Judo competitions can be great fun and really give the club members a sense of achievement and team spirit. Below are a few details for parents of first time competitors.
Competition Entry
Please speak to either one of the coaches with regards to entering competitions – they will give you details of how to enter online – or you may be able to enter competitions in a group booking organised by the club. Competitions are often set up for particular belts – so it is worth checking if your child has the correct grade to enter a competition.
In order to register you will need your child’s licence number and their weight (in kg).
Make sure that you find out the registration and weigh-in time for your child’s weight and age category.
Competition Day
When you attend a competition you will need to bring the following items with you:
- Judo License
- White Judo suit (and belt). Most competitions below national level are generally only in white suits. If you only have a blue suit, talk to the coaches and there may be one to borrow for the day.
- White short-sleeved T-shirt (girls only – this should not have any embellishments that stick out from the fabric – such as sequins etc.)
- Flip flops or similar
Weigh In
All competitors need to weigh in at set times. Competitors need to take their licences up with them when they weigh in. Boys are weighed in wearing only trousers and girls wearing trousers and t-shirts, jackets and belts are not worn for the weigh in.
Warm Up
Before the competition starts – all competitors will be given the chance to warm up on the mat.
Groups
Your child will then be put into a group (pool) for the competition. When it is their turn to compete – the group will be called and all the competitors names will be called out. Your child then needs to go to the waiting area ready to compete.
The club coaches are allowed in the waiting area (parents generally aren’t) and will look after the children through the competition.
Competition
For boys only – they will need to remove any t-shirts or base layers from underneath their jackets (girls must wear a white t-shirt) before fighting.
Your child won’t need their normal belt for the competition fights – they will be given a white or blue belt by the competition or by the coach to wear whilst fighting. They may change from blue to white for each fight.
The coaches will run through the etiquette on moving onto the mat and taking part in the competition. The children do not need to worry about this as the referee’s understand the level of the competition and generally try and help.
There also may be words that your child may not understand from the Referee (This can happen at all levels!) so it is important that they do not stop unless they hear and understand “Matte” for stop. You do not get penalised for not hearing/understanding!
At the end of the competition – they will need to wear their suit and their own belt to receive any medals.
It is a good plan to bring food and drink to competitions – as they can last several hours. It is very difficult to predict how long they will last as a Judo competition can last the full 3 minutes or can be over in 5 seconds!!
If you would like to take photos – you may need to sign a form when you pay at the beginning.
