Why “Waiting Your Turn” Achieves Nothing in Martial Arts - By Sensei Liam Musiak

In martial arts, as in life, one phrase gets repeated endlessly:

“Slow down. Wait your turn. Be patient and you’ll be rewarded.”

On the surface, it sounds wise. It seems respectful. It feels like it protects tradition. But when you examine it closely, this mindset has held back not just individuals, but entire arts, for generations.

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The Tradition of Waiting

Tradition matters. No serious martial artist denies that. The belt system, waiting periods, and minimum age requirements exist for important reasons:

• They stop frauds and “belt factories” from selling belts.

• They ensure students don’t race ahead without mastering fundamentals.

• They preserve the dignity of the art by making higher levels carry weight and meaning.

On the average, these rules are correct. On the average, it takes decades of training, teaching, and life experience to mature into higher levels of martial arts. On the average, time = experience = better.

And for 99.9% of practitioners, that formula holds true. They need years — even decades — for the art to sink into their bones, for their technique to sharpen, for their maturity to catch up with their skill.

But averages are not absolutes. They describe most people, not all people. And that is where the 0.01% principle comes in.

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The 0.01% Principle

Once in a generation, an outlier appears — someone whose dedication, work ethic, and obsession compress decades of progress into just a few years.

These people do not train like the average. They do not think like the average. They do not live like the average. Their daily commitment, their relentless pursuit of excellence, and their ability to sacrifice everything else for the art sets them apart.

They are the 0.01%.

• The people who train, study, and teach with a commitment that rivals those who have been doing it for decades longer.

• The people whose growth curve is not steady and average, but explosive.

• The people who achieve in years what takes others a lifetime.

And when they appear, the old rule — “wait your turn” — no longer fits. Because for them, waiting does not equal progress. Progress has already been earned through unmatched effort.

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Moses Itauma: A Living Example

This isn’t just theory. Sport provides the clearest examples.

Look at boxing. Dillian Whyte is no ordinary fighter. He is a seasoned British heavyweight, a former WBC interim world champion, who has stood toe-to-toe with the very best in the world — men like Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. He has decades of experience, years of world-class training, and a career built at the highest level of the sport.

In 2025, Whyte was stopped in the first round by Moses Itauma, a boxer who was only 20 years old at the time.

Most heavyweights at 20 are still low-level amateurs. They are still developing their strength, their timing, their maturity. They are years away from fighting at world level, let alone beating seasoned veterans.

But Moses Itauma is not the average. He is the 0.01%. His dedication, his obsession with training, and his absolute commitment rival and even surpass men who have been fighting for decades. He has condensed years of progress into his youth and achieved what others his age cannot even dream of.

Moses proves the principle beyond doubt: time is usually the measure, but not always. He shows that with unmatched dedication and ability, the outlier can overtake the norm. He is extremely rare — but he exists. And because he exists, he deserves recognition.

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History of Outliers in Martial Arts

This truth is not new. Martial arts itself was built by outliers who refused to wait their turn.

• Gichin Funakoshi brought karate to Japan when many resisted change.

• Jigoro Kano created judo, transforming jujutsu into something new.

• Bruce Lee rejected traditional structures and developed Jeet Kune Do, decades ahead of its time.

• Hironori Ōtsuka broke away from Shotokan and founded Wado Ryu, blending karate with jujutsu when others told him karate should remain “pure.”

None of them waited politely in line. None of them slowed down. They innovated, acted, and built. They were not average practitioners — they were outliers. And their refusal to wait is exactly why we have the arts we train in today.

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The Real Message of Recognition

Critics say recognising outliers “sends a bad message.” But that’s false.

• The bad message is handing out recognition for money, attendance, or politics. That destroys credibility.

• The good message is: “If you are good enough, knowledgeable enough, and dedicated enough, you will be recognised.”

Recognition should never be given for shortcuts. But neither should it be withheld when the requirements have already been surpassed.

It is not the fault of the outlier that their ability sits decades ahead of their peers. To deny them recognition is not protecting the art — it is a dishonesty that insults it.

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Respect and Reality

Tradition protects martial arts. But tradition without recognition becomes a cage.

Most people should progress step by step, year by year, belt by belt. That is right for 99.9% of practitioners.

But in the rare, one-in-a-million case, refusing recognition is not noble. It is cowardice disguised as respect. The art is not tarnished by recognising an outlier — it is tarnished by ignoring reality.

Tradition protects the art.

Outliers advance it.

Both must be respected.