I just finished watching a 15 minute chess video on YouTube.
The title of this video is “My Grandmaster Mom Played Chess Hustlers In Union Square”.
How could I resist?
The title turned out to be way more provocative than the video itself which simply featured this rather demure woman, flanked by her twenty-something chipper daughter, playing two games of chess against a seasoned park player on a chilly NYC day.
{SPOILER ALERT: The Mom wins both games}
The entire interaction is lovely.
The gentleman doesn’t seem like a hustler to me. Just a guy who enjoys playing chess in the park. He takes his beating with a hint of surprise (I imagine this guy doesn’t loose many games) but is completely a good sport about the entire interaction.
The woman - who turns out to be a grandmaster and a former world #1 if the comment section is to be believed - could not be more warm spirited. Acting almost surprised by how good she is (“I had too many pieces on the board,” she claims as she traps her opponent into not having any more successful moves).
It’s a great New York moment.
It’s a great human moment.
I thoroughly enjoyed it even though I know absolutely nothing about chess.
In fact my only chess experience is having watched the movie “Searching For Bobby Fischer” about 4,000 times when I was a young adult.
But, to be fair, “Searching For Bobby Fischer” is really more of a sports movie than a chess movie.
It’s got your classic Dad-who-is-living-his-unrealized-dreams-through-his-kid, Mom-who-just-wants-her-son-to-be-a-happy-empathetic-person, Coach-who-is-looking-for-redemption that could all be applied just as easily to basketball or boxing or tennis.
It’s a great movie. I highly recommend watching it with your Dad or your kid if you can.
Back to the park.
As much as I love the interaction between these people who would probably never interact with each other if it wasn’t for their unifying love of chess, the lesson I took away from the video was much grander.
As I already admitted, I know nearly nothing about chess but what became very clear is that both of these players gained their ability, their strategy, their thinking, their speed of decision and everything else that placed them in the top 1% of players by not only being talented but, more importantly, by completing tons and tons of reps.
Because while these players certainly might have some genetic gifts of focus and beautiful minds for game theory, neither of them would have been nearly this good if they hadn’t also been playing for decades. They had a confidence and ease and intuition that can only come from experience.
Training, probably not surprising to anyone reading this, is very similar.
For sure genetics play a role in natural strength and give you an advantage when it comes to certain movements (someone who is 6’9” is probably going to be better at rowing than someone who is 5’9” but probably worse at squatting). And age also plays a factor - people who have been training for a while rarely hit PRs in their 60s.
However, as much as we want to blame our parents or think there is some secret technique or supplement or exercise or rep range that we have yet to discover that will take us to the next level, the truth is - from my vantage point at least - most people just need more time under the bar.
Biohacks and 6-week-challenges and restrictive nutrition strategies are all wildly popular in the fitness world. And while these can be useful to get you motivated to get off the couch to start, they are very rarely the answer to your long term success.
If you are reading this there is a good chance I can deadlift more weight than you. There’s a solid probability that I am leaner than you are. My bench press technique likely looks better than yours. And, most importantly, you think I am a good writer.
None of this was achieved by any secret knowledge that I learned while watching an influencer's 43 second Instagram reel. I’ve just been fortunate enough to be able and healthy enough to do these things for decades. I’ve done thousands and thousands of reps. I’ve lost count of how many weeks in a row I’ve sent you this email without missing.
And that is why your ultimate goal should be to persist. Because it is the one trait that is by far the most likely to unlock every other goal you have. You are just never going to be able to beat consistency and experience when it comes to success.
Sure, you can batch things up to take the mental load off of how long the journey needs to be. Four week programs, 80 more miles before we stop at Cracker Barrel for waffles, testing body fat every 4 months. These are great ways to keep your world small and the tasks right in front of you.
But the real success comes from long term action. For sure this is daunting. It's nearly heartbreaking to realize how much work is still ahead of you. But it doesn’t make it any less true.
It’s the one thing that allows you to be a master in a park full of hustlers.
Do you have a favorite sports movie? (Mine is "Rocky"). Hit the reply button and let me know what it is and why it's your fave. Bonus points if it's a sports movie masquerading as a non-sports movie.