10 Best Sports Biographies Recommended by Judo Champions
Ten of the best biographies written by sporting legends and highlighted by our team of judo champions and experts as must-reads.
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The Fight
Norman Mailer's The Fight focuses on the 1974 World Heavyweight Boxing Championship in Kinshasa, Zaire. Muhammad Ali met George Foreman in the ring. Foreman's genius employed silence, serenity and cunning. He had never been defeated. His hands were his instrument, and 'he kept them in his pockets the way a hunter lays his rifle back into its velvet case'. Together the two men made boxing history in an explosive meeting of two great minds, two iron wills and monumental egos.
Recommended by Euan Burton
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Driven from within
This is a book about the power of collaberation and teamwork, the awe-inspiring energy generated when people combine their creativity and passion, and a fearless desire to lead. Whether waking at 6 A.M. to work out as a high school junior, or spending hours with legendary designer Tinker Hatfield on the intricacies f state-of-the-art shoe design, Michael Jordan has never wavered in his desire to be the best. ""It all started with an appetite to prove. Whether it was competing with my siblings or trying to get attention from myparents, I wanted to show what I could do, what I was capable of accomplishing. I wanted results, and I was driven to find out the best way to get them."" Everyone knows the results. In "Driven from Within," Michael Jordan and those in his inner circle reveal the philosophy that makes it all happen.
Recommended by Peter Gardiner
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No Nonsense: The Autobiography
So, you think you know Joey Barton. Think again. No Nonsense is a game-changing autobiography which will redefine the most fascinating figure in British football. It is the raw yet redemptive story of a man shaped by rejection and the consequences of his mistakes. He has represented England, and been a pivotal player for Manchester City, Newcastle United, Queens Park Rangers, Marseille, Burnley and Glasgow Rangers, but his career has featured recurring controversy. The low point of being sent to prison for assault in 2008 proved to be the catalyst for the re-evaluation of his life.
Recommended by Chloe Cowen
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Mao’s Last Dancer
Raised in a desperately poor village during the height of China's Cultural Revolution, Li Cunxin's childhood revolved around the commune, his family and Chairman Mao's Little Red Book.
Until, that is, Madame Mao's cultural delegates came in search of young peasants to study ballet at the academy in Beijing and he was thrust into a completely unfamiliar world.
When a trip to Texas as part of a rare cultural exchange opened his eyes to life and love beyond China's borders, he defected to the United States in an extraordinary and dramatic tale of Cold War intrigue.
Told in his own distinctive voice, this is Li's inspirational story of how he came to be Mao's last dancer, and one of the world's greatest ballet dancers.
Recommended by Kate Howey
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My Fight Your Fight: The Official Ronda Rousey autobiography
The journey to the top for the most dominant mixed-martial-arts fighter in history has been filled with challenges. From a childhood marked by speech problems to the painful loss of her father, she grew up repeatedly pushing her mind and body to the limit in order to win. She battled prejudice to become the first female fighter in UFC. Now she is the biggest name in the sport, breaking attendance levels and re-writing the history books with her astonishing knockout victories, most in under a minute. She has also forged a successful Hollywood career as an actor.
In this honest and inspiring book, Rousey relives her greatest fights and shares her secrets for success and mental toughness. She reveals how we can all be at our best, even on our worst days, and how we can turn our limitations into opportunities. It will leave you ready to face your own challenges in life, whatever they may be.
Recommended by Nik Fairbrother
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Winning!
Winning! tells a remarkable story - an unforgettable journey that began in September 1997 and took the English Rugby Team team from the lower ranks of international first-class rugby to the top as World Cup Champions.
WINNING! talks about the team's journey of innovation and discovery and will reveal exactly how it happened, the fundamentals of their success and how these principles can be applied to any human endeavour. Bringing his business management skills to the game, Woodward simplified the entire approach to the structure of the team and created new management systems both on and off the pitch.
Recommended by Darren Warner
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Leading: Lessons in leadership
LEADING is structured around the key skills that Sir Alex values most highly. It includes subjects we immediately associate with his managerial style: Discipline, Control, Teamwork and Motivation. But it also addresses subjects that are less obvious but no less important when seeking success: Delegation, Data Analysis and Dealing with Failure. Written with the investor Sir Michael Moritz, a longstanding friend of Sir Alex, LEADING is packed with insight, wisdom, humour and honesty. The individual stories inevitably concern themselves with football, and the phenomenal success that came along the way, but the lessons can be applied by anyone. Whether you run a business, teach in a classroom, or work in a small team, LEADING will help you become a better leader.
Recommended by Peter Gardiner, Vince Skillcorn
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The Greatest: My Own Story
Everybody knows the record the stuff of almanacs, trade magazines and clipping services. A handful know the man. But only Muhammad Ali knows his life as he lived it.
The Greatest is Ali's own story. For six years he worked, traveled and talked with Richard Durham, a writer with a stunning talent, and the result is mesmerizing in its brilliance, drama, humanity and sheer entertainment. This is no documented scrapbook of wins and losses strung together with anecdotes; nor is it a thin potpourri of locker room gags. This book, like Ali who has incited every reaction except indifference goes straight to the place where responses to him have always been the gut. When the history of the twentieth century is finally recorded, it must include Muhammad Ali. He is "The Greatest."
Recommended by Paul Ajala
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Neil Adams MBE autobiography: A Game of Throws
At 24 Neil Adams was at the top of his game. He was on the Olympic team, had almost every Judo championship title in the world under his belt and had recently been awarded an MBE. This is not his Olympic Story. This is not a 'good old, glory days' kind of tale. This is about what happens after, when the sponsors have disappeared, when the shine of the medal has dulled into the public's distant memory. When you are left alone to deal with bills and life decisions that suddenly have nothing to do with Judo, BBC Superstars or Glory. This is the story of a man rebuilding his life on and off the mats.
Recommended by Neil Adams
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