Finding a diamond: There are a vast number of moves in Jiu jitsu, your job is to first master the fundamentals so that you have a strong foundation and no obvious weaknesses for an opponent to exploit, and then the fun part – selecting a small group of favorite moves that will define your game. How does this selection process occur? How do you come to choose what are to be your main weapons? There are several main methods. The first is exposure through a teaching program. I was blessed to have an excellent teacher, renzo gracie, who always did an excellent job of exposing us to a wide and interesting variety of moves so that we had a deep set of choices to work from. The second is talented mentors or sparring partners. Sometimes a busting athlete will come in with a new perspective or moves you aren't familiar with but which seem very effective to you and this inspires you to emulate them. Third is watching great athletes from the past and present and being inspired by something you observe in their game. The fourth and most important is personal experimentation on the mat. Some days you try a move and find that it just clicks for you. Something about it seems more natural and easier than most moves and you apply it well from the start. When this happens, don't ignore it. This may well be a sign that you've stumbled on to something important. When this happens don't just be happy with a good application of the move that day and then forget it – take it as a sign to engage in further research and study and see how far you can take that promising start!! Understand that sometimes you'll find that it leads to a dead end – better to try and lead to nothing a few times but occasionally find a diamond that can transform your game than ignore them all and go through your career with no diamonds in your collection. Next time you find that you have a natural affinity for a move, don't just smile and forget about – see just how far you can run with it!
