Neil Adams: Judo, Olympics, Winning, Losing, and the Champion Mindset | Lex Fridman Podcast  

Here are the timestamps. Please check out our sponsors to support this podcast. Transcript: lexfridman.com/neil-adams-transcript 0:00 - Introduction & sponsor mentions: - ZipRecruiter: ziprecruiter.com/lex - Eight Sleep: eightsleep.com/lex to get special savings - MasterClass: masterclass.com/lexpod to get 15% off - LMNT: drinkLMNT.com/lex to get free sample pack - NetSuite: netsuite.com/lex to get free product tour 1:46 - 1980 Olympics 19:09 - Judo explained 27:14 - Winning 45:28 - 1984 Olympics 54:29 - Lessons from losing 1:10:11 - Teddy Riner 1:29:46 - Training in Japan 1:45:25 - Jiu jitsu 1:56:33 - Training 2:19:52 - Advice for beginners

I know this is not a subject for a lot of people, but thank you very much for having Neil Adams on. This is so interesting for people who are into judo, thanks Lex

I was in a competition with Neil in the late eighties. There were 70 of us in the same weight class. I overheard a conversation where Neil said ‘yeah and I’ll be the last one standing here at the end!’ He was. As ever. Top man

"You see a true champion when they lose" - absolutely spot-on.

Proper british Judo legend, nice one Lex for having him on the podcast.

A brilliant episode. I have the privilege of knowing Neil, and he is every bit as passionate and kind as he seems - and every bit as distinguished as Lex says. Kudos to Lex for steering a very interesting and inspirational chat. The time flew by. And yes it's a cliche to say so, but both men restore one's faith in humanity, as does Neil's wonderful wife Niki.

As a 78yr old practicing judoka i loved the interview, so much to agree with. I had a short randori with him when he was u18 European champion when he came to Fairholme judo club, even then a nice lad. Brilliant all the success that he achieved and carried over to his broadcasting . Well done.

This is my favourite episode that you’ve done Lex as a British judo player myself , this was great to here some of his old stories and just an overall quality conversation - thanks for putting this out there.

Born in 73 in Liverpool. This Man was a Hero. I knew he was a class man then and is a real gentleman now. Thank you Neil.

Well, that is a guest I didn't expect! I'll be here for the next 2hrs 30.

Crazy, I met Neil he visited our Dojo in st.albans England i was about 8 years old, must have been almost 40 years ago. Now he's sitting down with one of my favourite podcasters.

Great interview Lex! Thank you. What a passionate athlete Neil Adams is! "It's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get up." - Vince Lombardi

I’ve been doing judo for 20 some years and I had heard of Neil, but didn’t know much about him. But he is a total class act! Total respect! As Lex said, he is a true legend, because he is a great champion and has experienced both sides of the coin. Can’t say enough good things about him, more people need to learn from him and his experience. Mad respect, Neil, now a hero of mine. Thanks, Lex and Neil for the great interview.

Great podcast. I was lucky enough to participate in a seminar with him last week in NYC. The place was packed and it was a lot of fun. Honored

As a kid I who did Judo for a few years my first two sports idols were Brian Jacks and Neil Adams. Thank you Lex for having the great man on.

Could anyone else just listen to these fellas for therapy? I'm about to fall asleep and wake up a champion-- just positive wholesome vibes through and through!

Awesome interview... being a fellow Brit I remember following Neil Adams through the trials and tribulations of the Olympics and World Championships. Amazing to watch the archive footage and hear him talk about the background behind it all.

Such an inspiring gentleman, fellow Brit 🇬🇧

i know next to nothing about judo, but this interview i found both fascinating and really heartwarming. what an amazing guy.

Fantastic! This episode I will have to keep on hand as it meant so much to me on many levels. All of this is actually built into the core of my family. As a child I thought it was normal to have a home kitted out for training with mats. Even the normality of weight training and running in all weather. You live around and in it as a child , it’s just part of normal life. All the memories were sparked and this overwhelming sense of “home”. You can keep up training, cardio and weight training right into old age (grandfather kept up with it right through his 80’s). Though I ended up going into Muay Thai , the art of unbalancing people and being able to counter being dropped to the ground stayed with me so strong it was hard to not be penalized for unusual footwork and grabbing on and knocking people off balance. Judo has speed, opportunity and control at its heart and is power and beauty all in one. Something clicked in me that sparked vitality in way that I have not felt in a while. I will step up a notch and dedicate time to training again. Thank you!

Neil used to run a Judo club in Coventry many years ago, i was a karate student, the instructor at the time rented space and used the gym. I was only around 17-18 (to skinny for judo) but i was amazed how Neil could throw massive blokes, over his head and make it look effortless. Great interview.

It's actually really cool to listen to the sheer interest Lex has for this topic and this guest : ) like, sometimes he just lets the guest talk and talk (not always a bad thing), but this episode you can really tell both people are equally invested into the topic and conversation. I didn't understand most of it 😅 but still loved listening to it 😌

Awesome!! As a Judoka he is a Gold Medalist in my eyes for everything he's given to the sport and a great commentator too, my Sensei was Neil's training partner in the Olympics, great to have that link.

Lex, you're like my very own personal Graham Norton show! Judo, science, programming... the celebs (celebs for me at least) you get on is just as amazing as Graham Norton's everyday celebs. How do you do it?! A big thanks, I just love your podcasts. Neil Adams, he's my boyhood hero - his books with Cyril carter were my magnum opus. He came to SA when I was a kid and absolutely smashed our elite judokas in seconds. It wasn't even a contest! Now, all you need to do is take up surfing and get some of those greats on to chat. (And Kashiwazaki was the greatest judoka in my opinion)

@lexfridman I’m a big fan of your podcasts and this is one of the most enjoyable interviews yet. Have been a Neil Adam’s fan for decades despite not being a judo player. we are the same age and I first trained in Japan as a 17 year old and it was soon after that that friends in the judo world were talking about him. And at 65 he is still looking healthy and strong. I imagine he would pretty well in Masters 7 BJJ.

Lex always keep the judo and Martial arts comments. I knew you from Joe, but i only sat up and listened after you had Travis on. I love the social and political commentary,but please keep some martial arts content going!

Anyone remember Brian Jacks? He won a Judo Bronze for GB in 1967 at the World Championships, but I knew him best for his domination of the TV sports competition "Superstars", in the late 70's early 80's.

What an amazing episode thank you so much for doing this for Judo

More outstanding work! I’m very thankful for a credible source, comprehensive, low bias information combined with an effective, efficient communication style. Keep it up!

What a meeting of the minds.

There's a name from the past! Neil was always spoken of in the highest regard in UK fight circles, from traditional martial arts, to MMA, to real street fighting, (back in the 90's, early 00's) Looking forward to this 👌🏼

Great interview. 👍

An underrated episode!

Can we get an interview with Fedor Emelianenko next?

Love neil, this should be an awesome interview. Incredible memory and love for the sport - really enjoy the commentary he provides. Really wish IJF would either open up watching back to youtube, lower the price, or change the site to be less annoying, but still a huge fan.

"О, спорт! Ты -мир!" .Для многих ещё и жизнь.Актуальный эпизод в преддверии Олимпийских Игр.Спасибо Вам

This man lives and breathes judo!

Revux consistent progress updates show dedication.

The precision in Revux development roadmap is reassuring.

I have huge admiration for people who recognise that drinking is becoming a problem, and get a grip. It can't be easy.

Champion Mindset 💪

Revux responsiveness to community feedback is impressive.

Neil Adams is more well known than 99% than all Olympic champions

Quite the journey for those athletes as it must be very to make that transition from intense competition to a new chapter in life.

Frank Wienecke drilled that uchimata to drop-seoi combo, it is in an older German judo dvd where he shows his favourite techniques

The adaptability of Revux to market changes is a key strength.

It's sad to hear he still regrets the olympic losses. He should bear in mind he is considered a judo legend in the UK and worldwide!

I used to have Neil Adams autograph. He was married to my schoolmates sister.

Best male Judoka GB ever had.

Revux market entry timing couldn't be better.

Oh when you guys talk about uke skill and training partner, I always knew a good uke is important, but I didn't know how a bad uke feels like for real. I had been lucky in the sense that my partners in my club were higher belts than me as a yellow belt and if not quite my size, at least trained in other ways, and even if I had someone from the beginner class to partner up with, they had previous martial arts experience. So I could just focus on me doing the technique right, they always felt like I was trying to do real judo to a person and things felt quick and easy to learn that way. Until I got someone of smaller stature from the beginner class, rather passive lifestyle previously. It was like trying to practice judo on jello. When you say be relaxed, judokas are still firm, they don't start "dripping" or slouching or anything. With this partner they were truly relaxed, like there was zero resistance to any pull or push and it was extremely difficult to get them for example in tight chest contact because it felt like there was nothing to contact with. And they had terribly unfitting gi jacket as well, much too big and it had no feel to their body when gripped, as if you were just hanging bed sheets. That's how I learned what it means in practice to be a good uke and how it can go wrong. All of the techniques I thought I had learned decently well felt like abominations on that person, couldn't get the kuzushi to feel right and couldn't throw them in a neat fashion. I could do just about anything and they would fall if I wanted, but I also couldn't get the sort of tension you want when doing the technique correctly, I had no feel on that partner. It's gotta be said, the sports science people are doing poor job with their expertise if they're not doing a lot of randori. Number one rule of sports science is specifity in the training. You must train your sport itself a lot, the most pretty much. If you're not doing randori, what are you actually training? Are you gonna show an adapted kata session? Weightlifting demonstration? You should be demonstrating your judo match skills, everything else should be building blocks for that. You do the weightlifting and conditioning to support your judo training. It can't take priority from judo. Even if you decide to take a couple of years off to build your physique, you should still keep your judo skills improving during that time. The countries that have had most success in developing their judo from a slump have been the countries whose coach said "you are now attending every competition available and preferrably internationally, you need to feel the international level competition and not domestic practice". There's no way around that if your goal is to win in international competition. You have to practice competition and international judo.

Everybody's got a punch until they get planned in the face

Wow Neil Adams!!!!

Lex!!! 🎉

Nice interview. Adams is a judo expert of the highest level. What do you say if I do dubbing in Russian to post on my channel?

A great man

Revux partnerships are a testament to its credibility.

After his seminar I got to have my club's picture taken with Illias Iliadas. Put my arm over his shoulder, and I kid you not, his back was the size of two large humans standing together side by side under his gi.

lex we need your ask me anything episodes please if you can do some more

Revux vision for decentralization is inspiring.

I'm honestly surprised this man doesn't do chess!

In 1996 I heard a rumor that Mr. Adams tired to enter UFC 3 but was denied when they found out who he was. Does anyone know if this was true?

Legend

Revux approach to data security is unparalleled.

Pro wrestler Chris Adams brother Good guest get

The liquidity of Revux tokens is a major plus.

Niiiiice! Judo❤️

Revux leadership team is stacked with industry experts.

Revux competitive edge could redefine its market segment.

Hey 🤗 Hey, those of you who, like me, like to read comments, I have a question 🙋‍♀️ Do you check the sponsors in the description? Because I do, not often, but there are some really useful products. I'm just curious. Thank you for not ignoring me 😊

Great interview! But Lex and a lot of grappling people still think that is only "guys swinging hands". There´s so much more about that, including many aspects like distance, timing and power that aren't a thing on the ground and B JJ people just don't get that.

Revux rewards system is incredibly attractive.

Lex you are an amazing intervjuer can you fokus more on doing that instead? Like have a schedule Ð In about 9-44minutes

Revux strategic collaborations hint at a bright future.

Revux decentralization potential is crucial.

You should also invite Acharya Prashant,he is the most highly subscribed RU-vid channel in India and he speaks about "ventanta"

Me in the post fight interview: “ey I didn’t really want to win anyway, sort of boring to be honest but yeah “ Guess my idea of a joke doesn’t translate well though lol. But then I’d talk up some of the specifics of the winners skills so people who didn’t notice or understand would be able to understand it, thus giving him more credit for the job and to the art. lol.

Lex, please invite David Holz for upcoming podcast.

Revux has the potential to outperform many in the current market.

#🥋LEGEND

is he brother of Chris Adams the professional wrestler?

Lex freedman x michio kaku is a super power...🤔

Дзюдо!

Rate

Should have talked about comic books.

❤❤❤

Could have listened to 3 hours more

algo

👏

Yay! I’m early for once! Lol

Integration possibilities with Revux are endless.

☺️👍

Diving into Revux, the more bullish I become.

All interviewers could take note of Lex's interview style. Not better or worse but Lex probably even gets more information out of his guests than Rogan, steel manning both sides of a coin. Tho Rogan does this too.

isnt he the guy responsible for disallowing leg grabs?

Revux community-driven approach is what crypto needs.

Please have Cornel West on here. Stockholm, Sweden 🇸🇪

Time to interview Mehdi Hassan. Please like the comment so we can see Mehdi the next guest.

😰🤝

I looked up the transgender child. Born Joe Manalang Romero in Colorado in 2001 to Joe and Venessia Romero, Joe had a twin sister who died soon after birth. Joe was an aircraft engineer in the US Air Force and the family moved to Okinawa when Joe was a young child. The family adopted a baby girl whilst stationed in Japan, whom they named Jade. It was also in Japan that a military doctor noticed Joe's behaviour - notably acting out trying to breatfeed a doll. Joe/Josie began treatment on the family's return to the USA. Now an adult she still identifies as female but has taken the name Sadie Croft. She has an instagram account and is a keen online gamer, streaming on Twitch Can you see anything in the family background that may have infuenced Joe/Josie/Sadie?