Are you agreeing with me or disagreeing with me and trying to call me out - I honestly can't tell? In any event, I wrestled in college, have wrestled with national champions, and I've seen the that sometimes the difference between good and great is a matter of explicit technical proficiency, other times it's a matter of intuitive factors in execution, and still other times it's simply a matter of physical ability, confidence, and attitude.
Sometimes there are real holes in a person's technique that are holding them back, while other times there are no large holes, only a deficit in overall feel for a move or position. Some people just have an intuitive understandings of certain positions and moves that make their timing and execution far more effective. These nuances can't always be taught either, because they often rely on split second decision making and an overall feel for bodies in motion that is difficult to verbalize and even harder to demonstrate. Some people are really strong from positions that others are off balance or weak in due to actual differences in neuroanatomy (specific differences cerebellar development and function has been demonstrated in major league pitchers, for example). And some people are just explosive, strong, flexible, quick, coordinated, while still others are just absolutely tenacious, and refuse to be denied (a very powerful attribute in the right hands).
Bottom line is that there are ceilings - whether they're due to obvious physical attributes, due to personality types, due to the way a body is wired, or due to less obvious intuitive abilities pertaining to a feel for the movements and coordination required in a particular sport. Anyone who has ever coached (and especially coached beginners) knows this, and to deny the existence of ceilings is to deny reality. So, while we often hope that we're only one or two discrete 'tricks of the trade' away from being really great at a certain move, position or sport, the reality is that the difference between being good and being truly elite is sometimes not just a matter of explicit nuances and is sometimes also a matter of overall aptitude.
Now, I'm not trying to claim that Ryan Hall has reached his ceiling, I'm merely bringing up the obvious possibility that the difference between the way Roger Gracie hits his side control escapes and the way some other experienced black belt of lesser repute does may not be a matter of an specific trick of the trade. They may both be doing very similar things when trying to escape, and we would be remiss for ignoring the possibility that Roger Gracie is more successful because of certain things that cannot necessarily be taught.
