Page 88 - The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin_Neat plip book

in his game, and sometimes I found myself peaceful ly watching hi s ha nds come
toward me in slow motion.

There came a moment when the tables clearly tur ned for me and Evan. My
training had gotten very intense, I had won a coupl e of middl eweight Nationa l
Championship titles, and was prepar ing for the World Cham pi ons hi ps . Evan
and I hadn’t worked together in a whi le becau se he started avoidi ng me as I

improved. But this evening Master Chen paired us up on the mats. Evan came
at me like a bull, and I instinctively avoided hi s ons laught and thr ew hi m on
the floor. He got up, came back at me, and I tossed hi m again. I was sho cke d
by how easy it felt. After a few minut es of thi s Evan said that hi s foot was

bothering him and he called it a night . We sho ok hands , and he woul d ne ver
work with me again.
Reflecting on our relationship, I do n’t thi nk ther e was ever any malice in
Evan’s actions. Truth be told, I thi nk he is a good guy whose no-nonsense,

smashmouth approach to martial arts training pr esented me with a pr iceless
learning opportunity. It’s clear that if in the beginni ng I had neede d to look
good to satisfy my ego, then I woul d have avoided that oppo rtuni ty and all the
pain that accompanied it. For his part, Evan was big and strong, and to an

inexperienced martial artist he was terrifying, but his forceful appr oach he ld
him back from internalizing some of the more subt le elements of the art. Most
critically, Evan was unwilling to inv est in loss hi mself. He coul d ha ve take n my
improvement as a chance to raise hi s gam e, b ut ins tead he o pt ed out .

*

Thinking back on my competitive life, I realize how defini ng the se the mes of

Beginner’s Mind and Investment in Loss have been. Periodically, I have had to take
apart my game and go through a rough patch. In all disciplines , the re are times
when a performer is ready for action, and times when he or she is soft, in fl ,
broken-down or in a period of growth. Learner s in thi s phas e are ine vitabl y

vulnerable. It is important to have perspect ive on thi s and allow your self
protected periods for cultivation. A gifted boxer with a fabul ous right and no
left will get beat up while he tries to learn the jab. Or take the talent ed hi gh
school basketball player learning how to play point guar d at the college level.

He may have been able to dominate schoolyards in his past, but now he ha s to
learn to see the whole court, share the bal l, br ing the bes t out of his teammates.