We have all heard about the power of three.  It is found everywhere from presentations, to telephone numbers, to the three stooges.  If you've ever tried to remember something, you've likely found it much harder to remember items after you get beyond three.  Personally, after three I reach for a pen and paper.

How does this relation to bjj?  We'll I have recently been trying to pare down my game.  Over the last several years it seems that I have been on a mission of accumulation.  Like most people at my level we watch instructionals, read books, go to seminars, attend class and more.  All of this is in the hope that we get better.  I don't knock that path.  It has been very fun for me and it has also been great to hear different people explain the same move.  There is always a little detail that changes, or an area of focus that shifts. It has given me the opportunity to play with lots of fun things.  I think most everyone goes through it and that is great.  My hope now is that I can evolve that path of exposure to one of refinement.

As I make this move, I wonder, why now?  What prompted this?  How do I know I have seen "enough" and should now refine.  I wish I had an answer, but I don't.  For me it is just a personal feeling.  I guess, if I was pressed for an answer, I'd say the reason for my shift is the same reason as my past focus on maximum exposure.  At the time I likely believed (even unconsciously) that seeing every move I can would make me better, whereas now, I believe that drilling a core set of positions and moves is more important.  Thus the change.

Let me give you an example of what I mean.  Take closed guard top.  Over the years I have seen dozens of people teach opening the legs.  There are countless ways.  If you asked me a few weeks ago what I do, I'd likely have shows two or three moves that came to mind.  What happened to the other ones?  Are they not good or did I just forget them?  Are the ones I showed the best for the person asking?  Are they even my best moves?  Do they even work for me?

So for now in closed guard, I plan to work three openings that have worked great for me in the past.  I just want to get rock solid in these three.  If after a year or so I want to mix it up with new thoughts that is great, but I'll be doing it from a base.  It will also allow me develop an idea of what my go to game really is.  Of course, at my level I don't really have my lifelong "A" game - if you believe Matt he'd say that you develop that at Brown Belt.  What I am referencing here is having a game I know clearly and that I go to when I am pressed.

For whatever reason (not a personal decision), I seem to want to focus now.  However, regardless of how many "moves" I have seen, in some positions I couldn't tell you what I do all the time.  For example, in closed guard what do I do?  Sometimes I go for the overhook, sometimes the arm, sometimes the omoplata, sometimes the hip bump sweep.  I guess this is ok since I am "flowing" with what my opponent gives me, but in the end I think I have ended up without a clear game that I go to.

What does this all mean?  I guess it means that I have seen a lot of moves but never really worked them.  Who cares that you can list 5 armbars if you can't hit any?  My plan is this:

1. Focus on Hubs.  This means to really articulate what hubs are out there and work on holding the hub.

2. Articulate and Develop a Few Options. 

I trained with Dave today and we covered north south.  That is one area that has always plagued me.  It is a really tough spot to deal with, but Dave showed me his game there and it is one of utter simplicity and works very, very well.  The greats continue to inspire me in that they keep evolving their game and simpliying it in the process.

So my recent obsession is to really focus on a few (less than three) per position.  Once I have clarity on those three top moves, I plan to spend some real dedicated time working