Page 117 - The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin_Neat plip book

definition, very clever about what they sho w over the chessbo ard, but , in life’s
more mundane moments, even the most cunni ng chess ps ychologi sts can reveal

certain essential nuances of character. If, over di nner, a Grandm aster tastes
something bitter and faintly wrinkl es his nose, ther e might be an inkl ing of a
tell lurking. Impatience while standi ng on line at the buf fet might be tray a
problem sitting with tension. It’s amazing ho w much you can learn abo ut

someone when they get caught in the rain! Some will run with thei r ha nds over
their heads, others will smile and take a deep br eath whi le enj oying the wind.
What does this say about one’s relations hi p to discomfort? The reaction to
surprise? The need for control?

By the time I moved into the compet itive martial arts, I was very muc h in
tune with my tells, and was qui te go od at manipul ating oppo ne nt s’
impressions of my state of mind. I had also reached a fairly high level of
reading psychological wrinkles. It was dur ing thes e years that I be ga n to

cultivate methods of systematically cont rolling my oppo nen ts’ int ent ion.
In chess, a huge amount of psychologi cal obs ervation and manipul ation
might ultimately manifest as a subt le hi tch in an oppo nen t’s tho ught pr ocess.
In physical disciplines like the martial arts, get ting int o the oppo ne nt ’s he ad

has an immediate and often violent effect that is much more visibl e to the
observing eye. E nvision the following s cene:
I’m competing against an experienced Pus h Hands oppo nen t who ha s fi ty
pounds on me. He’s a good athlete, fast, strong, aggressive. The idea is to stay

on your feet and within the ring. In thi s matchup I’m not going to win with
force. It’s the mental side of the gam e that will be critical. The match be gi ns
with our right wrists crossed. I apply light pressur e on his wrist, and he pus he s
back. The mood is set. As the play begins we circle one another. I pr obe hi m

with feints, and each time he comes back at me with a count er attack. We go
into the clinch, both of us having our right arms wrapped unde rne ath the
opponent’s left armpit, both with our right legs forward. I pul se twice with my
right shoulder and each time he meets my pul se with resistance. I br eak out of

the clinch. I’m backing up. We play a little more, at a distance. A few times I
push into his midsection, and he con tly holds his ground. The n I create an
opening, allowing him to close distance and pul l me back into the clinc h. On
the entry I pulse again with my right sho ul der, thi s time very subt ly, and

immediately trigger into a throw wher e I empt y out my right side and torque
him into the hole. H e hits the ground har d an d i s conf us ed. What ha ppe ne d?