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Getting Started
Coaches are the life blood of the sport of judo. If you are reading this you are likely already doing judo and have already met coaches that have inspired you, made you think about your values and made you into a better person.
That’s powerful, and of course with great power comes, great responsibility and we take our coaching programme very seriously, regardless of whether your ambition is to coach at your club or lead one of our national squads to the Olympic or Paralympic Games.
If you are ready to pass on your judo knowledge to help other judoka in the sport please read on.
What Coaching Involves
There are four levels of coaching: BJA Level 1 – 3 and then on to an MSC in Advanced Sport Coaching Practice.
This is a course run over 2 days
You must:
- Be 16 years of age or over
- Hold a minimum of a BJA 2nd Kyu Grade
- Be able to communicate effectively verbally and in writing in English
- Be a current member of the BJA or relevant Home Nation
Once qualified you will be able to coach alongside a Level 2 or Level 3 Coach during sessions.
This is a course run over 5 days
You must:
- Be 18 years of age or over
- Hold a minimum of a BJA 1st Kyu Grade
- It is recommended to hold a BJA Level 1 coaching award
- Be able to communicate effectively verbally and in writing in English
This is a course run over 8 days in 4 weekend blocks
You must:
- Be 20 years of age or over
- Hold a minimum of a BJA 1st Dan Grade
- It is recommended to hold a BJA Level 2 coaching award
- Be able to communicate effectively verbally and in writing in English
- Be a current member of the BJA or relevant Home Nation
This course is open to coaches who are working with players on the performance pathway or players with competitive aspirations.
You must:
- Be 21 years of age or over
- Hold a minimum of a BJA 1st Dan Grade
- It is recommended to hold a BJA Level 3 coaching award
- A minimum of 3 years experience coaching at performance level
- Be able to communicate effectively verbally and in writing in English
- Be a current member of the BJA or relevant Home Nation
To find out more about each course, head over to Qualifications.
What’s involved on a Judo Coaching Course?
Judo coaching courses are typically run over a weekend/series of weekends and cover a range of modules and topics suitable for the level of qualification you are studying for.
There are typically between 8 and 20 candidates on a coaching course with one tutor for every 10 candidates. Candidates are formally assessed on the final day of the course with an assessor(s) deployed to examine the candidates.
Finding a Coaching Course
British Judo run a range of different coaching courses across the country annually.