Eighteen BJJ black belt on one mat in Australia at the same time is quite incredible. Thats the sought of respect Rigan Machado commands and as usual his annual seminar was a huge success.
When thinking about the qualities of a Black Belt I must say Rigan certainly leads the way. I could go on about his technical brilliance or his many titles as a competitor, but more impressive to me is the way he holds himself as a human being. Rigan goes out of his way to talk and have photos with anyone at the comp or seminar and alway takes a special interest in Jake. A more humble man you will never find, a very refreshing change when compared to some of his counterparts.
The seminar focused on grip disengagement and guard transitions and unlike other years Rigan worked us out quite hard and gave us a chance to do some guard wrestling with several other particapants.
A major highlight for me personally was working with my BJJ coach Anthony Lange and good friends and fellow black belts Peter King
and Darko Zaric.
I've attached an interesting photo, as pointed out by John Will. Four Generations of BJJ black belts on the same mat. A very rare sight anywhere in the world. Myself, my coach Anthony Lange, Anthony's coach John Will and John's coach Rigan Machado.