“It’s not how much you know that counts, but how much you can recall under stress.”
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Most effective martial artists, fighters and self-defense practitioners, have a ‘main toolkit’ which gives them something they can use in most situations, plus a larger collection of more specialized techniques that they may use if the right circumstances present themselves.
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It is far more important to be able to do a few things well, than a lot of things adequately. Against a highly determined attacker, or someone who has some form of training, adequate will often not be enough.
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This is where many martial artists go astray. Endlessly drilling the same fairly simple movements is boring, and many martial artists want to judge their ability on how many techniques they know.
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Fact is, it’s not how much you know that counts, it’s what you can do under stressful conditions. It makes sense to develop a limited set of techniques to a very high level, and to pay attention to the little things that make them work.
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It’s worth paying serious attention to the principles that make any given technique work, and not just the technique themselves. Many students and instructors, neglect the underlying principles behind their techniques and then fall short when trying to use them under stress.
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If the principles are understood, the practitioner can enter into any situation or scenario and learn to apply it. The techniques are important, but not as important as the principles of combat behind the techniques. ??