Enjoy Judo - The BJA's school development programme

The BJA school development programme was launched in September 2004 with funding from Sport England. The objective of the programme is to introduce judo into primary and secondary schools throughout the country and to feed young people from school into local clubs. Judo can be and is enjoyed by all people from as young as 5 years old.

The Structure

The objective of the programme is to initiate judo in schools and link this activity to local clubs. Our Schools Coaches are visiting schools, speaking to Partnership Development Managers and the Heads of PE, doing demonstrations, and signing up new schools in which to deliver classes. We will deliver the sessions then and ultimately we see clusters of activity being formed and feeding into clubs.

The course content is clearly aimed at the FUNdamental stage of the Long Term Player Development (LTPD) model. We will continuously explore new and better coaching methods to keep young people on the mat. Children respond to quality coaching that is also fun – and we must always focus on this point.

© BJA/Mike Varey

Obviously we will support this structure by becoming involved in various initiatives within the local area such as Area Youth Games and UK School Games. We will also work closely with clubs who are interested in becoming involved at the schools level to deliver our programme. This activity will complement our core objective – which is bringing judo to new people.

Quality control

In the BJA we insist on the highest levels of quality, with every BJA coach having an up to date licence, first aid certificate, child protection training and a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check.

We use modern coaching practices to ensure a fun and safe environment in which young people can enjoy the sport of judo. Therefore, all of our Schools Coaches are qualified at UKCC Level 2 or above.

The Story So Far

The first six months of the programme has been spent visiting schools, doing demonstrations, lining up classes and forging links with key partners. These partners include BJA Clubs and Coaches, British Schools Judo, Sport England, County Sports Partnerships, to name but a few.

The BJA Enjoy Judo programme has coaches actively working in the East Midlands, West Midlands, Eastern Region, Kent and East Sussex. To find out more information on the programme please contact Wayne Lakin.

Working in partnership - British Judo Association and British Schools Judo

In the future the British Judo Association and British Schools Judo will be working together on the following:

• National Schools Championships

• Star Award grading scheme

• Festival pack and resources - available soon

• School 2 Dojo programme