What Makes a Champion

I posted a 3-article series on some of the key attributes that contributed to my success as an athlete.  There are of course many contributing factors but these are three I feel are very important factors in becoming a champion.  Some of this may seem like common sense, but I have found common sense a lot less common than you might think

What Makes a Champion - May 3, 2013
What Makes a Champion Part 2 - Desire - May 10, 2013
What Makes a Champion Part 3 - Hard Work - May 18, 2013

Thanks for sharing, your articles are very interesting and motivating.

Do you mean that the universally shared belief that a champion is soembody that has attended international competitions at age 12 will be a chanpion and if not then will fail is not true? But everybody knows that real Judo can't be learned from adult blackbelts but by doing shiai with other 12 year olds.  

There are so many factors involved in producing judo champions. To name just a few let us consider that one must have the opportunity to compete, the desire to win, the physical abilities, the mental endurance, the appropriate training tutors, the technical competence to maximize on each experience and be free of severe injuries. There are two kinds of champions in my mind, the one that wins over other opponents, the one that can overcome his or her weaknesses and use this talent to help others.

forgeron judo wrote:There are so many factors involved in producing judo champions. To name just a few let us consider that one must have the opportunity to compete, the desire to win, the physical abilities, the mental endurance, the appropriate training tutors, the technical competence to maximize on each experience and be free of severe injuries. There are two kinds of champions in my mind, the one that wins over other opponents, the one that can overcome his or her weaknesses and use this talent to help others.

True, and I think one first needs to define 'champion'. It's not difficult to 'make' champions, most people are champions in something. 'Champions' are not just defined by themselves but by the competition and discipline. If you choose a discipline that is awkward and esoteric enough chances are you can even bring it to world champion. But as more mainstream as it gets and the higher the level, the more difficult. Becoming champion not just of your club, but of the world, and within the IAAF, and not of veterans of masters, but of seniors, male, in let's say running the 1,500m is not an easy thing to do, and not something you are just going to construct. It will be largely genetic.

Same in judo. One needs to narrow it down. There are lots of world champions judo who obtained a title from the World Master's Judo Association. Due respect, but it isn't the same as a world title IJF in the seniors division. Some divisions barely had two people, some none. So clearly this "making of a champion" is largely defined by what it is one is talking about. The more exclusive it gets the more difficult the task and the more the genetic component will be a determinant. See, for example, Usain Bolt or Michael Phelbs.

I totally agree, obviously I am talking about judo competition, but I feel the concepts can be applied to anything. As for overcoming weakness and helping others, I also agree. I don't think of it as weakness, but I am legally blind and I have always tried to give back by doing clinics and talking with blind and visually impaired kids.

Also, I do believe I said at some point in the series of articles that there are many factors but I wrote about a few that were very important to my competitive success.