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Athletes / Competitors

Owned by Nathan Wailes
Last updated: May 28, 2023
16 min read

Arnold Schwarzenegger

The Education of a Bodybuilder by Arnold Schwarzenegger

I remember finding this a very inspiring book

Chronology of Success:
- at 13 he became inspired by a previous successful body-builder (reg park)

some take-home points from an amazon review:
1. Always leave yourself a little hungry when it comes to exercise (stop before you would like so you want to come back the next day). But, when in the gym train very intensely.
2. Concentrate, concentrate, concentrate (it helps intensity and forces growth).
3. Don't let anyone get in the way of your most important dreams.
4. Eat and go to bed at the same time daily as much as possible (the body thrives on regularity).
5. Keep records. The records motivate you.
6. Use strict form. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_Schwarzenegger

information on arnold as a businessman:
http://think.100acrewood.net/asfiles/#A ... usinessman

Magnus Carlsen

  • 2014.01.16 - Churchill Club - World Chess Champ Magnus Carlsen, in conversation w/ Peter Thiel
    • This is all about asking Carlsen questions. Thiel asks great, great questions. Carlsen gives some great answers to Thiel's questions, some OK answers to audience questions.
    • 7:30 - Thiel: I was 7th in the US in the under-13 age category, but someone like Carlsen would be expected to beat me 100 times for every time I beat him (if we were both the same age).
    • 8:50 - Q from Thiel: When did you start playing chess? What year did you start to really improve?
      • If the weather was really bad and we were bored we'd play.
      • I gained an interest at 8 when my father started to teach my older sister (1.5 years older than me). I gained an interest, and one of my main interests at that time was to beat my sister at everything she did, and so I started training a lot in order to beat her. And of course gradually I realized that chess was a very interesting game in itself.
    • 10:45 - Q from Thiel: At what point did you decide to focus on playing chess for a living?
      • Only toward the end of high school. Before that, my parents had brainwashed me into thinking I should pursue higher education.
    • 11:30 - Q from Thiel: Is there something you can tell us about the process by which someone becomes a great chess player?
      • I was able to do whatever I wanted to do, and most of the time that was chess.
      • I think to become really good at chess, you really need that; to become one of the best, it's not enough to go to the chess club a few times a week, play a tournament now and then. As you would in other sports, you shouldn't just go to practice, you should be--in a sense--living chess, all the time.
    • 13:10 - Q from Thiel: Were there any chess players you particularly looked up to?
      • I really liked the games of Kramnik(?) when I was young. I got a book of his games when I was about 11 and I really learned a lot from those games.
      • It's never been in my style to idolize players, to try to copy them, I just try to learn and get the best from the great masters.
    • 14:30 - Q from Thiel: How does one go about improving when you're at the level you're at today?
      • I really don't know; I still feel like I'm picking up things all the time. I'm learning how to evaluate positions differently than how I used to.
    • 15:30 - Q from Thiel: Do you think you have to learn chess as a kid, or can you learn it at any time in your life?
      • I think it depends on what your goals are. [...] I think it's more helpful if you learn it as a kid, and if you want to be a s
    • 16:10 - Q from Thiel: Is chess a sport, an art, or a science?
      • Most of all, it's a sport.
    • 17:00 - Q from Thiel: Is there any psychological aspect to chess?
      • For me it's more about psychology in preparation, trying to choose opening variations that could be unpleasant to that particular opponent.
    • 18:20 - Q from Thiel: Is there a physical fitness component? Do you find you play better if you're healthy?
      • Absolutely.
    • 19:13 - Q from Thiel: How have computers changed chess in the last 30 years?
      • Computers are now definitely better than the best humans. I think the reason Kasparov lost to Deep Blue had to do with his own demons.
      • I don't really see the computer as an opponent; it's more of an aide, an analysis tool.
    • 21:50 - Q from Thiel: Have computers made chess more tactical?
      • It's made chess less dogmatic; computers are challenging a lot of old conventions of what you should and shouldn't do.
      • You may see a position and think it's better for white, but the computer evaluates it as a little better for black, and you can go deeper and see what supports the computer's view.
    • 23:50 - Q from Thiel: You generally don't play against computers?
      • No, I find playing against computers depressing. And it doesn't help you much in preparing against humans.
    • 24:38 - Q from Thiel: Do you learn the most from games you lose, or games you win?
      • Over time I probably learn more from games I lose.
    • 40:20 - Carlsen predicts that in 20 years "India especially and also China" will be the strongest chess countries in the world.
    • 40:50 - Q: Have you thought about giving up your champion's privilege for the next tournament? (not sure what he's referencing)
    • 42:10 -
    • Thiel: "How much of an intersection do you think there is between chess and life? Does it teach people things for life? Or is it, sort of just a dangerous hobby that distracts people from living their lives? Is it a good metaphor for life? People always try to compare things to chess in one way or another, and sometimes I think it's very good and sometimes...maybe not perfect."
      • Carlsen: "I don't know, but I think that you can definitely learn a lot from chess...starting out, you learn critical thinking, analytical thinking, and so on. I think if you do like me, and only play chess, I think that is probably not going to teach you a lot about life and it probably is not going to help you that much in other fields, but I guess not everyone can be chess amateurs, some have to be champions as well. (laughter) But really, I think that a lot of the skills that you learn in chess can be used in other fields as long as you spend some time on them as well, and not just on chess."
    • 44:00 - Q from a young child: Do you ever get nervous before a tournament?
      • Carlsen: I do get nervous sometimes, especially if I think I'm not so well prepared. It's a lot like when you're not prepared for a meeting or exam.
      • ...but most of the time he doesn't get too nervous because he feels like he knows what he's doing
      • when he does get nervous he tries to put on a brave face and not show it so much
    • 45:30 - Q: Do you think the format for the world championship should be changed to 24 games? And do you find computers depressing to play against because they're hard to beat (eg you draw a lot) or because they're very good at winning?
      • C: I think the 24 games would be too long, people wouldn't stay interested and the players would get tired.
    • 47:40 - In training I try to do the things I enjoy, and I don't enjoy playing computers so I don't do that.
    • 48:50 - Q from Thiel: Do you find you learn more from studying than from playing? Or is it a combination of both?
    • C: I think it's a combination of both, but I really have learned a lot from just playing and reading books.
    • C: One of my main forms of training in my earlier years (11-13) is that a few players would get together and we would analyze a game. It wasn't as much an analysis of a game as much as an analysis of chess itself. It was really helpful in improving all of our understandings of chess. It was chess training without thinking of it as chess training.
    • 50:30 - Q from Thiel: Where do you think chess is going to go in 20-30 years? Do you think it'll be fully solved?
    • C: There's been talk of draw-death for 80 years, as far as I know it's pretty far off. The draw rate has been going down, in part because draw offers have been banned.
    • At some point we'll probably have to play more rapid- and Fischer random chess.
    • 52:50 - Q: If your father had not introduced you to chess, do you think you would have found it on your own? If not, where do you think you would have ended up?
    • C: I had a nice chess environment close to my home, if we had stayed in Belgium I wouldn't have had that and I probably wouldn't have stuck with chess.
    • C: My parents have always told me I can be anything I want to.
    • C: Before chess I was interested in Legos, geography, math, and cars.
    • 55:55 - Q: Did you win when you played against Kasparov at age 13?
    • I drew one of the three games, I lost the other two.
    • 56:50 - Q from a young child: Do you do anything else besides chess?
    • I went to school for many years, I used to go skiing a lot, I played soccer in a club, I went ski-jumping for a few years. I still enjoy sports a lot.
    • 57:50 - Q: Someone said you refused to sign a particular book? Is there any truth to that?
    • A lot of chess players are superstitious, including me. The book was written by a guy who won the world championship at 23 and never won it again.
    • 59:00 - Q: What goes through your mind when you're playing blitz?
    • Blitz is mainly about intuition and instincts. Classical chess has your intuition giving you an idea, and then I have time to verify it and calculate different variations.
    • 1:00:00 - Q from Thiel: Is playing too much blitz bad for your full game?
    • You shouldn't play only blitz, but playing some blitz is definitely useful. It helped me develop my instincts and tactical eye.
    • 1:01:00 - Q: Have you ever thought about applying what you've learned to other things, like martial arts?
    • I had a brief experience learning some martial arts and it didn't really stick with me.
    • In chess you have to be merciless to be very successful.
    • 1:03:00 - Q: A lot of top chess players are geography buffs. That's true of you as well, right?
    • C: I like all kinds of trivia.

Michael Jordan

  • Summary of why he was great (or, why he's considered to be great):
    • He seems to have had the ideal physical attributes for the highest-visibility position (shooting guard) in basketball.
      • He apparently had large, strong hands.
      • He was neither too short nor too tall.
    • He was strong, probably from a mix of genetics and hard work.
      • He could jump high.
    • He would do a lot of things that would amaze people.
      • He would jump very high (hence the nickname "Air Jordan")GFKWDNaTURs
  • Links that give insight into why he was great
    • His books
    • Books about him
      • 2014.05.06 - Amazon - Michael Jordan: The Life
        • It's a wonderful insight into the personality of someone extraordinary. Jordan is regularly described as a difficult teammate, someone who couldn't understand people accepting less than the best or not working as hard as possible, someone who put in more time and effort than seemed sustainable, had no tolerance for fools and could generally be rude, introverted, untrusting and mercenary in dealing with people to get what he wanted. I could not help thinking afterwards the similarity in personality between Jordan and revered business figures of our time - Jobs, Bezos, Musk - who all demonstrate an almost identical personality.
    • 1984 - YouTube - Interview with Roy Firestone

      • early on - he talks about his good habits for working hard, and wanting to beat his brother

      • 6:10 - he says that if he didn't get any money, he'd still want to play basketball

      • 6:30 - my parents got me into sports; they haven't missed a game

    • 2010.11.03 - USAB - Why Was Michael Jordan So Good?
      • His body
      • His skill (practice) - for five hours, five days a week he worked on his skill during the offseason
      • His competitiveness
    • 2013.02.24 - Reddit - What are some famous people whose work you respect and admire, but don't like them as people?
      • See the thing is, basketball diehards like me KNOW that MJ was the biggest asshole ever. And that's what drove him to be the greatest player ever. He took shit from no one, INVENTED slights just to motivate himself. (...) One of the qualities of MJ was that he never let things go. If the other team somehow got better of him one game, he made it a life goal to never let that happen again. If the other team trash talked he showed them by dropping 50 points on them. He destroyed them mentally, so that even if they had the lead going into the 4th they knew who was gonna score on them... and most of the time, it happened. Thats how he destroyed Drexler in '92, Barkley (who gave everything he could yet still fell short) in '93. That's why he set out to destroy Kukoc with Pippen in the Dream Team to send a message to the Chicago front office. In '97 Karl Malone took the MVP, even though the Bulls went 69-13. MJ was PISSED. When they played Utah in the Finals, that's where the "Flu Game" took place. Shit, his entire '96 season was a giant middle finger to what happened the year before (got swept against the Magic)- thanks to that the Bulls set a record for the most regular season victories: 72 wins. He won the Finals MVP, Reg. Season MVP AND the All Star Game MVP.
    • 2014.01.14 - Reddit - What made Michael Jordan so good?
      • michael jordan is one of the most athletic players of all-time, if not the most. incredible quickness, a blur in the open court, an (unofficially recorded) 48 inch vertical leap despite being 6'6". he was stronger than most SGs despite his thin frame, especially in the 90s after he started lifting, and possessed incredible body control.
      • Not just his scoring, his defense was on another level. He was arguably the best defensive guard of all time
      • It was MJ's competitive drive. He had to win. It's one of the big reasons everyone hated on LeBron before he won his championships. Everyone wanted him to be just like MJ, but LeBron takes a much more light-hearted approach to the game.
      • Phil Jackson's book comparing Kobe and Michael basically says Michael is the better athlete and a lot stronger than Kobe (especially his hands).
      • He also had HUGE hands. Much bigger than Kobe's. 
      • His natural athleticism combined with a competitive nature that probably makes playing anything from CoD, golf, poker, or tic-tac-toe with him fucking miserable. Did any of you see his hall of fame induction speech? He's still got that chip.
    • 2016.06.06 - HowTheyPlay - Why Michael Jordan is the Greatest NBA Player I've Ever Seen
  • Links about him being a jerk
    • 2009.10.20 - YouTube - The Chamillionaire/Michael Jordan Story
    • 2010.09.09 - SBNation - The Time Wayne Gretzky Called Out Michael Jordan In Vegas
      • "Michael had ordered a drink from the cocktail waitress, and he gave her a five-dollar chip."
        • That sounds like a reasonable tip to me...big spenders may not stay wealthy for long.
    • 2013.01.12 - Reddit - Is Michael Jordan really that bad of a person?
      • My brother was a bartender a few years back and MJ came in, say down and lit a cigar. When politely asked to put it out, he simply said, "Do you know who I am?"
      • A little known story. MJ owned a racing team, when he first bought them they were not very good. Years later they won a huge race and they were celebrating next to the track and went to celebrate. He was asked by a reporter why he did not go with them. Apparently he had been so ruthless and horrible to his crew about not winning at first that they would not let him near them, he had to stay in the owner's box, he was so mean to them that some threatened restraining orders.
    • 2013.02.24 - Reddit - What are some famous people whose work you respect and admire, but don't like them as people?
      • Without looking down (she's barely 5 feet tall), without breaking stride, he puts his hand up, grabs her face like he's palming a basketball, and twists/pushes her head out of his way. Her head is almost twisted completely around and facing us, eyes closed and mouth scrunched against his hand, before she's off to his side and he's moving on. It was like he was pushing open a door. She stumbles a few steps and falls over, and one of his entourage almost trips over her before helping her up and apologizing for him. By this time, MJ is right next to us at the craps table, still looking straight ahead, but he has this smirk on his face I will never forget.
        • this story seems completely fake. With the end sounding like you are wrapping up a fictional novel and her telling a story about a three pointer that never happened makes it sound like bullshit.

      • MJ brought the Washington Wizards to our college town when he was the GM of that team. He took about 20 people out to the finer restaurants in the city and spent about $1,000 on the tab. He didn't tip his servers a fucking dime. He also apparently left the restaurant with one of the girls that worked there, even though he was married with kids.

      • /r/chicago is chock full of stories about MJ being an asshat. Total dick.
      • as I got older and learned he was divorced and saw his demeanor on the sideline of Bobcats games and whatnot I started getting a bad feeling.
    • 2014.01.31 - BleacherReport - Top 10 Instances of Michael Jordan Being Just Plain Mean
    • 2014.04.04 - YouTube - Conan - Charles Barkley Is An Awesome Tipper
      • "There's nobody cheaper than Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan. (...) You know, I always give homeless people money, and he'll always slap my hand. He'll say, 'if they can ask you for spare change, they can say 'Welcome to McDonald's, can I help you please?'' (...) Tiger's pretty cheap too. (...) (half-jokingly→) I think that's why they rich; they don't tip."
    • 2015.06.20 - Reddit - Why do people always say Michael Jordan is a bad person?
      • He doesn't tip and is kind of disrespectful to people.
    • 2016.02.22 - Reddit - What is your favorite Michael Jordan being a "jerk" story?
      • [he didn't] let [his] family come to [the] nba finals games [presumably because he] wanted to party and fuck bitches after the game
      • My uncle dealt cards to him at a casino a while back. Everyone hated him. Didn't tip, and was a sore loser.
      • Jordan called Kwame, practically a high school kid a "flaming faggot" every day in practice to the point where he would regularly be brought to tears
      • Punching Steve Kerr in the face during practice.
      • IDK if it was the alcohol, the high heels or the excitement of possibly being able just to say hello to a legend, but I fell! There I laid on the ground, directly in his path, as he stepped right over me. Some other guy helped me to my feet and was like, "Well that was f*cked up." It was like a movie. In an odd turn of events, by the time I rejoined my friends, he'd sent a representative over to them inviting them back to his hotel. "Mr. Jordan would like you to join him at his hotel," the guy said pointing to a black SUV. Also of note, he was at the club with his girlfriend (now wife).
      • I met him a couple of times when he owned his motorcycle racing team. He was always a massive dick.
  • Misc articles to organize
    • 200? - 60 Minutes - Interview with Ed Bradley

      • 1:00 - He talks about wanting to have time for himself
        2:20 - Examples of him trash-talking
        3:00 - Cheating without getting caught: pushing a player
        3:15 - He does a kind of judo-move
        4:00 - Teaching a kid: You've got to simplify as much as possible
        4:40 - No one in his family expected him to amount to much, and that fueled his will to win
        5:30 - Making a game-winning shot in college put him on the map
        6:50 - I like control
        7:10 - All I thought about was doing what I was good at and letting that open a lot of opportunities for me.
        7:45 - He often plays golf from sunrise to sunset, 54 holes a day.
        7:50 - "For a competitive junkie like me...golf fills that need"
        8:40 - About his experience in baseball
        10:15 - His parents were his role-models: hard-working, disciplined
        11:30 - Regarding gambling: "I've gotten into situations where I didn't walk away". His father said he doesn't have a gambling problem, he has a competitiveness problem.
        12:40 - He tried to go back to the Wizards but his knees failed him.

    • https://sports.vice.com/en_us/article/what-steve-kerr-learned-from-getting-punched-in-the-face-by-michael-jordan

    • MICHAEL JORDAN Full 1 On 1 Interview With Ahmad Rashad 2013 YouTube
    • The Kobe interview kobe talks about Jordan
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxUDPBEzUpI
    • http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/9285372/phil-jackson-compares-michael-jordan-kobe-bryant-book
      • "One of the biggest differences between the two stars from my perspective was Michael's superior skills as a leader," Jackson writes. "Though at times he could be hard on his teammates, Michael was masterful at controlling the emotional climate of the team with the power of his presence. Kobe had a long way to go before he could make that claim. He talked a good game, but he'd yet to experience the cold truth of leadership in his bones, as Michael had in his bones."
      • Michael was a tougher, more intimidating defender
      • "In general, Kobe tends to rely more heavily on his flexibility and craftiness, but he takes a lot of gambles on defense and sometimes pays the price."
      • "Jordan was also more naturally inclined to let the game come to him and not overplay his hand, whereas Kobe tends to force the action, especially when the game isn't going his way. When his shot is off, Kobe will pound away relentlessly until his luck turns. Michael, on the other hand, would shift his attention to defense or passing or setting screens to help the team win the game."
      • "Michael was more charismatic and gregarious than Kobe," Jackson writes. "He loved hanging out with his teammates and security guards, playing cards, smoking cigars, and joking around. Kobe is different. He was reserved as a teenager, in part because he was younger than the other players and hadn't developed strong social skills in college. When Kobe first joined the Lakers, he avoided fraternizing with his teammates. But his inclination to keep to himself shifted as he grew older. Increasingly, Kobe put more energy into getting to know the other players, especially when the team was on the road."
    • Michael Jordan's Basketball Lesson
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFKWDNaTURs
      • 1:00 - He talks about wanting to have time for himself
      • 2:20 - Trash-talk
      • 3:00 - Cheating without getting caught: pushing a player
      • 3:15 - He does a kind of judo-move
      • 4:00 - Teaching a kid: You've got to simplify as much as possible
      • 4:40 - No one in his family expected him to amount to much, and that fueled his will to win
      • 5:30 - Making a game-winning shot in college put him on the map
      • 6:50 - I like control
      • 7:10 - All I thought about was doing what I was good at and letting that open a lot of opportunities for me.
      • 7:45 - He often plays golf from sunrise to sunset, 54 holes a day.
      • 7:50 - "For a competitive junkie like me..."
      • 8:40 - About his experience in baseball
      • 10:15 - His parents were his role-models: hard-working, disciplined
      • 11:30 - Regarding gambling: "I've gotten into situations where I didn't walk away". His father said he doesn't have a gambling problem, he has a competitiveness problem.
      • 12:40 - He tried to go back to the Wizards but his knees failed him.

Stephen Curry


Stone Cold Steve Austin





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