How many people do you know who would:

- Fly across the Pacific Ocean to train against Olympians in Europe, aged 17?

- Work overnight security shifts, to earn money to fight during the day?

- Do 1000 pushups as punishment for being late to training, because the bumper of their car kept falling off on the drive there?

I only know one, and his name is Mark Brewer. 

Hailing from the tiny town of Motueka, Mark chased his dreams in competition around the world training with the best of the best in places like Germany and Uzbekistan.

At 81kg, he fought through one of the toughest divisions in judo. Mark rose to the challenge, and accumulated grit, cauliflower ears and a “Hard to Kill” mentality along the way. Tune in as he shares his story and knowledge as a Strength & Conditioning specialist.

Listen now on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Fighters Performance website: https://fightersperformance.com.au/

Mark Brewer on Instagram: @fighters_performance @markbrewer_coach

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To say that Daniel Kelly has an impressive fighting CV is an understatement. 4 Olympic Games as a judoka, 1 Olympic Games as a national coach, 1 Commonwealth Games for wrestling, appearances on The Ultimate Fighter, and live-streamed on pay-per-view television fighting in the UFC.

So  how did he reach the heights of the sport of judo - and beyond? 

He’ll tell you: Consistency, hard work and structure. 

And here are the stories behind those principles. 

Of competing at his first Olympics in front of a home crowd, to the programming structures which allowed him to self-coach to the Olympic Games. Of the family that instilled within him resilience, the intricacies of adapting judo into MMA,  and the craziness of joining the UFC media circus. Plus hold on to the end to hear the origins of #dadsarmy.

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Daniel Kelly at the 2009 Australian National Championships https://youtu.be/Ye_5EgwLZyc

Daniel on Instagram @danielkellyjudo

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Tinka Easton and Aoife Coughlan from the Australian Judo Team jump on the show to chat about their first competition back since the COVID lockdowns. In quarantine after competing at the Doha Masters, we talk about their competition results, Olympic qualifications and potential plans to become D-list celebrities. 

Here’s their quarantine workout, “Death by Burpees”. Start a stopwatch, and in the first minute do 1 burpee. In minute 2, 2 burpees. Continue to increase the number of burpees within each subsequent minute until you a) keel over in exhaustion b) run out of time to do the allocated number of burpees or c) both. 

Aoife’s high score is the minute of 20 (total = 210 burpees), and she almost completed the round of 21. Tinka’s results are unconfirmed, but she’s out to beat Aoife’s score, results TBD.

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Tinka Easton v   Nathalie Rouviere (GER)  https://youtu.be/ho02CCZXxwk 

Aoife Coughlan v Michaela Polleres (AUT) https://youtu.be/tLZedXJdiaU

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Image originals by IJF Media Team

James Austin is known as the voice behind The Original Judo Podcast, and the next in line to the judo commentary throne after Neil Adams.

But before that, James earned his place on the world judo scene by becoming British champion across 3 weight categories, winning a world cup in Minsk in 2012, and representing Great Britain at the London Olympic Games. 

In this wide ranging interview, James shares the story of how a boy who watched Michael Johnson win gold accomplish his own dream by walking out to fight in 2012.  He reflects on the role sports psychology plays in performance, and how he remains a true judo fan with the start of The Original Judo Podcast. 

The Original Judo Podcast is on all podcast platforms, and https://www.originaljudopod.com/

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The Judo Edit does not own the cover image original - thank you to the original photographer.

Who would have thought that Travis Stevens would be the one to share some of the most hard-hitting philosophical insights on life? And yet - here he is to talk you through some of his most challenging life experiences; and how he used the hardest of times to his advantage, to ultimately set the stage for his biggest victories. 

In the second half (32:32), Travis shares the behind-the-scenes tactics, mental learning and journaling processes of the elite 1%. 

Specifically, how to train your mind to analyse fights, and how to plan your victory based on your opponent's subconscious habit pathways. It's all included in this 60 minutes, complete with absurd stories and take-home lessons.

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Travis Stevens - 2016 Olympics Commentary:  https://youtu.be/kVq6wiA5S04

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Soundtrack courtesy of BenSound

The Judo Edit does not own the cover image original - thank you to the original photographer.

In the first 10-15 seconds, he threw a closed fisted grip, and it hit me right in the eye and split it. That kind of set the tempo for the match. And from then on out, it was less of a judo match than an “I’m going to break your will”... It was the Olympic games so neither of us was going to give an inch.

With an Olympic silver medal at 81kgs, there’s a lot more to Travis Stevens’ story than just being the angry American. Starting judo as an overweight kid, Travis shares the relentless mindset that pushed him to the top ranks of the world’s judoka and the mental transformation which allowed him to perform. He also retells in his own words his infamous rivalry with Ole Bischof, and the match that will haunt him forever.

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Judo NSW new club free resources https://www.judonsw.com.au/?utm_source=JudoEdit&utm_medium=Podcast

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Soundtrack courtesy of BenSound

Sabrina’s first shot at qualifying for the Olympics was Sydney, 2000. She is now aiming to qualify for the Tokyo 2020(one) games. It’s fair to say that less than 0.0001% of the world’s population has invested 21+ years chasing an Olympic medal. 

Listen in to hear about how Sabrina learned to deal with winning and losing; what goes through her mind on 10 hour hikes; and how judo can open a world of opportunity to impoverished children in Nepal. 

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Everest Judo Fundraiser: https://www.gofundme.com/f/everest-judo?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet

Sabrina v. Matsumoto: https://youtu.be/ehSJcAXFSnk

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Acta Wear apparel 15% discount: code judo15 at https://actawear.com/

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Image used with permission by Christian Fidler

Soundtrack courtesy of BenSound

While judo is on pause, Hannah Martin is back to share the light hearted, strange and downright absurd moments of being a judoka. 

If you've ever wanted to know about trophies (does size matter?), being stuck in a Russian Airport, or the experience of meeting your husband across the stands of a sports stadium, then you are in the right place. Just press play.

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Follow the podcast: instagram.com/thejudoedit

Images courtesy of Air Vongxayasy / IpponPhotos

Soundtrack courtesy of BenSound

What does it take to be ranked World Number One? In collaboration with UNSW Judo Club, you will get the chance to listen to the mindset and training methods of Rok Draksic.

Rok is a triple Olympian, European Champion and the first male from Slovenia to reach the world number 1 ranking. 

For one year straight, Rok brought home a medal from every single international judo competition he entered. He was renowned for being one of the fastest and most dynamic fighters on the tour, often using his kata guruma to secure success in the under 60, 66 and 73 kg categories. Press Play to hear what it took to reach the heights of success.

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When we sat down to record this interview, gyms in Australia had just been closed down and David had just lost his main income stream.

Having spent over a decade developing his mental toughness in international judo competitions, David was faced with the challenge: Could he transfer everything he had curated on the tatami and apply it during an international pandemic? 

In this episode, the self-described “soft kid” shares his story from quitting and then re-starting judo, to living as a full-time athlete in the very dojo where training was conducted. Included are his methods to meditate when you would rather throw someone than sit in silence, how to manage nerves before a competition, and how the same practices can be applied in life's daily uncertainties. 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-piers-groom/

https://thejudowayoflife.com/

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Images courtesy of Air Vongxayasy / IpponPhotos

Soundtrack courtesy of BenSound