The pattern of champions: In Jiu jitsu and in life, some individuals seem to rise to a level above their peers. It's worth asking if there are any patterns that emerge in this process that perhaps we could emulate in order to improve our own performance in whatever field we wish to progress. There are many factors that I have observed over the years but let's focus on one for today. Jiu jitsu offers an ocean of moves – far more than you could learn in one lifetime. Our lives are short and our minds limited in capacity. So what are we to do? We are caught in a conundrum. There are ten thousand moves in Jiu jitsu. Any one of those moves could be used by an opponent to defeat us. Yet we can't hope to learn them all in depth as it would take ten lifetimes to do so. The way champions respond to this problem can be stated in a single sentence. To excel in your field – YOU NEED TO LEARN A LITTLE ABOUT A LOT AND A LOT ABOUT A LITTLE. Yes it's true that there are far more moves than you can ever learn – SO FOCUS ON A SMALL NUMBER OF MOVES THAT ARE high percentage AND FIT WELL WITH YOUR BODY TYPE AND PERSONALITY AND YOUR VISION OF WHAT YOU WANT TO EXPRESS – so learn a LOT about a little number of crucial moves that form your core skill set – they will be responsible for the vast majority of your wins and success. Yes it's true that any one of the thousands of moves of the sport could be used by an opponent to defeat you – so learn a LITTLE about all of them – just enough so that you have awareness of the danger. As long as you can perceive danger ahead of time you can defend a move with minimal knowledge by disengaging early – ignorance of encroaching danger has gotten more people submitted than all other factors. This is how champions get around THE PROBLEM OF KNOWLEDGE. They learn a lot about a little and seek MASTERY in a small set of skills that make them powerful; and, they learn a little about many moves, just enough to perceive danger early and move away before it's too late. In this world it's impossible to know everything – AND YOU DON'T NEED TO – you just have to know everything about a few things and a little about the rest.
