Event date: 11th January 2015

Neil Adams MBE

Sunday’s typically mark a day of rest. A visit from Neil Adams MBE 8th Dan this month transformed the 11th of January into a day of learning from the best. Aberdeen is a comparatively small city and there are few chances to learn from players of this level. For the judo community in the northeast this masterclass proved a fantastic opportunity, a great kick-start to the 2015 judo calendar. I’m sure I speak on behalf of others when I say I left feeling motivated to become a better judoka and learnt a great deal.

An [extra]ordinary day...

Neil Adams was born in Rugby, Warwickshire. He is married to a former Canadian Olympian in judo and his brother was the late professional wrestling star, Chris Adams. After a highly successful competitive career, Adams now devotes his time to sharing his expertise around the world with the next generation of aspiring judo players, young and old(er) alike.  With over 30 years of elite training, competing and coaching, his goal is to train the next champion. Learning from someone with that mentality is both humbling and inspiring.

What makes a champion?

I recently read a quote from Neil Adams where he asks ‘does Champion mean Excellence? Or does Excellence mean Champion? ‘He answers ‘glory doesn’t equate to longevity’, that ‘Champions come and go, are known for a short time and replaced. Excellence and skill, now that’s something to be proud of, and that lasts a lifetime.’

Adams reportedly spent 30 years overcoming not attaining Gold at the Olympics. He perceived his two silvers as losses. I imagine it is this unswerving competitive mindset that sets him apart from others, the thing that not only got him to the top but also kept him there. Adams, a former world champion, was the first British male to win both a World and European title. He is a five times European champion who took home 2 Silver Medals at the Moscow and Los Angeles Olympic games. He secured a place on the hall of fame at the International Judo Federation, he was awarded an MBE for his services to sport and has reached the pinnacle of judo heights, he is an 8^th Dan or ‘hachidan’ (SInce earning his 9th Dan.)

I admire anyone who has the tenacity, commitment and skill to reach this level and succeed at what is essentially a mental endurance test as much as it is a demanding physical sport. The fact that Neil Adams was friendly, grounded and generous with his time has made me an even bigger fan. As a teacher Adams’ skill lies in breaking moves down into minute detail and putting them back together again. In each demonstration he provides both the action shot and the slow motion replay.

Simplifying the complicated

What impressed me most about Neil Adams was his engaging manner, style of delivery and his innate ability to simplify the complex. Adams speaks slowly, clearly and concisely, he says only what is relevant but does so in an effortless and engaging manner. When explaining moves such as his famous tai toshi and ko ouchi throws he shows each from a variety of positions, explaining clearly and succinctly what he’s doing at each moment. He takes us through drills with proven successes, how to attack in that 15 second window by getting your opponent to think about something else, essential set-ups, how to get yourself out of tricky positions and turn them to your advantage, how to secure the best grips, basically how to get what you’ve trained for out of your head and apply it in practice. After all, it is the summation of these little things that results in the big thing (the successful throw) paying off.

Many judo players [myself included] understand the general mechanics of a throw yet struggle with this set up and successful execution. We repeat the same mistakes while feeling frustrated that our hours of practice aren’t materialising results. Some would argue this is an act of insanity, to do the same thing each time and expect different results. Ultimately then, what myself and possibly many of the judo players there wanted to know was what to do when you get to that same old position and think ‘what do I do now?’ You know that moment when you’re performing an armlock, you’ve done the hard work, you’re feeling quite chuffed with yourself, you’ve got your opponent exactly where you want them, you think you’re doing all the right things, pulling them in close, nice and tight, searching for those pressure points and yet despite your earnest efforts to ‘gently’ bend and twist the arm, nothing works! With one simple altering of body position (it’s always simple when you know how) Adams solves this problem. He asserts that ‘the really good juji gatame people have the arm out before they sit up’. Cue interesting factoid for any armlock enthusiasts – ‘90% of the judo juji’s are lost when they sit up’. Cue a long ‘ahhhh huh’ followed by a ‘ping’  lightbulb moment (thankfully this was internal), and brief face palm. Time is one luxury the judo player doesn’t have on the ground so thank-you Mr Adams for solving a 10 year problem in 30 seconds!

The Verdict

I can honestly say it was a privilege to learn from the best of the best. Adams is a wonderful role model to aspiring judo players, is still going strong and it was a pleasure to be taught by him. It is inspiring to have someone who has reached such a great level of success come and share their knowledge, it motivates you to want to be a better judo player. It is clear I am not the only one who thinks highly of him as the Japanese bestowed upon him the nickname Happo Birgin which means ‘Everyone’s friend’. A massive thank-you to Neil Adams and Gordon McCathie for organising a great afternoon of judo. 

Nicola McIlraith

Aberdeen Judo Club and Ultimate Judo member

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