How to fire up Olympic Judo champion Kayla Harrison

Preparation is all. Current Olympic Champion and 2010 World Champion knows all about it. Although she always in for a talk around the competition and looks quite relaxed, she has a specific preparation. Kayla shares her preparation how she gets fired up.

“We usually arrive about 4 days before the competition. We work out once a day up until the day that I fight. Just to stay sharp, work on specific ne-waza techniques or throws. Two days for the competition I’d like to come and watch the venue, watch my teammates compete and cheer them on. I’m always a bit nervous but that’s good because it means I care. I sit around and wait and because of the waiting I’m so ready to fight, so then I’m excited.”

"You can not only hope to be successful. You must live the moment everyday." Jimmy Pedro on the mental game.

“Fight day is a little different, so I wake up and I get my hear done, small detail but it’s important. I have my music in, I’m relaxed, not in the zone yet. I’m in the venue three hours before I fight. So during that time I listen to a lot of country music, or chill music like John Mayor and Jack Johnson. Like nothing crazy which makes me feel relaxed. And once I start my warm-up I have a specific playlist and I just press the first one and it goes all the way through and it’s all Eminem.”

“I listen to all Eminem when I’m getting in the mode to fight. And I start with a 5 minute jog to his ‘Sing for the Moment’, it gets me amped. I always want to have the first sequence of the match planned. I will know what my first attack is and I know what my first grip exchange is going to look like. And after that it's just a lot of positive thoughts going through my mind. - Kayla Harrison, Olympic Champion. I am not afraid to win.  I’m the best.-  Even though I say those things I’m probably just taking a breath, holding it and letting it out, just to center myself and let instinct take over, because then I fight at my best.”

photos by Emmeric Le Person