Tommy Macias, a world silver medalist from Sweden, identified 5 things that made his judo better. I couldn't agree more with his points. Here are my thoughts on each of them:

1. Judo is a system, not just techniques.
My thoughts: Far too many players (and coaches) approach judo from the standpoint of a collection of techniques. You learn a whole bunch of techniques and you defeat your opponents with them. But techniques work best when they connect with each other. You can't just take a bunch of unrelated techniques and hope to score with them. They need to complement each other, and flow into each other in ways that make sense. I use the term "sequence" and basically it means you need to identify your family of techniques that work well together, both for tachi-waza and newaza.

2. Grip fighting wins the fight. Again, you need to have a sequence of grips that you adopt in order to get the grip you want, while blocking uke from getting the grip they want. You have to do both simultaneously. Yes, you have to walk and chew gum at the same time. If you can get your grip, and prevent uke from getting the grip they want, more than 50% of the battle has already been won.

3. Efficiency beats strength. Have no doubt, strength is important but brute strength against a very skilled (though less strong) opponent will fail. There is only so much you can achieve with brute strength. A skilled opponent will know how to use your strength to their advantage.

4. Newaza needs structure. This is related to Point No. 1. You can't just have a bunch of unrelated techniques. There needs to be sequence of techniques you can do in relation to the situation you are in.

5. Compete more. If you have the chance to compete, do it. It allows you to test yourself in a very realistic yet safe environment. Your opponent will be resisting you with all their might and they will be attacking you too. It's a great way to put your skills to the test. And the more exposure you get the better your judo will become.