Double Down on Strengths

There are diminishing returns to patching up your weaknesses.  It's better to double down on your strengths.

Look, we all have weaknesses.  If you're like most people, you probably have an inkling of the things you're not particularly good at.  And again, if you're like most people, this probably eats you up inside.

Maybe you think your weaknesses are holding you back. Maybe you think that peak performers have no weaknesses, and that in order to achieve peak performance, you must achieve a similar level of across-the-board perfection.

Allow me to explain why this misconception is false, why we all have weaknesses, and why that's okay.

There are diminishing returns to patching up your weaknesses.  It's better to double down on your strengths.

I've heard this from several coaches, and I've definitely seen it in person when interacting with peak performers.

The reality is, peak performers are not perfect.  They have weaknesses just like the rest of us.  The difference is: peak performers don't obsess about their weaknesses; they instead focus on enhancing their strengths.

If you spend all your time focusing on your weaknesses, you'll be spreading your efforts thinly across the board and you won't become great at everything.  But to be a peak performer, you must have an area where you're truly great, and that means doubling down on your strengths.

Does that mean peak performers ignore their weaknesses?  Of course not.  If you have a gaping hole in your defense, your opponent is likely going to exploit it.  But peak performers are very targeted with the time they invest in their weaknesses.  Once they've closed the hole in their defense, they often move on to investing in something else.

You only need to focus on your weaknesses to the point where they aren't a liability anymore.  Then, it's best to invest in your strengths.

If you've got a good gameplan, you'll be constantly trying to steer the fight away from the places you're weak and into the places you're strong.  This is an important part of strategy that we refer to as funneling.  It's applicable to all aspects of strategy, both in and out of Jiu-Jitsu.

Every grappler should think deeply about their strengths and weaknesses, how they can close any major defensive holes, and how they can funnel the fight into the place where they're strongest.

Further study:

• Diminishing Returns
• Funneling