Video summary
In this high-energy session, Lex Fridman engages in a judo training workout with Travis Stevens, the 2016 Olympic silver medalist and one of America's greatest judoka ever. The video captures their time at Craig Jones' B Team gym in Austin, Texas, where they explore advanced throwing techniques that leverage physics rather than brute strength. Stevens explains his core philosophy for executing throws like the *Osoto Gari* or similar hip-based moves: he aims to make himself go up while driving the opponent down and onto their back without lifting them significantly. This approach relies on precise footwork, specifically a "splitting" motion of the hips that generates power efficiently. Stevens emphasizes avoiding overextension; instead of pressing hard with his kicking leg, which can lead to instability or injury, he allows his weight to slide naturally into place while maintaining control through hip engagement and angle manipulation. A significant portion of their discussion focuses on the mechanics of the *Nagi* throw, a variation where judoka grab the opponent's lapel rather than gripping the sleeve. Stevens breaks down this technique by demonstrating how an initial back-and-forth push creates momentum that makes the execution feel effortless once the timing is correct. The critical component involves preventing the opponent from sprawling or lowering their center of gravity too early; if they do, Stevens must act quickly to lower his own weight and slip underneath them before they can stabilize. He illustrates this dynamic by showing how he lifts one hand while holding the lapel grip, allowing him to slide under the opponent's raised leg and catch them on his hips just as they attempt to pop up onto their toes. This timing is essential because once the opponent lowers themselves below Stevens' level, it becomes much harder to execute a successful throw without losing balance or leverage. The training session also delves into the nuances of maintaining stability versus creating off-balance points during engagement. Stevens notes that if an opponent maintains a stable position with their foot planted firmly in front, they cannot be easily moved until he disrupts their equilibrium by targeting specific pressure points, such as hitting them on the pinky side to force a turn toward him. By shifting angles and rotating his body, Stevens can neutralize defensive stances without needing to physically move an opponent's legs directly. He demonstrates how knocking an opponent into a front-facing position allows for immediate follow-through with a throw, effectively removing their ability to defend against the hip movement that drives them down. This interplay of rotation, angle adjustment, and timing highlights why Stevens describes these moments as "dream come true" scenarios where technique triumphs over raw power. Beyond the technical execution, the video serves as an endorsement for Austin's thriving martial arts community, which hosts a diverse array of disciplines including 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu with Gabe Tuttle and New Wave BJJ with John Doner Gordon Ryan. Stevens expresses his deep love for judo after taking time away from it to focus on submission grappling, noting that he is eager to return to the throwing arts under the guidance of legendary coach Jimmy Pedro in Boston. The session underscores the importance of finding a gym environment like Craig Jones' B Team, which offers access to top-tier coaches such as Rod and Nikki Ryan alongside other elite practitioners. For viewers interested in martial arts training or learning from Olympic-level athletes, this interaction provides valuable insights into both the specific mechanics of judo throws and the broader ecosystem supporting high-performance grappling in Austin.
Read the full video transcript
that was uh
intense this video is a judo training
session with Travis Stevens from a while
back he's a 2016 Olympic silver medalist
in Judo and one of the greatest American
judoka ever I've trained Judo and
Jiu-Jitsu for many years and took some
time off on the Judo side focusing more
on submission grappling than throwing
but I'm hoping to get back into it with
uh Jimmy Pedro the legendary Judo coach
out in Boston I love Judo too much I
miss it big thank you to Craig Jones and
the B team for letting us use their gym
for this Judo session and I should also
say that Austin in general is amazing
for martial arts we got 10th planet with
Gabe Tuttle New Wave with John Donar
Gordon Ryan Nicholas moralli and others
B team with Craig Jones Rod Nikki Ryan
and others and many more I highly
recommend you check out these places and
who knows maybe you'll see me there and
we get a chance to train and now dear
friends here's the
2016 Olympic silver medalist in Judo
Travis Stevens been a fan of for a long
time thank you for uh talking a little
Judo with me today man sprad the
knowledge here we go my goal is to make
you go up and then I'm going to go under
and then put you on your back right
where you're standing that's the idea so
that I actually don't have to do much
lifting so when I come down and I split
I hold tight I get a strong pull when I
back up now you're right where you were
standing the fundamental movement here
is the splitting either the hips or
you're doing like some leg to the
outside you're always just got really
good at doing this step and generating
power from it where when I
kick it not like I press it hard enough
where I'm not overextending this leg and
this moves what a lot of people try to
do is they
go here and they overcommit and now this
foot can't take that step I try to hike
and let that slide into place naturally
it's important that the angle is is here
instead of straight on unless you're
going to get me to turn and give you
that angle okay so it's very difficult
for you like if you take a grip here on
said and then you were to tryy to come
in and split my legs right there you see
how like I can start to slide and
there's a gap on this side A lot of
times when I do this people slip off to
this side and you end up missing but if
I change your angle to here now come in
B see how you got my hip and so you're
not worried about coming around from
this because I second I try to lift and
jump over that leg will be sliding back
and that's going to if I try to step
over my weight's going up when you back
up you're going to amplify
that this is a dream come true by the
way so you're known for this interesting
variation was is the say Nagi throw
where you grab the lapel can you explain
how that works in a basic sense you're
going to take a grip here don't get
pushed like resist air and then this
happens I get that back and forth push
so that it's effortless on my front leg
so that there and see how you can
actually get pulled forward when I slip
the pressure that's the basics of it now
I have to get you to a point where you
can't sprawl and lower your center of
gravity so what I do for that is when I
I lower that weight and I lift that
weight so I can hold it that way when
you pop up on your toes the hand at the
top of the AR hold you while I slip
underneath and then I can catch you on
my hips so I've got to get there before
you get lower than I do and then you're
doing this big yeah so it's so typically
like if I find my point at the center my
foot starts there and then I replace and
I splp and then we come back out if
you're gripping and I'm holding your
hands which sometimes I do if I press
you at some
point there see how you I get you to
stand up that leg is
light now I can come back through yeah
but I I press them until they press back
hard enough where we go from this angle
to up and then I can slide on the KN and
let's say like right I can't attack
because this leg is in front I also if
you have a good stable position I can't
necessarily move that foot but your off
balance point is here at the front and
there at the rear so if I take my pinky
and I hit that point you're going to
turn and face
me thank you now it's not in front
anymore so I didn't I never had to move
it and so when you're in this position
go and then knock me to that front
position boom wait the second you see me
starting to rotate add to that
yeah y there
go there you go and then now you don't
feel the
weight thank you brother course