Seeking and Solving ...

Sparring can be viewed as an empirical method of uncovering or revealing 'weakness'. We grapple or contest with our training partners in order to highlight or discover 'problems' - which we then go about trying to solve. In order to become good problem solvers, we need to embrace the idea of actively 'seeking out' problems. The more often we see a problem, the more likely we are to come up with a solution.
One of the more closely-guarded training methods used by some of the best competitors in Brazil is to roll lightly with our training partner, until a 'problem' is encountered - and then together, both work on finding a solution to that problem until it is fully 'sorted'. That's what 'rolling' with our partners is for, to find and solve problems.
We can apply much the same strategy away from the mat. We should fight our natural tendency to avoid 'particular problems' - and rather, embrace them, as learning opportunities. Most people don't like problems ... but it is very difficult to become adept at solving them, unless we embrace them and accept the challenge to solve them - and over time, we become better and better and doing exactly that. JBW