The difference between a SWAT officer and a normal person lies in the skills he's learned, the experience he's acquired and the hard work he's willing to invest.

A degree of mystery and awe surrounds people who are highly skilled in a particular area. The Special Forces soldier with a chest full of medals, the SWAT officer in full gear and the 10th-degree black belt all represent such highly skilled people. Their uniforms, attitudes, mannerisms and appearance not only distinguish them from everyone else, but also convey a sense of power, confidence and even superiority.

So what mysterious knowledge or secret journey has transformed them into the titans they are today? What special talisman do they possess that's unattainable to us lesser mortals?

The fact is, there are no secret codes or special powers behind their success – just a lot of learning, experience and hard work. Like everyone else, they were once helpless babies who depended on their parents for survival. They grew into boys and then men, and they studied and trained until they mastered the requisite skills to become experts in their chosen field. But beneath their apparent glamour, the martial arts master, the soldier and Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder are just guys who've paid their dues.

Of course, each of them deserves respect and admiration for what he's done to get where he is, but that doesn't make him fundamentally superior to you or me. Just because a person can fight-or teach others to fight – doesn't automatically mean he deserves to be treated better than someone else. It just means he deserves to be respected the same way a doctor, lawyer or plumber is. I always teach my students to honor and respect all superior knowledge and skill, as well as the time and effort it took to achieve those abilities. However, I also tell them to never fear or feel inferior to these experts.

The great American philosopher Will Rogers once wrote, "Everyone is ignorant, only on different subjects." I believe that's true. Ask me how to fly a helicopter or fix a broken television, and I'll gladly profess my ignorance. It's not that I couldn't learn to do those things; I just don't know how. But I do know that the only thing stopping me from learning those skills is training, and training is nothing more than acquiring knowledge about what you want to do and practicing until you get it right.

Years ago, I devised a simple formula to help explain to my students the secret to acquiring a skill: k+r=t, or knowledge plus repetition equals training. The only real difference between you and an expert is this simple formula and how hard you're willing to work. Of course, some people also enjoy an innate talent that helps them achieve certain goals.

I remember reading an interview with Angelo Dundee about his protégé, Muhammad Ali, in which the reporter kept asking about Ali's often-touted physical gifts. The journalist insinuated that it was those gifts that set the boxer so far above his peers. Dundee retorted that Ali did have incredible speed, accuracy and coordination, but his greatest attribute was his work ethic. Ali was one of the hardest-working boxers he'd ever seen, he said.

Similarly, there are no secrets whispered from master to student that can suddenly turn an average Joe into a no-holds-barred champion. No superhuman powers come with the awarding of an umpteenth-degree black belt. If there's a secret to martial arts success, it's learning what you need to know and working hard to master those skills.
Of course, there are a couple of caveats. First, the knowledge you gain must be true knowledge, Repetition of false knowledge will surely lead to failure no matter how much you train. If you practice the martial arts under a false premise or focus on unrealistic techniques and tactics, you're likely to get your head handed to you in a real altercation.

The second caveat is, your training must be based on this knowledge. Remember that knowledge and repetition are connected. To acquire a skill, you must first acquire the correct knowledge about how it's done, then put that knowledge to work-through practice-until you achieve your desired level of ability. The key to success is that simple.

About the author: Richard Ryan is the founder of Dynamic Combat and the creator of the Tactical Defense Training System. To contact him, call (800) 945-4387 or visit http://www.DynamicCombat.com.

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