Some of the important ten things… by Badger Johnson

Some of the important ten things…

1. Most of the principles of grappling do not work beyond beginner level.

2. This is OK, because most people do not get past beginner level. Most people return to beginner level when tired. There are ways to make your “opponent” go back to beginner level.

3. Find ways not to ‘get tired’. This is most of life.

4. All principles are metaphors, except when they are not.

5. The head is the most important principle, except when it’s not the head but the waist, except when it’s not the waist but the breath, except when it’s not the breath but the legs, except when it’s not the legs but defining the opponent.

6. It is important to remember the principles, except that you can never “remember” them when you need them, so it’s important to be able to instantly “derive” them when needed. To do that, since you can’t “remember” them you use ‘landmarks’.

7. It’s very important to get a ‘good grip’, but that is hard, so work to not need a ‘good grip’. Likewise you can keep the opponent searching for the good grip, that way he’s not able to focus on ‘winning’.

8. Winning is everything, except when everything is ‘not losing’.

9. Most things will fail when you need them most. Thus try to use them before you need them most.

10. Remember number four. When you can not, make up something new. That way you achieve number three.

This might sound 'deep' but it is really just 'superficial'.

~BAJ
9-2016

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Please check out Badger Johnson's other essays:

• A Martial Framework by Badger Johnson
• How To Exceed Your Plateaus by Badger Johnson
• Adding to Arnold's Six Principles of Success
• Badger Johnson - 10 Tips on how to analyze a martial art for effectiveness
• "To be a master is very different from being an expert." by Badger Johnson
• Addendum, Clarification and Expansion of Paul Vunak's Fighting Secrets by Badger Johnson
• Expanded Ways of Attack by Badger Johnson
• "Fifty Important Elements in Martial Arts" by Badger Johnson
• Badger Johnson - Can Trapping Work?
• The Genesis and Development of Zone Theory by Badger Johnson
• A few aspects of self-defense training by Badger Johnson
• Over-speed Training - Accessing the Subconscious and the Power of Threes
• "I'd Like to Teach the World to Dance"
• Coaching, self-coaching, talent, experience, genetics, opportunity, motivation
• Some thoughts today

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NOTE:  My sincerest appreciation for Badger's gracious consent for permission to archive his essay to my site.

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