Active patience vs passive patience: Beginning students are often told to be patient in the sport of jiu jitsu – it takes time to be successful. There is obviously a large measure of to this. Nonetheless, when I coach I emphasize the difference between what I term ACTIVE PATIENCE vs PASSIVE PATIENCE. It is absolutely true that the skills of any complex activity take time to develop. Skills are born in the same state we are – weak, vulnerable and unlikely to survive without nurture and outside help. In time they develop strength and maturity. Just as a weak and helpless baby can one day into an Achilles or Hector; so to, SKILLS THAT ARE WEAK, FEEBLE AND UNPROMISING , CAN, OVER TIME AND TRAINING, MATURE INTO UNSTOPPABLE TOKUI-WAZA (favorite moves) THAT CAN WIN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS. We must be careful however, to avoid thinking that since time is required to develop skill, then we should simply sit back and let time run and watch our skills accumulate. This PASSIVE approach to patience is the enemy of progress. It is essentially a form of lazy complacence where one assumes that by simply showing up and going through the same routines, progress be made. Patience itself is not a virtue – ACTIVE PATIENCE – the notion of actively working towards well defined goals with a specific plan whilst recognizing that time will be required to get those goals, is the virtue athletes need. Active patience is the acceptance that skills take time to develop, combined with the recognition that those skills won't develop themselves. They will only grow through intelligent planning towards a specific goal. Garry Tonon is an excellent example. When he first began studying with me, he had no effective strangles from in front of his opponent. I immediately set him to work on developing a strong high elbow guillotine. For months he struggled. At the six month mark he despaired of ever having a strong guillotine. Then finally he started having breakthroughs in the against lower belts. Soon it became a trusted weapon. He used it brilliantly on the big against the much larger and Kit Dale to win a match that gained him widespread attention

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