Reflections on my Sensei: The most important lesson Mr Gracie ever taught me: Anyone involved in the kingly art of jiu jitsu can understand that their Sensei delves out countless important and valuable lessons, especially in the early stages of development where every day of training seems to offer huge new insights and ways of looking at things. As time passes however, the value of the lessons changes from straightforward technical and tactical advice and starts to move into the strategic and life defining areas. When I was a white belt and training in Mr Gracie's dojo, the senior students were of a very high level. I developed a reputation as a white belt that was difficult to finish, so many of the seniors enjoyed training with me as a solid test of their finishing skills or a tough warm up before serious training with the other seniors. This kind of training gave me a solid defense, but not much else. I fell into a mindset of thinking that success consisted in holding out for a respectable time. That mindset is acceptable for a beginner, but it cannot sustain development over time. One night I was feeling rather proud of myself having lasted a long round with a senior when Mr Gracie sat next to me and, expressed strong disappointment in my game. He said, John – the way you play you will never be anything more than an ANNOYANCE to your opponent. You must change and become a threat to your opponent. When you do this you will see a total change
