I was watching a Youtube montage for a Brasilian-Japanese UFC fighter Lyoto Machida, which starts with him explaining the  training philosophy that his father passed on to him:

“Technique beats strength, but the spirit beats the technique.”

The meaning here is that having technical quality in your skills and a tactical mindset will aid you in overcoming someone relying on brute force, however all the technique in the world will do nothing for you if you lack the spirit to back it up. When you are pushed to the brink, spirit may be all that you got, and all that you need.

Few examples demonstrate that quality as firmly as this kata performance.  No excuses, indeed!

– Lobo