Developing Judo

I have been teaching judo for about three years. During this time I’ve learned quite a number of things. Some of what I learned is about judo, some about running a judo club, and some about me. Now I sit at my club wondering about this wonderful thing called judo that I try to spread to others.

The most important lessons I believe I have learned is that patience and a solid basis of basic understanding is essential to teaching judo to others. However, I believe that the Japanese and other cultures have it right with a prohibition on those below yodan or sandan teaching.

How can I, a mere USJA shodan and Yawara nidan, say such a thing as this? Shodan through sandan are just ready to really undertake learning. Concentrating on learning the foundational elements of judo is paramount at this stage, not teaching! Yet teaching is what these brave young dan grades do!

In some, exceptional, cases those below sandan may be head instructors. This is a sorry situation and does no great service to the students or the instructor. These instructors are barely versed in the essence of judo much less how to convey that essence to others.

What solution have I to this sorry state of affairs that U.S. Judo has found itself? I’m not sure that I truly have a sufficient solution, but I have some ideas.

1. Teaching is teaching. Students who desire to be instructors must undergo training in how to teach others. They need to understand things like lesson planning, transference, research, activity- and knowledge-based learning.

2. Coaching is not teaching. Coaching and teaching seem similar to the uninitiated. These are very different points of view in the educational process. Students who desire to be teachers should learn how to coach those that are junior to them effectively. They must understand shaping processes (both forward and backward), conditioning, tactics, strategy, and nutrition. Beginning coaches should specialize in small step coaching like coaching a specific group of waza to a small group of students.

3. Increase professionalism in our coaches and teachers. I don’t mean that coaches or teachers should exclusively do judo for their living, but the mindset of volunteerism because “I love judo” has to go. Love for the endeavor gets one in the door; it does not keep you working. A professional, whether or not currency changes hands, does the job because it is the job to do. They will do that job to the best of their ability every single time not because they “love it” but because it is the right thing to do. A volunteer can leave any time. A volunteer doesn’t have to do the job to the best of their ability because they are a volunteer.

4. National organizations need a program, even if it is just an online coursework program, to develop teaching and coaching. These need to be separate programs.

5. National organizations, within their structures, need to have a cohesive developmental approach to teaching judo students judo. Worrying about student waza selection is a lot like asking your five year old what he or she wants for supper, a bad idea. Students need to learn a progression of techniques and applications because they build upon and transfer to each other. Understanding Uki goshi and O goshi will help your student learn 90% or more of the other koshi waza!

I’m just a shodan/nidan, depending on who you ask, but these seem an important necessity for judo in the U.S.