Sometimesyourbiggestweaknesscanbecomeyourbiggeststrength.Take,forexample,thestoryofone10-year-oldboywhodecidedtostudyjudodespitethefactthathehadlosthisleftarminadevastatingcaraccident.TheboybeganlessonswithanoldJapanesejudomaster.Theboywasdoingwell,sohecouldn’tunderstandwhy,afterthreemonthsoftraining,themasterhadtaughthimonlyonemove.“Sir,”theboyfinallysaid,“shouldn’tIbelearningmoremoves?”“Thisistheonlymoveyouknow,butthisistheonlymoveyou’lleverneedtoknow,”themasterreplied.Notquiteunderstanding,butbelievinginhisteacher,theboykepttraining.
Severalmonthslater,themastertooktheboytohisfirsttournament.Surprisinghimself,theboyeasilywonhisfirsttwomatches.Thethirdmatchprovedtobemoredifficult,butaftersometime,hisopponentbecameimpatientandcharged;theboydeftlyusedhisonemovetowinthematch.Stillamazedbyhissuccess,theboywasnowinthefinals.Thistime,hisopponentwasbigger,stronger,andmoreexperienced.Forawhile,theboyappearedtobeovermatched.Concernedthattheboymightgethurt,therefereecalledatime-out.Hewasabouttostopthematchwhenhisjudomasterintervened.“No,”thejudomasterinsisted,“Lethimcontinue.”
Soonafterthematchresumed,hisopponentmadeacriticalmistake:hedroppedhisguard.Instantly,theboyusedhismovetopinhim.Theboyhadwonthematchandthetournament.Hewasthechampion.Onthewayhome,theboyandhisjudomasterreviewedeverymoveineachandeverymatch.Thentheboysummonedthecouragetoaskwhatwasreallyonhismind.“Sir,howdidIwinthetournamentwithonlyonemove?”“Youwonfortworeasons,”themasteranswered.“First,you’vealmostmasteredoneofthemostdifficultthrowsinallofjudo.Second,theonlyknowndefenseforthatmoveisforyouropponenttograbyourleftarm.”Theboy’sbiggestweaknesshadbecomehisbiggeststrength.
