Dan Gable: Olympic Wrestling, Mental Toughness & the Making of Champions | Lex Fridman Podcast #152

ℹ️ EPISODE INFO

Released

January 9, 2021

Duration

1h 10m

Channel

Lex Fridman Podcast

Watch on YouTube

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📝 EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Dan Gable is one of the greatest Olympic athletes and wrestling coaches of all time. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:

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EPISODE LINKS: Dan's Twitter: https://twitter.com/dannygable Dan's Website: https://dangable.com/ Dan's Books: https://amzn.to/2VK5nbn PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ Full episodes playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4 Clips playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOeciFP3CBCIEElOJeitOr41 OUTLINE: 0:00 - Introduction 2:56 - Russian wrestling 4:34 - Coaching the science, art, and toughness of wrestling 11:30 - The pain of defeat and the tattoo of a hawk clawing out the heart 14:29 - Roger Bannister and the 4 minute mile 17:35 - The dream of becoming an Olympic champion 20:03 - The day in 1972 of the Olympic final 23:35 - Sauna story 25:05 - Match against the Russian 30:38 - The role of fear in wrestling 35:40 - The line between physical wrestling and anger 40:18 - Tragic loss of Dan's sister 47:46 - The role of family in wrestling 53:08 - Wrestling being voted out of the Olympics 57:52 - To beat the best you must study the best 1:03:05 - The role of luck (Old Man and the Sea) CONNECT:

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🎤 SPEAKERS

• Lex Fridman

  host

• Dan Gable

  guest

• Narrator

  other

🧾 EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Lex Fridman Podcast, featuring Lex Fridman and Dan Gable, Dan Gable: Olympic Wrestling, Mental Toughness & the Making of Champions | Lex Fridman Podcast #152 explores dan Gable On Toughness, Tragedy, And The Science Of Wrestling Greatness Lex Fridman interviews legendary wrestler and coach Dan Gable about what creates champions in sport and life. Gable contrasts Russian "scientific" wrestling with the American emphasis on toughness, and explains how his lone college loss forced him to become more technical and artistic. He goes deep on coaching philosophy, mental toughness, dealing with devastating loss—both on the mat and in his family—and how suffering can be transformed into purpose. The conversation also touches on Olympic politics, the near-removal of wrestling from the Games, and the broader life skills wrestling imparts beyond competition.

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