Weakness or strength

Weakness or strength

Sometimes our biggest weakness can become
our biggest strength. Take, for example, the
story of one 10-year-old boy who decided to
study judo despite the fact that he had only one
arm.
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 said, “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 understanding, 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. Still amazed by his success, 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 timeout.
 He was about to stop the match when the
sensei intervened.
“No,” the sensei insisted, “Let him continue.”
Soon after the match resumed, his opponent
made a critical mistake: he dropped his guard.
Instantly, the boy used his move to pin him. The
boy had won the match and the tournament. He
was the 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 the tournament 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 defense for that move is
for your opponent to grap your left arm.”
The boy’s biggest weakness had become his
biggest strength.
                                     — Author unknown

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