Episode 27- “Got Milk?” feat. Pat Burris

It was a great pleasure to have Sensei Pat Burris on the podcast this episode. Pat has over 30 years of judo experience and a tremendous competition record. Pat was five-time Senior National Champion, two-time Olympic Team Member, three-time World Team member, three-time Pan-Am Team member and Pan-Am Champion. He is currently the owner and head coach of USA Stars foundation, in Oklahoma City, OK, and is also the Director of Coaching for USA Judo. Listen to this podcast to see what is the best drink for post workouts. Below is a short history from his website. Here is another great article he wrote. Episode 27

Judo Player of the Year 1974If you’re going to win consistently in judo competition, you’ve got to be willing to ignore life’s more tempting distractions and concentrate almost solely on a routine of physical punishmentin short, to tear your guts out in the unglamorous atmosphere of a dojo. It’s that kind of sport, and very few players can maintain such a regimen for very long. A national championship is a very significant accomplishment. Two national championships are remarkable. Three, incredible.Last May in Phoenix, Arizona, 23-year-old Pat Burris won the national AAU I 54-pound judo title for the fourth consecutive year. The unprecedented feat represents 15 years of diligent training and study, including four trips to the Kodokan and one trip each to the World Judo Championships and the Olympic Games.A former state junior college wrestling champion while attending Santa Ana JC in California, and a Rocky Mountain Conference champ at the University of Northern Colorado, Burris holds a degree in health education and a teaching credential. Now living in Anaheim, California, he taught part-time last year at Rancho Alamitos High School, his alma mater, and plans to make education his career.At the moment, however, even teaching must take a back seat to judo, for Burris intends to continue training and competing until 1976. “To win the nationals is important,” says the man who has done it more times than anyone else, “but it’s just a stepping stone to what I want.”What Burris wants are more championshipsinternational championships. After the 1974 Pan American Judo Championships come the Pan American Games and the World Judo Championships in ’75 and the Olympics in ’76. He has not done well in world and Olympic competition thus far, and the motivation to make amends in the next two years is an extremely strong one.With the help of his instructor, Shag Okada (the new national judo coach), and fellow competitors Arthur Hollands, Bob Burns and Ken Okada, Burris is training harder than ever for the coming tournaments. And he plans to return to the Kodokan this winter.To maintain a training schedule like this requires more than back-breaking sacrifices, and Burris is quick to credit his parents for lending financial and moral support to his quest for an Olympic medal. “I’m very fortunate,” he says, “to have the backing I have.”Pat Burris is a champion who proves hard work can accomplish what has not been accomplished before. He’s the first American to win four national titles, and he may be the first to win a world or Olympic medal.

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