Her Greatest Strength

Their is a story...

of one 10-year-old girl who decided to study judo despite the fact that she was a girl...

and that she had lost her left arm in a devastating car accident.

The girl began lessons with an old Japanese judo master.
The girl was doing well, so she couldn't understand why,
after three months of training the master had taught her
only one move.
"Sensei," the girl finally said, "Shouldn't I be learning more moves?"

"This is the only move you know, but this is the only move you'll ever need to know,"
the sensei replied.

Not quite understanding, but believing in her teacher, the girl kept training.

Several months later, the sensei took the girl to her first tournament.
Surprising herself, the girl easily won her first two matches.
The third match proved to be more difficult,
but after some time, her opponent became impatient and charged;
the girl deftly used her one move to win the match.
Still amazed by her success, the girl was now in the finals.

This time, her opponent was bigger, stronger, and more experienced.
For a while, the girl appeared to be over-matched.
Concerned that the girl might get hurt, the referee called a time-out.
He was about to stop the match when the sensei intervened.

"No," the sensei insisted, "Let her continue."

Soon after the match resumed, her opponent made a critical mistake:
he dropped his guard.
Instantly, the girl used her move to pin him.
The girl had won the match and the tournament.

She was the champion.

On the way home, the girl and sensei reviewed every move in each and every match. Then the girl summoned the courage to ask what was really on her mind.

"Sensei, how did I win the tournament with only one move?"

"You won for two reasons," the sensei answered.
"First, you've almost mastered one of the most difficult throws in all of judo.
And second, the only known defence for that move is for your
opponent to grasp your left arm."

The girl's biggest weakness had become her greatest strength.