Hard working problem solvers: People come to me all the time asking what kind of attributes they need to need to develop in order to excel in jiu jitsu. Conversely, they will also claim that they can never beat a certain opponent because they are possessed of a certain attribute that they cannot overcome. Thus do I get endless numbers of inquiries asking how to build certain attributes such as strength, speed, flexibility, mental toughness etc. etc. These attributes are all good and desirable and will definitely help your progress – BUT THEY ARE NOT THE ESSENTIAL ATTRIBUTES I LOOK FOR WHEN APPRAISING THE POTENTIAL OF A STUDENT. What I look for can be said in a single short sentence. I look for HARD WORKING PROBLEM SOLVERS. Nothing more, nothing less. When you look at a list of great world champions you will see tremendous variation in physical and mental attributes. BUT YOU WILL SEE TWO THINGS THEY ALL HAD IN COMMON – they worked harder and proved more adept at solving the problems in front of them in the time available than their opponents. How hard working you are is not some innate quality. I ACTUALLY DON'T BELIEVE ANYONE IS LAZY – JUST UNMOTIVATED. WHAT WE CALL LAZINESS IS SIMPLY A LACK OF passion IN THAT DOMAIN. (I shall write more about passion and laziness in future posts as I believe they are very important notions in our quest for improvement). As for problem solving, I think this is something we all find happiness in and we all have different ways of finding solutions. Look at the squad as an example. Eddie Cummings and myself come from a formal academic background and our problem solving methods reflect that, with a wordy, fine grained distinctions look to them. The Ryan brothers do not, and their methods of solving problems have a more practical/workshop look to them. Garry Tonon and Georges St-Pierre are somewhere in between – BUT ALL GOT OUTSTANDING RESULTS AND solve THE PROBLEMS OF JIU JITSU WITH EQUAL EFFICACY- just in somewhat different ways. Work on your attributes- but don't think they are the key to your success – realize that the keys are your capacity to work over time and solve the problems that arise as you work. Photo @banejitsu
