I train under Marcos Santos in NYC and have been a purple belt for a couple years.


OTM: What is your ultimate goal in BJJ?

JW: I’m just a beginner in this art, but it’s my dream to win Mundials. I have a long way to go, but I’m committed.


OTM: Who are some of your favorite BJJ and MMA fighters today?

JW: Hands down my favorite BJJ fighter is Marcelo Garcia. The dude is amazing. Pure flow. He’s very similar to Tiger Woods in that he doesn’t hesitate to break down his game at the top, when it seems absolutely unnecessary. There’s a certain unstoppable mindset in his approach to learning. I also love how he hones in on one or two techniques and makes them manifest everywhere—this idea, of learning the macro through the micro, is at the core of my approach to everything. Most recently for Marcelo it was the omoplata and crucifix. He was catching his students in those two submissions from every conceivable position, and this was while his X-guard and back game looked unbeatable. Everyone prepped for the back attack and then he blew his weight class out of the water in Abu Dhabi with a brand new game. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with in MMA.

As for MMA fighters, all politics aside, I think Randy Couture’s mental understanding is off the charts, and Anderson Silva is the scariest dude out there.


OTM: What is your training regimen like these days?

JW: I train BJJ six days a week, twice a couple of those days if possible. My book has made things in my life more chaotic than I’d like and when I travel I inevitably miss some days. I’m trying to minimize that as much as possible.


OTM: Do you still practice Tai Chi?

JW: Internally, yes. Chess and Tai Chi are at the core of everything I do.


OTM: In the HHCF Chess Kings Invitational, RZA spoke about how Chessmaster 10 and getting coaching from you gave him a true edge in the tournament. Can you talk about what you taught him that enhanced his playing?

JW: RZA is an incredible man. He has a deep wisdom, and we have very similar approaches to creativity. He’s a very strong chess player, but he didn’t have a solid classical foundation. I suggested that he study the endgame. Instead of memorizing opening traps, I suggested he dive into the principles that govern all chess positions. That’s how I teach through Chessmaster—connecting chess to life—and maybe that approach helped translate his musical genius to the 64 squares. With a guy like RZA, who is a tremendously high level thinker, all you have to do is figure out how to open the floodgates so his understanding of Quality can transfer over. These arts are all the same, really. We just need to break down the walls in our minds.


OTM: What was your favorite memory from the HHCF Kings Invitational?

JW: Dude, the HHCF events have been amazing….I think the panel discussions with you, me, RZA, Rakaa, Qbert, and Kevvy Kev have been very dynamic. Bringing together role models from all these different disciplines to discuss the road to mastery is a brilliant way to inspire kids who might not otherwise be exposed to all the connections.

As for specific moments, two come to mind. Last event, it actually happened behind the scenes. RZA and I were waiting to go up for the panel, and we got into this intense conversation about creativity, going back and forth, discussing these wild connections between chess, hip hop, and the martial arts. We were speaking about improvisation, the role between the technical foundation and the creative leap, about where all these arts collide. I came out of the conversation on fire with new ideas—I wish others could have heard it.

The other moment happened on the street after our event at The Omega Boys Club. A young rapper approached RZA, Monk, and Reverend with a challenging vibe. He started freestyling and then a cipher broke out, with the Wu Tang crew blowing this guy out of the water. It all came to a head when RZA brought the house down with probably the most amazing improvised performance in anything that I’ve even seen. It was flat out awesome. After he was done, and without missing a beat, he said “Josh GO!” It was my turn. I laughed. I know when to keep my mouth shut.


OTM: What are the practical fighting limitations of tai chi?

JW: I think that depends on how literal you're being. If you come from my perspective, in which I rebound away from traditionalism and don't care much for labels, Tai Chi is in everything just as chess and Jiu Jitsu are in everything. The boundaries are very porous. From a slightly less irritatingly abstract perspective, the Tai Chi system, if cultivated in a no nonsense manner, can be quite powerful as a striking and throwing art. Despite what some might say, the ground element of the game is not terribly developed--and that's a big limitation.


OTM: What are the spiritual/internal limitations of brazilian jiu jitsu?

JW: I don't have any reason to believe that there are any.


OTM: Not any? I find this hard to conceive. Looking back into antiquity, the philosophies of Lao Tzu, Buddha, Jigoro Kano and even more recently Bruce Lee, gave each of the respective martial paths a sketch of spiritual structure. These sketches served as a loose road map to one's true self.

When I look at Rickson Gracie for example, the main thing I see that separates him from the rest of the jiu jitsu practitioners in the world is his philosophical approach to fighting. Many of his interviews highlight his respect for the traditional philosophical approaches of the past.

In America at least, there does not seem to be a philosophical methodology to Brazilian jiu jitsu. I have always felt this has created a vacuum of sorts that makes jiu jitsu more of a supremely effective fighting style-