Your biggest weakness could
become your biggest
Strength

HERE is the story of a 10-year-old boy who decided to study judo despite the fact that he had lost his left arm in a devastating car accident.

The boy began lessons with an old Japanese judo master.

The boy was doing well, so he couldn’t understand why, after three months of training, the master had taught him only one move.

“Sensei,” the boy finally asked the teacher, “Shouldn’t I be learning more moves?”

“This is the only move you know, but this is the only move you’ll ever need to know,” the sensei replied. Not quite convinced, but believing in his teacher, the boy kept training.

Several months later, the sensei took the boy to his first tournament. Surprising himself, the boy easily won his first two matches.

The third match proved to be more difficult, but after some time, his opponent became impatient and charged — the boy deftly used his one move to win the match.
The boy was now in the finals.

This time, his opponent was bigger, stronger, and more experienced. For a while, the boy appeared to be overmatched. Concerned that the boy might get hurt, the referee called a time-out. He was about to stop the match when the sensei intervened.

“No,” the sensei insisted, “Let him continue.”

As soon as the match resumed, his opponent made a critical mistake — he dropped his guard. Instantly, the boy used his move to pin him. The boy won the match and the tournament and was declared champion.

On the way home, the boy and sensei reviewed every move in each and every match. Then, the boy summoned the courage to ask what was really on his mind. “Sensei, how did I win with only one move?”

“You won for two reasons,” the sensei answered. “First, you’ve almost mastered one of the most difficult throws in all of judo. And second, the only known defence for that move is for your opponent to grasp your left arm.”

Dr Nitin Pandey