As part of a new year’s resolution to define my personal values I decided to explore the world of coaching, specifically for Judo.
I’ve plugged away at Judo for a number of years and have a semblance of competence. I also enjoy developing people and observing them thrive. Coaching for Judo seems a good direction to follow as it combines the two.
What’s offered by British Judo
There are a number of pathways offered to the Judo enthusiast by British Judo alongside the recreational route. I’ve explored refereeing briefly. I’ve also had a minor spell in officiating. I thought coaching would be a directly transferable skill for my day job too.
From what I’ve seen there are three coaching levels that are offered, respectively referred to as Level 1, 2 and 3.
How you start
Where do you begin? As with everything you speak to your own coaches who will hopefully encourage you and then refer you to the British Judo website (www.britishjudo.org.uk). From there you’ve got access to various materials and more importantly, dates for coach training sessions. There are a couple of people who run the seminars and certification processes, and there are dates sprinkled throughout the year with decent availability. From there you sign up for a particular date and off you go!
What you’ll discover is that there’s a lot more to coaching than simply explaining how to throw in different ways. The trainers will introduce you to theories and concepts which are actually fairly interesting to take in. In contrast to this, some of the documentation provided is a little outdated and could do with a spruce up!
If you follow it all up, you then have to undertake various assessments on the day and run some sessions under the guidance of a senior coach. You’ll also be put under the process of first aid training, safe guarding training and submit your details for an ID check. They’ll also get you to apply to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) for a check.
They definitely make you jump through hoops, even just for the Level 1 certification but it’s worth it. If you’ve got a fascination for the sport (and let’s be honest, if you’ve stuck around until 2nd Kyu which is the minimum grade for this) you’ll want to get this done and out of the way.
Things you learn along the way
The mistake I have stumbled on is the notion that you have to be an accomplished player with significant achievements. That if you’re anything less than a former England squad member, then you’re just not worthy of it. This is not true, dispel the thought. We’re not all training the next Olympians (the pool of this calibre of talent is obviously small) but the notion should be around promoting and sharing this beautiful sport we have ourselves personally enjoyed over the course of years.
On this note I’ve had examples of coaches with significant accomplishments that have exhibited somewhat lackluster coaching ability. Not because they don’t have the technical skill (far from it) but that they either no longer have the drive or never really had the interest in coaching but somehow fell into it.
Breaking things down into their composite parts while teaching a Judo sequence is beneficial for everyone concerned. You learn a lot about yourself, your style and your Judo technique when you do this. You learn how others adapt due to their particular
I valued the experience additionally because speaking in front of many people has never been a strength of mine. More exposure to it through coaching has given me more opportunity to practice a weaker skill of mine, which inevitably leads to more competence, which then leads to more confidence.
Lastly, you find that some people are visual learners, others are aural (they need to hear an instructional breakdown), others need to practice by doing. Most have a combination of all three but will have a particular leaning to one of the three. You learn how to adapt to this.
Conclusion
Hopefully this write-up will give you an impetus towards progressing on your Judo coaching journey. It’s beneficial not just for your Judo but also for your professional direction. On this point, the Level 2 certification is actually an accredited Coaching certification which is formally acknowledged and beefs up your career experience.
Hopefully see you at a coaching course soon!