John Buckley was the Australian National Champion in 1966, 1967 and 1968. He represented Australia at the World Championships in 1967 as part of the first full Australian Team, and has continued to watch judo grow and change as he transitioned into a high performance coaching role, which he has been performing for over 50 years.

In that time, he has coached multiple athletes to the Olympic Games and World Championships, and amassed a treasure chest of knowledge and insight gained from first-hand experience on and off the tatami.