6 Ancient Samurai Principles For Mastering Any Skill

Are you tired of hearing about prodigy stories and people who achieve massive success before 25? Have the “40 under 40” lists started making you nervous as you creep closer to the big 4-0, feeling no closer to extraordinary achievement than when you graduated high school?

What if I told you that by following the lessons from an ancient book of swordsmanship, anyone could master any skill—not just to catch up, but to surpass everyone else?

It’s a bold claim, but I’ve tested these principles myself across four completely different disciplines:

• As a Pennsylvania Golden Gloves National champion and professionally ranked boxer (13-1-1 record), despite not starting until age 22
• Learning Spanish to B1 level, beginning at age 26
• Earning a Physics degree with a mathematics minor at age 30, despite failing most math classes in high school
• Achieving a peak chess.com rating of 1850 (though it’s dipped lately due to the ill-advised strategy of playing with a toddler running around)

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The Wisdom of Miyamoto Musashi

These achievements weren’t random—they came from understanding how to learn, largely influenced by Miyamoto Musashi’s “The Book of Five Rings.”

Before Floyd Mayweather bragged about going 50-0 in the relatively safe confines of a boxing ring, Musashi retired undefeated from over 60 sword fights to the death. But Musashi wasn’t just a warrior; he was also an accomplished artist, practicing painting, sculpture, calligraphy, poetry, and Zen meditation.

Musashi understood a fundamental truth: “If you know the way broadly, you will see it in everything.” While some mock the idea that “how you do one thing is how you do everything,” they miss the deeper truth. While the tactical mechanics of different activities vary, the strategic approach remains consistent whether you’re learning a language, studying physics, or learning to box.

Let’s explore the six key principles from Musashi’s wisdom that can help you master any skill.

1. Develop the Proper Strategy First

Strategy is not tactics. Strategy is your overall plan for achieving a goal, while tactics are the specific methods for executing that plan.

Consider language learning: If your strategy is to improve Spanish comprehension before speaking (based on observing how children learn), your tactics might include listening to Spanish music and watching telenovelas while taking notes.

A strategic mindset transforms how you view challenges: - There are no failures—only learning lessons - There are no setbacks—only setups - Given enough time and the right strategy, you can learn anything.

2. Do the Work That Matters, Not Just What Looks Good

In Musashi’s time, there were many “sword-fencers” who merely posed as strategists. Today, we might call them influencers or posers—people who prioritize appearing skilled over developing actual mastery.

The danger lies in becoming a “one-trick pony,” someone who relies solely on their strengths while avoiding their weaknesses. This approach might work temporarily, but eventually, your weaknesses will be exposed, often catastrophically.

Real growth comes from doing the unglamorous work that builds true competence, not just the showcase pieces that look good on social media.

3. Teach to Learn

“The teacher is as a needle, the disciple is as thread,” Musashi wrote, recognizing the symbiotic relationship between teaching and learning. Teaching something forces you to understand it more deeply and helps you overcome the Curse of Knowledge—the cognitive bias where experts forget what it’s like to be a beginner.

Want to truly master something? Try teaching it to others. The process will humble you and illuminate gaps in your understanding that you didn’t know existed.

4. Balance Your Development

Musashi warned against having favorite weapons or techniques. In modern terms, this means avoiding the temptation to only focus on your strengths while neglecting your weaknesses.

The principle is simple but powerful: Work on your weaknesses until they’re no longer liabilities. Work on your strengths until they alone can carry you.

Remember: The difficulty of a task is irrelevant if it’s vital to your success. Your feelings about a necessary skill—whether positive or negative—shouldn’t affect the energy you invest in mastering it.

5. Change Your Perspective to Solve Problems

Musashi taught that “Perception is strong and sight weak.” This isn’t just wordplay—it’s about developing the ability to see beyond the surface level of things.

To truly master something, you must view it from multiple angles: - See distant things as if they were close - Take a distanced view of close things - View strangers as if they were friends - Look at friends as if they were strangers

This shifting of perspective reveals solutions that remain hidden to those stuck in one way of thinking.

6. Never Neglect the Process

Perhaps the most crucial lesson is this: “Even if you kill an enemy, if it is not based on what you have learned it is not the true Way.”

Success without proper process is often just luck in disguise. When I was teaching myself advanced mathematics for my physics degree, I could have simply looked up answers. Instead, I forced myself to work through problems systematically, ensuring I truly understood the concepts.

The same applies to language learning—rather than memorizing stock phrases in Spanish, I practice expressing the same idea in multiple ways to ensure real understanding.

The Missing Element

While Musashi’s principles are invaluable for individual skill development, they don’t fully address the human element of learning and achievement. As a lone warrior, Musashi never had to manage or lead others extensively.

For those aspects of strategic thinking—particularly in group settings—we must look to other sources like Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War.” However, for individual skill mastery, Musashi’s principles remain unmatched.

Whether you’re learning a new language, mastering a sport, or pursuing academic excellence, these ancient principles can guide your journey from novice to master. The key is to apply them consistently and trust in the process, even when progress seems slow.

Remember: Extraordinary achievement isn’t about natural talent or starting early—it’s about approaching learning with the right strategy and mindset. These principles have worked for centuries, from sword fighting to physics, and they can work for you too.