What Is vs. What If

The nature of your attention determines the quality of your progress.

Two contrasting mindsets often emerge on the mat—both are inquisitive, yet one accelerates development at a markedly faster rate.

The first observes a technique like a puzzle suspended in theory. It fixates on hypothetical branches before the roots have taken hold. Upon seeing a movement demonstrated, they immediately venture into a series of “What if?” scenarios—What if they do X? What if the opponent counters with Y? What if this doesn’t work? These questions orbit around possibilities that may arise, but often have no grounding in the context of the technique as it is being taught. While curiosity is valuable, this kind of untethered speculation removes them from the moment and anchors them in imagined futures. As a result, their learning becomes scattered. They are engaged, but not truly connected. Their progress is slow because their attention is divided between a technique they do not yet understand and problems they do not yet face.

The second mindset is fundamentally different. It stays rooted in the now. They watch the movement closely, attempt to replicate it, and then ask precise questions that arise from their personal experience of trying to execute it. The inquiry is immediate and intimate: “When I turn my hip here, I feel off-balance—am I missing something?” or “Should my grip be adjusted to control this reaction better?” These queries are not about theory—they are about alignment, timing, pressure, connection. They arise from doing, not from imagining.

This mindset—being present, attentive, and grounded in the details of real-time execution—is what accelerates growth. It is through this lens that true understanding is built. Progress comes not from exhausting every hypothetical, but from deeply internalizing each layer of the technique until it becomes part of your movement vocabulary.

One mindset speculates in the abstract; the other confronts the concrete, discovered through experience.

If your goal is growth, choose to live in the present. The actual future will arrive soon enough—better prepared if you’re fully grounded in reality when it does.