Still elated over his success, the boy was now competing in the finals.
Kevin, an 11-year-old boy from the Philippines, had decided to study judo despite having lost his left arm in a tragic car crash.
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Kevin began taking judo lessons from a master in Japan. In spite of his good performance, the boy could not understand why the master taught him only one move after five months of training.
Eventually, Kevin asked his teacher, “Isn't it important that I learn more moves?”
"Well, you only know one move, but that is the only move you'll ever need to learn," the teacher replied.
Even though he did not quite understand, Kevin kept training because he believed in his teacher. A few months later, the boy went to his first tournament with his teacher.
The first two games he played were easily won by Kevin. He then faced a more difficult opponent, who became impatient after a while.
In the end, Kevin used just one move to inflict defeat on his opponent. Still elated over his success, the boy was now competing in the finals.
He was up against a bigger, stronger, and more experienced competitor this time. It appeared for a while that Kevin had overmatched himself.
After determining that the boy might be injured, the referee called for a timeout. He was in the process of ending the match when he was stopped by the teacher.
It was clear that the teacher wanted Kevin to continue. When the match resumed, his opponent made an extremely poor move: he let his guard down.
Kevin immediately pinned him with his move. In the match and in the tournament, the boy won. He was the champion!
As Kevin and the teacher drove home, they reviewed every move made in every match. It took the boy several attempts to summon the courage to ask what he was really thinking.
"Teacher, how did I win the tournament only by making one move?"
"There were two reasons you won," the teacher replied. "First of all, you have already mastered the most difficult throw in Judo. Second, the only way to defend against that move is to grab your left arm."
Kevin was stunned. Little did he know, his greatest weakness had turned into his greatest strength.
Credit: Moral Stories
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