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I don't know about this Larry, I would have to disagree. You need both to succeed, that is absolutely true. When I was coming up in the martial arts, I was "the runt", I trained with Baltimore royalty. A lot of gang kingpins in Baltimore, a lot of guys who grew up rougher and talented...I had very little talent. I was, in fact, the one white guy in the club for a long time lol. Especially when I started...my instructor used to beat the crap out of me, to toughen me up and teach me to get comfortable...I had been in street fights, but was not a real street fighter in any way.
I used to watch guys come in and learn techniques in a minute... and most of them lost interest...in a minute. They all had more talent than I did. But the guys in the club, my teacher supported me, threatened me "you better come back or we will find you!" (they were being good natured) and I came back, day after day, week after week, year after year. Eight years later, many of the guys I trained with were in jail, shot, had moved on. I became my teachers only second dan. second dan Black Belt does not seem like much with rank inflation, but it was like a much higher rank because we could fight.
I never had much talent. Certainly not as a fighter. I was and am, to be fair, a great teacher and because of all my brothers I became a great fighter according to MOST standards.
Natural talent is like a beautiful woman. It turns heads, and it makes any teacher shake. Ive seen dudes back from Vietnam, big boned, crazy aggressive, who could have been incredible fighters... Some of them could learn a technique in a minute! But seldom did they put the work in. I guess they knew they had "it" and didn't need to develop it. Yet every once in a while one of these guys stays and makes the long haul. That is remarkable when it happens.
Almost forgot to say: I think many come in with their own gifts and need discipline to make them work at the highest levels for sure. But very few have that combination in equal parts. Floyd did for sure.
I used to watch guys come in and learn techniques in a minute... and most of them lost interest...in a minute. They all had more talent than I did. But the guys in the club, my teacher supported me, threatened me "you better come back or we will find you!" (they were being good natured) and I came back, day after day, week after week, year after year. Eight years later, many of the guys I trained with were in jail, shot, had moved on. I became my teachers only second dan. second dan Black Belt does not seem like much with rank inflation, but it was like a much higher rank because we could fight.
I never had much talent. Certainly not as a fighter. I was and am, to be fair, a great teacher and because of all my brothers I became a great fighter according to MOST standards.
Natural talent is like a beautiful woman. It turns heads, and it makes any teacher shake. Ive seen dudes back from Vietnam, big boned, crazy aggressive, who could have been incredible fighters... Some of them could learn a technique in a minute! But seldom did they put the work in. I guess they knew they had "it" and didn't need to develop it. Yet every once in a while one of these guys stays and makes the long haul. That is remarkable when it happens.
Almost forgot to say: I think many come in with their own gifts and need discipline to make them work at the highest levels for sure. But very few have that combination in equal parts. Floyd did for sure.
What an idiot.
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