’t mean he isn’t nice. He’s a SUPER nice guy with a beautiful wife and beautiful family. Jimmy is SUPER intense, super focused and I’ve done business with him and I NEVER disrespect or waste his time.
He showed me and taught me what was necessary in order to become a world class judo player and I am in debt to him. I can still remember the day when he told me in practice to stop doing the double leg. He said, “you’ve got that already. Develop something else, its not going anywhere.” Some people would have taken that the wrong way. I took it as a compliment. He was actually letting me know that I had perfected that part of my game and now it was time to move on. It was some of the best advice that I received. And it actually made my double leg (Morote Gari) even more potent.
I also didn’t plan on……
meeting one of the best strength and conditioning coaches in the country, Juan Carlos “JC” Santana. I met “JC” virtually as a strength coach at Towson University. While working there I was watching some of his strength and conditioning videos, in order to get some ideas for the men’s basketball team. There was so much stuff out there on Olympic Weightlifting that I needed someone who could think a little bit outside of the box. Basketball players are very tall and you don’t have all season to try and teach them how to do Olympic lifts but you have a job to do and must get them strong. I looked at a lot of people in the fitness industry and by far his work on and in functional training was the best. His work has greatly influence my approach to training, my systems, my physical development over the last 7 years and that of my wife. After watching the video of JC, I saw him competing in a Judo tournament.
As a professional I can tell you that this had a huge impact on me. Not only does JC coach the sport, if possible, he will get in there and mix it up a little bit just to see how it feels. As someone who looks for the best and had been exposed on what to do by being introduced to others, I immediately contacted JC Santana and put him on “team Ferguson“. It was one of the best things I did for my judo and coaching career. He was an integral part of my Olympian achievement. After I retired from competition, I went into business with JC Santana and we created a company that is one of the premiere companies in the mixed martial arts industry. I’ve moved on and am no longer with the company, but JC’s impact on my career personally and professionally was worth every penny invested.
I also didn’t……..
choose my parents either. My parents really did an excellent job in creating and setting a standard of high achievement in the home. They didn’t accept nor purport mediocrity in anything. I can never recall my parent being happy with B’s or C’s on my report card. I don’t think they were ever satisfied with second place. That’s not to say that they didn’t praise my effort if they were genuine…they most certainly did. They just always had this small hint of “Rhadi I know you can do better” in the ether. And that was positive and it was great and it is one of the reasons why to this day, I will do something and say, “Rhadi, I know you can do better.” I truly love them for all that they have done. For the standard of excellence, their unwavering support and their love and prayers.
There are so many instances that I can name.
>> I can talk about my college wrestling coach Dr. Paul Cotton, that did Sambo and Judo and was able to teach me wrestling from a “judo standpoint” so that I could understand it as quick as possible.
>> I could tell you about the times when I used to live in Southern California and would leave work about an hour early to take a flight out of Santa Ana airport and arrive in San Jose so that I could practice at San Jose University because it was, at the time, the only club with 5 to 6 good left handed judo players.
>> I can talk about how I spent the bulk of my judo training time under 1984 Olympic Bronze Medallist Eddie Liddie and trained with 1997 Judo World Championship Bronze Medallist Brian Olson.
>> I can tell you about the conversations that I had with Olympic Gold Medalist Apolo Anton Ohno, or World Cup Wrestling Champion Mike Van Arsdale, or World Champion Dremiel Byers, ECW Heavyweight Champion Bobby Lashley or Olympic Gold Medalist Kevin Jackson or the time that I sat down and spoke with Lincoln McIlvary at the Olympic Training Center after practice and he said, “you know some people cut so many corners that it becomes a circle.” I laughed when he said it because I got it. He was saying that when you start cutting corners, what you set out to do or what you intended to do is not what you are doing. You’ve changed the process and thus your outcome has changed. You cut corners.
I won’t tell you that all of these conversations came at a cost. YOU ALREADY KNOW THAT.
I quit my job in 1998 at Texas Instruments in order to be privy to such conversations. I traveled the world, trained hard and spent much money to have these conversations.
I showed the people who I was around and who were around me that I was interested in becoming better, more seasoned and more knowledgeable. And I PAID for the increase that I received.
In Malcolm Gladwell’s book “Outliers” as well as Geoff Colvin’s book “Talent Is Overrated” there are some central themes about what makes people good and one of those themes is that successful people get the right information at the right time and they apply it.
What I’m going to tell you is this….
Being good has much less to do with talent and more to do with opportunities and taking advantage of them.
I love my wife. I really do. And our anniversary is on the 30th of June. On the 30th of June, I grabbed a hold of an opportunity of a lifetime to spend my life with the most spectacular woman in the world. And that day reminds me of the importance of grabbing a hold of an opportunity and maximizing the moment that you are presented with in life.
On the 30th of June, 2-Time Olympian Taraje Williams-Murray and myself, Rhadi Ferguson will release “Ugly Judo 101: Morote Gari” to the WORLD!!!!!
Monday, July 27th, 2009
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