Sparta vs Athens

Sparta vs Athens

As the Spartans had their impenetrable phalanx, we sometimes find an early BJJ super weapon. A curse in disguise, it grants us a temporary strategic advantage. We win several tournaments with the same plan, tech or takedown. Usually something our opponents haven’t learned yet, and something outside our paygrade. It carries us flawlessly for a while, like the spartan phalanx did for the Spartans against Athens.

After being overrun again and again by the militarily superior Spartans, the well rounded Athenians finally came out on top after their many years of rivalry. With their more diversified culture, openness to new ideas and flexibility, they were able to adapt with the changing times and strategies to persevere. As famous as the Spartan warriors are, it was the Athenian philosophers and merchants, democratic ideas and cultural flexibility that made Athens the model for all western civilization and remains so today.

 

It’s ok to fall in love with a game plan, submission or guard pass. And polishing it to a decent degree can gain battle success. Learn the game in front of us, narrow our focus to win, and go on a spree with it as the Spartans did.

 

Afterwards, we should pick it apart, dissect it for weakness and expand our arsenal to address it. When we don’t, we end up stuck with our shield or on it. We’ll know nothing except the shield and our luck will run out as more pliable players find ways to adapt.

Adaptability beats singular strategy for the long game every time. The Spartans are famous for a single battle they lost heroically behind their shield….But Athens is famous for the model of modern western civilization. Adaptability over fixation, curiosity over conviction. Longevity over all else.