Jimmy Pedro: Judo and the Forging of Champions | Lex Fridman Podcast #236

ℹ️ EPISODE INFO

Released

October 31, 2021

Duration

2h 23m

Channel

Lex Fridman Podcast

Watch on YouTube

▶ Open ↗

📝 EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Jimmy Pedro is a judo competitor and coach, world champion, 3x world medalist, 2x Olympic medalist. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:

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EPISODE LINKS: Jimmy's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimmypedrousa Jimmy's Links: https://linktr.ee/jimmypedro Jimmy's Twitter: https://twitter.com/jimmypedrousa Jimmy's Websitbe: https://www.jimmypedro.com/ American Judo System: https://usajudo.com/ 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 0:43 - The most beautiful throw 25:12 - Russian approach to randori 38:43 - Judo gripping 50:12 - IOC 1:00:37 - Toughest match 1:05:44 - Jimmy Pedro Sr 1:24:59 - Travis Stevens 1:44:29 - Kayla Harrison 2:02:47 - Putin and judo 2:06:59 - Getting started in judo 2:11:45 - BJJ 2:15:11 - Advice for young people SOCIAL:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman
• Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman
• Reddit: https://reddit.com/r/lexfridman
• Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman

🎤 SPEAKERS

• Lex Fridman

  host

• Jimmy Pedro

  guest

• Narrator

  other

🧾 EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Lex Fridman Podcast, featuring Lex Fridman and Jimmy Pedro, Jimmy Pedro: Judo and the Forging of Champions | Lex Fridman Podcast #236 explores jimmy Pedro on Building Judo Champions, Mindsets, and American Grit Lex Fridman and legendary judoka Jimmy Pedro dive deep into judo technique, training systems, and the mindset required to become an Olympic champion. They analyze iconic throws like uchi mata and split-hip seoi nage, debate who’s the greatest judoka of all time, and dissect how different countries develop elite competitors. Pedro explains how he and his father built a uniquely American high-performance system with limited resources, producing champions like Kayla Harrison and Travis Stevens. The conversation also explores visualization, post‑Olympic depression, the broken Olympic media ecosystem, and broader life lessons about passion, resilience, and building a meaningful career.

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