natural ability: Jiu Jitsu

The thing i love about Jiu Jitsu is that everyone can do it.  Of course, there are those with severe situations, but no one will be held back in this sport by lack of natural talent, physical strength, speed, or any thing of the sort. Natural ability itself, is a western idea.  In Thailand, the Muay Thai gyms raise fighters from a young age, these kids eat, sleep, train at the gyms.  There is no physical ability test they have to pass, they just have to have to be young enough to be able to put a sufficient amount of time in.  In Jiu Jitsu, even the age hardly comes in to affect.  Thai fighters usually retire by the time they are in their late 20s, due to the physical toll it takes on your body.  In Jui Jitsu this is not the case, at my old gym, there was a brown belt that didn't have a single colored hair left on his head, and he was one of the best guys there.

The point is, all jiu jitsu requires is time.  If you can put the time in, you get the skills.  In a book called Outliers, by Malcom Gladwell, it talks about the 10,000 hour rule.  If you put 10,000 hours in to something, no matter what you natural ability level was, you will be a master.  There was a study done in Asia where they looked at the famous musicians playing in the big orchestras.  There was a connection made that showed if the kids growing up practiced 30 hours a week, they would become successful musicians.  There was not a single person who put in 30 hours per week, and just couldn't cut it.  On the other side of that, the study was full of musicians who were brimming with natural talent, and there for practiced less than 30 hours per week, these students grew up to be high school music teachers and other things of the sort.

When Marcelo Garcia started Jiu Jitsu, he lived far from the gym, so he could only train three times per week.  Eventually, he moved in to the gym, and reportedly trained for 4 sessions each day, with the sessions being upwards of an hour.  Marcelo Garcia is now widely considered the best pound-for-pound grappler in the world.  In fact, it was Marcelo Garcia's story that inspired me to commit to Jiu Jitsu and begin living at the gym that I train at.

Never get discouraged when you train.  Do not worry if you have what it takes.  If you have the time to commit, you have what it takes.  Just keep training and keep motivated, and you will reach your goals.  Take it from 78 y/o Gene Pace.  Check out this link to read about how he got his black belt at such an advanced age.